Word Study for H6969 (קוּן) | Strong's Concordance

qûwn /koon/ Ask about this word

Roota primitive root

Meaningto strike a musical note, i.e. chant or wail (at a funeral)

KJV usagelament, mourning woman.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of qûwn — 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 qûwn, represented by H6969, is a primitive root that signifies an audible expression of grief. Its core definition is to strike a musical note, such as to chant or wail at a funeral. It is translated as to lament or can refer to a mourning woman. It appears 8 times across 6 unique verses in the Bible, highlighting its use in contexts of significant loss and mourning.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In the biblical narrative, H6969 is consistently used to describe a formal and often public act of grieving. This action is performed by prominent figures, such as when David lamented over Saul and Jonathan 2 Samuel 1:17 and again over Abner 2 Samuel 3:33. The prophet Jeremiah also lamented for King Josiah 2 Chronicles 35:25. The term extends beyond personal grief to encompass prophetic judgment, as when the daughters of the nations are instructed to lament for Egypt Ezekiel 32:16. It can also identify a specific role, as seen in the call for the "mourning women" Jeremiah 9:17.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words build upon the concept of wailing and dirges:

H7015 qîynâh (lamentation): Derived directly from H6969, this word refers to the dirge or lament itself. Its connection is clear in verses like 2 Samuel 1:17, where David lamented H6969 with a specific lamentation H7015.
H5204 nîy (wailing): This term for lamentation appears alongside H6969 to emphasize the intensity of the mourning. In Ezekiel 27:32, the people are described in their wailing H5204 taking up a lamentation H7015 and lamenting H6969 over the fall of Tyrus.

Theological Significance

The use of H6969 underscores several important themes related to grief and judgment in the Old Testament.

Mourning for Leaders: The word is frequently associated with the deaths of major figures, including kings and military commanders like Saul, Jonathan, and Abner. This highlights lamentation as a response to national or communal loss (2 Samuel 1:17, 2 Samuel 3:33).
Prophetic Declaration: Lament is not only a reaction to past tragedy but also a prophetic act foretelling judgment. In Ezekiel, the command for nations to lament over Egypt and Tyrus serves as a divine pronouncement of their destruction (Ezekiel 32:16, Ezekiel 27:32).
Structured Ritual: The practice of lamenting was a recognized and organized part of Israelite culture. This is evidenced by the call for professional "mourning women" Jeremiah 9:17 and the establishment of Jeremiah's lament for Josiah as "an ordinance in Israel" 2 Chronicles 35:25.

Summary

In summary, H6969 defines more than simple sadness; it describes an active, vocal, and often ritualized expression of profound grief or divine judgment. Whether performed by a king, a prophet, or a professional mourner, the act of lamenting serves to commemorate the fall of leaders and nations. It stands as a powerful biblical term for giving voice to catastrophic loss and marking its significance in the memory of the community.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Hebrew Old Testament, this word appears as a verb and a noun across 9 occurrences, inflected in 5 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form.

Piel Consecutive Imperfect 3rd Singular Masculine 3×
Piel Consecutive Perfect 3rd Plural common gender 2×
Piel Imperfect 3rd Plural Feminine 2×
Piel Participle Plural Feminine Absolute 1×
Singular Feminine Absolute 1×

Singular: One.
Plural: More than one.
Masculine: Masculine grammatical gender.
Feminine: Feminine grammatical gender.
common gender: Either gender — the form does not distinguish.
3rd: Third person — the one spoken about ("he"/"they").
Imperfect: Ongoing or repeated action in the past — "was doing".
Participle: A verbal adjective — describes while carrying the verb's action.
Piel: The intensive stem — strengthened or emphatic action.
Consecutive Imperfect: Imperfect with vav — carries narrative forward ("and he…").
Consecutive Perfect: Perfect with vav — continues a sequence into the future.
Absolute: The independent form of a noun (not bound to another).

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 6 verses across 4 of the 39 books. Most frequent in 2 Samuel and Ezekiel (2 verses each); never once in the other 35.

2 Samuel

2 Chronicles

Jeremiah

Ezekiel

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, 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.