H1892 H1892
Vapor, breath, fleeting puff; figuratively, vanity, futility, absurdity; applied to idols as worthless nothings.
Hevel — the signature word of Ecclesiastes — begins as something you can almost see: a puff of breath on a cold morning, a wisp of mist that vanishes the moment you notice it. From this concrete image of transience the word expands into the great philosophical declaration of Qoheleth: 'hevel of hevels, all is hevel' (Eccl 1:2). German 'Nichtigkeit' (nothingness) and Spanish 'vanidad' capture the existential weight, while the prophets weaponize the same word against foreign gods — the 'havalim' are empty nothings that cannot save (Jer 10:15). The three senses form a coherent arc from physical vapor to metaphysical futility to theological polemic.
Senses
1. vanity, futility, absurdity — The dominant abstract sense — vanity, futility, absurdity — the keynote of Ecclesiastes where human striving, wisdom, pleasure, and toil are all declared hevel 'under the sun.' This is not nihilism but a hard-won recognition that earthly endeavors cannot secure lasting meaning on their own (Eccl 1:2; 12:8). Job uses the word similarly when he declares his days are hevel (Job 7:16). Spanish 'vanidad' and German 'Nichtigkeit' both convey this philosophical weight without reducing it to mere emptiness. 58×
AR["أَيْضًا", "بَاطِلٌ", "بَاطِلُ", "تَحْتَ", "تَعِبْتُ", "قَلْبِي", "هَذَا"]·ben["অসারতা"]·DE["Nichtigkeit"]·EN["vapor"]·FR["vanité"]·heb["הבל"]·HI["व्यर्थता"]·ID["Kesia-siaan", "kesia-siaan", "sia-sia"]·IT["vanità"]·jav["anggené-gesang", "tanpa-gina"]·KO["헛되다", "헛됨"]·PT["Vaidade", "vaidade", "é-vaidade"]·RU["Суета", "суета", "суета.", "суету"]·ES["Vanidad", "vanidad"]·SW["Ubatili", "ni-ubatili", "ubatili"]·TR["bos", "bosluk"]·urd["بطلان", "بیکار"]
2. idols, false gods, worthless deities — The polemical-theological application to idols and false gods, predominantly in the plural havalim. Deuteronomy warns that Israel provoked God 'with their havalim' (Deut 32:21), and Jeremiah condemns the nations' gods as 'hevel with no breath in them' (Jer 10:14-15; 51:18). The word is a deliberate theological insult: the idols are not just useless but literally insubstantial, vaporous nothings. Arabic and Syriac cognates preserve this same semantic link between emptiness and worthlessness. 11×
AR["أَبَاطِيلَ", "أَبَاطِيلَ-", "الأَبَاطِيلِ", "بَيْنَ-أَبَاطِيلِ", "بِ-أَبَاطِيلِهِمَا", "بِ-أَبَاطِيلِهِمْ", "بِأَبَاطِيلِ", "بِـ-أَبَاطِيلِهِمْ", "هَبَلِيم"]·ben["অসার-", "অসারতা", "অসারতাসমূহ", "অসারের", "অসারের-মধ্যে", "তাদের-অসারতায়।", "তাদের-মিথ্যাদ্বারা", "বিদেশীদের-অসারতায়", "মিথ্যাদের-"]·DE["Nichtigkeit", "Nichtigkeiten", "bei-ihr-vanities", "in-Nichtigkeiten", "mit-ihr-vanities", "vanities-von"]·EN["among-vanities-of", "by-their-vanities", "idols", "of-vapors", "vanities", "vanities-of", "vanities-of-", "with-their-vanities", "with-vanities-of"]·FR["avec-leur-vanities", "le-vanité", "par-des-vanités", "par-leur-vanities", "vanité"]·heb["ב-הבלי", "ב-הבליהם", "הבלי-", "הבלים"]·HI["मूर्तियाँ", "में-उनकी-व्यर्थताओं", "में-व्यर्थताओं", "में-व्यर्थताओं-उन-की", "व्यर्थ-", "व्यर्थताओं-की", "से-व्यर्थताओं"]·ID["berhala-berhala-", "dengan-kesia-siaan", "dengan-kesia-siaan-mereka", "di-antara-berhala-berhala", "kesia-siaan", "segala-kesia-siaan"]·IT["[הבלי]", "con-loro-vanities", "da-loro-vanities", "vanita", "vanita'", "vanità"]·jav["barang-tanpa-gina", "brahala-", "ing-brahala", "kothong", "mawi-barang-kothong", "mawi-brahala-brahalanipun", "saking-kasuwungan-ipun", "sesepan