Topical Bible: Wailing

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Topical Encyclopedia

Wailing, a profound expression of grief and sorrow, is a recurring theme throughout the Bible. It is often associated with mourning, lamentation, and the deep emotional response to loss, sin, or impending judgment. The act of wailing is both a personal and communal expression, reflecting the depth of human emotion in response to various circumstances.

Old Testament Context

In the Old Testament, wailing is frequently mentioned in the context of mourning for the dead or in response to calamity. The Hebrew word often translated as "wailing" is "misped," which denotes a lamentation or mourning ritual. In Genesis 50:10, Joseph mourns for his father Jacob with a "great and solemn lamentation," demonstrating the cultural practice of wailing for the deceased.

The prophets frequently use wailing to describe the response to divine judgment. In Jeremiah 9:10, the prophet declares, "I will take up a weeping and wailing for the mountains and a lamentation for the pastures of the wilderness," illustrating the desolation brought by God's judgment. Similarly, in Joel 1:5, the call to wail is directed at the drunkards because of the devastation of the vine, symbolizing the broader judgment on the land.

New Testament Context

In the New Testament, wailing continues to be associated with mourning and judgment. In Matthew 2:18, the wailing of Rachel is evoked in the massacre of the innocents: "A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more." This passage highlights the fulfillment of prophecy and the deep sorrow experienced by those who suffer loss.

Wailing is also depicted in eschatological contexts, where it is associated with the final judgment. In Matthew 13:42, Jesus describes the fate of the wicked: "And they will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." This imagery underscores the eternal consequences of rejecting God's salvation.

Cultural and Religious Significance

Wailing in biblical times was not only a spontaneous expression of grief but also a structured part of mourning rituals. Professional mourners were often employed to lead the community in lamentation, as seen in Jeremiah 9:17, "Consider now, call for the wailing women to come; send for the most skillful among them."

The act of wailing serves as a communal acknowledgment of loss and a means of processing grief. It is a public expression that invites others to share in the sorrow and to offer comfort. In the context of divine judgment, wailing serves as a call to repentance, urging individuals and communities to turn back to God.

Theological Implications

Wailing in the Bible is a reminder of the reality of sin and its consequences. It reflects the brokenness of the world and the deep longing for redemption and restoration. The Bible acknowledges the legitimacy of grief and provides a framework for expressing sorrow while pointing to the hope of God's ultimate deliverance.

In Revelation 21:4, the promise of a future without wailing is given: "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the former things have passed away." This assurance offers comfort to believers, affirming that while wailing is a present reality, it will not be part of the eternal kingdom of God.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary

(p. pr. & vb. n.) of Wail.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

WAIL, WAILING

wal, wal'-ing.

See BURIAL, III, 2; IV, 4, 5, 6.

Greek

2355. threnos -- a lamentation.
... Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine Transliteration: threnos Phonetic Spelling:
(thray'-nos) Short Definition: wailing, lamentation Definition: wailing, lamentation ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2355.htm - 6k

2805. klauthmos -- weeping
... 2805 ("wailing") is usually accompanied by shrieks, brought on by (). ... wailing, weeping.
From klaio; lamentation -- wailing, weeping, X wept. see GREEK klaio. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2805.htm - 6k

3602. odurmos -- lamentation
... Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine Transliteration: odurmos Phonetic Spelling:
(od-oor-mos') Short Definition: lamentation, wailing Definition: lamentation ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3602.htm - 6k

214. alalazo -- to raise a war cry
... cymbal. Word Origin from alalai (a battle cry) Definition to raise a war
cry NASB Word Usage clanging (1), wailing (1). wail. From ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/214.htm - 6k

2351. thorubos -- an uproar
... things into disorder; (figuratively) emotions spun "out of control," especially
when accompanied by shrieks (hysteria) or loud wailing; disturbance bringing on ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2351.htm - 7k

Strong's Hebrew

5092. nehi -- a wailing, lamentation, mourning song
... 5091, 5092. nehi. 5093 . a wailing, lamentation, mourning song. Transliteration:
nehi Phonetic Spelling: (neh-hee') Short Definition: wailing. ...
/hebrew/5092.htm - 6k

4553. misped -- a wailing
... 4552, 4553. misped. 4554 . a wailing. Transliteration: misped Phonetic Spelling:
(mis-pade') Short Definition: mourning. ... lamentation, mourning, wailing. ...
/hebrew/4553.htm - 6k

5204. niy -- wailing
... wailing. Transliteration: niy Phonetic Spelling: (nee) Short Definition: wailing.
wailing A doubtful word; apparently from nahah; lamentation -- wailing. ...
/hebrew/5204.htm - 5k

