What does אֵבֶל (ʾēbel) mean in the Bible?
אֵבֶל (ʾēbel): Emotional and ritual expression of grief, often public lamentation that includes physical gestures and verbal wailing
Hebrew · H60
אֵבֶל
Lamentation
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אֵבֶל H60
Pronunciation ʾēbel
What does אֵבֶל (ʾēbel) mean in the Bible?
אֵבֶל (ʾēbel): Emotional and ritual expression of grief, often public lamentation that includes physical gestures and verbal wailing
Full entry for אֵבֶל (H60) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H60?
The BSB source-word alignment has 24 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include Mourn (3), of mourning (3), into mourning (2), mourning (2), to mourning (2).
Where does אֵבֶל (ʾēbel) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 27:41. Its strongest book concentrations include Genesis (4), 2 Samuel (3), Amos (3), Jeremiah (3).
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It Mourn 3× Jeremiah 6:26, Ezekiel 24:17, Amos 5:16
of mourning 3× Genesis 27:41, Ecclesiastes 7:2, Ecclesiastes 7:4
into mourning 2× 2 Samuel 19:2, Amos 8:10
mourning 2× Esther 4:3, Isaiah 61:3
to mourning 2× Job 30:31, Lamentations 5:15
. . . 1× Genesis 50:10
a time of mourning 1× Amos 8:10
and mourn 1× Micah 1:8
and mourning 1× Deuteronomy 34:8
and their mourning 1× Esther 9:22
And when the [time of] mourning 1× 2 Samuel 11:27
ceremony of mourning 1× Genesis 50:11
for mourning 1× 2 Samuel 14:2
of your sorrow 1× Isaiah 60:20
the mourning 1× Genesis 50:11
their mourning 1× Jeremiah 31:13
those who mourn 1× Jeremiah 16:7
Show sample aligned rows
Genesis 27:41 אֵ֣בֶל to of mourning Noun - masculine singular construct Genesis 50:10 אֵ֖בֶל to . . . Noun - masculine singular Genesis 50:11 הָאֵ֗בֶל to the mourning Article | Noun - masculine singular Genesis 50:11 אֵֽבֶל־ to ceremony of mourning Noun - masculine singular Deuteronomy 34:8 אֵ֥בֶל to and mourning Noun - masculine singular construct 2 Samuel 11:27 הָאֵ֗בֶל to And when the [time of] mourning Article | Noun - masculine singular 2 Samuel 14:2 אֵ֗בֶל to for mourning Noun - masculine singular 2 Samuel 19:2 לְאֵ֖בֶל to into mourning Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular Esther 4:3 אֵ֤בֶל to mourning Noun - masculine singular Esther 9:22 וּמֵאֵ֖בֶל to and their mourning Conjunctive waw, Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Genesis 27:41
Aligned rows 24
Books represented 12
Genesis 4 Deuteronomy 1 2 Samuel 3 Esther 2 Job 1 Ecclesiastes 2 Isaiah 2 Jeremiah 3 Lamentations 1 Ezekiel 1 Amos 3 Micah 1
Source forms
אֵ֔בֶל 3x ’ê·ḇel Ecclesiastes 7:4, Isaiah 61:3, Amos 5:16
אֵ֣בֶל 2x ’ê·ḇel Genesis 27:41, Ezekiel 24:17
אֵ֖בֶל 2x ’ê·ḇel Genesis 50:10, Jeremiah 16:7
אֵ֗בֶל 2x ’ê·ḇel 2 Samuel 14:2, Ecclesiastes 7:2
אֵ֤בֶל 2x ’ê·ḇel Esther 4:3, Jeremiah 6:26
הָאֵ֗בֶל 2x hā·’ê·ḇel Genesis 50:11, 2 Samuel 11:27
לְאֵ֖בֶל 2x lə·’ê·ḇel 2 Samuel 19:2, Lamentations 5:15
אֵ֥בֶל 1x ’ê·ḇel Deuteronomy 34:8
Parsing patterns
Noun - masculine singular 11x Genesis 50:10, Genesis 50:11, 2 Samuel 14:2, Esther 4:3
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular 4x 2 Samuel 19:2, Job 30:31, Lamentations 5:15, Amos 8:10
Article | Noun - masculine singular 2x Genesis 50:11, 2 Samuel 11:27
Noun - masculine singular construct 2x Genesis 27:41, Deuteronomy 34:8
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular 1x Micah 1:8
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular 1x Esther 9:22
Noun - masculine singular construct | second person feminine singular 1x Isaiah 60:20
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine plural 1x Jeremiah 31:13
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Emotional and ritual expression of grief, often public lamentation that includes physical gestures and verbal wailing
Source Gloss
lamentation
Extended definition Source: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Emotional and ritual expression of grief, often public lamentation that includes physical gestures and verbal wailing
lamentation BDB: mourning Usage: mourning.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
Mourning ritual forbidden by God as sign of judgment
Intense grief and lamentation over coming destruction and loss
Showing 2 selected witnesses from 24 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
אֵבֶל is built from this root:
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain