5092. nehi
Lexical Summary
nehi: Lamentation, wailing

Original Word: נְהִי
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: nhiy
Pronunciation: neh-HEE
Phonetic Spelling: (neh-hee')
KJV: lamentation, wailing
NASB: wailing, lamentation
Word Origin: [from H5091 (נָהָה - lamented)]

1. an elegy

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
lamentation, wailing

From nahah; an elegy -- lamentation, wailing.

see HEBREW nahah

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from nahah
Definition
a wailing, lamentation, mourning song
NASB Translation
lamentation (3), wailing (5).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
נְהִי noun [masculine] wailing, lamentation, mourning song; — ׳נ absolute Amos 5:16 5t.; וָנֶהִ֑י Jeremiah 9:9; — wailing, at ׳יs judgement Micah 2:4 as accusative of congnate meaning with verb; Jeremiah 9:9 (c.נָשָׂא עַלֿ, + ׳בְּכִ, "" קִינָה ), Jeremiah 9:17 (c, id.,"" דִּמְעָה), Jeremiah 9:18 (׳קוֺל נ ), Jeremiah 31:15 ("" בְּכִי, תַּמְרוּרִים); mourning song ׳יוֺדְעֵי נ Amos 5:16 of professional mourners, skilled in mourning song; compare Jeremiah 9:19, where taught ("" קִינָת), also הִי Ezekiel 2:10 ("" אֵכֶל, מִסְמֵּד q. v. (Ol Co read נתי, compare Berthol).

Topical Lexicon
Definition and Semantic Range

נְהִי depicts the intense, audible lament that rises in the wake of catastrophe, bereavement, or national calamity. It is more than quiet sorrow; it is a public, communal cry that gives voice to pain so deep it demands expression. Scripture employs the term to portray both spontaneous grief and formalized mourning rites, underscoring the reality that sin and judgment fracture human life and provoke anguish that must be named before God.

Occurrences in Scripture

1. Jeremiah 9:10 – The prophet mourns over Judah’s desolate land: “I will take up a weeping and wailing for the mountains…”
2. Jeremiah 9:18–20 – Professional mourning women are summoned so “our eyes may overflow with tears” and to teach their daughters “a dirge” as judgment sweeps through Jerusalem.
3. Jeremiah 31:15 – Rachel personifies Israel’s sorrow: “A voice is heard in Ramah—lamentation and bitter weeping…” yet the very context promises future restoration.
4. Amos 5:16 – In the face of imminent exile, the Lord declares, “Wailing will be in all the squares…”; every level of society is engulfed.
5. Micah 2:4 – The conquered remnant will “take up a lamentation” because fields and inheritance are stripped away.

Each passage links נְהִי to covenant violation and ensuing judgment while also hinting at God’s redemptive intention beyond the sorrow.

Cultural and Historical Background

Ancient Near Eastern culture employed professional mourners to articulate communal loss. Jeremiah’s call for the “skillful women” reflects this custom. Their role was pedagogical: by dramatizing grief they awakened national conscience to sin’s cost and urged repentance. The prophetic writers adapt this social practice to convey Yahweh’s own lament over His people, revealing divine compassion alongside divine justice.

Theological Significance

1. Revelation of God’s Heart – The prophets’ laments echo the Lord’s own grief (Jeremiah 9:1). נְהִי demonstrates that judgment is never cold; it is accompanied by divine sorrow that sin has made such measures necessary.
2. Call to Repentance – Public wailing functions as a summons to self-examination (Amos 5:16–17). Genuine lament opens the way for renewed covenant fidelity.
3. Hope beyond Mourning – Jeremiah 31 juxtaposes Rachel’s weeping with the promise, “There is hope for your future” (verse 17). נְהִי therefore frames but does not finalize Israel’s story.

