Definition and Etymology:
The term "sob" in the context of the Bible generally refers to the act of weeping or crying audibly, often associated with deep sorrow or lamentation. The Hebrew word often translated as "sob" is "bakah" (בָּכָה), which means to weep or lament. In the Greek New Testament, the word "klaio" (κλαίω) is used similarly.

Biblical References and Context:
While the specific term "sob" may not frequently appear in English translations, the concept of weeping and lamentation is prevalent throughout the Scriptures. The act of sobbing is often depicted in moments of personal grief, national tragedy, or spiritual repentance.

1. Old Testament Instances:
· Genesis 21:16: Hagar, the mother of Ishmael, sobs as she distances herself from her son, fearing his death in the wilderness. "Then she went off and sat down nearby, about a bowshot away, for she thought, 'I cannot watch the boy die.' And as she sat there nearby, she lifted up her voice and wept."
· 1 Samuel 1:10: Hannah weeps bitterly in the temple, pouring out her soul to the Lord in her distress over her barrenness. "In her bitter distress, Hannah prayed to the LORD and wept with many tears."

2. Psalms and Prophetic Literature:
· The Psalms frequently express the psalmist's weeping as a response to personal sin, oppression, or longing for God's intervention. For example, Psalm 6:6 states, "I am weary from groaning; all night I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears."
· The prophets often describe the weeping of Israel as a nation in response to impending judgment or exile. Jeremiah, known as the "weeping prophet," frequently laments over the fate of Jerusalem (Jeremiah 9:1).

3. New Testament Instances:
· John 11:35: The shortest verse in the Bible, "Jesus wept," shows Jesus' deep compassion and empathy as He sobs at the tomb of Lazarus, sharing in the grief of Mary and Martha.
· Luke 19:41: Jesus weeps over Jerusalem, lamenting the city's spiritual blindness and the coming destruction. "As Jesus approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it."

Theological Significance:
Sobbing in the Bible is often a profound expression of human emotion, reflecting the brokenness of the world and the deep need for divine intervention. It is a natural response to sin, suffering, and loss, and it often precedes or accompanies repentance and supplication. The Bible portrays God as attentive to the cries of His people, offering comfort and hope in times of distress.

Practical Application:
Believers are encouraged to bring their sorrows and tears before God, trusting in His compassion and sovereignty. The act of sobbing, while a sign of human frailty, is also an invitation to experience God's comfort and peace. As 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 reminds us, God is "the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God."

Cultural and Historical Insights:
In ancient Near Eastern cultures, public displays of mourning, including sobbing, were common during funerals and times of national calamity. Professional mourners were often employed to lead the community in lamentation, emphasizing the collective nature of grief. This cultural backdrop highlights the communal aspect of mourning seen in biblical narratives.1. (v. t.) To soak.

2. (v. i.) To sigh with a sudden heaving of the breast, or with a kind of convulsive motion; to sigh with tears, and with a convulsive drawing in of the breath.

3. (n.) The act of sobbing; a convulsive sigh, or inspiration of the breath, as in sorrow.

4. (n.) Any sorrowful cry or sound.

2799. klaio -- to weep
... bewail, weep. Of uncertain affinity; to sob, ie Wail aloud (whereas dakruo is rather
to cry silently) -- bewail, weep. (eklaien) -- 2 Occurrences. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2799.htm - 8k1058. bakah -- to weep, bewail
... root Definition to weep, bewail NASB Word Usage bewail (1), crying (1), mourn (1),
sob (1), weep (27), weep not at all (1), weep continually (1), weep...longer ...
/hebrew/1058.htm - 6k

7654. sobah -- satiety
... 7653, 7654. sobah. 7655 . satiety. Transliteration: sobah Phonetic Spelling:
(sob-aw') Short Definition: satisfied. Word Origin ...
/hebrew/7654.htm - 6k

5646. ab -- perhaps a landing
... Or sob {obe}; from an unused root meaning to cover; properly, equivalent to ab;
but used only as an architectural term, an architrave (as shading the pillars ...
/hebrew/5646.htm - 6k

The Magnificence of Prayer
... And an ejaculation, a sigh, a sob, a tear, a smile, a psalm, is far greater to God
than all the oblations, and incense, and new moons, and Sabbaths, and ...
/.../whyte/lord teach us to pray/i the magnificence of prayer.htm

Jehovah --Jesus.
... Every now and then as he writes John's heart seems near the breaking point, and
a sob shakes his pen a bit, as it comes over him all anew, and almost overcomes ...
//christianbookshelf.org/gordon/quiet talks about jesus/jehovahjesus.htm

Recommendation.
... precious thing, true gospel holiness. Oh! if, in the entry, I could on my own
behalf and others, sob out my alas! from the bottom of my ...
/.../brown/christ the way the truth and the life/recommendation.htm

Responsiveness to Christ.
... It means that we mourn over the sin in the world which makes Christ weep; sob
over the evil that makes Him hang His fair head and groan. ...
/.../rees/the heart-cry of jesus/chapter vii responsiveness to christ.htm

Imperial Caesar
... Under a veil of scarlet Philadelphus sank to the earth. Julian with a sob
of terror sprang out of range of his victim's gaze. After ...
/.../miller/the city of delight/chapter vii imperial caesar.htm

Chapter twelve
... She was singing in a broken, drunken sob that seemed to indicate that she partly
realized her awful condition, "Just as I am, without one plea""and as the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/sheldon/in his steps/chapter twelve.htm

The Third Part the Return
... Thou art there in their hearts, in the hearts of that confess to Thee, and cast
themselves upon Thee, and sob upon Thy breast, after their weary ways.". ...
//christianbookshelf.org/bertrand/saint augustin/the third part the return.htm

New Shoes
... And Tim, hardly able to sob out the words, feeling how keenly his trust in mother's
word had added to his great disappointment, sat down again, and cried ...
/.../shaw/touching incidents and remarkable answers to prayer/new shoes.htm

The Cat came Back
... killed it.". "Oh!" With a strangled sob Jimmy quickly left the room. His
mother explained to the man it had been their old pet. He ...
/.../shaw/touching incidents and remarkable answers to prayer/the cat came back.htm

The Treasure Cave
... The narrative was frequently broken by low exclamations from Rachel, and
at its end the girl turned to Kenkenes with a sob of anger. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/miller/the yoke/chapter xx the treasure cave.htm

Sob (2 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Sob (2 Occurrences). Genesis 21:16 She went and sat
down opposite him, a good way off, about a bow shot away. ...
/s/sob.htm - 7k

Soars (1 Occurrence)

/s/soars.htm - 6k

Sobbing (1 Occurrence)
... & vb. n.) of Sob. 2. (n.) A series of short, convulsive inspirations, the glottis
being suddenly closed so that little or no air enters into the lungs. ...
/s/sobbing.htm - 7k

Shepho (2 Occurrences)
... she'-fi, she'-fo (shephi; Codex Vaticanus Sob, Codex Alexandrinus Sophar; Lucian,
Sapphei (1 Chronicles 1:40); or Shepho, shepho; Codex Alexandrinus Soph ...
/s/shepho.htm - 7k

Shephi (1 Occurrence)
... she'-fi, she'-fo (shephi; Codex Vaticanus Sob, Codex Alexandrinus Sophar; Lucian,
Sapphei (1 Chronicles 1:40); or Shepho, shepho; Codex Alexandrinus Soph ...
/s/shephi.htm - 7k

Sob: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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