נְהִי
𐤍𐤄𐤉
nᵉhîy
H5092 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A song or expression of lamentation, typically composed or recited in situations of grief, mourning, or loss; an elegy or dirge, especially over the deceased or in response to a communal calamity. Also refers more broadly to the act or genre of wailing aloud in mourning rites.
Semantic Range
lamentation, wailing, elegy, mourning cry, dirge
Root / Etymology
Derived from the root נָהָה (nahah), meaning 'to wail' or 'to lament vocally.' נְהִי is the feminine noun form indicating the object or result of that action—a lament, elegy, or wailing.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In the Hebrew Bible, נְהִי appears almost exclusively in poetic or prophetic contexts, usually as part of formalized mourning practices (e.g. Jeremiah 9:9, Amos 5:16). It is related to the performance of public grief, often accompanied by ritual professionals (mourners or 'wailing women,' cf. Jeremiah 9:16-19). The meaning remains relatively stable throughout biblical literature, referring to the cultural practice of voicing grief. Unlike קִינָה (qinah, 'lament, dirge'), which frequently denotes a specifically literary or set-form composition, נְהִי tends to emphasize the vocal and ritual aspects of mourning. Later translations sometimes render this word as 'lamentation' or 'wailing,' and in post-biblical Hebrew the association with vocal ritual mourning remained. English renderings as 'lamentation' may not fully capture the performative, communal, and oral aspect that is prominent in ancient Israelite culture.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from נָהָה; an elegy; lamentation, wailing.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
נהה (n-h-h) — to wail, to lament aloud, to mourn vocally
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5092-01 |
נֶ֑הִי | nehi | HNcmsa |
a doleful | wailing lament | 6 |
H5092-02 |
וָ/נֶ֗הִי | vanehi | HC/Ncmsa |
and wailing | and a lament | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
7 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5092-02 |
Jeremiah 9:9 | וָ/נֶ֗הִי | vanehi | HC/Ncmsa |
and wailing | and a lament |
H5092-01 |
Jeremiah 9:17 | נֶ֑הִי | nehi | HNcmsa |
a lamentation | wailing lament |
H5092-01 |
Jeremiah 9:18 | נְהִ֛י | nehi | HNcmsa |
of wailing | wailing lament |
H5092-01 |
Jeremiah 9:19 | נֶ֔הִי | nehi | HNcmsa |
wailing | wailing lament |
H5092-01 |
Jeremiah 31:15 | נְהִי֙ | nehi | HNcmsa |
lamentation | wailing lament |
H5092-01 |
Amos 5:16 | נֶֽהִי | nehi | HNcmsa |
lament | wailing lament |
H5092-01 |
Micah 2:4 | נְהִ֤י | nehi | HNcmsa |
a doleful | wailing lament |