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Psalms 69:25 — Word Study

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WLCתְּהִי־ טִֽירָתָ֥ם נְשַׁמָּ֑ה בְּ֝אָהֳלֵיהֶ֗ם אַל־ יְהִ֥י יֹשֵֽׁב׃

BSAto pourshâphak uponʻal indignationzaʻam burning angerchârôwn faceʼaph to overtakenâsag

Word
Listen & take awayPsalms 69
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 25 is in this 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 (yo.Shev) — no per-word recordings of the Hebrew exist to link to.
Take it away
Psalms 69:25quick helps
In a sentenceThe psalmist calls for desolation upon the enemies, wishing for their homes to be empty.
Who is speakingThe psalmist, expressing a desire for divine judgment.
Where we areIn a lamentation, asking for God's wrath against those who oppose Him.
The hard wordנְשַׁמָּ֑ה
Take awayThe desire for their homes to be uninhabited is clear.
8 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them › clause subjectנָשַׂג verbשָׁפַךְ 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 — Psalms 69:25

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 Plea for Divine Justicegenerated

24Pour out Your wrath upon them, and let Your burning anger overtake them.
25May their place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in their tents.
26For they persecute the one You struck and recount the pain of those You wounded.
27Add iniquity to their iniquity; let them not share in Your righteousness.

Psalms 69:25 expresses a deep yearning for retribution against the enemies of God. The psalmist implores that their dwelling places be left desolate, reflecting the severity of their actions against the faithful. This verse is part of a larger context where the psalmist laments persecution and seeks divine intervention, similar to themes found in Psalm 69:24 and Psalm 69:26.


Cross References

ReferenceText (BSB)
11 Kings 9:8And when this temple has become a heap of rubble, all who pass by it will be appalled and will hiss and say, ‘Why has the LORD done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’
2Jeremiah 7:12–14But go now to the place in Shiloh where I first made a dwelling for My Name, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of My people Israel.
3Matthew 23:38Look, your house is left to you desolate.
4Matthew 24:1–2As Jesus left the temple and was walking away, His disciples came up to Him to point out its buildings.
5Acts 1:20“For it is written in the book of Psalms: ‘May his place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in it,’ and, ‘May another take his position.’

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 7 references, hung on the phrase they belong to


The Key Word נְשַׁמָּ֑ה, ne.sha.Mahgenerated

The Hebrew word שָׁמֵם (shamem) is a verb meaning to be desolate or devastated. It conveys a sense of emptiness and destruction, often used in contexts of severe loss or judgment.

In this verse, it is presented in the Niphal participle form, indicating that the encampments of the enemies are to be made desolate. This reflects the psalmist's desire for their complete removal and abandonment.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, which uses deserted and no one to convey the desolation and absence of inhabitants in their tents.


Sentence Structuregenerated

The main verb תְּהִי־ (tehi), meaning 'may it be,' governs the entire verse, establishing a wish or desire for the state of the enemies' dwelling.

The structure includes a noun phrase indicating the subject of desolation, followed by a prepositional phrase that specifies the location of this desolation, which is their tents.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

The Septuagint translates the Hebrew נְשַׁמָּ֑ה as ὀργήν, indicating a focus on the anger or wrath directed at the enemies. This choice emphasizes the emotional aspect of the psalmist's plea.

This translation reflects a slight shift in focus from physical desolation to the emotional response of divine anger, highlighting the severity of the situation.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

Psalms 69:25 expresses a wish for the enemies' homes to be empty and uninhabited. The psalmist is asking for divine judgment, reflecting a strong desire for justice against those who persecute.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

What does the psalmist mean by 'may their place be deserted'?

The psalmist is expressing a desire for the enemies' homes to be left empty, indicating a wish for their downfall and removal from the land.

Why is the concept of desolation significant in this verse?

Desolation signifies the complete removal of the enemies' presence, emphasizing the severity of their actions and the psalmist's plea for divine justice.

How does this verse connect with the themes of the surrounding verses?

This verse connects with the surrounding verses by expressing the psalmist's lament over persecution and a call for God's intervention against those who oppress.

What can we learn from the psalmist's plea for justice?

The psalmist's plea highlights the importance of seeking justice and divine intervention in the face of oppression, reminding us to turn to God in times of distress.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. In what areas of my life do I seek God's justice against wrongdoing?
  2. How can I better understand the feelings of desolation in my own experiences?
  3. What does it mean to me that the psalmist calls for God's intervention in times of trouble?
  4. How can I apply the themes of justice and desolation in my prayers?

