### Core Meaning & Semantic Range
The Hebrew word **qîynâh**, represented by `{{H7015}}`, is a term for a **dirge** or **lamentation**. It appears **18 times** across **16 unique verses** in the Bible. Derived from the root `{{H6969}}` **qûwn**, which means to chant or wail, `{{H7015}}` signifies a formal, often poetic, expression of grief composed in response to death or impending judgment.
### Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis
In the biblical narrative, `{{H7015}}` is frequently used in a prophetic context where a prophet is commanded to "take up a **lamentation**" against a person or nation. Ezekiel is instructed to compose a **lamentation** for the princes of Israel [[Ezekiel 19:1]], the king of Tyrus [[Ezekiel 28:12]], and Pharaoh of Egypt [[Ezekiel 32:2]]. This expression also serves as a response to divine judgment, as when Amos delivers a **lamentation** to the house of Israel [[Amos 5:1]]. These could be preserved in written form, as with the scroll given to Ezekiel containing "lamentations, and mourning, and woe" [[Ezekiel 2:10]] and the **lamentations** for King Josiah, which were recorded and made an ordinance in Israel [[2 Chronicles 35:25]].
### Related Words & Concepts
Several related words clarify the scope of grief and mourning associated with `{{H7015}}`:
* `{{H6969}}` **qûwn** (lament, mourning woman): As the primitive root of **qîynâh**, this verb describes the act of wailing or chanting a dirge. It is often used in tandem, such as when David **lamented** with this **lamentation** over Saul and Jonathan [[2 Samuel 1:17]].
* `{{H60}}` **ʼêbel** (lamentation; mourning): This term for general mourning is used alongside **qîynâh** to depict a total reversal of joy. God declares He will turn feasts into **mourning** and songs into **lamentation** [[Amos 8:10]].
* `{{H5092}}` **nᵉhîy** (an elegy; lamentation, wailing): Often appearing with **qîynâh**, this word emphasizes the sound of wailing. Women are instructed to teach their daughters **wailing** and their neighbors **lamentation** [[Jeremiah 9:20]].
* `{{H1899}}` **hegeh** (mourning, sound, tale) and `{{H1958}}` **hîy** (lamentation; woe): These terms appear with **qîynâh** on the prophetic scroll shown to Ezekiel, illustrating the complete despair it contained [[Ezekiel 2:10]].
### Theological Significance
The theological weight of `{{H7015}}` is primarily seen in its use as a pronouncement of divine judgment and a formal expression of national sorrow.
* **Prophetic Judgment:** The command to "take up a **lamentation**" functions as a powerful prophetic act. It is a funeral song sung for a nation or leader not yet dead but doomed by God's decree, as seen in the laments for Tyrus [[Ezekiel 26:17]] and Egypt [[Ezekiel 32:16]].
* **Ritualized Grief:** A **lamentation** is a structured and often communal expression of grief. The **lamentations** for Josiah became a lasting "ordinance in Israel" [[2 Chronicles 35:25]], and women could be taught the skill of performing them [[Jeremiah 9:20]].
* **The Inversion of Joy:** The presence of a **lamentation** signifies the end of peace and prosperity. It replaces songs `{{H7892}}` and is accompanied by public signs of mourning like sackcloth `{{H8242}}` and baldness `{{H7144}}` [[Amos 8:10]].
### Summary
In summary, `{{H7015}}` represents far more than simple sadness. It is a formal, composed **dirge** used to structure and express profound grief. It serves as a key literary and prophetic device, particularly in the writings of Ezekiel and Jeremiah, to announce divine judgment upon nations and leaders. As both a spoken performance and a written text, the **lamentation** marks moments of catastrophic loss and the reversal of fortune, solidifying its place as a powerful symbol of sorrow in the biblical narrative.
TRV