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Ezekiel 19:1 — Word Study

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WLCוְאַתָּה֙ שָׂ֣א קִינָ֔ה אֶל־ נְשִׂיאֵ֖י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃

BSAAs for youʼattâh [personally, directly addressed] take upnâsâʼ [lift, raise] a lamentqîynâh [dirge, song of grief] forʼêl the princesnâsîyʼ [leaders, rulers] of IsraelYisrâʼêl [God's chosen people, descendants of Jacob]

Word
Listen & take awayEzekiel 19
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 1 opens the chapter.
Hebrew ↓ Download MP3 The Masoretic text of this chapter, read aloud. Read by Abraham Shmuelof, courtesy of Audio Scriptures International. Chapter divisions by the Academy of Ancient Languages..
Say the word Each Hebrew word carries its transliteration (Yis.ra.'El) — no per-word recordings of the Hebrew exist to link to.
Take it away
Ezekiel 19:1quick helps
In a sentenceEzekiel is instructed to raise a lament for Israel's leaders.
Who is speakingEzekiel, addressing the people of Israel.
Where we areThe context is a lamentation for the princes of Israel.
The hard wordקִינָה
Take awayThe call to mourn indicates a significant loss among Israel's leaders.
7 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them › clause subjectאַתָּה verbנָשָׂא The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
How rare are these words?in the Old Testament

Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.

Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.

Deep Study — Ezekiel 19:1

Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.

Context — A Lament for Israel's Princesgenerated

1“As for you, take up a lament for the princes of Israel
2and say: ‘What was your mother? A lioness among the lions! She lay down among the young lions; she reared her cubs.
3She brought up one of her cubs, and he became a young lion. After learning to tear his prey, he devoured men.
4When the nations heard of him, he was trapped in their pit. With hooks they led him away to the land of Egypt.

Ezekiel 19:1 presents a call for mourning directed at Ezekiel, instructing him to take up a lament for the princes of Israel. This lamentation reflects the deep sorrow for the leaders who have failed their people, highlighting the consequences of their actions. The following verses elaborate on the metaphor of a lioness and her cubs, emphasizing the tragic downfall of Israel's leadership.


Cross References

ReferenceText (BSB)
1Ezekiel 19:14Fire has gone out from its main branch and devoured its fruit; on it no strong branch remains fit for a ruler’s scepter.’ This is a lament and shall be used as a lament.”
2Ezekiel 2:10which He unrolled before me. And written on the front and back of it were words of lamentation, mourning, and woe.
3Ezekiel 26:17Then they will lament for you, saying, “How you have perished, O city of renown inhabited by seafaring men— she who was powerful on the sea, along with her people, who imposed terror on all peoples!
4Ezekiel 27:2“Now you, son of man, take up a lament for Tyre.
5Ezekiel 32:16–18This is the lament they will chant for her; the daughters of the nations will chant it. Over Egypt and all her multitudes they will chant it, declares the Lord GOD.”

The Key Word אַתָּה, ve.'a.Tahgenerated

The word אַתָּה (attah) is a second-person pronoun used to address someone directly. It is specifically masculine in this form, indicating a personal address to Ezekiel, who is called to take action.

This pronoun has variations for gender and number, showing its grammatical complexity. In this context, it emphasizes the direct command given to Ezekiel, making it clear that he is personally responsible for the lament.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

All translations agree on the call to take up a lament for the princes of Israel, using similar phrasing across versions.


Sentence Structuregenerated

The finite verb שָׂ֣א (sa'), meaning 'take up,' governs the main clause, directing the action of lamenting. The structure is straightforward, with a subject (Ezekiel) performing the action of the verb.

The sentence is built around this imperative verb, indicating a clear command and establishing the focus on the lamentation for Israel's leaders.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

The Septuagint translates שָׂ֣א as λαβὲ (take), maintaining the imperative form. This choice reflects a direct command similar to the Hebrew.

The translation of נְשִׂיאֵ֖י as ἄρξοντα (princes) emphasizes the authority of these leaders, paralleling the Hebrew meaning.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

Ezekiel 19:1 calls Ezekiel to take up a lament for the princes of Israel, indicating a deep sorrow for their failures. This lamentation sets the stage for the following verses, which use imagery of a lioness and her cubs to illustrate the tragic state of Israel's leadership.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

What does it mean to take up a lament?