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

Early commentary on this verse highlights the call for divine anger against the enemies, as seen in Augustine's reflections.

Augustine of HippoExposition on Psalms 69 354–430
"Pour forth upon them Your anger, and let the indignation of Your anger overtake them" [Psalms 69:25], are plain words: but nevertheless,
Early Church Fathers on Psalms 69 →

Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on Psalms 69:25 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

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

Let their habitation be desolate,.... Which is applied to Judas, Acts 1:20; but not to the exclusion of others; for it must be understood of the habitations of others; even of their princes and

Read John Gill on Psalms 69 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

Let their habitation be desolate; and let none dwell in their tents. Let their habitation be desolate. Their temple was no longer to be the temple of the Lord, but their own habitation.

Read Robert Jamieson on Psalms 69 →
Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy Bible

Their habitation, Heb. their palace, as this word signifies, . Either, 1. Their temple, in which they place their glory and safety. Or rather, 2. and more generally, Their strongest and most magnificent buildings and houses, in which they dwelt, as it follows in the next clause, which explains this. None; either, 1. None of their posterity. Destroy them both root and branch. Or, 2. None at all. Let the places be accounted execrable and dreadful.

Read Matthew Poole on Psalms 69 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Psalms 69:25 Let their habitation be desolate; [and] let none dwell in their tents.Ver. 25. Let their habitation be desolate] Heb. their palaces, or castles, so named of being fair and high built, in row and order. It is here put not only for their habitation, but for their function. See Acts 1:20. And let none dwell in their tents] Lege et luge, Read and lament, saith one, speaking of the ruin of Jerusalem by the Romans, under Vespasian, and again under Hadrian, by whom all Judaea was left almost uninhabited, the Jews utterly banished, and forbidden upon pain of death to look toward their own country (Dio in Hadrian). At this day there be not to be found in Jerusalem itself a hundred…

Read John Trapp on Psalms 69 →
Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(25) Habitation.—The derivation is from a word meaning circle, and a better rendering is therefore encampment or village. Nomadic tribes pitch their tents in an enclosed ring. The derivation of the English town is precisely similar. The desolation of his homestead was, to the Arab, the most frightful of calamities. (Comp. Job 18:15. For St. Peter’s use of this verse, combined with Psalms 109:8, see Acts 1:20, and Note, New Testament Commentary.)

Read Charles John Ellicott on Psalms 69 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

25. their habitation] Rather, as R.V. marg., their encampment; cp. Genesis 25:16; Numbers 31:10; Ezekiel 25:4 (R.V.). The language is a survival from the habits of nomad life, with which however the Israelites must always have been familiar. Cp. Jeremiah 4:20; Jeremiah 10:20. To the Oriental no prospect was more terrible than that of the complete extermination of his family. Cp. Job 18:19; Proverbs 14:11. The quotation in Acts 1:20 is a free adaptation of the LXX.

Read Cambridge on Psalms 69 →
Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Let their habitation be desolate - Margin, “their palace.” The Hebrew word means properly a wall; then, a fortress or castle; and then it means also a nomadic encampment, a rustic village, a farm-hamlet.

Read Albert Barnes on Psalms 69 →
Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible

25. Let their habitation be desolate—Again the verb should take the declarative, not the optative, sense: Their habitation shall be laid waste.The imagery is nomadic, after the true Arab life, and

Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Psalms 69 →

The verse in English, compared — 16 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

May their place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in their tents.

WEBWorld English Bible2000

Let their habitation be desolate. Let no one dwell in their tents.

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

May their place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in their tents.

NETBNew English Translation2006

May their camp become desolate, their tents uninhabited!

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

Let their habitation be desolate; and let none dwell in their tents.

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

Let their habitation be desolate; Let none dwell in their tents.

RVARevised Version, American1894

Let their habitation be desolate; let none dwell in their tents.

NWBWebster's Bible1833

Let their habitation be desolate; and let none dwell in their tents.

GNVGeneva Bible1599

Let their habitation be voide, and let none dwell in their tents.

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

Let their habitation be desolate; let there be no dweller in their tents.

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

Their tower is desolated, In their tents there is no dweller.

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

Their tower is desolated, || There is no dweller in their tents.

ILTInterlinear Literal Translation2000

(69:26) May their palace become desolate: in their tents let no one dwell.

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

Let their place be a desolation; let no one live in their tents.

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

Let the places where they live be deserted. Let their homes be abandoned.

BBEBible in Basic English1949

Give their houses to destruction, and let there be no one in their tents.

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.

clauseverbתְּהִיmay.it.benoun phrase · subjectטִֽירָתָ֥encampmentםtheirobjectנְשַׁמָּ֑הmade.desolateclauseprepositional phrase · prepositionalבְּ֝innoun phraseאָהֳלֵיtentsהֶ֗םtheiradverbialאַלnotverbיְהִ֥יmay.anyone.besubjectיֹשֵֽׁבdwelling

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 נְשַׁמָּ֑ה, indicating a shared understanding of the desire for desolation. The Septuagint's word choice aligns closely with the Hebrew, reinforcing the message of judgment.

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

תְּהִי־ טִֽירָתָ֥ם נְשַׁמָּ֑ה בְּ֝אָהֳלֵיהֶ֗ם אַל־ יְהִ֥י יֹשֵֽׁב׃

Septuagintthe Greek the translators chose, word by word
תְּהִי־ἔκξεονטִֽירָתָ֥םαὐτοὺςנְשַׁמָּ֑הὀργήνבְּ֝אָהֳלֵיהֶ֗םθυμὸςאַל־ὀργῆςיְהִ֥יσουיֹשֵֽׁב׃καταλάβοι

7 of the 7 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.

Psalms 69:25הָיָהmay it bemay it beהָיָהטִירָהencampment encampment theiטִירָהשָׁמֵםmade desolamade desolateשָׁמֵםאֹ֫הֶלin tents thin tents theirאֹ֫הֶלאַלmay notmay notאַלהָיָהanyone beanyone beהָיָהיָשַׁבdwellingdwellingיָשַׁבהָוָאto fallto fallהָוָאאָהַלto shineto shineאָהַלטוּרrowrowטוּרלֹאnotnotלֹאמוֹשָׁבseatseatמוֹשָׁבאֵ֫לֶּהthesetheseאֵ֫לֶּהשָׁרַקto whistleto whistleשָׁרַקנָוֶהpasturepastureנָוֶהמוֹעֵדmeetingmeetingמוֹעֵדפֶּ֫תַחentranceentranceפֶּ֫תַחחָתַתto to be dto to be dismayחָתַתיָרֵאto fearto fearיָרֵאבֶּ֫טַחsecuritysecurityבֶּ֫טַחכְּנַעֲנִיCanaanitesCanaanitessכְּנַעֲנִי
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 Psalms 69:25

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.

may it be encampment their made desolate in tents their may not anyone be dwelling
תְּהִי־te.hi- may it be H1961 Verb · Qal · jussive third person feminine singular
3,562× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word for to be means to exist or come into being. It is used to describe something that happens or comes to pass, like in Genesis where God creates the world.
Tyndale gloss
to be
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

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.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

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.

Read the full entry →
Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

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

Read the full entry →
Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

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

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

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

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HVqj3fs — Verb · Qal · jussive third person feminine singular
HVqj3fs
may it be encampment their made desolate in tents their may not anyone be dwelling
טִֽירָתָ֥םti.ra.Tam encampment their H2918 Noun common feminine singular construct · suffix
7× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word refers to an encampment, a fortress, or a small village, often surrounded by a wall for protection. It can also mean a row of stones or a palace. In the Bible, it is used to describe the dwelling places of kings and nobles.
Tyndale gloss
encampment
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

טִירָה (tiyrah) refers to an encampment or battlement, indicating a fortified area or dwelling. It is derived from a feminine form related to the word for wall, suggesting meanings like castle or palace. The entries highlight its use in contexts of encampments, walled dwellings, and metaphorical battlements.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

[טִירָה] n.f. encampment, battlement

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H2918 טִירָה encampment, battlement

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

2918 tiyrah tee-raw'

feminine of (an equivalent to) 2905; a wall; hence, a

fortress or a hamlet:--(goodly) castle, habitation, palace,

row.

see HEBREW for 02905

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

טִירָה (ti.rah) — encampment.

1) encampment, battlement

1a) encampment, tent camp

1b) walled dwelling places, battlement (metaph.)

1c) row (of stones)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HNcfsc/Sp3mp — Noun common feminine singular construct · suffix
HNcfsc/Sp3mp
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
may it be encampment their made desolate in tents their may not anyone be dwelling
נְשַׁמָּ֑הne.sha.Mah made desolate H8074 Verb · Niphal · participle (active) feminine singular
86× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The word 'shamem' means to be desolate or devastated, like a place left empty and destroyed, often used to describe the aftermath of war or disaster.
Tyndale gloss
be desolate: destroyed
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

שָׁמֵם (shamem) is a Hebrew verb meaning to be desolated or appalled. It is built from a primitive root and encompasses a range of meanings including to stun, devastate, and cause horror. The verb appears in various forms, such as Qal, Niphal, and Hiphil, indicating different nuances like being made desolate or causing desolation.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

[שָׁמֵם] vb. be desolated, appalled

Qal

be desolated

be appalled, awestruck

Niph.

be desolated

be appalled

Pō‛.

