Word Study for H57 (אָבֵל) | Strong's Concordance

ʼâbêl /aw-bale'/ Ask about this word

Meaninglamenting

KJV usagemourn(-er, -ing).

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of ʼâbêl — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Hebrew word ʼâbêl, represented by H57, defines the state of lamenting and is used for a mourner or the act of mourning. It appears 8 times across 8 unique verses, consistently describing a condition of active grief and sorrow. This term captures the personal and corporate experience of loss, affliction, and desolation.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In the biblical narrative, H57 is used to portray profound grief. Jacob, believing his son Joseph is dead, resolves to "go down into the grave unto my son mourning" Genesis 37:35. The word also personifies national sorrow, as "The ways of Zion do mourn" due to desolation Lamentations 1:4. In prophecy, those who are mourning become the specific focus of God's comfort and restoration. The LORD promises to comfort all that mourn Isaiah 61:2 and restore comforts to "his mourners" Isaiah 57:18. The term also depicts personal sorrow in response to betrayal Psalms 35:14 and shame, as when Haman returns to his house mourning Esther 6:12.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words provide a fuller picture of the experience of grief:

H60 ʼêbel (lamentation; mourning): From the same root as H57, this word refers to the state or period of mourning itself. God promises to give the "oil of joy for mourning" to those who are currently in a state of mourning Isaiah 61:3.
H5162 nâcham (to pity, console or... rue): This word for providing comfort is often set in contrast to mourning. Jacob refused to be comforted H5162 while mourning H57 his son Genesis 37:35, whereas Isaiah prophesies that God will comfort H5162 all that mourn.
H1058 bâkâh (to weep;... mourn): This describes the physical expression of grief. In the account of Jacob's sorrow, he is said to be mourning H57, and the narrative adds that his father wept H1058 for him Genesis 37:35.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of H57 is significant, highlighting God's relationship with human suffering.

A Valid Response to Loss: Mourning is shown as a deep and legitimate response to tragedy, whether personal, like Jacob's grief Genesis 37:35, or corporate, as with the desolation of Zion Lamentations 1:4.
The Object of Divine Restoration: Those who are mourning are singled out as recipients of God's promised comfort. The mission proclaimed in Isaiah includes comforting all that mourn Isaiah 61:2 and restoring comforts specifically to His mourners Isaiah 57:18.
A Precursor to Glory: The state of being a mourner H57 is not a final state in God's economy. It is the condition that precedes a divine exchange, where God appoints "beauty for ashes" and joy for mourning, so that they might be called "trees of righteousness" for His glory Isaiah 61:3.

Summary

In summary, H57 ʼâbêl is a focused term that signifies the person or entity actively engaged in lament. It moves from depicting the depths of human sorrow in figures like Jacob to personifying the grief of an entire nation. Ultimately, the scriptures use the state of the mourner to frame one of God's most profound promises: to meet His people in their suffering, offer them comfort, and transform their lamentation into joy.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists one rendering for this word. It is counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the number is how many of them use it. Select it to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Hebrew Old Testament, this word appears as an adjective across 8 occurrences, inflected in 5 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form. Select any form to read what each part of its name means, and to filter the occurrence list to it. These are this word’s own inflections, not words built from it — for those, see Related Words.

אֲבֵלִים
אֲבֵלָי
אָבֵל
אֲבֵלוֹת
אֲבֶל

Related Words

10 entries in Strong’s name this word as their origin. These are its derivatives — a different relationship from the inflected forms above, which are this same word bent by grammar.

Other entries the study above points to — each one is drawn from a reference it makes. Follow the trail to see how the words connect.

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

Appears in 8 verses across 6 of the 39 books. Most frequent in Isaiah (3 verses); never once in the other 33.

Genesis

Esther

Job

Psalms

Isaiah

Lamentations

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, by grammatical form, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.