---
title: אֵבֶל — mourning · The Tanakh dictionary
description: אֵבֶל (60), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 24 times: mourning. BDB 1906: n.m. mourning. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# אֵבֶל

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«אֵבֶל» 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:** 24 times · **Key:** 60 · **BDB:** אֵ֫בֶל

### Glosses

mourning (15); of.mourning (3); of.the.mourning (2)

### Meaning (OSHB)

mourning [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1488/60/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

n.m. mourning [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1488/60/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** n.m. Gn 50:11 mourning—abs. Gn 50:10 + 17 times; cstr. 27:41 + 3 times; אֶבְלֵךְ Is 60:20; אֶבְלָם Je 31:13—for dead, cstr. Gn 27:41 Dt 34:8 (‖ בּכי) so א׳ יָחִיד sim. for grievous mourning Am 8:10, id. metaph. Je 6:26 (‖ מִסְפַּד תַּמְרוּרִים); Gn 50:11(×2) Je 16:7 cf. 2 S 19:3 עשה א׳ Ez 24:17 (v. Co) sq. לְ Gn 50:10 (v. also ii. אָבֵל ad fin.); for calamity, Est 4:3; 9:22 (‖ יָגוֹן; contr. יוֹם טוֹב) Jb 30:31 (‖ קול בכים) Is 60:20; 61:3 (where appar. = mourning garb, sq. מַעֲטֵה תְהִלָּה, v. also Bi Che on text; ‖ רוּחַ כֵּהָה; contr. שֶׁמֶן שָׂשׂוֹן); Je 31:13 (‖ שׂשׂון), La 5:15 (‖ מָחוֹל), Am 5:16 (‖ מִסְפֵּד); cf. א׳ כִּבְנוֹת יַעֲנָה Mi 1:8; = time, period of mourning 2 S 11:27; בֵּית א׳ Ec 7:2 (‖ בּ׳ מִשְׁתֶּה, v 4 (‖ בּ׳ שִׂמְחָה); בִּגְדֵי א׳ garments of mourning 2 S 14:2.

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 22 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 «אֵבֶל» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1488/60/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[Lamentations 5:15](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/LAM.5.15/)

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שָׁבַת֙ מְשׂ֣וֹשׂ לִבֵּ֔נוּ נֶהְפַּ֥ךְ לְאֵ֖בֶל מְחֹלֵֽנוּ׃

*Word for word:* it.has.ceased the.joy our.heart our it.has.been.changed into mourning dancing our

*JPS 1917:* The joy of our heart is ceased; our dance is turned into mourning.

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[Ecclesiastes 7:4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/ECC.7.4/)

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לֵ֤ב חֲכָמִים֙ בְּבֵ֣ית אֵ֔בֶל וְלֵ֥ב כְּסִילִ֖ים בְּבֵ֥ית שִׂמְחָֽה׃

*Word for word:* \[the\].heart of.wise.people \[is\].in a.house of.mourning and.\[the\] heart of.fools \[is\].in a.house of.rejoicing

*JPS 1917:* The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.

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