הוֹי

1 Kings 13:30 ה֥וֹי alas!

Then he laid the body in his own tomb, and they lamented over him, “Oh, my brother!”

Isaiah 1:4 ה֣וֹי׀ woe to!

Alas, O sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a brood of evildoers, children who act corruptly! They have forsaken the LORD; they have despised the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on Him.

Here: The cry of the funeral procession ("Alas, my brother!" 1 Kgs 13:30). Isaiah opens with a wail of mourning over a nation that is still alive, treating it as good as dead.

Isaiah 1:24 ה֚וֹי woe!

Therefore the Lord GOD of Hosts, the Mighty One of Israel, declares: “Ah, I will be relieved of My foes and avenge Myself on My enemies.

Here: A cry that came from the funeral lament ('Alas, my brother!'). In this verse God himself utters it as he resolves to act. Grief and threat are fused in one word.

Isaiah 5:8 ה֗וֹי woe to!

Woe to you who add house to house and join field to field until no place is left and you live alone in the land.

Here: The cry raised over a dead body at a funeral. It opens the first of six such cries (5:8–24). The prophet mourns the land-grabbers as if they were already dead.

Isaiah 5:11 ה֛וֹי woe to!

Woe to those who rise early in the morning in pursuit of strong drink, who linger into the evening, to be inflamed by wine.

Here: The wail of a funeral lament, shouted over people who are still alive. It opens the second of six 'woes' in Isaiah 5:8–23 and treats the drinkers as already as good as dead.

Isaiah 5:18 ה֛וֹי woe to!

Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of deceit and pull sin along with cart ropes,

Here: The cry of a mourner over a corpse. It opens the third in Isaiah's chain of woes (5:8, 11, 18, 20, 21, 22) and treats the people it names as already dead.

Isaiah 5:20 ה֣וֹי woe to!

Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who turn darkness to light and light to darkness, who replace bitter with sweet and sweet with bitter.

Here: The cry mourners raised over a dead body. Opening with it treats the people named next as if they were already dead. This is the fourth of six such cries in Isaiah 5:8–24.

Isaiah 5:21 ה֖וֹי woe to!

Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight.

Here: The cry mourners raised over a corpse ("Alas, my brother!" 1 Kings 13:30). It opens the fifth of six such cries in Isaiah 5:8–24. In effect Isaiah raises a funeral wail over people who are still walking around: they are as good as dead.

Isaiah 5:22 ה֕וֹי woe to!

Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine and champions in mixing strong drink,

Here: The cry of mourning used over a corpse, here opening the sixth of six 'woe' oracles in Isaiah 5:8–23. The prophet speaks over these people as though they were already dead.

Isaiah 10:1 ה֥וֹי woe to!

Woe to those who enact unjust statutes and issue oppressive decrees,

Here: The cry raised over a corpse at a funeral. Opening with it treats the lawmakers as already dead men, mourned before their fall.

Isaiah 10:5 ה֥וֹי woe to!

Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger; the staff in their hands is My wrath.

Here: The cry spoken over a corpse at a funeral, used by the prophets to announce doom as if the target were already dead. It opens the line with a shock: the cry usually aimed at Israel's own sinners (Isa 5:8–22; 10:1) now falls on the superpower.

Isaiah 17:12 ה֗וֹי woe to!

Alas, the tumult of many peoples; they rage like the roaring seas and clamoring nations; they rumble like the crashing of mighty waters.

Here: A raw cry that opens the oracle. It is the wail used at funerals and also a shout that grabs attention, so it signals both alarm and coming doom. It is not a curse formula.

Isaiah 18:1 ה֥וֹי alas!

Woe to the land of whirring wings, along the rivers of Cush,

Here: A cry that opens the oracle. It can be a cry of mourning, a threat of doom, or simply a loud call for attention. Here it is aimed straight at a distant nation and introduces a message, so 'Ho!' or 'Ah!' fits at least as well as a curse-like 'Woe.'

Isaiah 28:1 ה֗וֹי woe to!

Woe to the majestic crown of Ephraim’s drunkards, to the fading flower of his glorious splendor, set on the summit above the fertile valley, the pride of those overcome by wine.

Here: A cry used in funeral mourning ('Alas, my brother!', 1 Kings 13:30). It opens the verse like a dirge, as if the city being addressed were already dead.

Isaiah 29:1 ה֚וֹי woe to!

Woe to you, O Ariel, the city of Ariel where David camped! Year upon year let your festivals recur.

Isaiah 29:15 ה֛וֹי woe to!

Woe to those who dig deep to hide their plans from the LORD. In darkness they do their works and say, “Who sees us, and who will know?”

Here: The cry people raised over a corpse. Opening with it, Isaiah mourns the plotters as if they were already dead, and that mourning is also a sentence on them.

Isaiah 30:1 ה֣וֹי woe to!

“Woe to the rebellious children,” declares the LORD, “to those who carry out a plan that is not Mine, who form an alliance, but against My will, heaping up sin upon sin.

Here: The cry of the funeral mourner, used by the prophets to open a doom oracle. It treats the people addressed as though their funeral has already begun.