", "tanpa-gina"]·KO["그들의-헛된-것들로", "에-그들의-헛된-것들로", "에-헛된-것들", "헛된-것", "헛된-것들-중에", "헛된-것들의", "헛됨들-을", "헛됨들-의"]·PT["com-suas-vaidades", "com-vaidades-de", "de-vaidades", "entre-vaidades-de", "vaidades", "vaidades-de"]·RU["среди-суетных", "сует", "сует,", "суетами", "суетами-их", "суетами-своими", "суеты", "суеты-"]·ES["con-sus-vanidades", "con-vanidades-de", "de-vanidades", "entre-vanidades-de", "vanidades", "vanidades-de"]·SW["kati-ya-sanamu-zisizo-na-maana-za", "kwa-miungu-bure", "kwa-ubatili-wao", "sanamu-bure", "sanamu-za", "sanamu-zisizo", "wa-ubatili"]·TR["bosluklarin", "boş-", "boş-putlarıyla", "boş-şeyler-içinde-", "boş-şeylerin", "boş-şeylerle", "boş-şeylerle-", "boşlukları-"]·urd["اُن-کی-بیکار-چیزوں-سے", "اپنی-بے-حقیقتوں-سے", "باطلوں-میں", "باطلوں-کی", "بتوں-کی-", "بطلانوں-کے", "بیکاریوں-کی", "بیکاریوں-کے-ساتھ-", "بے-معنیوں-کی"]
3. vapor, breath, fleeting puff — The concrete, literal sense of a breath, puff, or vapor — something physically insubstantial that dissipates almost instantly. Psalm 62:9 places humanity on a balance and finds them lighter than hevel, while Psalm 144:4 says human days are 'like hevel' (a passing shadow). Isaiah 57:13 pairs it with wind: 'a breath will carry them all away.' This physical image is the experiential root from which the figurative meanings grow — you cannot grasp vapor, and that is precisely the point. 4×
AR["عَبَثًا", "لِـ-البَاطِلِ", "مِن-الباطِلِ", "وَ-هَبَاءٍ"]·ben["অসার", "এবং-বৃথায়", "বাষ্পের-চেয়ে", "শ্বাসের-মতো"]·DE["Nichtigkeit", "als-ein-breath", "und-der-nicht", "zu-breath"]·EN["and-vanity", "emptiness", "than-a-breath", "to-breath"]·FR["de-vanité", "et-le-ne...pas", "vanité", "à-vanité"]·heb["הבל", "ו-הבל", "ל-הבל", "מ-הבל"]·HI["और-हवा", "वाष्प-की-तरह", "व्यर्थता-से-भी-हलके-हैं", "हवा"]·ID["dan-kekosongan", "kesia-siaan", "lebih-ringan-dari-kesia-siaan", "seperti-kesia-siaan"]·IT["[הבל]", "e-il-non", "vanita'"]·jav["kados-napas", "lan-muspra", "langkung-ébah-saking", "sepa"]·KO["그-헛됨에", "그리고-헛되이", "헛되이를", "헛됨-보다"]·PT["ao-sopro", "e-vaidade", "mais-que-vaidade", "vapor"]·RU["и-тщетно", "легче-суеты", "суете", "суетой"]·ES["a-vanidad", "de-vanidad", "vanidad", "y-vanidad"]·SW["kama-pumzi", "na-utupu", "ni-wepesi-kuliko-pumzi", "ubatili"]·TR["boşluk", "buğuya", "soluktan-", "ve-hic-icin"]·urd["اور-بیکار", "فضول", "لِ-بے-ثباتی", "مِن-بَٹل"]
Related Senses
H5414 1. give, bestow (1855×)H3947 1. take, seize, grasp (Qal) (940×)G2192 1. possess / have (680×)G1325 1. give, bestow (336×)H5159 1. inherited land or property (170×)G2983 1. receive, obtain (134×)H3423 1. Qal: take possession of land (130×)G2983 2. take, take up (113×)G2398 1. one's own, belonging to oneself (91×)G3860 1. hand over, deliver to custody (78×)H7998 1. spoil, plunder, booty (74×)G1325 2. be given, be granted (70×)H5414 2. put, place, set (68×)H7999a 1. pay, repay, recompense (63×)H7069 1. Buy, purchase (59×)H5159 2. heritage as covenant portion (52×)H6299 1. redeem or ransom (Qal active) (49×)H4376 1. Sell (Qal active) (47×)H1350a 1. Redeem, buy back (46×)H6743b 1. prosper, succeed (intransitive) (40×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
I. הֶ֫בֶל73 n.m. vapour, breath (NH id., Syriac ܗܰܒܳܠܴܐ id.) fig. vanity (so NH, Syriac ܗܶܒܠܴܐ )—הָ֑בֶל Ec 1:2 +; cstr. הֲבֵל †Ec 1:2(×2); 12:8, sf. הֶבְלִי etc. Ec 6:12; 7:15; 9:9(×2); pl. הֲבָלִים Je 10:8 +; cstr. הַבְלֵי Je 8:19 +, sf. הַבְלֵיהֶם Dt 32:21 +;— 1. lit. Is 57:13 all of them (the idols) יִשָּׂא־רוּחַ יִקַּח הָ֑בֶל a breath (𝔙 aura) will carry away, Pr 21:6, the getting of…