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.
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 Kgs 17:15, Job 7:16, Job 9:29, Job 21:34, Job 27:12, Job 35:16, Ps 39:5, Ps 39:6, Ps 39:11, Ps 62:9, Prov 21:6, Eccl 1:2 (+38 more)
▼ 2 more senses below
Senses
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…