---
title: אָבֵל — mourning · The Tanakh dictionary
description: אָבֵל (57), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 8 times: mourning. BDB 1906: adj. mourning. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# אָבֵל

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«אָבֵל» in the Tanakh dictionary: **mourning** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers.

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**Used:** 8 times · **Key:** 57 · **BDB:** אָבֵל

### Glosses

mourners (2); mourning (2); \[are\].mourning (1)

### Meaning (OSHB)

mourning [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1488/57/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

adj. mourning [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1488/57/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** adj. mourning—א׳ Gn 37:35 Est 6:12; cstr. אֲבֶל־ ψ 35:14; אֲבֵלִים Jb 29:25 Is 61:2 etc.;—for dead Gn 37:35 (cp. 50:11), calamity Est 6:12; fig. La 1:4 (pred., inanim. subj.), elsewhere as subst. mourner; sg. ψ 35:14 (cstr.) for dead (‖ קדר; pl. Jb 29:25 abs.; for calamity Is 57:18; 61:2, 3 (where mourners for Zion, or of Zion, v. Di).

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 8 of its verses cited, 1 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (10 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 1 with the glosses (8 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «אָבֵל» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1488/57/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[Psalms 35:14](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PSA.35.14/)

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כְּרֵֽעַ־כְּאָ֣ח לִ֭י הִתְהַלָּ֑כְתִּי כַּאֲבֶל־אֵ֝֗ם קֹדֵ֥ר שַׁחֽוֹתִי׃

*Word for word:* like a.friend like a.brother my I.went.about like a.mourner of.a.mother mourning I.bowed

*JPS 1917:* I went about as though it had been my friend or my brother; I bowed down mournful, as one that mourneth for his mother.

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[Isaiah 61:2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/ISA.61.2/)

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לִקְרֹ֤א שְׁנַת־רָצוֹן֙ לַֽיהוָ֔ה וְי֥וֹם נָקָ֖ם לֵאלֹהֵ֑ינוּ לְנַחֵ֖ם כָּל־אֲבֵלִֽים׃

*Word for word:* to proclaim a.year of.favor of Yahweh and a.day of.vengeance of God our to comfort all mourners

*JPS 1917:* To proclaim the year of the LORD'S good pleasure, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;

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