H5092 H5092
Wailing, lamentation; a mournful dirge or mourning song, especially in prophetic contexts of divine judgment.
A noun denoting a loud, mournful cry or mourning song, closely associated with prophetic announcements of divine judgment. In Jeremiah 9:10-20, it appears alongside tears (dim'ah) and funeral dirges (qinah), painting a vivid picture of communal grief. Amos 5:16 speaks of professional mourners 'skilled in lamentation' (yod'e nehi), revealing an ancient Near Eastern institution of trained wailing. The Spanish 'endecha' and French 'lamentation' both capture the formalized, ritualized quality of this grief, distinguishing it from spontaneous weeping.
Senses
1. lamentation, wailing — A formalized wailing or lamentation, typically raised in response to prophetic judgment or catastrophic loss. In Jer 9:10 it is 'lifted up' (nasa') over the mountains, paired with weeping (bekhi) and the funeral dirge (qinah). Amos 5:16 references professional mourners who are 'skilled in nehi,' indicating this was not merely spontaneous grief but a structured vocal art. Micah 2:4 uses it as a cognate accusative, intensifying the act of lamenting. Ezekiel 2:10 lists it alongside mourning ('evel) and moaning (misped) on the prophetic scroll. 7×
AR["الرَّثاءِ", "تَرْدِيدُ", "نَحِيبًا", "نَحِيبٍ", "نَوْحٌ", "وَنَحِيبًا"]·ben["ও-বিলাপ", "বিলাপ", "বিলাপে-", "বিলাপের", "শোকগাথা"]·DE["Wehklage", "[נהי]", "und-Wehklage"]·EN["a-lament", "a-wailing", "and-lamentation", "lamentation", "wailing"]·FR["et-lamentation", "lamentation"]·heb["ו-נהי", "נהי"]·HI["और-विलाप", "रोना।", "विलाप", "विलाप-की"]·ID["dan-ratapan", "meratap", "ratapan"]·IT["[נהי]", "e-lamento", "lamento"]·jav["lan-sesambat", "sesambat", "tangis"]·KO["그리고-통곡을", "애곡", "탄식을", "통곡을", "통곡의", "통곡이"]·PT["e-lamentação", "lamentação", "lamento"]·RU["и-рыдание", "рыдание", "рыданием", "рыданию", "рыдания", "скорбь"]·ES["endecha", "lamento", "y-lamento"]·SW["kuomboleza", "maombolezo", "na-maombolezo", "ya-maombolezo"]·TR["ağıt", "ağıtın", "feryat", "inleme", "inlemenin", "ve-inleme"]·urd["آہ", "اور-نوحہ", "نوحہ", "نوحے", "نوحے-کی"]
Related Senses
H3548 1. priest, cultic officiant (750×)G5547 1. Christ, Messiah, Anointed One (540×)H5030 1. Prophet, divine spokesperson (317×)H5930a 1. burnt offering (sacrifice) (286×)H3881 1. Levites (priestly class) (283×)G4396 1. prophet, spokesperson of God (146×)H6944 1. sanctuary, holy place (129×)G0749 1. high priest, chief priest (123×)H6944 2. holiness, sacredness (abstract quality) (123×)G5330 1. Pharisee (99×)G4336 1. pray to God (86×)H6944 3. holy things, sacred offerings (plural) (86×)H3722a 1. make ritual atonement (Piel) (85×)H6912 1. bury (Qal active) (82×)H6419 1. pray (Hitpael) (80×)H6944 4. holiness (with possessive pronoun) (77×)H6942 1. sanctify, consecrate (Piel factitive) (76×)H2930a 1. Qal: be/become unclean (75×)H7819a 1. slaughter an animal (Qal active) (72×)H1486 1. lot (object cast for decisions) (71×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† נְהִי n.[m.] wailing, lamentation, mourning song;—נ׳ abs. Am 5:16 + 5 times; וָנֶ֑הִי Je 9:9;—wailing, at י׳’s judgment Mi 2:4 as acc. cogn.; Je 9:9 (c. נָשָׂא עַל־, + בְּכִי, ‖ קִינָה), v 17 (c. id., ‖ דִּמְעָה), v 18 (קוֹל נ׳), 31:15 (‖ בְּכִי, תַּמְרוּרִים); mourning song יוֹדְעֵי נ׳ Am 5:16 of professional mourners, skilled in mourning song; cf. Je 9:19, where taught (‖ קִינָה), also הִי Ez 2:10 (‖ אֵבֶל, מִסְפֵּד) q.v. (Ol Co read נהי, cf. Berthol).