What does אוֹי (ʾôy) mean in the Bible?
אוֹי (ʾôy): Exclamatory lament expressing grief, distress, or prophetic warning of impending judgment or calamity
Hebrew · H188
אוֹי
אוֹי (ʾôy): Exclamatory lament expressing grief, distress, or prophetic warning of impending judgment or calamity
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אוֹיH188
Pronunciationʾôy
What does אוֹי (ʾôy) mean in the Bible?
Full entry for אוֹי (H188) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H188?
The BSB source-word alignment has 24 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include Woe (19), Ah (1), has woe (1), woe [be] (1), Woe is (1).
Where does אוֹי (ʾôy) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Numbers 21:29. Its strongest book concentrations include Jeremiah (8), Ezekiel (4), Isaiah (4), 1 Samuel (2).
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders ItWoe19×Numbers 21:29, 1 Samuel 4:7, 1 Samuel 4:8, Isaiah 3:9
Ah1×Numbers 24:23
has woe1×Proverbs 23:29
woe [be]1×Hosea 9:12
Woe is1×Jeremiah 45:3
Woe is me1×Jeremiah 4:31
Show sample aligned rows
Numbers 21:29אוֹי־toWoeInterjectionNumbers 24:23א֕וֹיtoAhInterjection1 Samuel 4:7א֣וֹיtoWoeInterjection1 Samuel 4:8א֣וֹיtoWoeInterjectionProverbs 23:29א֥וֹיtohas woeInterjectionIsaiah 3:9א֣וֹיtoWoeInterjectionIsaiah 3:11א֖וֹיtoWoeInterjectionIsaiah 6:5אֽוֹי־toWoeInterjectionIsaiah 24:16א֣וֹיtoWoeInterjectionJeremiah 4:13א֥וֹיtoWoeInterjection
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned rowNumbers 21:29
Aligned rows24
Books represented8
Numbers21 Samuel2Proverbs1Isaiah4Jeremiah8Lamentations1Ezekiel4Hosea2
Source forms
א֣וֹי6x’ō·w1 Samuel 4:7, 1 Samuel 4:8, Isaiah 3:9, Isaiah 24:16
א֥וֹי6x’ō·wProverbs 23:29, Jeremiah 4:13, Jeremiah 6:4, Jeremiah 10:19
אֽוֹי־5x’ō·w-Isaiah 6:5, Jeremiah 4:31, Jeremiah 15:10, Jeremiah 45:3
א֖וֹי2x’ō·wIsaiah 3:11, Ezekiel 24:9
אוֹי־2x’ō·w-Numbers 21:29, Jeremiah 48:46
א֕וֹי1x’ō·wNumbers 24:23
אוֹי֮1x’ō·wEzekiel 24:6
א֤וֹי1x’ō·wHosea 7:13
Parsing patterns
Interjection24xNumbers 21:29, Numbers 24:23, 1 Samuel 4:7, 1 Samuel 4:8
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Exclamatory lament expressing grief, distress, or prophetic warning of impending judgment or calamity
Source Gloss
lamentation ; also interjectionally Oh!
Extended definitionSource: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Exclamatory lament expressing grief, distress, or prophetic warning of impending judgment or calamity
lamentation; also interjectionally Oh! BDB: woe! Usage: alas, woe.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Selected Scripture Witness
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Old Testament Witnesses
An expression of lament or impending judgment.
Showing 1 selected witness from 24 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
אוֹי is built from this root:
Why This Word Matters
The prophetic woe underscores the seriousness of divine warning and impending accountability.Isaiah 3:1-12