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אָבֵל

𐤀𐤁𐤋

ʼâbêl

H57 adjective

SILEX Entry

Root אבל to mourn, to lament, to grieve

Definition

A mourner or one engaged in mourning; relates to the experience and practice of lamentation due to death or calamity. The term can refer to an individual in the midst of ritualized mourning, to the act of mourning itself, or to the emotional state associated with loss. It is often used to describe participants in mourning rites and, by extension, the period or state of bereavement.

Semantic Range

mourner, one who mourns, person involved in mourning rites, act or state of mourning, participant in formal lamentation

Root / Etymology

From the root אָבַל (אבל), meaning 'to mourn' or 'to lament.' The noun אָבֵל is a participial form, signifying one who mourns or is in mourning. The root connotes public or private expressions of grief, especially for the dead.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, אָבֵל primarily appears to describe a person mourning the death of a relative or community member. It denotes both the emotional response and the visible, socially recognized acts associated with mourning (such as wearing sackcloth, fasting, or ritual lamentation). The form is distinct from related terms such as מִסְפֵּד (mispeid, 'lament' or 'dirge') or אֵבֶל (ʾevel, 'mourning' as a state or period). In the patriarchal and monarchic periods, mourning involved communal gatherings, ritual actions, and specific periods of abstention or altered behavior. The term rarely appears post-exilic, as biblical Hebrew develops new forms for describing mourning practices. Traditional English translations often generalize to 'mourner' or 'mourning,' but may not always reflect the participial nuance or social dimensions of the word. Later uses and related terms in Jewish tradition may translate or interpret the concept as 'mourner' or 'mourning period,' but these reflect developments in later periods.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from אָבַל; lamenting; mourn(-er, -ing).

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

אבל (ʾ-b-l) — to mourn, to lament, to grieve

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H56 אָבַל but indeed
H5767 עַוָּל indeed, however
H59 אָבֵל Meadow
H60 אֵבֶל mourning-of
H61 אֲבָל but indeed

Word Forms

6 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H57-02 אֲבֵלִֽים avelim HAampa mourners mourning ones 2
H57-01 אָבֵ֖ל avel HAamsa mourning mourning man 2
H57-06 וְ/לַ/אֲבֵלָֽי/ו velaavelayv HC/R/Aampc/Sp3ms and to his mourners and to his mourners 1
H57-04 כַּ/אֲבֶל kaavel HR/Aamsc as one mourning as a mourner 1
H57-05 לַ/אֲבֵלֵ֣י laaveley HR/Aampc for those who mourn to mourners of 1
H57-03 אֲבֵל֗וֹת avelot HAafpa mourn mourning women 1

Occurrences in Scripture

8 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H57-01 Genesis 37:35 אָבֵ֖ל avel HAamsa mourning mourning man
H57-06 Isaiah 57:18 וְ/לַ/אֲבֵלָֽי/ו velaavelayv HC/R/Aampc/Sp3ms and to his mourners and to his mourners
H57-02 Isaiah 61:2 אֲבֵלִֽים avelim HAampa who mourn mourning ones
H57-05 Isaiah 61:3 לַ/אֲבֵלֵ֣י laaveley HR/Aampc for those who mourn to mourners of
H57-04 Psalms 35:14 כַּ/אֲבֶל kaavel HR/Aamsc as one mourning as a mourner
H57-02 Job 29:25 אֲבֵלִ֣ים avelim HAampa mourners mourning ones
H57-03 Lamentations 1:4 אֲבֵל֗וֹת avelot HAafpa mourn mourning women
H57-01 Esther 6:12 אָבֵ֖ל avel HAamsa mourning mourning man
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