سَلْ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ كَمْ آتَيْنَاهُمْ مِنْ آيَةٍ بَيِّنَةٍ
Ask the Children of Israel how many clear signs We gave them.
The interrogative kam relates to number, yet the rhetorical purpose is not merely to obtain a count. The abundance of signs is made salient, with a force of admonition and reproach. Thus the expression's basic semantic field and the contextual rhetorical purpose must be distinguished.
Where the facts are already plain, a question framed with kam may convey reproach, wonder or emphasis instead of a genuine request for new information. This anticipates the next section on nonliteral interrogative uses.