1991. hem -- perhaps a moaning, wailing, wealth
... 1990, 1991. hem. 1992 . perhaps a moaning, wailing, wealth. Transliteration:
hem Phonetic Spelling: (haym) Short Definition: wealth. ...
/hebrew/1991.htm - 6k

5093. nihyah -- a wailing, lamentation
... 5092, 5093. nihyah. 5094 . a wailing, lamentation. Transliteration: nihyah
Phonetic Spelling: (nih-yaw') Short Definition: bitter. ...
/hebrew/5093.htm - 6k

5204a. ni -- wailing
... 5204, 5204a. ni. 5204b . wailing. Transliteration: ni Short Definition: wailing.
Word Origin another reading for nehi, qv. 5204, 5204a. ni. 5204b . ...
/hebrew/5204a.htm - 5k

1958. hi -- lamentation, wailing
... 1957, 1958. hi. 1959 . lamentation, wailing. Transliteration: hi Phonetic
Spelling: (he) Short Definition: woe. Word Origin of uncertain ...
/hebrew/1958.htm - 6k

3213. yalal -- to howl, make a howling
... Word Origin a prim. root Definition to howl, make a howling NASB Word Usage howl
(1), turn to wailing (1), wail (25), wailed (1), wailing (2), wails (1). ...
/hebrew/3213.htm - 6k

5089. noah -- eminency, distinction
... eminent (1). wailing. From an unused root meaning to lament; lamentation --
wailing. 5088, 5089. noah. 5090 . Strong's Numbers.
/hebrew/5089.htm - 5k

2450. chakam -- wise
... 1), skilled* (1), skillful (1), skillful man* (1), skillful men (1), skillful men*
(1), skillful persons* (1), skillful* (3), unwise* (1), wailing women (1 ...
/hebrew/2450.htm - 6k

Library

The Wailing of Risca
... The Wailing of Risca. A Sermon (No.349). Delivered on Sabbath Morning, December
9th, 1860, by the. REV. CH SPURGEON. At Exeter Hall, Strand. ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 7 1861/the wailing of risca.htm

The Gentle Boy
... It was like the wailing of some one in distress, and it seemed to proceed from beneath
a tall and lonely fir-tree, in the centre of a cleared, but uninclosed ...
/.../wells/bible stories and religious classics/the gentle boy.htm

A Few Nights after This, Diamond Woke up Suddenly...
... cabman. His wife lay in her clothes upon the bed, sobbing, and the baby was
wailing in the cradle. It was very miserable altogether. ...
/.../macdonald/at the back of the north wind/chapter 18 a few nights.htm

A Christmas Carol
... never sin and want and woe this earth will leave, And the bells but mock
the wailing round, they sing so cheery. How long, O Lord! ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/andromeda and other poems/a christmas carol.htm

Lo! Death, the King of Silence, Complains, My Brethren
... Death, the King of silence, complains, my brethren: that we have filled his abode
with the wailing, of Hope cut off."2. R., To Him be great praise Who comest ...
/.../ephraim/hymns and homilies of ephraim the syrian/hymn lxii lo death the.htm

He Proves that this Prophecy Harmonizes with Christ Alone, from ...
... And Jeremiah prophesied that this would happen, speaking by the Holy Ghost thus:
A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation and much wailing, Rachel weeping for ...
/.../chapter lxxviii he proves that this.htm

And yet How Can You Assert the Falsehood of this Story...
... Do they not recall to memory those lamentations with which the tower-bearing Mother,
along with the weeping Acdestis, wailing aloud, [4379] followed the boy? ...
/.../arnobius/the seven books of arnobius against the heathen/16 and yet how can.htm

December.
... never sin and want and woe this earth will leave, And the bells but mock
the wailing sound, they sing so cheery. How long, O Lord! ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/daily thoughts /december.htm

Here Followeth the History of Tobit
... And when he had hid the corpse, he ate his meat with wailing and dread, remembering
that word that our Lord said by Amos the prophet: The day of your feast ...
/.../wells/bible stories and religious classics/here followeth the history of 2.htm

On all the Saints.
... But the laughter is only a three days' pleasure, while the wailing is eternal; and
his great laughter has prepared for him a greater wailing and ceaseless tears ...
/.../dubious or spurious writings of gregory thaumaturgus/on all the saints.htm

Thesaurus

Wailing (44 Occurrences)
... Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. WAIL, WAILING. wal, wal'-ing. See BURIAL, III,
2; IV, 4, 5, 6. Multi-Version Concordance Wailing (44 Occurrences). ...
/w/wailing.htm - 19k

Wailing-place
Wailing-place. Wailingplace, Wailing-place. Wailings . Easton's
Bible Dictionary Wailing-place, Jews'. A section of the ...
/w/wailing-place.htm - 7k

Wail (50 Occurrences)
... 3. (vi) To express sorrow audibly; to make mournful outcry; to weep. 4. (n.) Loud
weeping; violent lamentation; wailing. Int. ... WAIL, WAILING. wal, wal'-ing. ...
/w/wail.htm - 21k

