Lamentations 4:10 — Word Study
WLCיְדֵ֗י נָשִׁים֙ רַחֲמָ֣נִיּ֔וֹת בִּשְּׁל֖וּ יַלְדֵיהֶ֑ן הָי֤וּ לְבָרוֹת֙ לָ֔מוֹ בְּשֶׁ֖בֶר בַּת־ עַמִּֽי׃ ס
BSAThe handsyâd [of loving care] of compassionaterachmânîy△ [pitiful, showing pity] womenʼishshâh have cookedbâshal■ [boiled, sodden] their own childrenyeled [youth, young ones] who becamehâyâh■ their foodbârâh [meat, sustenance] in the destructionsheber [breaking, shattering] of the daughterbath [female child, woman] of my peopleʻam [nation, community]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| יְדֵ֗י | [the] hands of | Noun common, both dual construct |
| נָשִׁים֙ | women | Noun common, masculine plural absolute |
| רַחֲמָ֣נִיּ֔וֹת | compassionate | Adj |
| בִּשְּׁל֖וּ | they have boiled | Verb, Piel, perfect third person common plural |
| יַלְדֵיהֶ֑ן | own children their | Noun common masculine plural construct, suffix |
| הָי֤וּ | they have been | Verb, Qal, perfect third person common plural |
| לְבָרוֹת֙ | for eating | Preposition, noun common feminine singular absolute |
| לָ֔מוֹ | for them | Preposition, suffix |
| בְּשֶׁ֖בֶר | in [the] brokenness of | Preposition, noun common masculine singular construct |
| בַּת־ | [the] daughter of | Noun common, feminine singular construct |
| עַמִּֽי׃ ס | people my | Noun common masculine singular construct, suffix |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | The hands of compassionate women have cooked their own children, who became their food in the destruction of the daughter of my people. |
| KJV | The hands of the pitiful women have sodden their own children: they were their meat in the destruction of the daughter of my people. |
| ASV | The hands of the pitiful women have boiled their own children; They were their food in the destruction of the daughter of my people. |
| YLT | The hands of merciful women have boiled their own children, They have been for food to them, In the destruction of the daughter of my people. |
| WEB | The hands of the pitiful women have boiled their own children. They were their food in the destruction of the daughter of my people. |
| BBE | The hands of kind-hearted women have been boiling their children; they were their food in the destruction of the daughter of my people. |
Where they part company is רַחֲמָ֣נִיּ֔וֹת — see How Translations Differ.
The structure consists of a main clause followed by a series of phrases that elaborate on the subject and its actions, emphasizing the tragic context.
8 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
verbבָּשַׁל
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
1 of 11 occurs nowhere else in the Old Testament — a word chosen on purpose.
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 — Lamentations 4:10
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 — The Lament Over Jerusalemgenerated
Lamentations 4:10 reflects a harrowing moment during the siege of Jerusalem, where even the most compassionate individuals resort to extreme measures due to starvation and despair. This verse highlights the tragic consequences of the siege on the people, particularly the women who are depicted as nurturing yet driven to horrific actions. The surrounding verses provide context about the suffering and destruction faced by the community, emphasizing the severity of their plight.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lamentations 4:3 | Even jackals offer their breasts to nurse their young, but the daughter of my people has become cruel, like an ostrich in the wilderness. |
| 2 | Lamentations 2:20 | Look, O LORD, and consider: Whom have You ever treated like this? Should women eat their offspring, the infants they have nurtured? Should priests and prophets be killed in the sanctuary of the Lord? |
| 3 | 2 Kings 6:26–29 | As the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried out to him, “Help me, my lord the king!” |
| 4 | Isaiah 49:15 | “Can a woman forget her nursing child, or lack compassion for the son of her womb? Even if she could forget, I will not forget you! |
| 5 | Lamentations 3:48 | Streams of tears flow from my eyes over the destruction of the daughter of my people. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 7 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — רַחֲמָ֣נִיּ֔וֹת, ra.cha.Ma.ni.Yotgenerated
The word רַחֲמָנִי (rachmaniy) is an adjective meaning 'compassionate' or 'pitiful,' derived from the root רַחַם (racham), which relates to compassion. This term is used to describe women in a state of deep emotional distress, showcasing their innate nurturing qualities that have tragically turned into acts of desperation.
