H5999 H5999
Trouble, toil, or misery; wearisome labor, painful hardship, or malicious mischief directed at others.
One of the Hebrew Bible's richest words for the burden of human existence, covering everything from the sweat of honest labor to the anguish of suffering to deliberate wickedness. Qoheleth famously uses it to probe whether toil 'under the sun' yields any lasting gain (Eccl 1:3), while Job's friends acknowledge that 'man is born to trouble as sparks fly upward' (Job 5:7). German translations split the word between Mühsal (wearisome toil) and Trübsal (affliction), revealing the two faces of this noun. In a few Psalmic contexts the word sharpens into something darker — the 'mischief' that the wicked devise against the innocent (Ps 140:9).
1. toil, labor, work — Wearisome productive effort or labor — the exertion of working, especially as Ecclesiastes reflects on human toil under the sun. Spanish 'trabajo' and German 'Mühsal' both center on strenuous effort. Qoheleth asks his signature question, 'What profit has a man from all his toil (ʿamal) at which he toils?' (Eccl 1:3), while the Psalmist notes that God gave Israel 'the toil of the peoples' — the fruit of others' labor (Ps 105:44). 26×
AR["العَمَلِ","الكَفَّيْنِ","الَّذِي-","بِكُلِّ-","تَعَبٌ","تَعَبَنَا","خَيْرًا","عَمَل","عَمَلِ","عَمَلِهِ","عَمَلِي","فِي-","كُلِّ-","لَهُ","لِكُلِّ-","نَصِيبَهُ"]·ben["আমাদের-কষ্ট","পরিশ্রম","পরিশ্রম-আমার","পরিশ্রম-আমার-উপরে","পরিশ্রম-আমার-থেকে","পরিশ্রমে-তার","পরিশ্রমের","পরিশ্রমের-তার"]·DE["Muehe","Mühsal","die-Muehe","in-seiner-Muehe","unser-toil"]·EN["his-toil","in-his-toil","my-toil","our-toil","the-toil","the-toil-of","toil","toil-of","with-his-toil"]·FR["dans-son-labeur-lui","labeur","le-labeur","mon-labeur-moi","notre-toil","son-labeur-lui","tourment"]·heb["ב-עמלו","ה-עמל","עמל","עמלו","עמלי","עמלנו"]·HI["अपने-परिश्रम-में","उसके-परिश्रम-का","उसके-परिश्रम-में","कष्ट","परिश्रम","परिश्रम-को","परिश्रम-में","परिश्रम-से","परिश्रम-हमारा","मेरे-परिश्रम-पर","मेरे-परिश्रम-से"]·ID["Jerih-payah","dalam-jerih-payahnya","dari-jerih-payahnya","jerih-payah","jerih-payah-kami","jerih-payahku","jerih-payahnya"]·IT["fatica","fatica-mio","fatica-suo","il-fatica","in-fatica-suo","nostro-toil"]·jav["ing-kangelanipun","ing-rekasa-nipun","kangelan","kangelan-kula","kangelanipun","rekaos-kita"]·KO["수고","수고-그","수고-그의","수고-그의-에서","수고-나의","수고-와","우리-수고를"]·PT["Trabalho-de","de-trabalho","em-trabalho-seu","nosso-trabalho","o-trabalho","trabalho","trabalho-de","trabalho-meu","trabalho-seu","é-trabalho"]·RU["Труд","в-труде-его","в-труде-его.","от-труда-своего,","труд","труд-мой,","труд-наш","труда","труда-моего,","труда-моего.","труде,","труде-его","труде-его -","труде-своём,","трудом-моим,","трудом-своим -","труду-его;"]·ES["de-su-trabajo","de-trabajo","el-trabajo","en-su-trabajo","mi-trabajo","nuestro-trabajo","su-trabajo","trabajo","trabajo-de"]·SW["Kazi-ya","katika-kazi-yake","kazi","kazi-yake","kazi-yangu","taabu","taabu-yetu"]·TR["emegi","emegim","emeginde","emeginden","emeginin","emek","zahmetimizi"]·urd["اُس-کی-محنت-میں","محنت","محنت-اس-کی","محنت-اپنی","محنت-سے-میری","محنت-میری","محنت-میں-اپنی","ہماری-محنت"]
Deut 26:7, Ps 90:10, Ps 105:44, Ps 107:12, Eccl 1:3, Eccl 2:10, Eccl 2:10, Eccl 2:11, Eccl 2:18, Eccl 2:19, Eccl 2:20, Eccl 2:21 (+14 more)
▼ 2 more senses below
Senses
2. trouble, misery, suffering — Hardship, distress, or affliction experienced as suffering — the painful, burdensome dimension of existence. French 'tourment' and German 'Trübsal/Kummer' underscore the emotional weight. God made Joseph forget 'all his trouble' (Gen 41:51), Balaam saw no 'trouble' in Israel (Num 23:21), and Job wishes someone had hidden 'trouble from his eyes' at birth (Job 3:10). The word here names suffering undergone, not effort expended. 25×