Wailingplace
... Easton's Bible Dictionary Wailing-place, Jews'. A section of the western wall
of the temple area, where the Jews assemble every Friday ...
/w/wailingplace.htm - 7k

Lamentation (45 Occurrences)
... 27:2, 32; 28:12; 32:2, 16). Noah Webster's Dictionary. 1. (n.) The act of
bewailing; audible expression of sorrow; wailing; moaning. ...
/l/lamentation.htm - 21k

Lament (44 Occurrences)
... 2. (vt) To mourn for; to bemoan; to bewail. 3. (v.) Grief or sorrow expressed in
complaints or cries; lamentation; a wailing; a moaning; a weeping. ...
/l/lament.htm - 20k

Lamentations (6 Occurrences)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary Lamentations, Book of. Called in the Hebrew canon 'Ekhah,
meaning "How," being the formula for the commencement of a song of wailing. ...
/l/lamentations.htm - 20k

Farmer (17 Occurrences)
... Amos 5:16 Therefore thus says Yahweh, the God of Armies, the Lord: "Wailing will
be in all the broad ways; and they will say in all the streets,'Alas! ...
/f/farmer.htm - 11k

Eglaim (2 Occurrences)
... Eglaim (2 Occurrences). Isaiah 15:8 For the cry has gone around the borders
of Moab; its wailing to Eglaim, and its wailing to Beer Elim. ...
/e/eglaim.htm - 7k

Elim (5 Occurrences)
... (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV). Isaiah 15:8 For the cry has gone
around the borders of Moab; its wailing to Eglaim, and its wailing to Beer Elim. ...
/e/elim.htm - 9k

Resources

What is the Wailing Wall / Western Wall? | GotQuestions.org

What does the Bible mean when it refers to the gnashing of teeth? | GotQuestions.org

What is the meaning of sackcloth and ashes? | GotQuestions.org

Wailing: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

Bible Concordance • Bible Dictionary • Bible Encyclopedia • Topical Bible • Bible Thesuarus

Concordance

Wailing (44 Occurrences)

Matthew 2:18
"A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and bitter lamentation: It was Rachel bewailing her children, and she refused to be comforted because there were no more."
(WEY RSV)

Matthew 9:23
Entering the Ruler's house, Jesus saw the flute-players and the crowd loudly wailing,
(WEY)

Matthew 13:42
And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
(KJV WBS)

Matthew 13:50
And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
(KJV WBS)

Mark 5:38
He came to the synagogue ruler's house, and he saw an uproar, weeping, and great wailing.
(WEB WEY ASV DBY YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Mark 5:39
When he had entered in, he said to them, "Why do you make an uproar and weep? The child is not dead, but is asleep."
(See NIV)

Luke 8:52
The people were all weeping aloud and beating their breasts for her; but He said, "Leave off wailing; for she is not dead, but asleep."
(WEY ASV RSV NIV)

Luke 23:27
A vast crowd of the people also followed Him, and of women who were beating their breasts and wailing for Him.
(WEY)

Revelation 18:15
The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing,
(KJV WBS)

Revelation 18:19
And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.
(KJV WBS)

Genesis 50:10
And they came to the threshing-floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, and there they lamented with a very great and sore lamentation: and he made a mourning for his father seven days.
(See JPS)

Exodus 11:6
There shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there has not been, nor shall be any more.
(See NIV)

Exodus 12:30
Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where there was not one dead.
(See NIV)

Numbers 11:4
The mixed multitude that was among them lusted exceedingly: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, "Who will give us flesh to eat?
(See NIV)

Numbers 11:10
Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, every man at the door of his tent; and the anger of Yahweh was kindled greatly; and Moses was displeased.
(See NIV)

Numbers 11:13
Where could I get meat to give to all this people? For they weep to me, saying,'Give us meat, that we may eat.'
(See NIV)

2 Samuel 13:36
It happened, as soon as he had finished speaking, that behold, the king's sons came, and lifted up their voice, and wept. The king also and all his servants wept bitterly.
(See NIV)

Esther 4:1
Now when Mordecai found out all that was done, Mordecai tore his clothes, and put on sackcloth with ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and wailed loudly and a bitterly.
(See RSV NIV)

Esther 4:3
In every province, wherever the king's commandment and his decree came, there was great mourning among the Jews, and fasting, and weeping, and wailing; and many lay in sackcloth and ashes.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS NAS NIV)

Job 30:31
Therefore my harp has turned to mourning, and my pipe into the voice of those who weep.
(See NIV)

Isaiah 15:3
In their streets they are covering themselves with haircloth: on the tops of their houses, and in their public places, there is crying and bitter weeping.
(See NAS)