To take up a lament means to express sorrow or grief, often through a formal song or dirge, for those who have suffered loss.

Why are the princes of Israel being lamented?

The lamentation reflects the failures and consequences of the princes' actions, indicating their role in the suffering of the people.

What imagery is used in the following verses?

The following verses use the metaphor of a lioness and her cubs to illustrate the strength and subsequent downfall of Israel's leaders.

How does this lament connect to the overall message of Ezekiel?

This lament highlights the themes of leadership failure and the need for accountability, which are central to Ezekiel's prophetic messages.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. In what ways can we recognize the failures of leadership in our own communities?
  2. How does expressing grief through lamentation help us process loss?
  3. What lessons can we learn from the imagery of the lioness and her cubs?
  4. How can we support those in leadership roles to prevent failures that lead to lamentation?

The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it

Jerome quotes this verse to discuss the lamentation for Israel's princes, emphasizing their failures and the consequences of their actions.

JeromeChapter 19, verses 1 onwards c. 347–420
And you, take up a lamentation for the princes of Israel, and say: Why did your mother, a lioness, lie down among lions? In the midst of young lions she raised her cubs.
Early Church Fathers on Ezekiel 19 →

Commentators on this verse — 7 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on Ezekiel 19:1 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Moreover, take thou up a lamentation,.... These words are directed to the Prophet Ezekiel, to compose a doleful ditty, a mournful song, such as was used at funerals; and by it represent the

Read John Gill on Ezekiel 19 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

Moreover take thou up a lamentation for the princes of Israel, There is a tacit antithesis between this lamentation and that of the Jews for their own miseries, the causes of which, however, they did not inquire.

Read Robert Jamieson on Ezekiel 19 →
Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy Bible

EZEKIEL CHAPTER 19 A lamentation for the princes of Israel, under the parable of lions’ whelps taken in a pit, ; and for Jerusalem, under the parable of a wasted vine, . Moreover, Heb. And. Take up a lamentation; son of man, Ezekiel, declare what a lamentable state the princes of Israel are falling into, propound it by parable. It was usually expressed in verse, as Jeremiah did in his lamentations, and as appears ; but the prophet is here directed to a hieroglyphic, as . The princes of Israel; though they were kings, yet, because subject to Babylon or Egypt, they are, by a diminutive, lessening term, called princes, and these were Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah. Though they…

Read Matthew Poole on Ezekiel 19 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Ezekiel 19:1 Moreover take thou up a lamentation for the princes of Israel,Ver. 1. Moreover take thou up a lamentation.] A threnodia, a doleful ditty. In all ages things joyful and sorrowful were made up in songs and ballads for popular use. For the princes of Israel.] Those four last kings - princes rather than kings, because vassals to Egypt and Babylon - who, by starting unnecessary wars, wrought their own and their country’ s ruin.

Read John Trapp on Ezekiel 19 →
AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible

CHAPTER XIX This chapter contains two beautiful examples of the parabolic kind of writing; the one lamenting the sad catastrophe of Jehoahaz and Jehoiakim, 1-9, and the other describing the desolation and captivity of the whole people, 10-14. In the first parable, the lioness is Jerusalem. The first of the young lions is Jehoahaz, deposed by the king of Egypt; and the second lion is Jehoiakim, whose rebellion drew on himself the vengeance of the king of Babylon. In the second parable the vine is the Jewish nation, which long prospered, its land being fertile, its princes powerful, and its people flourishing; but the judgments of God, in consequence of their guilt, had now destroyed a great…

Read AdamClarke on Ezekiel 19 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

1–4. Captivity of Jehoahaz in Egypt 2. How was thy mother a lioness!—among the lions; In the midst of young lions she couched—she reared her whelps. 3. And she brought up one of her whelps—he grew a young lion; And he learned to catch the prey—he devoured men. 4. And the nations heard regarding him—he was taken in their pit; And they brought him with hooks—unto the land of Egypt. 1. princes of Israel] Probably with LXX. prince, as required by the pron. thy mother (Ezekiel 19:2). The “prince” is a general term for the king, applicable to one king after another. The lamentation is for the “king” of Judah, represented by one person after another. On “lament” cf. Jeremiah 7:29. 2. What is thy…

Read Cambridge on Ezekiel 19 →
Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Princes of Israel - Israel is the whole nation over which the king of Judah was the rightful sovereign. Compare Ezekiel 2:3; Ezekiel 3:1, Ezekiel 3:7.

