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יָלַל

𐤉𐤋𐤋

yâlal

H3213 verb

SILEX Entry

Root ילל to howl, to wail, to lament loudly

Definition

To emit a loud, mournful cry—typically to wail, howl, or lament vocally in distress. The verb is used of animals (especially wild beasts and birds) and humans, particularly in contexts of anguish, grief, or devastation, such as mourning the destruction of cities or anguish over disaster. Its primary sense is to express intense emotion or pain through a prolonged vocalization, often in public mourning or lamentation rituals.

Semantic Range

to howl (animal or human), to cry aloud in grief or distress, to wail in lamentation (often ritualized), to utter a loud mournful sound, to express public mourning

Root / Etymology

The root יָלַל (y-l-l) is associated with producing a loud, intense sound, specifically howling, wailing, or lamenting loudly. The form יָלַל is a verb stem directly built from this root and is typically used in the Qal and Hiphil stems to express either the act itself or causation of such a cry. The root likely imitates the actual sound of howling (onomatopoeic origin), a feature observed in several Semitic languages for vocalic expressions.

Historical & Contextual Notes

יָלַל appears most frequently in prophetic books, particularly in contexts of impending or experienced catastrophe (e.g., Isaiah 13:6; Jeremiah 4:8; Joel 1:5, 11, 13). The verb is used to portray both the literal cry of wild animals amid desolation and the formalized wailing of humans during mourning or crisis. In Israelite tradition, communal expressions of grief such as lamentation over national disaster were often marked by vocal keening; יָלַל is a key term for these occasions. Unlike terms such as קוֹנֵן ('to lament' in a formulaic or poetic sense), יָלַל emphasizes the audible, almost instinctual nature of the cry, rather than structured lamentation. In English Bibles, the term is usually rendered 'howl' or 'wail', but these terms may not always convey the full emotional or ritual dimension inherent in the Hebrew. The nuance of animal versus human usage is usually determined by context, and in some cases, the verb highlights the parallel between human suffering and the raw cries of creatures facing ruin. Its use diminishes in later Biblical Hebrew, replaced by other vocabulary or noun forms associated with formal mourning.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; to howl (with a wailing tone) or yell (with a boisterous one); (make to) howl, be howling.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

ילל (y-l-l) — to howl, to wail, to lament loudly

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H3214 יְלֵל mournful howl
H3215 יְלָלָה lamenting wail
H8437 תּוֹלָל our wail-causers

Word Forms

13 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H3213-04 הֵילִ֕ילוּ heylilu HVhv2mp Wail cause yourselves to wail 13
H3213-12 יְיֵלִ֔יל yeyelil HVhi3ms wails he will cause to wail 4
H3213-10 וְ/הֵילִ֑ילוּ veheylilu HC/Vhv2mp and wail and raise a wail 3
H3213-03 הֵילִ֤ילִֽי heylili HVhv2fs Howl Raise a wail! 2
H3213-13 יְיֵלִ֖ילוּ yeyelilu HVhi3mp they wail they will cause to wail 1
H3213-09 וְ/הֵילִ֕ל veheylil HC/Vhq3ms and shall howl and he caused to wail 1
H3213-06 תְּיֵלִֽילוּ teyelilu HVhi2mp you shall wail you will raise a howl 1
H3213-07 וְ/אֵילִ֔ילָה veeylilah HC/Vhh1cs and wail let me raise a wail 1
H3213-02 הֵילֵ֤ל heylel HVhv2ms Howl howler 1
H3213-05 הילילי hylyly HVhv2fs wail Raise a wail! 1

Occurrences in Scripture

31 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H3213-04 Isaiah 13:6 הֵילִ֕ילוּ heylilu HVhv2mp Wail! cause yourselves to wail
H3213-03 Isaiah 14:31 הֵילִ֤ילִֽי heylili HVhv2fs Howl Raise a wail!
H3213-12 Isaiah 15:2 יְיֵלִ֔יל yeyelil HVhi3ms wails he will cause to wail
H3213-12 Isaiah 15:3 יְיֵלִ֖יל yeyelil HVhi3ms wails he will cause to wail
H3213-12 Isaiah 16:7 יְיֵלִ֥יל yeyelil HVhi3ms will howl he will cause to wail
H3213-12 Isaiah 16:7 יְיֵלִ֑יל yeyelil-2 HVhi3ms will howl he will cause to wail
H3213-04 Isaiah 23:1 הֵילִ֣ילוּ heylilu HVhv2mp Wail cause yourselves to wail
H3213-04 Isaiah 23:6 הֵילִ֖ילוּ heylilu HVhv2mp wail cause yourselves to wail
H3213-04 Isaiah 23:14 הֵילִ֖ילוּ heylilu HVhv2mp Howl! cause yourselves to wail
H3213-11 Isaiah 52:5 יְהֵילִ֨ילוּ֙ yeheylilu HVhi3mp wail they will cause to wail
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