In this verse, the compassionate women are portrayed as having cooked their own children, a powerful image of the lengths to which they have been driven by suffering. The use of this word emphasizes their humanity and the tragic circumstances they find themselves in, highlighting the emotional weight of the situation.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
The verse is rendered in the Berean Standard Bible as well as in the KJV and ASV, which all use the term compassionate for רַחֲמָ֣נִיּ֔וֹת.
Where translations differ, they do so on this key word: pitiful (ASV, KJV) versus compassionate (BSB, ULB). This reflects a subtle difference in interpretation, with 'pitiful' emphasizing the sorrowful state of the women, while 'compassionate' focuses on their nurturing nature.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The finite verbs in the verse are בִּשְּׁל֖וּ (they have boiled) and הָי֤וּ (they have been), which govern the main action of the sentence. The structure presents a stark contrast between the compassionate nature of the women and the horrific actions they take.
The sentence is constructed with a subject noun phrase, followed by an object noun phrase, which describes the children, and a series of prepositional phrases that provide context about the actions and their consequences.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates יְדֵי as ξεῖρες (cheirēs), meaning 'hands,' which aligns closely with the Hebrew meaning while also emphasizing the physical act of cooking. This choice reflects a more general understanding of the actions taken by the women.
The word for 'compassionate' in the Septuagint is rendered as οἰκτιρμόνων, which focuses more on the aspect of pity rather than the nurturing quality of compassion, indicating a slight shift in interpretation.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Lamentations 4:10 describes a heartbreaking situation where compassionate women have resorted to cooking their own children during a time of extreme suffering. This verse highlights the depth of despair faced by the people, particularly the women, as they endure the destruction of their community.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
This phrase illustrates the extreme desperation and suffering experienced during the siege of Jerusalem, where starvation led to unimaginable actions.
The term 'compassionate' reflects their nurturing nature, which is tragically turned to despair in their actions due to the dire circumstances.
The destruction refers to the devastation of Jerusalem and the suffering of its inhabitants during the siege.
This verse underscores the themes of suffering, loss, and the consequences of sin that permeate the book of Lamentations.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What emotions arise when reflecting on the actions described in this verse?
- How can understanding the context of suffering deepen our compassion for others in distress?
- In what ways can we support those who are experiencing extreme hardship today?
- How does this verse challenge our understanding of compassion and desperation?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
Early Church Fathers have commented on the profound suffering depicted in this verse, discussing the consequences of sin and the depths of despair faced by the people.
What were Israel’s sufferings in Palestine, famines, pestilences, wars, captivities, under the Babylonians and under the Assyrians,Early Church Fathers on Lamentations 4 →
Here is considered the immense hunger of mothers, who eat their own children, through an excessive hunger. As said above in Chapter 2:20: "Should women eat their offspring, the children of their tender care?"Early Church Fathers on Lamentations 4 →
Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Lamentations 4:10 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleThe hands of the pitiful women have sodden their own children,.... Such as were naturally, and agreeably to their sex, pitiful and compassionate; merciful to the poor, as the Targum; and especially
Read John Gill on Lamentations 4 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryThe hands of the pitiful women have sodden their own children: they were their meat in the destruction of the daughter of my people.
Read Robert Jamieson on Lamentations 4 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleThis was according to what God had threatened in case of disobedience, , and a thing which hath often happened in sieges, . Such things did happen in the last destruction of Jerusalem, as we read in Josephus; and though we read of no such thing happening in the siege of it by Nebuchadnezzar, yet that there were some such sad instances appears from this text.
Read Matthew Poole on Lamentations 4 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsLamentations 4:10 The hands of the pitiful women have sodden their own children: they were their meat in the destruction of the daughter of my people.Ver. 10. The hands of the pitiful women have sodden.] Sodden them rather than roasted them, lest they should be discovered by the smell, and so in danger to be despoiled of them, as it happened at the last siege by the Romans. Lege et luge. Assemble and mourne. They were their meat.] In eadem viscera, ex quibus exierant, retrusi sunt; they returned into the same bowels whence they came forth.
Read John Trapp on Lamentations 4 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(10) The hands of the pitiful women.—See Note on Lamentations 2:20.
Read Charles John Ellicott on Lamentations 4 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 10. The hands of the pitiful women have sodden their own children] See Clarke on Lamentations 2:20. But here there is a reference to mothers eating their own children; and this was done, not by mothers cruel and brutal, but by נשים רחמניות nashim rachmaniyoth, the compassionate, the tender-hearted mothers. From these horrible scenes it is well to pass with as hasty a step as possible.
Read AdamClarke on Lamentations 4 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges10. Cp. ch. Lamentations 2:20, and Jeremiah 19:9. pitiful] (hitherto) compassionate. For this meaning, as opposed to its modern sense, pitiable, cp. Latimer, Sermons, p. 391. “Because I speak here of orphans, I shall exhort you to be pitiful unto them.”—Bible Word Book. sodden] boiled (cp. Exodus 12:9); the participle of to seethe, for which see 2 Kings 4:38.
Read Cambridge on Lamentations 4 →Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the BiblePitiful - i. e. tender-hearted, compassionate. meat is used for food Psalms 69:21. What is here stated actually occurred during the siege of Jerusalem by Titus.
Read Albert Barnes on Lamentations 4 →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
The hands of compassionate women have cooked their own children, who became their food in the destruction of the daughter of my people.
The hands of the pitiful women have boiled their own children. They were their food in the destruction of the daughter of my people.
The hands of compassionate women have cooked their own children, who became their food in the destruction of the daughter of my people.
The hands of tenderhearted women cooked their own children, who became their food, when my people were destroyed.
Tyndale line
The hands of the pitiful women have sodden their own children: they were their meat in the destruction of the daughter of my people.
The hands of the pitiful women have boiled their own children; They were their food in the destruction of the daughter of my people.
The hands of the pitiful women have sodden their own children; they were their meat in the destruction of the daughter of my people.
The hands of the pitiful women have boiled their own children: they were their food in the destruction of the daughter of my people.
The hands of the pitifull women haue sodden their owne children, which were their meate in the destruction of the daughter of my people.
Strictly literal
The hands of pitiful women have boiled their own children: they were their meat in the ruin of the daughter of my people.
The hands of merciful women have boiled their own children, They have been for food to them, In the destruction of the daughter of my people.
The hands of merciful women have boiled their own children, || They have been for food to them, || In the destruction of the daughter of my people.
The hands of merciful women cooked their own children: they became food unto them in the downfall of the daughter of my people.
The hands of compassionate women have boiled their own children; they became their food during the time when the daughter of my people was being destroyed.
From the Latin
Jod. The hands of the pitiful women have sodden their own children: they were their meat in the destruction of the daughter of my people.
Simplified
The hands of loving women have cooked their own children to eat during the destruction of Jerusalem.
The hands of kind-hearted women have been boiling their children; they were their food in the destruction of the daughter of my people.
Word by word, the decisions they made
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.
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 in their wording for this verse, with all words matched. This consistency indicates a shared understanding of the text's meaning across these ancient witnesses.
יְדֵ֗י נָשִׁים֙ רַחֲמָ֣נִיּ֔וֹת בִּשְּׁל֖וּ יַלְדֵיהֶ֑ן הָי֤וּ לְבָרוֹת֙ לָ֔מוֹ בְּשֶׁ֖בֶר בַּת־ עַמִּֽי׃ ס
11 of the 11 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.
Lexicons — every word in Lamentations 4:10
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.
יָד (yad) means 'hand' and can also refer to strength or power in a figurative sense. It encompasses various technical uses, such as a sign or monument, parts or shares, and even specific components in construction, like axle-trees and supports for the laver. The word is versatile, appearing in both literal and metaphorical contexts.
יָד 1604 n.f. hand
hand
Fig. = strength, power
Fig. = side
יָד is used in various special, technical senses:—
sign, monument
part, fractional part or share
time, repetition
axle-trees
stays, supports for laver
tenons on sides of boards of tabernacle
a (beckoning) hand
יַד with prep.
base
H3027 יָד hand . hand
. Fig. = strength, power
. Fig. = side
. יָד is used in various special, technical senses:— . sign, monument
. part, fractional part or share
. time, repetition
. axle-trees
. stays, supports for laver
. tenons on sides of boards of tabernacle
. a (beckoning) hand
. יַד with prep.
3027 yad yawd
a primitive word; a hand (the open one (indicating power,
means, direction, etc.), in distinction from 3709, the closed
one); used (as noun, adverb, etc.) in a great variety of
applications, both literally and figuratively, both proximate
and remote (as follows):--(+ be) able, X about, + armholes,
at, axletree, because of, beside, border, X bounty, + broad,
(broken-)handed, X by, charge, coast, + consecrate, +
creditor, custody, debt, dominion, X enough, + fellowship,
force, X from, hand(-staves, -y work), X he, himself, X in,
labour, + large, ledge, (left-)handed, means, X mine,
ministry, near, X of, X order, ordinance, X our, parts, pain,
power, X presumptuously, service, side, sore, state, stay,
draw with strength, stroke, + swear, terror, X thee, X by
them, X themselves, X thine own, X thou, through, X throwing,
+ thumb, times, X to, X under, X us, X wait on, (way-)side,
יָד (yad) — hand.
: hand/arm[anatomy]
1) hand
1a) hand (of man)
1b) strength, power (fig.)
1c) side (of land), part, portion (metaph.) (fig.)
1d) (various special, technical senses)
1d1) sign, monument
1d2) part, fractional part, share
1d3) time, repetition
1d4) axle-trees, axle
1d5) stays, support (for laver)
1d6) tenons (in tabernacle)
1d7) a phallus, a hand (meaning unsure)
1d8) wrists
יָד (yad) — hand: power.
: hand/arm[anatomy]
1) hand
1a) hand (of man)
1b) strength, power (fig.)
1c) side (of land), part, portion (metaph.) (fig.)
1d) (various special, technical senses)
1d1) sign, monument
1d2) part, fractional part, share
1d3) time, repetition
1d4) axle-trees, axle
1d5) stays, support (for laver)
1d6) tenons (in tabernacle)
1d7) a phallus, a hand (meaning unsure)
1d8) wrists
יָד (yad) — hand: themselves.
: hand/arm[anatomy]
1) hand
1a) hand (of man)
1b) strength, power (fig.)
N-cd — Noun common · both dual constructHNcbdc
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.
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…
אִשָּׁה (ishshah) means 'woman,' 'wife,' or 'female.' It can refer to a woman in general, a wife in relation to a man, or the female of animals. The term also has distributive and reciprocal uses, indicating 'each woman' from her neighbor. The word is derived from the masculine forms אִישׁ (ish) and אִישָׁה (ishah), indicating a broad range of meanings.
אִשָּׁה 773 n.f. woman, wife, female
woman
Wife (woman belonging to a man, usually cstr. or sf.)
Female of animals
With distrib. & recipr. sense, each woman from her neighbor; each one
base
H802 אִשָּׁה woman, wife, female . woman
. Wife (woman belonging to a man, usually cstr. or sf.)
. Female of animals
. With distrib. & recipr. sense, each woman from her neighbor; each one
802 'ishshah ish-shaw'
feminine of 376 or 582; irregular plural, nashiym
{naw-sheem'}; a woman (used in the same wide sense as
582):--(adulter)ess, each, every, female, X many, + none,
one, + together, wife, woman. Often unexpressed in English.
see HEBREW for 0376
see HEBREW for 0582
see HEBREW for 0582
אִשָּׁה (ish.shah) — woman.
: woman
1) woman, wife, female
1a) woman (opposite of man)
1b) wife (woman married to a man)
1c) female (of animals)
1d) each, every (pronoun)
אִשָּׁה (ish.shah) — woman: wife.
: wife/widow
1) woman, wife, female
1a) woman (opposite of man)
1b) wife (woman married to a man)
1c) female (of animals)
1d) each, every (pronoun)
אִשָּׁה (ish.shah) — woman: another.
: another
1) woman, wife, female
1a) woman (opposite of man)
1b) wife (woman married to a man)
1c) female (of animals)
1d) each, every (pronoun)
N-fp — Noun common · masculine plural absoluteHNcmpa
The position of women in the Hebrew commonwealth contrasts favorably with that which in the present day is assigned to them generally in eastern countries. The most salient point of contrast in the usages of ancient as compared with modern Oriental society was the large amount of liberty enjoyed by women. Instead of being immured in a harem, or appearing in public with the face covered. The wives and maidens of ancient times mingled freely and openly with the other sex in the duties and amenities of ordinary life. Rebekah travelled on a camel with her face unveiled until she came into the presence of her affianced. (Genesis 24:64,65) Jacob saluted Rachel with a kiss in the presence of the shepherds. (Genesis 29:11) Women played no inconsiderable part in public celebrations (
רַחֲמָנִי (rachmaniy) is an adjective meaning 'compassionate' or 'pitiful.' It is derived from the root word רַחַם (racham), which relates to compassion. The term appears in Lamentations 4:10, referring specifically to compassionate women.
[רַחֲמָנִי] adj. id. [t.bz.ae];—pl. f. La 4:10 compassionate women.
ref
H7362 רַחֲמָנִי, רַחְמָנִי
7362 rachmaniy rakh-maw-nee'
from 7355; compassionate:--pitiful.
see HEBREW for 07355
רַחֲמָנִי (rach.ma.ni) — compassionate.
compassionate, compassionate women
Adj — AdjHAafpa
בָּשַׁל (bashal) is a Hebrew verb meaning to boil or cook, with additional meanings related to ripening or becoming ripe. It has various forms, including Qal (to boil or grow ripe), Piel (to boil or cook), Pual (to be boiled), and Hiphil (to ripen). The entries suggest a focus on cooking processes and the maturation of food.
בָּשַׁל vb. boil, seethe (intr.), grow ripe
Qal boil, cook (intr.); grow ripe
Pi.
boil (tr.)
cook (general)
Pu. be boiled, sodden
Hiph. ripened, brought to ripeness
base
H1310 בָּשַׁל boil, seethe (intr.), grow ripe .boil, cook (intr.); grow ripe
. . boil (tr.)
. cook (general)
. be boiled, sodden
. ripened, brought to ripeness
1310 bashal baw-shal'
a primitive root; properly, to boil up; hence, to be done in
cooking; figuratively to ripen:--bake, boil, bring forth,
roast, seethe, sod (be sodden).
בָּשַׁל (ba.shal) — to boil.
1) to boil, cook, bake, roast, ripen, grow ripe
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to boil, cook
1a2) to grow ripe, ripen
1b) (Piel)
1b1) to boil
1b2) to cook
1c) (Pual)
1c1) to be boiled
1c2) to be sodden
1d) (Hiphil)
1d1) to ripen
1d2) ripen, brought to ripeness
V-Piel-Perf-3cp — Verb · Piel · perfect third person common pluralHVpp3cp
יֶ֫לֶד (yeled) refers to a child, son, or youth, encompassing meanings like offspring and young man. It can also figuratively denote apostate Israelites. The word is derived from a root meaning something born, indicating its connection to birth and lineage.
יֶ֫לֶד 89 n.m. child, son, boy, youth
base
H3206 יֶ֫לֶד child, son, boy, youth
3206 yeled yeh'-led
from 3205; something born, i.e. a lad or offspring:--boy,
child, fruit, son, young man (one).
see HEBREW for 03205
יֶ֫לֶד (ye.led) — youth.
1) child, son, boy, offspring, youth
1a) child, son, boy
1b) child, children
1c) descendants
1d) youth
1e) apostate Israelites (fig.)
N-mp | Suff — Noun common masculine plural construct · suffixHNcmpc/Sp3fp
The Hebrew word הָיָה (hayah) is a primitive root meaning to exist or become, and it encompasses a range of meanings including to happen, occur, and come to pass. It is often used in narrative contexts, particularly in phrases like "and it came to pass." The word can also denote a state of being or existence, and it appears frequently in various forms throughout the Old Testament.
הָיָה 3570 vb. fall out, come to pass, become, be
Qal
Fall out, happen
occur, take place, come about, come to pass
esp. & very oft., come about, come to pass
וַיְהִי and it came to pass that, most often (c. 292 t.)
rarely also Pf. c. וְ conj. וְהָיָה
less oft. וְהָיָה Pf. consec. and it shall come to pass, or frequentat. came to pass (repeatedly, etc.)
Come into being, become
abs., in lively narrative, arise, appear, come
sq. prep.
become
sq. pred. noun (to be viewed as implicit accus.)
sq. pred. adj.
become like
sq. pred. לְ pers.
sq. לְ pred.
oft. c. לְ pred. לְ pers.
with עַל and לְ
sts. c. לְ pers. only = became the property of, come into the possession of
Be (often with subbordinate idea of becoming)
exist, be in existence
abide, remain, continue
with word of locality, be in or at a place, be situated, stand, lie
as copula, joining subj. & pred.
H1961 הָיָה fall out, come to pass, become, be .. . . Fall out, happen
. occur, take place, come about, come to pass
. esp. & very oft., come about, come to pass . . וַיְהִי and it came to pass that, most often (c. 292 t.)
. rarely also Pf. c. וְ conj. וְהָיָה
. less oft. וְהָיָה Pf. consec. and it shall come to pass, or frequentat. came to pass (repeatedly, etc.)