Read Albert Barnes on Ezekiel 19 →

The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company

Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.

Modern formal

BSBBerean Standard Bible2020

“As for you, take up a lament for the princes of Israel

WEBWorld English Bible2000

“Moreover, take up a lamentation for the princes of Israel,

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

“As for you, take up a lament for the princes of Israel

NETBNew English Translation2006

“And you, sing a lament for the princes of Israel,

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

Moreover take thou up a lamentation for the princes of Israel,

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

Moreover, take thou up a lamentation for the princes of Israel,

RVARevised Version, American1894

Moreover, take thou up a lamentation for the princes of Israel,

NWBWebster's Bible1833

Moreover take thou up a lamentation for the princes of Israel,

GNVGeneva Bible1599

Thou also, take vp a lamentation for the princes of Israel,

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

And thou, take thou up a lamentation for the princes of Israel,

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

And thou, lift up a lamentation unto princes of Israel,

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

“And you, lift up a lamentation to princes of Israel,

ILTInterlinear Literal Translation2000

And thou,—do thou lift up a lamentation for the princes of Israel,

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

“Now you, take up a lamentation against the leaders of Israel

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

Moreover take thou up a lamentation for the princes of Israel,

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

Sing this funeral song for the princes of Israel

BBEBible in Basic English1949

Take up now a song of grief for the ruler of Israel, and say,

Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.


The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank

This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.

וְandclausesubjectאַתָּה֙youverbשָׂ֣אtake.upobjectקִינָ֔הa.lamentationprepositional phrase · prepositionalאֶלbecause.ofnoun phraseנְשִׂיאֵ֖יthe.princesיִשְׂרָאֵֽלof.Israel

Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.


The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran

The Masoretic Text and the Septuagint agree on the wording of this verse, with all six words matched in the Hebrew and Greek. This consistency indicates a shared understanding of the lamentation's significance.

Masoretic TextLeningrad Codex, c. AD 1008 — the text this page is built on

וְאַתָּה֙ שָׂ֣א קִינָ֔ה אֶל־ נְשִׂיאֵ֖י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃

Septuagintthe Greek the translators chose, word by word
וְאַתָּה֙σὺשָׂ֣אλαβὲקִינָ֔הθρῆνονאֶל־ἐπὶנְשִׂיאֵ֖יἄρξονταיִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ισραηλ

6 of the 6 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.

Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.


The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with

This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.

Ezekiel 19:1אַתָּ֫הand youand youאַתָּ֫הנָשָׂאtake uptake upנָשָׂאקִינָהa lamentatia lamentationקִינָהאֶלbecause ofbecause ofאֶלנָשִׂיא[the] princ[the] princes oנָשִׂיאיִשְׂרָאֵלIsraelIsraelיִשְׂרָאֵלקונֵןto chantto chantקונֵןשָׂרָהto striveto striveשָׂרָהאֵבfruitfruitאֵבאָבַדto perishto perishאָבַדנָשָׂאto lift: rto lift: raiseנָשָׂאיָרַשׁto possessto possess: posיָרַשׁכְּלִמָּהshameshameכְּלִמָּהמָשָׁלproverbproverbמָשָׁלצֹרTyreTyreצֹרפָּלַלto prayto prayפָּלַליִרְמְיָ֫הJeremiahJeremiahיִרְמְיָ֫המַטֶּהtribetribeמַטֶּהשֵׁ֫בֶטtribetribeשֵׁ֫בֶטקָדוֹשׁholyholyקָדוֹשׁ
meets it a little oftener than chancemeets it far oftener than chancebuilt from the same roottwo words of the verse share ita word of this versea related word

Lexicons — every word in Ezekiel 19:1

One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.

Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.

and you take up a lamentation because of [the] princes of Israel
וְאַתָּה֙ve.'a.Tah and you H859 Conjunction · pronoun
1,094× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
You is the translation of a Hebrew word used to address someone directly, like when God says you to someone in the Bible. It can be singular or plural, and is often translated as thee, thou, or ye.
Amplified meaning
personally, directly addressed
Tyndale gloss
you(m.s.)
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

אַתָּ֫ה (attah) is a second-person pronoun in Hebrew, used to address someone directly. It has masculine and feminine forms: אַתָּה for singular masculine, אַתְּ for singular feminine, אַתֶּם for plural masculine, and אַתֵּן for plural feminine. The entries indicate variations in form and usage, reflecting the pronoun's grammatical complexity.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אַתָּ֫ה, אָ֑תָּה pron. 2 s. m. thou

base

אתי, i.e. אתִּי, the older & more original form of אַתְּ thou (fem.)

base

אַתְּ, אָ֑תְּ pron. 2 s. f. thou (fem.)

base

אַתֶּם pron. 2 m. pl. you (masc.)

base

אַתֵּן pron. 2 f. pl. you (fem.)

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H859a אַתָּ֫ה, אָ֑תָּה pron. 2 s. m. thou H859b אתי, i.e. אתִּי, the older & more original form of אַתְּ thou (fem.) H859c אַתְּ, אָ֑תְּ pron. 2 s. f. thou (fem.) H859d אַתֶּם pron. 2 m. pl. you (masc.) H859e אַתֵּן pron. 2 f. pl. you (fem.)

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

859 'attah at-taw'

or (shortened); aatta {at-taw'}; or wath {ath}; feminine

(irregular) sometimes nattiy {at-tee'}; plural masculine attem

{at- tem'}; feminine atten {at-ten'}; or oattenah

{at-tay'naw}; or fattennah {at-tane'-naw}; a primitive pronoun

of the second person; thou and thee, or (plural) ye and

you:--thee, thou, ye, you.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אַתָּ֫ה (at.tah) — you(m.s.).

you (second pers. sing. masc.)

אתִּי (ti) — you(f.s.).

you (second pers. sing. fem.)

A grammatical form of at.tah (אַתָּ֫ה "you(m.s.)" H0859A)

אַתְּ (at.te) — you(f.s.).

you (second pers. sing. fem.)

A grammatical form of at.tah (אַתָּ֫ה "you(m.s.)" H0859A)

אַתֶּם (at.tem) — you(m.p.).

you (second pers. pl. masc.)

Aramaic equivalent: an.tun (אַנְתּוּן "you" H0608)

אַתֵּן (at.ten) — you(f.p.).

you (second pers. pl. fem.)

A grammatical form of at.tah (אַתָּ֫ה "you(m.s.)" H0859A)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | Pron — Conjunction · pronoun
HC/Pp2ms
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
and you take up a lamentation because of [the] princes of Israel
שָׂ֣אsa' take up H5375 Verb · Qal · imperative second person masculine singular
656× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In the Bible, this Hebrew word means to lift or raise something, and it's used in many ways, like lifting a burden or raising someone's status. It appears in books like Genesis and Isaiah, often talking about God lifting people up. It's about supporting or carrying something or someone.
Amplified meaning
lift, raise
Tyndale gloss
to lift: raise
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word נָשָׂא (nasa') means to lift, carry, or take, encompassing a wide range of applications both literal and figurative. It can refer to actions like bearing burdens, taking away, or being exalted. The entries indicate various forms and uses, including the ability to lift oneself up or cause others to bear iniquity. There is no significant disagreement among the lexicons regarding its meanings.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

נָשָׂא 656 vb. lift, carry, take

Qal

lift, lift up

Bear, carry

Take, take away

Niph.

be lifted up

refl. lift oneself up = rise up, of י׳, to display power in judgment

be borne, carried

be taken away, carried off

Pi.

lift up = exalt

fig. = desire, long

carry, bear continuously

take, take away

Hithp. lift oneself up

Hiph.

cause one to bear iniquity

appar. cause to bring, have brought

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H5375 נָשָׂא lift, carry, take .. lift, lift up

