Hebrew word · H165
אֱהִי
'ehi
where?
Interrogative "where?". It occurs only in Hosea 13:10 and 13:14 (twice). It is generally taken as a variant of ʾayyēh/ʾê, "where?", perhaps reflecting the northern Hebrew Hosea spoke.
Appears 3 times in 2 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·
What it means
where
Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).
In depth
- Range of meaning
Interrogative "where?". It occurs only in Hosea 13:10 and 13:14 (twice). It is generally taken as a variant of ʾayyēh/ʾê, "where?", perhaps reflecting the northern Hebrew Hosea spoke.
- Against the English
Almost all modern versions (BSB, WEB, YLT, NIV, ESV, NASB, NLT) have "where". The KJV has "I will be thy king", reading the word as ʾehyeh, "I will be", the same root as the divine self-description in Exodus 3:14.
- How it drifted
The KJV rendering comes from medieval Jewish interpretation, which linked the consonants to the verb "to be". The Vulgate does something similar at 13:14 ("ero mors tua", "I will be your death") but has "ubi" ("where") here.
- Used elsewhere in the period
The Septuagint has poû ("where") at 13:10 and 13:14. Paul quotes the Greek of 13:14 in 1 Corinthians 15:55 ("O death, where is your sting?"), which shows that early Greek-speaking readers understood "where". HALOT and BDB both list "where?" as the meaning.
- Range of meaning
A rare word for 'where?', found only in Hosea 13:10 and 13:14 (twice). It is probably a dialect form of the common 'ayyeh. Its consonants are identical to 'ehyeh, 'I will be', which is the source of the alternative reading.
- Against the English
KJV 'I will be thy plagues' follows the Latin Vulgate's 'ero' (I will be). Nearly all modern versions read 'where'.
- How it drifted
Not a drift so much as an old reading choice. Because Paul's 'Where, O death…' is so familiar, English readers tend to hear the line as a triumphant taunt in Hosea too.
- Used elsewhere in the period
Hosea 13:10, 'Where now is your king, that he may save you?' is a clear use of 'ehi as 'where'. The Septuagint has pou ('where'); the Vulgate has ero ('I will be'), which became the Latin Easter text 'O mors, ero mors tua' ('O death, I will be your death').
Where it appears
Hosea · 3
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Hosea 13:10 אֱהִ֤י where?
Where is your king now to save you in all your cities, and the rulers to whom you said, “Give me a king and princes”?
Here: A rare question word found only in Hosea, here and twice in 13:14 ("O Death, where are your plagues?"). It is probably a northern or dialect form of the usual ʾayyēh, "where?". Opening the verse with it makes the line a mocking challenge: show me this king.
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Hosea 13:14 אֱהִ֨י אֱהִ֤י where?
I will ransom them from the power of Sheol; I will redeem them from Death. Where, O Death, are your plagues? Where, O Sheol, is your sting? Compassion is hidden from My eyes.
Here: A rare form of 'where?', used just four verses earlier (13:10, 'Where now is your king?'). Here it is less a mocking question than a summons: 'Where are your plagues? (Bring them!)'
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.