I sat appalled

transit. appalling, causing horror

Hiph.

devastate, ravage

appal

inwardly trans., shewing horror

Hoph. all the days of (its) being desolate

Hithpō‛.

be appalled, astounded

cause oneself desolation, ruin

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H8074 [שָׁמֵם] be desolated, appalled

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

8074 shamem shaw-mame'

a primitive root; to stun (or intransitively, grow numb),

i.e. devastate or (figuratively) stupefy (both usually in a

passive sense):--make amazed, be astonied, (be an)

astonish(-ment), (be, bring into, unto, lay, lie, make)

desolate(-ion, places), be destitute, destroy (self), (lay,

lie, make) waste, wonder.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

שָׁמֵם (sha.mem) — be desolate: destroyed.

: destroyed/deserted

1) to be desolate, be appalled, stun, stupefy

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to be desolated, be deflowered, be deserted, be appalled

1a2) to be appalled, be awestruck

1b) (Niphal)

1b1) to be desolated, be made desolate

1b2) to be appalled

1c) (Polel)

1c1) to be stunned

1c2) appalling, causing horror (participle)

1c2a) horror-causer, appaller (subst)

1d) (Hiphil)

1d1) to devastate, ravage, make desolated

1d2) to appal, show horror

1e) (Hophal) to lay desolate, be desolated

1f) (Hithpolel)

1f1) to cause to be desolate

1f2) to be appalled, be astounded

1f3) to cause oneself desolation, cause oneself ruin

שָׁמֵם (sha.mem) — be desolate: appalled.

: appalled

1) to be desolate, be appalled, stun, stupefy

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to be desolated, be deflowered, be deserted, be appalled

1a2) to be appalled, be awestruck

1b) (Niphal)

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HVNrfsa — Verb · Niphal · participle (active) feminine singular
HVNrfsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

des'-o-lat (very frequently in the Old Testament for shamem, and its derivatives; less frequently, charebh, and its derivatives, and other words. In the New Testament it stands for eremos (Mt 23:38; Ac 1:20; Ga 4:27) eremoo (Re 17:16), and monoo (1Ti 5:5)): From Latin de, intens., solus, alone. Several shades of meaning can be distinguished:

(1) Its primary sense is "left lonely," "forlorn," e. g. Ps 25:16, "Have mercy upon me; for I am desolate" (Hebrew yachidh, "alone"); 1Ti 5:5, "she that is a widow indeed, and…

may it be encampment their made desolate in tents their may not anyone be dwelling
בְּ֝אָהֳלֵיהֶ֗םbe.'o.ho.lei.Hem in tents their H168 Preposition · noun common masculine plural construct · suffix
345× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word for a tent, often used to describe the tabernacle or a nomad's home. In Exodus 33:7-11, it refers to the sacred tent where God meets with Moses.
Tyndale gloss
tent
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word אֹ֫הֶל (*ohel*) means 'tent' and is derived from a root meaning 'to be conspicuous.' It encompasses various meanings, including a nomad's tent, a dwelling or home, and specifically refers to the sacred tent used for worship, known as the tabernacle. The entries consistently highlight its association with transience and habitation.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אֹ֫הֶל 343 n.m. tent

tent of nomad

dwelling, habitation

the sacred tent used in worship of God

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H168 אֹ֫הֶל tent

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

168 'ohel o'-hel

from 166; a tent (as clearly conspicuous from a

distance):--covering, (dwelling)(place), home, tabernacle,

tent.

see HEBREW for 0166

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אֹ֫הֶל (o.hel) — tent.

: tent

1) tent

1a) nomad's tent, and thus symbolic of wilderness life, transience

1b) dwelling, home, habitation

1c) the sacred tent of Jehovah (the tabernacle)

Also means: o.hel (אֹ֫הֶל ": home" H0168H)

אֹ֫הֶל (o.hel) — tent: home.

