מַן
𐤌𐤍
mân
who
An interrogative and indefinite pronoun used primarily to ask or refer to a person: 'who?' When employed relatively or indefinitely, it can mean 'whoever,' 'anyone who,' or refer to someone unknown or unspecified. Unlike Hebrew מִי (mi), which is the standard interrogative pronoun for 'who' in Hebrew, מָן (man) is used in Biblical Aramaic reflecting the same function within the Aramaic portions of the Hebrew Bible. Its semantic range extends to relative and indefinite references, not exclusively direct questions.
Ezra 5:3 · Word #15
Lexicon H4479
| Lemma | מָן |
| Lemma (Paleo) | 𐤌𐤍 |
| Transliteration | mân |
| Strong's | H4479 |
| Definition | An interrogative and indefinite pronoun used primarily to ask or refer to a person: 'who?' When employed relatively or indefinitely, it can mean 'whoever,' 'anyone who,' or refer to someone unknown or unspecified. Unlike Hebrew מִי (mi), which is the standard interrogative pronoun for 'who' in Hebrew, מָן (man) is used in Biblical Aramaic reflecting the same function within the Aramaic portions of the Hebrew Bible. Its semantic range extends to relative and indefinite references, not exclusively direct questions. |
Morphology APi3ms
All morphology codes
| Part of Speech | P — Pronoun — Substitutes for a noun |
| Subtype | i — Interrogative — Interrogative |
| Person | 3 — 3rd person — Third person ("he/she/they") |
| Gender | m — Masculine — Masculine |
| Number | s — Singular — Singular |
Common Translation
| Phrase | who |
SIBI-P1 Translation H4479-01
what-substance
| Morphological Notes | Masculine singular noun, absolute form; substantivized from an interrogative root. |
| Rendering Rationale | The noun is a masculine singular absolute form derived from the interrogative root מה (“what?”). Rendering it as “what-substance” preserves both its identification as the wilderness food and its etymological connection to the question that named it. |
View full lexicon entry for H4479 →
SILEX v2
SIBI-P2 (Context-Aware)
who
| Same as P1 | No — adjusted for context |
| Rationale | P1 'what-substance' is incorrect lexically; the correct interrogative here is 'who' referring to a person. |
| P1 Flag | wrong root/Strong's—should be interrogative pronoun for 'who' |