. Bear, carry

. Take, take away

. . be lifted up

. refl. lift oneself up = rise up, of י׳, to display power in judgment

. be borne, carried

. be taken away, carried off

. . lift up = exalt

. fig. = desire, long

. carry, bear continuously

. take, take away

. lift oneself up

. . cause one to bear iniquity

. appar. cause to bring, have brought

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

5375 nasa' naw-saw'

or nacah (Psalm 4 : 6 (7)) {naw-saw'}; a primitive root; to

lift, in a great variety of applications, literal and

figurative, absol. and rel. (as follows):--accept, advance,

arise, (able to, (armor), suffer to) bear(-er, up), bring

(forth), burn, carry (away), cast, contain, desire, ease,

exact, exalt (self), extol, fetch, forgive, furnish, further,

give, go on, help, high, hold up, honorable (+ man), lade,

lay, lift (self) up, lofty, marry, magnify, X needs, obtain,

pardon, raise (up), receive, regard, respect, set (up), spare,

stir up, + swear, take (away, up), X utterly, wear, yield.

see HEBREW for 04

see HEBREW for 06

see HEBREW for 07

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

נָשָׂא (na.sa) — to lift: raise.

: raise/take_up

1) to lift, bear up, carry, take

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to lift, lift up

1a2) to bear, carry, support, sustain, endure

1a3) to take, take away, carry off, forgive

1b) (Niphal)

1b1) to be lifted up, be exalted

1b2) to lift oneself up, rise up

1b3) to be borne, be carried

1b4) to be taken away, be carried off, be swept away

1c) (Piel)

1c1) to lift up, exalt, support, aid, assist

1c2) to desire, long (fig.)

1c3) to carry, bear continuously

1c4) to take, take away

1d) (Hithpael) to lift oneself up, exalt oneself

1e) (Hiphil)

1e1) to cause one to bear (iniquity)

1e2) to cause to bring, have brought

נָשָׂא (na.sa) — to lift: bear.

: look/lift(eyes)

1) to lift, bear up, carry, take

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to lift, lift up

1a2) to bear, carry, support, sustain, endure

1a3) to take, take away, carry off, forgive

1b) (Niphal)

1b1) to be lifted up, be exalted

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Qal-Impv-2ms — Verb · Qal · imperative second person masculine singular
HVqv2ms
and you take up a lamentation because of [the] princes of Israel
קִינָ֔הki.Nah a lamentation H7015 Noun common · feminine singular absolute
18× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word is a dirge, a song or lament expressing sorrow, often with music or beating of the breasts. It is used to mourn or express grief. The word is about sadness.
Amplified meaning
dirge, song of grief
Tyndale gloss
dirge
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

קִינָה (qiynah) refers to a dirge or lamentation, often associated with mourning and expressed through music or rhythmic gestures. It is derived from the root word for lamentation and is used in contexts that convey deep sorrow.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

קִינָה n.f. elegy, dirge

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H7015 קִינָה

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

7015 qiynah kee-naw'

from 6969; a dirge (as accompanied by beating the breasts or

on instruments):--lamentation.

see HEBREW for 06969

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

קִינָה (qi.nah) — dirge.

lamentation, dirge, elegy

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-fs — Noun common · feminine singular absolute
HNcfsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

lam-en-ta'-shun.

See BURIAL, III, 2; IV, 4, 5, 6.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Lamentation

(Heb. qinah), an elegy or dirge. The first example of this form of poetry is the lament of David over Saul and Jonathan (2 Sam. 1:17-27). It was a frequent accompaniment of mourning (Amos 8:10). In 2 Sam. 3:33, 34 is recorded David’s lament over Abner. Prophecy sometimes took the form of a lament when it predicted calamity (Ezek. 27:2, 32; 28:12; 32:2, 16).

and you take up a lamentation because of [the] princes of Israel
אֶל־'el- because of H413 Preposition
5,518× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word means 'to' or 'toward', showing direction or movement. It appears in many books, including Genesis and Exodus, to indicate where someone is going. The KJV translates it in various ways, like 'about', 'according to', or 'against'.
Tyndale gloss
to(wards)
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word אֶל (el) is primarily a preposition indicating motion towards or direction to a person or place. It can also imply entering a limit, presence at a location, or a hostile direction (against). Additionally, it may express concepts such as concerning, in addition to, or according to. The entries highlight its versatility in both physical and metaphorical contexts.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אֶל (nearly always followed by Makkeph),

prep. denoting motion to or direction towards (whether physical or mental).of motion to or unto a person or place

Where the limit is actually entered, into

Of direction towards anything

Where the motion or direction implied appears from the context to be of a hostile character, אֶל = against

Unto sometimes acquires from the context the sense of in addition to

Metaph. in regard to, concerning, on account of

Of rule or standard according to (rare)