Pastoral and Practical Implications

• Validating Sorrow – Believers are invited to bring raw grief before God. Suppressing pain contradicts biblical precedent.
• Corporate Confession – Churches may employ congregational lament when confronted with collective sin or tragedy, reflecting ancient practice.
• Anticipating Comfort – Mourning is tempered by trust in God’s promise of restoration, encouraging sufferers to persevere in faith.

Messianic and Eschatological Dimensions

Rachel’s weeping in Jeremiah 31:15 resurfaces in Matthew 2:18 after Herod’s massacre, situating נְהִי within the larger salvation narrative. The lament that marks Israel’s loss becomes the backdrop for the arrival of the One who will ultimately “wipe every tear from their eyes” (Revelation 21:4). Thus, the word’s trajectory moves from covenant breach to new-covenant fulfillment in Jesus Christ.

Connections to the New Testament Church

While the term itself does not appear in Greek, its ethos permeates passages such as James 4:9 (“Grieve, mourn and weep”) and Romans 12:15 (“Weep with those who weep”). The early Church channels the prophetic tradition of נְהִי to foster solidarity and humility.

Summary

נְהִי encapsulates the Scriptural theology of lament: an honest, communal cry birthed by sin’s devastation yet held within the larger purposes of a compassionate, covenant-keeping God. It invites God’s people of every age to mourn rightly, repent sincerely, and hope steadfastly in the redemption secured through the Lord’s unfailing mercy.

Forms and Transliterations
וָנֶ֗הִי ונהי נְהִ֛י נְהִ֤י נְהִי֙ נֶ֑הִי נֶ֔הִי נֶֽהִי׃ נהי נהי׃ ne·hî nə·hî Nehi nehî nəhî vaNehi wā·ne·hî wānehî
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Jeremiah 9:10
HEB: אֶשָּׂ֧א בְכִ֣י וָנֶ֗הִי וְעַל־ נְא֤וֹת
NAS: up a weeping and wailing, And for the pastures
KJV: a weeping and wailing, and for the habitations
INT: will take A weeping and wailing and for the pastures

Jeremiah 9:18
HEB: וְתִשֶּׂ֥נָה עָלֵ֖ינוּ נֶ֑הִי וְתֵרַ֤דְנָה עֵינֵ֙ינוּ֙
NAS: and take up a wailing for us, That our eyes
KJV: and take up a wailing for us, that our eyes
INT: and take up A wailing may shed our eyes

Jeremiah 9:19
HEB: כִּ֣י ק֥וֹל נְהִ֛י נִשְׁמַ֥ע מִצִּיּ֖וֹן
NAS: For a voice of wailing is heard
KJV: For a voice of wailing is heard
INT: Because A voice of wailing is heard Zion

Jeremiah 9:20
HEB: וְלַמֵּ֤דְנָה בְנֽוֹתֵיכֶם֙ נֶ֔הִי וְאִשָּׁ֥ה רְעוּתָ֖הּ
NAS: your daughters wailing, And everyone
KJV: your daughters wailing, and every one
INT: Teach your daughters wailing and everyone her neighbor

Jeremiah 31:15
HEB: בְּרָמָ֤ה נִשְׁמָע֙ נְהִי֙ בְּכִ֣י תַמְרוּרִ֔ים
NAS: in Ramah, Lamentation [and] bitter
KJV: in Ramah, lamentation, [and] bitter
INT: Ramah is heard Lamentation weeping bitter

Amos 5:16
HEB: אֶל־ י֥וֹדְעֵי נֶֽהִי׃
NAS: And professional mourners to lamentation.
KJV: and such as are skilful of lamentation to wailing.
INT: and to professional to lamentation

Micah 2:4
HEB: מָשָׁ֗ל וְנָהָ֨ה נְהִ֤י נִֽהְיָה֙ אָמַר֙
NAS: a bitter lamentation [and] say,
KJV: with a doleful lamentation, [and] say,
INT: A taunt and utter lamentation become say

7 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 5092
7 Occurrences


ne·hî — 6 Occ.
wā·ne·hî — 1 Occ.

5091
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