. Come into being, become . . abs., in lively narrative, arise, appear, come
. sq. prep.
. become . sq. pred. noun (to be viewed as implicit accus.)
. sq. pred. adj.
. become like
. sq. pred. + לְ pers.
. sq. לְ pred.
. oft. c. לְ pred. + לְ pers.
. with עַל and לְ
. sts. c. לְ pers. only = became the property of, come into the possession of
. Be (often with subbordinate idea of becoming) . exist, be in existence
. abide, remain, continue
1961 hayah haw-yaw
a primitive root (compare 1933); to exist, i.e. be or become,
come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or
auxiliary):--beacon, X altogether, be(-come), accomplished,
committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), do, faint,
fall, + follow, happen, X have, last, pertain, quit
(one-)self, require, X use.
see HEBREW for 01933
הָיָה (ha.yah) — to be.
1) to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out
1a) (Qal)
1a1) ---
1a1a) to happen, fall out, occur, take place, come about, come to pass
1a1b) to come about, come to pass
1a2) to come into being, become
1a2a) to arise, appear, come
1a2b) to become
1a2b1) to become
1a2b2) to become like
1a2b3) to be instituted, be established
1a3) to be
1a3a) to exist, be in existence
1a3b) to abide, remain, continue (with word of place or time)
1a3c) to stand, lie, be in, be at, be situated (with word of locality)
1a3d) to accompany, be with
1b) (Niphal)
1b1) to occur, come to pass, be done, be brought about
1b2) to be done, be finished, be gone
V-Qal-Perf-3cp — Verb · Qal · perfect third person common pluralHVqp3cp
בָּרָה (barah) is a Hebrew verb primarily meaning 'to eat' or 'to consume.' It can also imply causing someone to eat or manifesting something clearly. The word appears in various forms, including Qal (to eat), Piel (for devouring), and Hiphil (to cause to eat). Notably, it is referenced in Ecclesiastes 3:18.
בָּרָה vb. eat
Qal eat bread
Pi. for devouring
Hiph. cause to eat bread
base
H1262 בָּרָה
1262 barah baw-raw'
a primitive root; to select; also (as denominative from 1250)
to feed; also (as equivalent to 1305) to render clear (Eccl.
3:18):--choose, (cause to) eat, manifest, (give) meat.
see HEBREW for 01250
see HEBREW for 01305
בָּרָה (ba.rah) — to eat.
1) to eat, consume
1a) (Qal) to eat
1b) (Piel) for eating, devouring
1c) (Hiphil) to cause to eat
Prep | V-Piel-Inf-a — Preposition · noun common feminine singular absoluteHR/Ncfsa
Eating
The ancient Hebrews would not eat with the Egyptians (Gen. 43:32). In the time of our Lord they would not eat with Samaritans (John 4:9), and were astonished that he ate with publicans and sinners (Matt. 9:11). The Hebrews originally sat at table, but afterwards adopted the Persian and Chaldean practice of reclining (Luke 7:36-50). Their principal meal was at noon (Gen. 43:16; 1 Kings 20:16; Ruth 2:14; Luke 14:12). The word “eat” is used metaphorically…
The Jews would have considered themselves polluted by eating with people of another religion, or with any who were ceremonially unclean or disreputable-as with Samaritans, Joh 4:9, publicans, Mt 9:11, or Gentiles, Ac 10:28 Ga 2:12. Eating together was an established token of mutual confidence and friendship, a pledge of friendly relations between families, which their children were expected to perpetuate. The rites of hospitality were held sacred; and to this day, among the Arabs, a fugitive is safe for the time, if he gains the shelter of even an enemy’s tent. The abuse of hospitality was a great crime, Ps 41:9.
הֶם (hem) — them.
Personal object pronoun - suffix for propositions and verbs without an object: 3rd person masculine plural
HR/Sp3mp — Preposition · suffixHR/Sp3mp
שֶׁ֫בֶר (sheber) refers to breaking or fracturing, encompassing meanings like crash, ruin, and destruction. It can also denote the breaking of a dream and its interpretation. The term appears in various contexts, including physical damage and emotional distress.
