Woe and Alas

הוֹי51 interj. (onomatop.; cf. ܗܳܘܳܝ = הוֹ הוֹ Am 5:16 𝔖, = הֵידָד Je 51:14 𝔖; also Mod. Aramaic ú hú, ú hú (in a lament), SoUrmia-Dial. 102.4)—expressing usually dissatisfaction and pain, Ah, Alas, Ha (not distinctly Woe! which is אוֹי): used in lamentations, 1 K 13:30 and they mourned over him (saying) הוֹי אָחִי Ah, my brother! Je 22:18 הוֹי אָחִי וְהוֹי אָחוֹת … הוֹי אָדוֹן וְהוֹי הֹדֹה, 34:5 וְהוֹי אָדוֹן יִסְפְּדוּ לָ֑ךְ (cf. הוֹ־הוֹ Am 5:16): hence Is 1:4 הוֹי גּוֹי חֹטֵא Ah! sinful nation, v 24 Ah! I will ease me of my adversaries; especially preparatory to a declaration of judgment, Is 10:5 הוֹי אַשּׁוּר שֵׁבֶט אַפִּי, 17:12; 28:1, often sq. a ptcp. Ah! those that …, 5:8, 11, 18; 29:15; 31:1; 45:9, 10 Je 22:13 Am 5:18; 6:1 Hb 2:6, 9, 12, 15, 19; Zc 11:17 + (more sympathetic than אוֹי לְ): sq. כִּי Je 30:7, אֶל 48:1, עַל 50:27; Ez 13:3, לְ 13:18. Sometimes hardly more than an exclam. arousing attention Ha! (though perh. with a touch of sympathy or pity) Is 18:1; 55:1 Zc 2:10(×2), 11 Je 47:6.

οὐαί, exclamation of pain and anger, ah! woe! with nominative, LXX, woe is me! woe to thee!LXX+2nd c.AD+ __II οὐαί· φυλαί Refs 5th c.AD+

† אוֹי interj. (onomatop.; cf. ܐܘܽܝ, ܘܳܝ) woe! an impassioned expression of grief and despair: usually with dative אוֹי לִי Is 6:5 woe to me! for I am undone, so 24:16; Je 10:19; 15:10; אוֹי לָנוּ woe to us! 1 S 4:7, 8; Je 4:13; 6:4; אוֹי־נָא לִי Je 4:31; 45:3; אוֹי־נָא לָנוּ La 5:16. With the 2nd or 3rd ps. often implying a denunciation; אוֹי־לְךָ מוֹאָב Nu 21:29 (= Je 48:46) Je 13:27; Ez 16:23 repeated אוֹי אוֹי לָךְ; Is. 3:9 אוֹי לְנַפְשָׁם v 11 Ho 7:13 (‖ שֹׁד לָהֶם) 9:12. With a voc. (or implicit accus.) Ez 24:6, 9 אוֹי עִיר הַדָּמִים; absol. Nu 24:23. Used as a subst. Pr 23:29 לִמִי אוֹי (‖ לְמִי אֲבוֹי).

† אֲהָהּ (آهْ, አህ ) interj. alas! Ju 11:35 2 K 3:10; 6:5, 15; with ל Jo 1:15 אֲהָהּ לַיוֹם alas for the day! for etc. In the combination אֲהָהּ אֲדֹנָי יֱהוִֹה Jos 7:7 Ju 6:22 Je 1:6; 4:10; 14:13; 32:17; Ez 4:14; 9:8; 11:13; 21:5.

† הֶאָח interj. (onomatop.) expressing joy, Aha! always introduced by אָמַר, Is 44:16 he says, Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire. Of satisfaction over the misfortune of an enemy or rival, ψ 35:21, 25 let them not say in their heart הֶאָח נַפְשֵׁנוּ Aha, so would we have it! (lit. our desire!) 40:16 (= 70:4), Ez 25:3; 26:2; 36:2. Metaph., of the neighing of a war horse in the battle, Jb 39:25.

† III. אָח interj. (onomatop.) ah! alas! Ez 6:11; 21:20. iii. אָח Ez 18:10 (textual error). Ez 18:10 אָח is a vox nihili (dittogr. from foll. אחד: v. Comm.): in 21:10 also dub. (𝔊 εὖ), read אַךְ Ew Hi Sm Toy, חַדָּה Co Berthol, אַתְּ Oort Krae.

† III. אִי interj. (so in Rabb., v. DeKoh 197 WrEccl. 490) alas! (late) Ec 4:10 אִי לוֹ (written in MT as one word) alas for him (Ew§ 309 c), the one, who falleth, etc. (i.e. who falleth alone) 10:16.

† אַלְלַי interj. (prob. onomatop.: cf. أَلَّ, אָלָה, ܐܶܠܴܐ to wail, አሌ woe! Di 718) alas! woe! sq. לִי to me Mi 7:1 Jb 10:15.

† הוֹ interj. i.q. the more usual הוֹי (q.v.) Ah! Am 5:16 of mourners וּבְכָל־חוּצוֹת יֹאמְרוּ הוֹ־הוֹ.

οὐά or οὐᾶ, Latin vah! exclamation of admiration, or of astonishment, Refs 2nd c.AD+; of irony, NT

† אוֹיָה = אוֹי ψ 120:5 א֣וֹיָה לִּ֖י.

† הָהּ interj. expressing woe, alas! Ez 30:2 howl ye הָהּ לַיּוֹם alas for the day! AV Woe worth the day! (cf. אֲהָהּ לַיּוֹם Joel 1:15.)

† הִי (?) n.[m.] lamentation, wailing, only Ez 2:10 וְכָתוּב אֵלֶיהָ קִינִים וָהֶגֶה וָהִי and written in it were lamentations and mourning and wailing (𝔊 οὐαί, woe! Ew§ 101 c comp. אִי, cf. III. אִי p. 33 supr.; according to Thes Sta§ 125 b al. הִי = נְהִי, נ being dropped; Ol§ 77 g, 144 c would emend נְהִי & so Co; v. נְהִי sub נהה. Text very dubious).