AR["الشَّقاءَ","الشَّقاءُ","الشَّقاءِ","العَنَاءَ","تَعَبًا","تَعَبٍ","تَعَبِي","شَقَاءً","شَقَاءٍ","عَناءٌ","عَنَاءً","عَنَاءٌ","في-عَناءِ","وَ-تَعَباً","وَ-عَناءً","وَ-مَشَقَّةٌ","وَ-مَشَقَّتَهُ"]·ben["আমার-পরিশ্রম","এবং-কষ্ট","এবং-তার-কষ্ট","এবং-পরিশ্রম","ও-কষ্ট","কষ্ট","কষ্টে","কষ্টের","পরিশ্রম"]·DE["Kummer","Muehe","Trübsal","in-der-Trübsal-von","meine-Mühsal","und-Muehe","und-Trübsal"]·EN["and-his-trouble","and-trouble","in-the-trouble-of","my-toil","trouble"]·FR["dans-tourment","et-labeur","et-son-labeur-lui","et-tourment","et-travail","labeur","mon-toil","tourment","travail","trouble"]·heb["ב-עמל","ו-עמל","ו-עמלו","עמל","עמלי-י"]·HI["और-कष्ट","और-कष्ट-अपना","कठिन","कष्ट","कष्ट-की","कष्ट-के","कष्ट-को","कष्ट-में","कष्ट-से","दुख","दुख-से","दुख-है","मेरी-कठिनाई"]·ID["Dalam-kerja-keras","dan-kesusahan","dan-kesusahannya","dengan-kesusahan","kemalangan","kesusahan","menyusahkan","penderitaan"]·IT["e-fatica","e-fatica-suo","fatica","guaio","mio-fatica"]·jav["Ing-rekasa","kasangsaran","kasusahan","kasusahan-kula","kula-ningali","lan-kasusahan","lan-kasusahanipun","lan-rekaos","rekadàyà","rekaos","rekasa"]·KO["~의-수고-안에","고통-을","고통을","고통의","곤고-를","괴로움","그리고-고난-이","그리고-그의-괴로움을","그리고-수고를","나의-고통을","수고-를","수고-에","수고-와","수고가","수고를","수고의","재앙-과"]·PT["No-trabalho","aflição","contemplas-o-tormento","e-aflição","e-maldade","e-malícia","e-seu-sofrimento","há-tormento","opressão","sofrimento","sofrimento-meu","tormento","trabalho"]·RU["в-труде","зло","злоба","злодеянием","и-зло","и-на-страдание","и-страдание","и-страдание-своё","нечестия","страдание","страдания","трудно","труды-мои","тягостные"]·ES["En-trabajo-de","aflicción","fatiga-mía","la-aflicción","maldad","perversidad","trabajo","y-aflicción","y-mal","y-su-trabajo","y-trabajo"]·SW["Katika-taabu","lilikuwa-gumu","na-taabu","na-taabu-yake","taabu","taabu-yangu"]·TR["emeğimi","felaket","sıkıntı","sıkıntının","sıkıntıya","sıkıntıyı","ve-sıkıntıyı","ve-zahmet","ve-zahmetini","zahmet","zahmeti","zahmetinde","zulüm"]·urd["اور-مشقت-اپنی-کو","اور-مشقّت","اور-مصیبت","بِ-محنت","محنت-میری","مشقت","مشقت-سے","مشقت-کا","مشقت-کو","مشقت-کی","مشقت-کے","مشقّت","مشکل","مصیبت","وَ-مُشقّت"]
3. mischief, wickedness — Mischief or wickedness — harmful activity deliberately inflicted on others through oppression or injustice. Spanish 'maldad' and the pairing with און (āwen, 'iniquity') in several passages confirm the moral coloring. Isaiah denounces those who 'decree mischief' by statute (Isa 10:1), and the Psalmist prays that the 'mischief of their own lips' cover the wicked (Ps 140:9). This sense shifts from passive suffering to active malice. 4×
AR["تَعَبًا","شَقَاءً","مَشَقَّةً","مَشَقَّةُ"]·ben["কষ্ট"]·DE["[עמל]","trouble-of"]·EN["toil","trouble","trouble-of"]·FR["[עמל]","tourment"]·heb["עמל"]·HI["कष्ट"]·ID["kejahatan","kesusahan"]·IT["[עמל]","fatica"]·jav["kangelan","kasusahan"]·KO["곤고를","수고를","재앙-이"]·PT["a-maldade-de","opressão","trabalho"]·RU["беда-","мучение","труд","тяготу"]·ES["agravio","maldad","maldad-de","trabajo"]·SW["taabu","taabu-ya","udhalimu"]·TR["emekleri","sikinti","zahmet"]·urd["تکلیف","مشقت"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† I. עָמָל n.m. Jb 4:8 f. Ec 10:15 (against AlbrZAW xvi (1896), 113, v. KöSynt. § 249 m) trouble, labour, toil (on this form as abstr. v. LagBN 143 BaNB 105);—ע׳ Nu 23:21 +; cstr. עֲמַל Ju 10:16 +; sf. עֲמָלִי Gn 41:51 +, etc.;— 1. trouble (‖ sorrow): one’s own suffering, עָמָל וְיָגוֹן Je 20:18; ע׳ וָכַעַם ψ 10:14; עֳנִי וע׳ Dt 26:7 ψ 25:18; ע׳ וָאָ֑וֶן 90:10; ‖ אָוֶן Nu 23:21; Jb 5:6; ‖ שָֽׁוְא…