אַי
𐤀𐤉
ʼay
H335 particle
SILEX Entry
Definition
Interrogative particle meaning 'where?' and, by extension, inquires about place, location, presence, or absence. Primarily functions as a direct question about the whereabouts or situation, especially of persons or objects. In contexts expressing loss, absence, or disregard, it can further signal dismay or incredulity ('where is...?').
Semantic Range
where?, where is...?, (expressing absence or loss) where has ... gone?; idiomatically, exclamation of absence or abandonment; inquiry into present location, rhetorical questioning
Root / Etymology
Root: אין (ayin), meaning 'to be nothing,' 'to be absent,' or 'nonexistence.' The word אַי is most likely a contracted interrogative form from this root, expressing inquiry into the presence or absence (i.e., 'where [is it]?', especially when something is or seems missing). The precise morphological development is debated, but connection with אַיִן ('nothing,' 'there is not') is generally accepted.
Historical & Contextual Notes
אַי appears chiefly in poetic, interrogative, or lament contexts, often expressing the search for a person, object, or, at times, the presence of a deity (as in rhetorical lament: 'Where is their god?'). Unlike other interrogatives such as אֵיפֹה (eifo, 'where'), אַי emphasizes absence, doubt, or loss rather than merely unidentified location. Its appearance is mostly restricted to prophetic or poetic passages (e.g., Isa 36:19; Hos 13:10,14). Common English translations ('where?') convey the primary meaning, but do not always capture its nuance of absence or distress present in some biblical uses. Later Jewish literature and translations (e.g., LXX, Vulgate) often paraphrase or expand this nuance, but in Biblical Hebrew the word does not carry a developed theological sense.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
perhaps from אַיִן; where? hence how?; how, what, whence, where, whether, which (way).
Bantu Hebrew
| Language | Bantu Word | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lozi | kai | Where |
Root Family
אינ (ʾ-y-n) — nonexistence, absence, nothingness
Word Forms
7 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H335-05 |
אֵ֖י | ey | HTi |
where | where is? | 25 |
H335-06 |
וְ/אֵ֥י | veey | HC/Ti |
and where | and where? | 6 |
H335-01 |
אַיָּ/ם֙ | ayam | HTi/Sp3mp |
where are they | where are they? | 2 |
H335-04 |
אַיּ֤/וֹ | ayo | HTi/Sp3ms |
Where is he? | where is he? | 2 |
H335-03 |
אַיֶּֽ/כָּה | ayekah | HTi/Sp2ms |
Where are you? | where are you (ms)? | 1 |
H335-07 |
ו/אי/ו | vyv | HC/Ti/Sp3ms |
and-where-[are]-they | and where is he? | 1 |
H335-02 |
אַ֭יֵּה | ayeh | HTi |
Where | where? | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
38 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H335-03 |
Genesis 3:9 | אַיֶּֽ/כָּה | ayekah | HTi/Sp2ms |
Where are you? | where are you (ms)? |
H335-05 |
Genesis 4:9 | אֵ֖י | ey | HTi |
Where | where is? |
H335-05 |
Genesis 16:8 | אֵֽי | ey | HTi |
where | where is? |
H335-05 |
Deuteronomy 32:37 | אֵ֣י | ey | HTi |
Where | where is? |
H335-05 |
Judges 13:6 | אֵֽי | ey | HTi |
where | where is? |
H335-05 |
1 Samuel 9:18 | אֵי | ey | HTi |
where | where is? |
H335-05 |
1 Samuel 25:11 | אֵ֥י | ey | HTi |
where | where is? |
H335-05 |
1 Samuel 26:16 | אֵֽי | ey | HTi |
where | where is? |
H335-06 |
1 Samuel 30:13 | וְ/אֵ֥י | veey | HC/Ti |
And where | and where? |
H335-05 |
2 Samuel 1:3 | אֵ֥י | ey | HTi |
Where | where is? |