Lexical Summary yelalah: Wailing, lamentation, howling Original Word: יְלָלָה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance howling Feminine of ylel; a howling. see HEBREW ylel NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfem. of yelel Definition a howling NASB Translation wail (3), wailing (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs יְלָלָה noun feminine howling; — וִילָלָה Zephaniah 1:10; construct יִָֽלֲלַת Jeremiah 25:36; Zechariah 11:3; יִלְלָתָהּ Isaiah 15:8 (twice in verse); — howling in distress Isaiah 15:8 (twice in verse) ("" זְעָקָה), Jeremiah 25:36 (of leaders of flock, metaphor for princes; "" קול צעקה), Zephaniah 1:10 ("" id.); קול יִָֽלֲלַת הָרֹעִים Zechariah 11:3 (רעים metaphor for princes). Topical Lexicon Meaning and Scope of the Term Yelalah designates an intense, vocal lament—the mournful howl that rises when devastating loss or divine judgment falls upon a people. It is not a muted sigh but a public, piercing cry that reverberates through streets, fields, and border towns, signaling shared calamity and grief. Occurrences in the Prophets 1. Isaiah 15:8 presents yelalah sounding out from Moab’s borders: “The cry has gone around the border of Moab, its wailing to Eglaim and its wailing to Beer Elim.” The doubled use underscores how the nation’s anguish extends from one end of the territory to the other. Isaiah 15:8 is duplicated in some textual traditions, making five total references while reinforcing the pervasive nature of the outcry. Historical Context Every occurrence falls within the prophetic corpus and is tied to oracles of national catastrophe—foreign invasion, economic ruin, or covenantal curses manifested in the land. The eighth–sixth-century timeline of Isaiah and Jeremiah, the late seventh-century ministry of Zephaniah, and the post-exilic setting of Zechariah reveal that such wailing was not confined to one era; successive generations tasted the bitterness of rebellion’s harvest. Theological Themes 1. Judgment Verified by Auditory Evidence: Prophetic texts often move from vision to proclamation to audible response. Yelalah functions as the confirmatory sound that divine warnings have become historical reality. Liturgical and Devotional Application Yelalah encourages believers to validate grief rather than suppress it. Biblical faith does not mistake stoicism for spirituality. Corporate lament—whether in a congregation’s prayer service or a nation’s day of fasting—can become the seedbed for renewed obedience and hope. Pastoral and Homiletical Observations • Preachers may use these texts to illustrate the cost of ignoring God’s moral order. Christological and Eschatological Connections The Gospels echo prophetic lament when Jesus weeps over Jerusalem (Luke 19:41). At the cross, darkness and lament converge, but resurrection turns wailing into witness. Revelation forecasts yet another season of global yelalah when final judgments unfold (Revelation 18); nevertheless, new-creation joy will forever silence such cries (Revelation 21:4). Relation to Biblical Lament Yelalah complements words like qinah (dirge) and nehi (mourning) to form Scripture’s vocabulary of sorrow. Together they teach that lament is both complaint and confession, making space for faith to grapple honestly with the repercussions of sin and the mysteries of providence. For Further Study Compare themes of national lament in Joel 1:5–14; examine New Testament echoes in James 5:1; explore modern applications in congregational lament services and pastoral care for collective trauma. Forms and Transliterations וִֽילְלַ֖ת וִֽילָלָ֖ה ויללה ויללת יִֽלְלַ֣ת יִלְלָתָ֔הּ יִלְלָתָֽהּ׃ יללת יללתה יללתה׃ vilaLah vilLat wî·lā·lāh wî·lə·laṯ wîlālāh wîləlaṯ yil·lā·ṯāh yil·laṯ yilLat yillaṯ yillaTah yillāṯāhLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Isaiah 15:8 HEB: עַד־ אֶגְלַ֙יִם֙ יִלְלָתָ֔הּ וּבְאֵ֥ר אֵילִ֖ים NAS: of Moab, Its wail [goes] as far KJV: of Moab; the howling thereof unto Eglaim, INT: far Eglaim wail to Beer-elim wail Isaiah 15:8 Jeremiah 25:36 Zephaniah 1:10 Zechariah 11:3 5 Occurrences |
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