Expressing presence at a spot, against, at, by, not merely after verbs implying motion

Prefixed to other preps. it combines with them the idea of motion or direction to

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H413 אֶל (nearly always followed by Makkeph), . of motion to or unto a person or place

. Where the limit is actually entered, into

. Of direction towards anything

. Where the motion or direction implied appears from the context to be of a hostile character, אֶל = against

. Unto sometimes acquires from the context the sense of in addition to

. Metaph. in regard to, concerning, on account of

. Of rule or standard according to (rare)

. Expressing presence at a spot, against, at, by, not merely after verbs implying motion

. Prefixed to other preps. it combines with them the idea of motion or direction to

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

413 'el ale

(but only used in the shortened constructive form sel {el});

a primitive particle; properly, denoting motion towards, but

occasionally used of a quiescent position, i.e. near, with or

among; often in general, to:--about, according to ,after,

against, among, as for, at, because(-fore, -side), both...and,

by, concerning, for, from, X hath, in(- to), near, (out) of,

over, through, to(-ward), under, unto, upon, whether,

with(-in).

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אֶל (el) — to(wards).

1) to, toward, unto (of motion)

2) into (limit is actually entered)

2a) in among

3) toward (of direction, not necessarily physical motion)

4) against (motion or direction of a hostile character)

5) in addition to, to

6) concerning, in regard to, in reference to, on account of

7) according to (rule or standard)

8) at, by, against (of one's presence)

9) in between, in within, to within, unto (idea of motion to)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep — Preposition
HR
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

ov:

(1) In Anglo-Saxon, had the meaning "from," "away from" (as the strengthened form "off" has still), and was not used for genitive or possessive relations, these being expressed by special case-forms. In the Norman period, however, "of" was taken to represent the French de (a use well developed by the time of Chaucer), and in the Elizabethan period both senses of "of" were in common use. But after about 1600 the later force of the word became predominant, and in the earlier sense (which is now practically obsolete) it was replaced by other prepositions. In consequence the King James Version (and in some cases the Revised Version (British and American)) contains many uses of "of" that are no longer familiar--most of them, to be sure, causing no difficulty, but there still being a few responsible for real obscurities.

English usagewhat the translators’ English meant
Webster's Dictionary (1828), Webster's Unabridged (1913), Webster's Dictionary (1806)

OF, preposition ov. [Gr.]

1. From or out of; proceeding from, as the cause, source, means, author or agent bestowing.

I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered to you. 1 Corinthians 11:1.

For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts. Joshua 11:1.

It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed.

Lamentations 3:1.

The whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. Proverbs 16:1.

Go, inquire of the Lord for me. 2 Chronicles 34:2.

That holy thing that shall be born of thee. Luke 1:1.

Hence of is the sign of the genitive case, the case that denotes production; as the son of man, the son proceeding from man, produced from man. This is the primary sense, although we now say, produced by man. 'Part of these were slain; ' that is, a number separate, for part denotes a division; the sense then is, a number from or out of the whole were slain. So also, 'some of these were slain; ' that is…

and you take up a lamentation because of [the] princes of Israel
נְשִׂיאֵ֖יne.si.'Ei [the] princes of H5387 Noun common · masculine plural construct
134× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word refers to a leader or a high-ranking official, like a king or a captain. It can also describe a rising mist, as seen in Isaiah 60:13. In the Bible, it often symbolizes power and authority.
Amplified meaning
leaders, rulers
Tyndale gloss
leader
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

נָשִׂיא (nasiy') refers to an exalted figure, such as a chief, prince, or ruler, and also denotes a rising mist or vapor. The word is derived from a root meaning 'to lift up.' Its meanings encompass leadership roles and atmospheric phenomena, as noted in various lexicons.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

נָשִׂיא 128 n.m. one lifted up, i.e. a chief prince

base

[נָשִׂיא] n.[m.] rising mist, vapour

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H5387a נָשִׂיא one lifted up, i.e. a chief prince H5387b נָשִׂיא rising mist, vapour

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

5387 nasiy' naw-see'

or nasi8 {naw-see'}; from 5375; properly, an exalted one,

i.e. a king or sheik; also a rising mist:--captain, chief,

cloud, governor, prince, ruler, vapour.