: home

1) tent

1a) nomad's tent, and thus symbolic of wilderness life, transience

1b) dwelling, home, habitation

1c) the sacred tent of Jehovah (the tabernacle)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HR/Ncmpc/Sp3mp — Preposition · noun common masculine plural construct · suffix
HR/Ncmpc/Sp3mp
may it be encampment their made desolate in tents their may not anyone be dwelling
אַל־'al- may not H408 Particle
724× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Means not or nothing, used to express negation, as in the phrase do not or let not be.
Tyndale gloss
not
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

אַל (al) is a negative particle meaning 'not' or 'no,' often used to express a wish or prohibition rather than an objective fact. It can also function as a noun meaning 'nothing.' The lexicons highlight its use in various contexts, including deprecative forms, but do not show significant disagreement.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אַל adv. of negation, denying however, not objectively as a fact, but subjectively as a wish, expressing therefore a deprecation or prohibition

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H408 אַל adv. of negation, denying however, not objectively as a fact, but subjectively as a wish, expressing therefore a deprecation or prohibition

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

408 'al al

a negative particle (akin to 3808); not (the qualified

negation, used as a deprecative); once (Job 24:25) as a noun,

nothing:--nay, neither, + never, no ,nor, not, nothing

(worth), rather than.

see HEBREW for 03808

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אַל (al) — not.

1) not, no, nor, neither, nothing (as wish or preference)

1a) do not, let not (with a verb)

1b) let there not be (with a verb understood)

1c) not, no (with substantive)

1d) nothing (as substantive)

Aramaic equivalent: al (אַל "not" H0409)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HTn — Particle
HTn
may it be encampment their made desolate in tents their may not anyone be dwelling
יְהִ֥יye.Hi anyone be H1961 Verb · Qal · jussive third person masculine singular
3,562× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word for to be means to exist or come into being. It is used to describe something that happens or comes to pass, like in Genesis where God creates the world.
Tyndale gloss
to be
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

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.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

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.

Read the full entry →
Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

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

Read the full entry →
Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

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

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

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

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HVqj3ms — Verb · Qal · jussive third person masculine singular
HVqj3ms
may it be encampment their made desolate in tents their may not anyone be dwelling
יֹשֵֽׁב׃yo.Shev dwelling H3427 Verb · Qal · participle (active) masculine singular
1,079× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This verb means to sit or dwell, and can also mean to remain or abide. It's used in the Bible to describe people living in a place or staying with someone, like in the book of Genesis.
Tyndale gloss
to dwell
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

יָשַׁב (yashab) is a Hebrew verb meaning to sit, remain, or dwell. It encompasses a range of actions from simply sitting down to more complex ideas like establishing a home or causing a place to be inhabited. The entries indicate various forms, including Qal (to sit), Niphal (to be inhabited), and Hiphil (to cause to dwell). There is an Aramaic equivalent, יְתִב (ye.tiv), meaning 'to dwell'.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

יָשַׁב 1090 vb. sit, remain, dwell

Qal

sit

sit, sit down

sit down

sit = be set (as a jewel)

remain, stay, tarry

with special emphasis of qualifying phr.

dwell, have one’s abode

of a land or city, sit, abide, seated in its place, fig. for be inhabited

Niph. be inhabited, of land

Pi. and they shall set their encampments in thee

Hiph.

cause to sit

cause to abide

cause to dwell

cause cities to be inhabited

marry (prop. give a dwelling to)

Hoph. and ye be made to dwell alone in the midst of the land

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3427 יָשַׁב sit, remain, dwell

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3427 yashab yaw-shab'

a primitive root; properly, to sit down (specifically as

judge. in ambush, in quiet); by implication, to dwell, to

remain; causatively, to settle, to marry:--(make to)

abide(-ing), continue, (cause to, make to) dwell(-ing), ease

self, endure, establish, X fail, habitation, haunt, (make to)

inhabit(-ant), make to keep (house), lurking, X marry(-ing),

(bring again to) place, remain, return, seat, set(- tle),

(down-)sit(-down, still, -ting down, -ting (place) -uate),

take, tarry.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

יָשַׁב (ya.shav) — to dwell.

1) to dwell, remain, sit, abide

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to sit, sit down

1a2) to be set

1a3) to remain, stay

1a4) to dwell, have one's abode

1b) (Niphal) to be inhabited

1c) (Piel) to set, place

1d) (Hiphil)

1d1) to cause to sit

1d2) to cause to abide, set

1d3) to cause to dwell

1d4) to cause (cities) to be inhabited

1d5) to marry (give an dwelling to)

1e) (Hophal)

1e1) to be inhabited

1e2) to make to dwell

Aramaic equivalent: ye.tiv (יְתִב "to dwell" H3488)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HVqrmsa — Verb · Qal · participle (active) masculine singular
HVqrmsa
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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