H0490 H0490
Widow, bereaved woman; possibly a homograph meaning palace or fortress (Isa 13:22)
One of the most socially significant terms in the Hebrew Bible, designating a woman whose husband has died. The widow (אַלְמָנָה) appears consistently alongside the fatherless (יָתוֹם) and the sojourner (גֵּר) as a class requiring divine protection and communal provision. Torah legislation regulates her vows (Num 30:10), restricts priestly marriage to her (Lev 21:14), and threatens divine wrath on those who oppress her (Exod 22:22–24). A curious outlier in Isa 13:22 may reflect a homographic root meaning 'palace' or 'fortress,' as several translations render 'in her fortresses' or 'en sus palacios' rather than 'widows.'
Senses
1. widow, bereaved woman — A widow or bereaved woman (55x), one of the Torah's paradigmatic vulnerable persons. Gen 38:11 introduces Tamar sent to her father's house as an אַלְמָנָה, and Exod 22:22 commands Israel not to afflict any widow or orphan. Translations universally converge on 'widow/viuda/veuve/Witwe.' The legal and prophetic corpus builds an extensive theology of divine advocacy for widows, from Deuteronomic legislation (Deut 10:18, 24:17) to prophetic indictment (Isa 1:17, Jer 7:6). 55×
AR["أرْمَلَةً","أرْمَلَةٌ","أرْمَلَةٍ","أَرمَلَة","أَرمَلَةٌ","أَرمَلَةٍ","أَرْمَلَةً","أَرْمَلَةٌ","أَرْمَلَةٍ","الأَرمَلَةِ","الْأَرْمَلَةِ"]·ben["আর-চোখ","বিধবা","বিধবাকে","বিধবার"]·DE["Witwe","[אלמנה]","als-Witwe","ein-Witwe","ein-widow","widow"]·EN["a-widow","for-widow","the-widow","widow"]·FR["un-veuve","un-widow","veuve","widow"]·heb["אלמנה"]·HI["गाने-देता-था-मैं","विधवा","विधवा-का","विधवा-की"]·ID["janda","sebagai-janda"]·IT["il-widow","un-vedova","un-widow","vedova","widow"]·jav["randa","randha"]·KO["과부","과부-로","과부-의","과부로","과부를","과부와","과부의","과부인"]·PT["de-viúva.","viúva"]·RU["вдова","вдове","вдовой","вдову","вдовы"]·ES["la-viuda","la-viuda.","por-la-viuda","viuda"]·SW["mjane","wa-mjane","ya-mjane"]·TR["dul","dul-kadını","dul-kadının","dulu","dulun"]·urd["بیوہ","بیوہ کی","بیوہ-کا","بیوہ-کی","بیوہ-کے-لیے"]
Gen 38:11, Exod 22:22, Exod 22:24, Lev 21:14, Lev 22:13, Num 30:9, Deut 10:18, Deut 14:29, Deut 16:11, Deut 16:14, Deut 24:17, Deut 24:19 (+38 more)
2. palace, fortress — A possible homographic noun meaning 'palace' or 'fortress' (1x) in Isa 13:22, within the oracle against Babylon. Spanish 'en sus palacios' and English 'in her fortresses' suggest translators recognized a distinct lexeme here, likely from a root related to Akkadian almattu or a secondary Hebrew formation. The surrounding context of jackals howling in desolate grand buildings supports the architectural reading rather than 'widows.' 1×
AR["فِي-قُصُورِهَا"]·ben["তার-প্রাসাদে"]·DE["Witwe"]·EN["in-her-fortresses"]·FR["veuve"]·heb["ב-אלמנותיו"]·HI["उसके-महलों-में"]·ID["di-istananya"]·IT["vedova"]·jav["wonten-ing-menara-menaranipun"]·KO["그녀의-궁전들-에서"]·PT["em-seus-palácios"]·RU["в-чертогах-его"]·ES["en-sus-palacios"]·SW["katika-ngome-zake"]·TR["kalelerde"]·urd["اُس-کے-قلعوں-میں"]
Related Senses
H0376 1. man, person, human male (2130×)H0001 1. father, immediate male parent (1031×)H0251 1. brother (blood sibling) (573×)H0120 1. man, human being (individual/generic) (527×)H0802 1. woman, female person (519×)G0444 1. human being, person (469×)G3962 1. father or divine Father (413×)G0080 1. brother, fellow believer (343×)H0802 2. wife, spouse (255×)H0517 1. mother, female parent (217×)G0435 1. man, male person (202×)G1135 1. woman, adult female (190×)H2233 1. offspring, descendants (172×)H0001 2. ancestor, forefather (146×)H5288 1. Youth, young man (122×)H0269 1. sister (female sibling) (113×)H1755 1. generation, contemporaries (96×)G5043 1. child, offspring (89×)G0444 2. people, humankind (86×)H3206 1. child, boy, youth (86×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† אַלְמָנָה54 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…