see HEBREW for 0nasi8

see HEBREW for 05375

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

נָשִׂיא (na.si) — leader.

one lifted up, chief, prince, captain, leader

נָשִׂיא (na.si) — mist.

rising mist, vapour

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-mp — Noun common · masculine plural construct
HNcmpc
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

ov:

(1) In Anglo-Saxon, had the meaning "from," "away from" (as the strengthened form "off" has still), and was not used for genitive or possessive relations, these being expressed by special case-forms. In the Norman period, however, "of" was taken to represent the French de (a use well developed by the time of Chaucer), and in the Elizabethan period both senses of "of" were in common use. But after about 1600 the later force of the word became predominant, and in the earlier sense (which is now practically obsolete) it was replaced by other prepositions. In consequence the King James Version (and in some cases the Revised Version (British and American)) contains many uses of "of" that are no longer familiar--most of them, to be sure, causing no difficulty, but there still being a few responsible for real obscurities.

English usagewhat the translators’ English meant
Webster's Dictionary (1828), Webster's Unabridged (1913), Webster's Dictionary (1806)

OF, preposition ov. [Gr.]

1. From or out of; proceeding from, as the cause, source, means, author or agent bestowing.

I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered to you. 1 Corinthians 11:1.

For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts. Joshua 11:1.

It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed.

Lamentations 3:1.

The whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. Proverbs 16:1.

Go, inquire of the Lord for me. 2 Chronicles 34:2.

That holy thing that shall be born of thee. Luke 1:1.

Hence of is the sign of the genitive case, the case that denotes production; as the son of man, the son proceeding from man, produced from man. This is the primary sense, although we now say, produced by man. 'Part of these were slain; ' that is, a number separate, for part denotes a division; the sense then is, a number from or out of the whole were slain. So also, 'some of these were slain; ' that is…

and you take up a lamentation because of [the] princes of Israel
יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃Yis.ra.'El Israel H3478 Noun proper
2,508× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Israel is the symbolic name of Jacob, also referring to his descendants. Jacob, son of Isaac and Rebekah, had 12 sons who became the tribes of Israel, as told in Genesis 25:26. His story is crucial to the Bible's narrative.
Amplified meaning
God's chosen people, descendants of Jacob
Tyndale gloss
Israel
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

יִשְׂרָאֵל (Yisra'el) refers to both the second name of Jacob, meaning 'God prevails,' and the name of the Hebrew nation descended from him. It is derived from roots meaning 'to rule' and 'God.' The term encompasses Jacob's descendants and is used historically for the northern kingdom of Israel and the nation as a whole after the Babylonian exile.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

יִשְׂרָאֵל 2507 n.pr.m. et gent. Israel (Ēl persisteth, persevereth)

n.pr.m. second name of Jacob

n.pr.gent. name of Hebrew nation

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3478 יִשְׂרָאֵל Israel (Ēl persisteth, persevereth) . n. pr. m. second name of Jacob

. n. pr. gent. name of Hebrew nation

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3478 Yisra'el yis-raw-ale'

from 8280 and 410; he will rule as God; Jisrael, a symbolical

name of Jacob; also (typically) of his posterity:

--Israel.

see HEBREW for 08280

see HEBREW for 0410

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

יִשְׂרָאֵל (yis.ra.el) — Israel.

A man living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.25.26;

son of: Isaac (H3327) and Rebekah (H7259);

brother of: Esau (H6215); married to Rachel (H7354), Leah (H3812), Zilpah (H2153) and Bilhah (H1090A);

father of: Reuben (H7205), Simeon (H8095), Levi (H3878), Judah (H3063), Dan (H1835H), Naphtali (H5321), Gad (H1410), Asher (H0836), Issachar (H3485), Zebulun (H2074), Dinah (H1783), Joseph (H3130) and Benjamin (H1144); also called Jacob frequently

§ Israel = "God prevails"

1) the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel

2) the name of the descendants and the nation of the descendants of Jacob

2a) the name of the nation until the death of Solomon and the split

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-proper — Noun proper
HNpl
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

iz'-ra-el.

