Lexical Summary oy: Woe, alas Original Word: אוֹי Strong's Exhaustive Concordance alas, woe Probably from 'avah (in the sense of crying out after); lamentation; also interjectionally Oh! -- alas, woe. see HEBREW 'avah NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origina prim. interj. Definition woe! NASB Translation alas (2), woe (21). Brown-Driver-Briggs אוֺי interjection (onomatopoetic; compare  ,  ) woe! an impassioned expression of grief and despair: usually with dative אוֺי לִי Isaiah 6:5 woe to me! for I am undone, so Isaiah 24:16; Jeremiah 10:19; Jeremiah 15:10; אוֺי לָנוּ woe to us! 1 Samuel 4:7,8; Jeremiah 4:13; Jeremiah 6:4; אוֺינָֿא לִי Jeremiah 4:31; Jeremiah 45:3; אוֺינָֿא לָנוּ Lamentations 5:16. With the 2nd or 3rd person often implying a denunciation; אוֺילְֿךָ מוֺאָב Numbers 21:29 (= Jeremiah 48:46) Jeremiah 13:27; Ezekiel 16:23 repeated אוֺי אוֺי לָח; Isaiah 3:9 אוֺי לְנַפְשָׁם Isaiah 3:11; Hosea 7:13; Hosea 9:12 ("" שֹׁד לָהֶם). With a voc. (or implicit accusative) Ezekiel 24:6,9 אוֺי עִיר הַדָּמִים; absolute Numbers 24:23. Used as a substantive Proverbs 23:29 לְמִי אוֺי ("" לְמִי אֲבוֺי). Topical Lexicon Summary אוֹי (Strong’s H188) is the anguished cry translated “woe,” “alas,” or “ah!” It erupts from lips overwhelmed by calamity, moral outrage, or impending judgment. Across the Old Testament this interjection exposes the true cost of sin, sounding either from human throats crushed by suffering or from prophetic voices announcing the sure retribution of God. Semantic Range and Emotional Color אוֹי conveys more than general sorrow. It is the gut-level gasp that something is terribly wrong—whether the fall of a nation, the pain of personal affliction, or the certainty of divine recompense. The word is terse, immediate, and visceral, carrying tones of pity, shock, warning, and even helpless resignation. Occurrences and Literary Settings 1. Woe from Enemies Confronted by God 2. Woe in Israel’s History Narratives 3. Personal and Corporate Lament 4. Prophetic Judgments Historical Background The eighth- to sixth-century prophets wielded אוֹי during political upheavals—Assyrian expansion, Babylonian siege, and national exile. The cry matches the era’s disintegration of social order and covenant fidelity. Earlier narratives (Numbers, Samuel) display אוֹי on pagan lips, foreshadowing God’s universal dealings with nations. Theological Themes • The Inevitability of Divine Justice אוֹי underscores that judgment is not random; it responds to specific covenant violations. Isaiah’s and Jeremiah’s woes prove that holiness demands accountability. • Human Frailty and Sin’s Toll Personal cries (Jeremiah, Proverbs) reveal sin’s inward devastation even before external judgment falls. אוֹי functions as a spiritual stethoscope detecting hidden decay. • The Mercy Implied in Warning Every prophetic woe implicitly invites repentance. If judgment is announced ahead of time, escape remains possible for the humble and contrite. Christological Connections Isaiah’s self-woe (Isaiah 6:5) sets the stage for the atoning work of the Seraph-touched coal and points forward to Christ, who absorbs ultimate woe on the cross. Jesus later echoes the prophetic pattern with His own “woes” against unrepentant cities (Matthew 11:21) and hypocritical leaders (Matthew 23), affirming continuity between Old and New Testament judgment oracles. Pastoral and Ministry Application • Preaching אוֹי models how to balance compassion with conviction. Gospel proclamation must still warn: unrepentant sin ends in real woe, yet Christ offers deliverance. • Counseling Recognize and validate the anguished “woe” of those suffering consequences of sin; then guide them to the hope of forgiveness and restoration. • Worship and Lament Biblical lament allows believers to voice אוֹי without faithlessness. Corporate prayers may incorporate this cry when confronting injustice or communal sorrow. Related Hebrew and Greek Terms While אוֹי is the briefest woe, longer forms (הוֹי, אֵי) and the Greek οὐαί in the Septuagint and New Testament mirror its force, knitting together the Bible’s unified witness to the seriousness of sin and the grace extended to sinners. Key Passages for Study Isaiah 6:5; Jeremiah 4:31; Ezekiel 24:6–9; Hosea 7:13. Each passage couples the cry of woe with either a revelation of God’s holiness, a call to repentance, or a promise of eventual redemption. Forms and Transliterations א֕וֹי א֖וֹי א֣וֹי א֤וֹי א֥וֹי אֽוֹי־ אוֹי֮ אוֹי־ אוי אוי־ ’ō·w ’ō·w- ’ōw ’ōw- oLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Numbers 21:29 HEB: אוֹי־ לְךָ֣ מוֹאָ֔ב NAS: Woe to you, O Moab! You are ruined, KJV: Woe to thee, Moab! thou art undone, INT: Woe Moab are ruined Numbers 24:23 1 Samuel 4:7 1 Samuel 4:8 Proverbs 23:29 Isaiah 3:9 Isaiah 3:11 Isaiah 6:5 Isaiah 24:16 Jeremiah 4:13 Jeremiah 4:31 Jeremiah 6:4 Jeremiah 10:19 Jeremiah 13:27 Jeremiah 15:10 Jeremiah 45:3 Jeremiah 48:46 Lamentations 5:16 Ezekiel 16:23 Ezekiel 16:23 Ezekiel 24:6 Ezekiel 24:9 Hosea 7:13 Hosea 9:12 24 Occurrences |
    |