--- title: אַלְמָנָה — widow · The Tanakh dictionary description: אַלְמָנָה (490), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 54 times: widow. BDB 1906: n.f. widow. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/490.html) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/) / [Tanakh](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/) / [א](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1488-5.md)‎ / אַלְמָנָה‎ # אַלְמָנָה «אַלְמָנָה» in the Tanakh dictionary: **widow** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers. **Used:** 54 times · **Key:** 490 · **BDB:** אַלְמָנָה ### Glosses a.widow (17); widow (15); widows (11) ### Meaning (OSHB) widow [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1488/490/#m1) ### Meaning (BDB 1906) n.f. widow [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1488/490/#m2) **The whole BDB entry:** n.f. widow (Mish. id., Assyrian almattu Dl in ZimBP 114)—א׳ Gn 38:11 +; no cstr.; pl. אַלְמָנוֹת Ex 22:23 +; pl. sf. אַלְמְנֹתָיו Jb 27:15, etc.—widow 1 K 17:20; אִשָּׁה אַ׳ 2 S 14:5 (‖ וַיָּ֫מָת אִישִׁי) 1 K 7:14; 11:26; 17:9, 10; Gn 38:11 (J; living in father’s house) cf. Lv 22:13 (H; ‖ גְּרוּשָׁה); 21:14 (H), where widow forbidden as wife of h. p., like גְּרוּשָׁה, חֲלָלָה, זֹנָה cf. Ez 44:22(×3) (id. of all priests, except widow of priest); Nu 30:10 (P; of widow’s vow, ‖ גְּרוּשָׁה); נְשֵׁיכֶם אַלְמָנוֹת = ye shall be slain Ex 22:23 (‖ בְּנֵיכֶם יְתֹמִים) cf. ψ 109:9 Je 15:8; 18:21 Ez 22:25, also La 5:3 (sim.); of those snatched away by pestilence אַלְמְנוֹתָיו לֹא תִבְכֶּינָה Jb 27:15; by sword, id., ψ 78:64; 𝔊 We read אַלְמָנוֹת חַיּוֹת 2 S 20:3 (v. אַלְמָנוּת infr.) of imprisoned concubines; fig. of Jerusalem La 1:1; Babylon Is 47:8; especially widow as helpless, exposed to oppression \& harsh treatment (often ‖ יָתוֹם, \& גֵּר); Is 1:23; 10:2 Jb 22:9; 24:3; 31:16 ψ 94:6 Mal 3:5; harshness forbidden, \& care for them enjoined Ex 22:21 (E) Dt 14:29; 16:11, 14; 24:17, 19, 20, 21; 26:12, 13; 27:19 Is 1:17 Je 7:6; 22:3 Zc 7:10, cf. Jb 29:13; under especially care of God Dt 10:18 Je 49:11 Pr 15:25 ψ 68:6; 146:9; once of severity of judgment in not sparing widow Is 9:16. (אַל׳ Is 13:22 vid. sub אַרְמוֹן; Ez 19:7 vid. ib.) Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 50 of its verses cited, 1 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (1 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 1 with the glosses (1 candidates) ### Trees and pragmatics [Every English meaning of «אַלְמָנָה» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1488/490/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames. ### In the verses [Job 24:3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/JOB.24.3/) חֲמ֣וֹר יְתוֹמִ֣ים יִנְהָ֑גוּ יַ֝חְבְּל֗וּ שׁ֣וֹר אַלְמָנָֽה׃ *Word for word:* \[the\].donkey of.fatherless.ones they.drive.away they.take.as.pledge \[the\].ox of.a.widow *JPS 1917:* They drive away the ass of the fatherless, they take the widow's ox for a pledge. [Exodus 22:21](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/EXO.22.21/) כָּל־אַלְמָנָ֥ה וְיָת֖וֹם לֹ֥א תְעַנּֽוּן׃ *Word for word:* any widow and a.fatherless.one not you must.afflict *JPS 1917:* Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child. - ← previous: [אַלְמֹן](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/489.md) - next →: [אַלְמָנָה](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/lemma_3a_5d0_5b7_5dc_5b0_5de_5b8_5e0_5b8_5d4.md) - ↑ back to [א](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1488-5.md)