See JACOB.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Israel

The name conferred on Jacob after the great prayer-struggle at Peniel (Gen. 32:28), because “as a prince he had power with God and prevailed.” (See JACOB.) This is the common name given to Jacob’s descendants. The whole people of the twelve tribes are called “Israelites,” the “children of Israel” (Josh. 3:17; 7:25; Judg. 8:27; Jer. 3:21), and the “house of Israel” (Ex. 16:31; 40:38).

This name Israel is sometimes used emphatically for the true Israel (Ps. 73:1: Isa. 45:17; 49:3;

Smith's Bible Dictionary

(the prince that prevails with God). The name given, (Genesis 32:28) to Jacob after his wrestling with the angel, (Hosea 12:4) at Peniel. Gesenius interprets Israel "soldier of God." It became the national name of the twelve tribes collectively. They are so called in (Exodus 3:16) and afterward. It is used in a narrower sense, excluding Judah, in (1 Samuel 11:8; 2 Samuel 20:1; 1 Kings 12:16) Thenceforth it was assumed and accepted as the name of the northern kingdom. After the Babylonian captivity, the returned exiles resumed the name Israel as the designation of…

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

Who prevails with God, a name given to Jacob, after having wrestled with the Angel-Jehovah at Penuel. Ge 32:1,2,28,30 Ho 12:3. See JACOB. By the name Israel is sometimes understood all the posterity of Israel, the seed of Jacob, 1Co 10:18; sometimes all true believers, his spiritual seed, Ro 9:6; and sometimes the kingdom of Israel, or the ten tribes, as distinct from the kingdom of Judah.

The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
Sources on this page. Lexicons and dictionaries imported from the CrossWire SWORD modules — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, Dodson, the Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones, Robinson and Packard, Webster and Cawdrey. Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Harper, 1889 — Grimm’s Wilke’s Clavis Novi Testamenti, translated, revised and enlarged by Joseph Henry Thayer) is public domain and is set here from the Internet Archive page scan greekenglishlex00grim; it is uncorrected OCR, marked as such on the entry itself, and the Strong’s numbers — which Thayer’s own edition does not carry — were matched by lemma against the other modules on this page. Trench’s Synonyms of the New Testament (Macmillan, 1880) and Moulton and Milligan’s Vocabulary of the Greek Testament (Hodder & Stoughton, 1930, which entered the United States public domain on 1 January 2026) are set from Internet Archive page scans synonymsofnewtes00treniala and vocabularyofgree00mouluoft, and are likewise uncorrected OCR matched to Strong’s numbers by lemma. Trench treats a group of words at once, so the same essay stands on the page of each word it compares. The Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary is © 1993 and is used here by permission for non-commercial use, www.teknia.com/greek-dictionary. The full Liddell-Scott-Jones and the Hebrew word data (TAHOT) come from STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0. Brown-Driver-Briggs is the OpenScriptures digitisation, public domain. Syntax analysis is the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (biblicalhumanities.org); the concordance and morphology are built from the tagged Nestle 1904 text. Septuagint occurrences use the Open Scriptures Septuagint lemma index, derived from CCAT (University of Pennsylvania) and the Rahlfs 1935 dataset by Eliran Wong, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — used here on a non-commercial ministry site. Greek of Josephus and Barnabas from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA 4.0. Commentaries and the Ante-Nicene Fathers are public-domain texts hosted on this site. Everyday Greek from the Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri, CC BY 3.0, with dates and provenance from the Heidelberger Gesamtverzeichnis. Philo and the Apostolic Fathers from Open Greek and Latin (First1KGreek), CC BY-SA 4.0. The apparatus and the fifth Greek column are the SBL Greek New Testament, © 2010 SBL and Logos Bible Software, CC BY 4.0. The Latin is the Clementine Vulgate (public domain); the Syriac New Testament is the ETCBC edition (MIT licence). The Hebrew behind the Greek is computed here from the Septuagint index and TAHOT, not taken from any aligned edition. The translation spread and the per-word edition marks come from the Translators Amalgamated Greek NT (STEPBible, CC BY 4.0); clause roles from the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (CC BY-SA 4.0); place identifications and their confidence from OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding (CC BY 4.0), with map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Gospel parallels are computed here from shared uncommon vocabulary, not taken from any printed harmony. Cross references are the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and the subject headings are Nave’s Topical Bible, both public domain. Works under Creative Commons licences are used unchanged apart from markup removal.

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