שֶׁ֫בֶר, שֵׁ֫בֶר n.m. breaking, fracture, crushing, breach, crash
base
H7667 שֶׁ֫בֶר, שֵׁ֫בֶר breaking, fracture, crushing, breach, crash
7667 sheber sheh'-ber
or sheber {shay'-ber}; from 7665; a fracture, figuratively,
ruin; specifically, a solution (of a dream):--affliction,
breach, breaking, broken(-footed, -handed), bruise, crashing,
destruction, hurt, interpretation, vexation.
see HEBREW for 07665
שֶׁ֫בֶר (she.ver) — breaking.
1) breaking, fracture, crushing, breach, crash, ruin, shattering
1a) breaking, fracture, shattering, crushing
1b) crashing
1c) breaking (of a dream), interpretation
1d) quarries
Prep | N-ms — Preposition · noun common masculine singular constructHR/Ncmsc
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.
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…
בַּת (bat) means 'daughter' and encompasses a range of meanings including female child, young women, and even personifications of cities or inhabitants. It can also refer to villages in certain contexts. The word is derived from a root meaning 'to build' and is used in various figurative senses, such as 'branch' or 'apple of the eye.'
בַּת 587 n.f. daughter
daughter, female child
young women, women
with name of city, land, or people, poet. personif. of that city or inhabitants
pl. = villages, after name of city
in phrases denoting character, quality, etc.
ostrich
fig.
of vine = branch
as n. relat.
base
H1323 בַּת daughter . daughter, female child
. young women, women
. with name of city, land, or people, poet. personif. of that city or inhabitants
. pl. = villages, after name of city
. in phrases denoting character, quality, etc.
. ostrich
. fig.
. of vine = branch
. as n. relat.
1323 bath bath
from 1129 (as feminine of 1121); a daughter (used in the same
wide sense as other terms of relationship, literally and
figuratively):--apple (of the eye), branch, company, daughter,
X first, X old, + owl, town, village.
see HEBREW for 01129
see HEBREW for 01121
בַּת (bat) — daughter.
: daughter
1) daughter
1a) daughter, girl, adopted daughter, daughter-in-law, sister, granddaughters, female child, cousin
1a1) as polite address
1a2) as designation of women of a particular place
2) young women, women
1a3) as personification
1a4) daughter-villages
1a5) description of character
Also means: bat (בַּת ": village" H1323H)
בַּת (bat) — daughter: village.
: village
1) daughter
1a) daughter, girl, adopted daughter, daughter-in-law, sister, granddaughters, female child, cousin
1a1) as polite address
1a2) as designation of women of a particular place
2) young women, women
1a3) as personification
1a4) daughter-villages
1a5) description of character
בַּת (bat) — Bath (Shua).
A woman living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.38.2;
daughter of: Shua (H7770); married to Judah (H3063);
mother of: Er (H6147), Onan (H0209) and Shelah (H7956)
N-fs — Noun common · feminine singular constructHNcfsc
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.
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…
עַם (am) primarily means 'people' or 'nation,' referring to a collective group, often in the context of tribes such as those of Israel. It can also denote kinsmen or compatriots. The term appears in various contexts, including military and familial references. There is a mention of a specific individual named Ammi in Song of Solomon 6:12.
עַם, עָם 1810 n.m. people
a people, nation
= smaller units
= common people
people in gen., persons
phrases
base
[עַם] n.[m.] kinsman (on father's side)
base
H5971a עַם, עָם people H5971b עַם kinsman (on father's side)
5971 `am am
from 6004; a people (as a congregated unit); specifically, a
tribe (as those of Israel); hence (collectively) troops or
attendants; figuratively, a flock:--folk, men, nation,
people.
see HEBREW for 06004
עַם (am) — people.
: people/nation
1) nation, people
1a) people, nation
1b) persons, members of one's people, compatriots, country-men
עַם (am) — kinsman.
kinsman, kindred
עַם (am) — Ammi.
A man living at the time of United Monarchy, only mentioned at Sng.6.12
§ kinsman, kindred
עַם (am) — People's (Gate).
§ kinsman, kindred
עַם (am) — (Ibleam)-am.
Combined with yiv.le.am (יִבְלְעָם "Ibleam" H2991)
§ kinsman, kindred
עַם (am) — Amaw.
This name means nation, people
עַם (am) — people: soldiers.
: soldiers/army
1) nation, people
1a) people, nation
1b) persons, members of one's people, compatriots, country-men
עַם (am) — people: creatures.
: creatures
1) nation, people
1a) people, nation
1b) persons, members of one's people, compatriots, country-men
N-ms | Suff — Noun common masculine singular construct · suffixHNcmsc/Sp1bs