Isaiah 15:8
For the cry has gone around the borders of Moab; its wailing to Eglaim, and its wailing to Beer Elim.
(WEB ASV NAS RSV NIV)

Isaiah 22:12
And in that day the Lord, the Lord of armies, was looking for weeping, and cries of sorrow, cutting off of the hair, and putting on the clothing of grief:
(See NAS)

Jeremiah 6:26
O daughter of my people, put on haircloth, rolling yourself in the dust: give yourself to sorrow, as for an only son, with most bitter cries of grief; for he who makes waste will come on us suddenly.
(See NIV)

Jeremiah 9:10
For the mountains will I take up a weeping and wailing, and for the pastures of the wilderness a lamentation, because they are burned up, so that none passes through; neither can men hear the voice of the livestock; both the birds of the sky and the animals are fled, they are gone.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV)

Jeremiah 9:17
Thus says Yahweh of Armies, Consider, and call for the mourning women, that they may come; and send for the skillful women, that they may come:
(See NAS NIV)

Jeremiah 9:18
and let them make haste, and take up a wailing for us, that our eyes may run down with tears, and our eyelids gush out with waters.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV)

Jeremiah 9:19
For a voice of wailing is heard out of Zion, How are we ruined! we are greatly confounded, because we have forsaken the land, because they have cast down our dwellings.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Jeremiah 9:20
Yet hear the word of Yahweh, you women, and let your ear receive the word of his mouth; and teach your daughters wailing, and everyone her neighbor lamentation.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS)

Jeremiah 16:5
For thus saith Jehovah: Enter not into the house of wailing, neither go to lament or bemoan them; for I have taken away my peace from this people, saith Jehovah, the loving-kindness and the tender mercies.
(DBY)

Jeremiah 20:16
Let that man be as the cities which Yahweh overthrew, and didn't repent: and let him hear a cry in the morning, and shouting at noontime;
(See NIV)

Jeremiah 25:36
A voice of the cry of the shepherds, and the wailing of the principal of the flock! for Yahweh lays waste their pasture.
(WEB JPS ASV NAS NIV)

Jeremiah 31:15
Thus said Jehovah, A voice in Ramah is heard, wailing, weeping most bitter, Rachel is weeping for her sons, She hath refused to be comforted for her sons, because they are not.
(YLT)

Ezekiel 7:11
Violence is risen up into a rod of wickedness: none of them shall remain, nor of their multitude, nor of any of their's: neither shall there be wailing for them.
(KJV WBS YLT)

Ezekiel 27:31
And they shall make themselves utterly bald for thee, and gird them with sackcloth, and they shall weep for thee with bitterness of heart and bitter wailing.
(KJV WBS)

Ezekiel 27:32
In their wailing they shall take up a lamentation for you, and lament over you, saying, Who is there like Tyre, like her who is brought to silence in the midst of the sea?
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS NAS RSV)

Amos 5:16
Therefore thus says Yahweh, the God of Armies, the Lord: "Wailing will be in all the broad ways; and they will say in all the streets,'Alas! Alas!' and they will call the farmer to mourning, and those who are skillful in lamentation to wailing.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Amos 5:17
In all vineyards there will be wailing; for I will pass through the midst of you," says Yahweh.
(WEB KJV ASV DBY WBS NAS RSV NIV)

Amos 8:3
The songs of the temple will be wailings in that day," says the Lord Yahweh. "The dead bodies will be many. In every place they will throw them out with silence.
(Root in WEB JPS ASV NAS RSV NIV)

Micah 1:8
Therefore I will wail and howl, I will go stripped and naked: I will make a wailing like the dragons, and mourning as the owls.
(KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS)

Micah 1:11
Pass on, inhabitant of Shaphir, in nakedness and shame. The inhabitant of Zaanan won't come out. The wailing of Beth Ezel will take from you his protection.
(WEB JPS ASV RSV)

Micah 2:4
In that day doth 'one' take up for you a simile, And he hath wailed a wailing of wo, He hath said, We have been utterly spoiled, The portion of my people He doth change, How doth He move toward me! To the backslider our fields He apportioneth.
(YLT)

Zephaniah 1:10
In that day, says Yahweh, there will be the noise of a cry from the fish gate, a wailing from the second quarter, and a great crashing from the hills.
(WEB JPS ASV NIV)

Zechariah 11:3
A voice of the wailing of the shepherds! For their glory is destroyed: a voice of the roaring of young lions! For the pride of the Jordan is ruined.
(WEB JPS ASV)

Subtopics

Wailing

Wailing of the Wicked

Wailing Wall

Related Terms

Wailing-place

Wail (50 Occurrences)

Wailingplace

Lamentation (45 Occurrences)

Lament (44 Occurrences)

Lamentations (6 Occurrences)

Farmer (17 Occurrences)