אָלָה (a.lah)
a.lah
to wail
H:VQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:V
Word Overview
The Hebrew verb a-lah means to wail or lament, expressing deep grief through sound. It appears only once in the Old Testament, found in Joel 1:8 where the prophet describes the mourning of a young woman for her husband.
This single occurrence places the word firmly within the context of personal loss and communal sorrow. The act of wailing was a recognized cultural response to tragedy, signaling that a situation was beyond normal repair. By using this term, the text highlights the intensity of the pain felt by those affected by the calamity described in the book.
Its rarity makes it a specific marker for acute distress rather than general sadness. The word captures the raw, vocal nature of grief, distinguishing it from silent mourning or quiet reflection. It serves as a linguistic anchor for the emotional weight of the passage in Joel.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
When life brings losses that feel too heavy to carry, we are not alone in our grief. The Hebrew word alah describes a raw, vocal cry of mourning, showing that deep sorrow often demands expression rather than silence. In Joel 1:8, the prophet calls for this kind of lament, validating the pain of those who have suffered sudden and severe loss.
This rare word reminds us that grief is not a failure of faith but a natural human response to tragedy. By allowing ourselves to wail, we acknowledge the depth of our love and the reality of our pain. It is okay to let your sorrow be heard, trusting that God meets us in our loudest cries as well as our quietest tears.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- wail1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- אֱלִ֕י1×
Key Verses
-
Joel 1:8
Mourn like a virgin dressed in sackcloth for the husband of her youth!
This verse uses the word to depict the intense, public mourning of a young widow, highlighting the severity of the calamity.