Isaiah 31:1 ה֣וֹי woe to!

Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in their abundance of chariots and in their multitude of horsemen. They do not look to the Holy One of Israel; they do not seek the LORD.

Here: A cry heard at funerals ("Alas, my brother!" 1 Kgs 13:30), used here to open a prophetic lament-and-warning. It mourns the people it names as though they were already dead, and that also works as a threat.

Isaiah 33:1 ה֣וֹי woe to!

Woe to you, O destroyer never destroyed, O traitor never betrayed! When you have finished destroying, you will be destroyed. When you have finished betraying, you will be betrayed.

Here: The cry people raised over a corpse at a funeral, used by the prophets to open an oracle of doom. It treats the destroyer as already as good as dead. This is the last of a run of six such cries in Isaiah 28–33.

Isaiah 45:9 ה֗וֹי woe to!

Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker—one clay pot among many. Does the clay ask the potter, ‘What are you making?’ Does your work say, ‘He has no hands’?

Here: The cry of mourning used over the dead, which the prophets took over to open oracles of doom. It sounds like a funeral wail raised over the person who sues his Maker, as if he were already dead.

Isaiah 45:10 ה֛וֹי woe to!

Woe to him who says to his father, ‘What have you begotten?’ or to his mother, ‘What have you brought forth?’”

Isaiah 55:1 ה֤וֹי alas!

“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you without money, come, buy, and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost!

Here: This is not the 'woe!' of a funeral or a judgment speech. It is a loud call for attention, like a street seller crying his goods: 'Hey! Over here!' It opens the invitation with energy and urgency.

Jeremiah 22:13 ה֣וֹי woe to!

“Woe to him who builds his palace by unrighteousness, and his upper rooms without justice, who makes his countrymen serve without pay, and fails to pay their wages,

Here: The cry raised over a dead body at a funeral. Jeremiah says it over a king who is still alive and still building, so the line works as a lament and a death sentence at once.

Jeremiah 22:18 ה֥וֹי וְה֣וֹי ה֥וֹי וְה֥וֹי alas!, and alas!

Therefore this is what the LORD says concerning Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah: “They will not mourn for him: ‘Alas, my brother! Alas, my sister!’ They will not mourn for him: ‘Alas, my master! Alas, his splendor!’

Here: The traditional cry of grief over a corpse. The same word opened the prophet's 'Woe' against Jehoiakim in v. 13.

Jeremiah 23:1 ה֣וֹי woe to!

“Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture!” declares the LORD.

Here: The cry mourners raised over a corpse. Prophets borrowed it to announce doom. It opens the verse like a funeral wail over the shepherds, as if they were already dead.

Jeremiah 30:7 ה֗וֹי woe!

How awful that day will be! None will be like it! It is the time of Jacob’s distress, but he will be saved out of it.

Here: The cry of a funeral lament, the wail mourners raised over the dead (1 Kgs 13:30; Jer 22:18). It opens the verse with grief, before any reason is given.

Jeremiah 34:5 וְה֥וֹי and alas!

you will die in peace. As spices were burned for your fathers, the former kings who preceded you, so people will burn spices for you and lament, ‘Alas, O master!’ For I Myself have spoken this word, declares the LORD.”

Jeremiah 47:6 ה֗וֹי alas!

‘Alas, O sword of the LORD, how long until you rest? Return to your sheath; cease and be still!’

Here: A raw cry, here not a curse ('woe to you') but an anguished call that turns to address the sword directly. It carries the tone of a funeral wail, matching the mourning rites of v.5.

Jeremiah 48:1 ה֤וֹי woe!

Concerning Moab, this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: “Woe to Nebo, for it will be devastated. Kiriathaim will be captured and disgraced; the fortress will be shattered and dismantled.

Here: The cry people raised over a corpse at a funeral ('Alas, my brother!', 1 Kgs 13:30). Nebo is mourned as already dead.

Jeremiah 50:27 ה֣וֹי woe!

Kill all her young bulls; let them go down to the slaughter. Woe to them, for their day has come—the time of their punishment.

Here: The cry people wailed at funerals ('Alas, my brother!', 1 Kgs 13:30). Saying it over the living treats them as already dead.

Ezekiel 13:3 ה֖וֹי woe!

This is what the Lord GOD says: Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit yet have seen nothing.

Here: The cry of mourning at a funeral. Saying it over living prophets is like reading their obituary in advance. Ezekiel uses it only three times (13:3, 13:18, 34:2), and each time it is aimed at leaders who fail the people.

Ezekiel 13:18 הוֹי֩ woe!

and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: Woe to the women who sew magic charms on their wrists and make veils for the heads of people of every height, in order to ensnare their souls. Will you ensnare the souls of My people but preserve your own?

Ezekiel 34:2 ה֤וֹי woe to!

“Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Woe to the shepherds of Israel, who only feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed their flock?

Here: A cry of mourning over the dead, used here as a prophetic death-notice: the shepherds are lamented as if already doomed.

Amos 5:18 ה֥וֹי woe to!

Woe to you who long for the Day of the LORD! What will the Day of the LORD be for you? It will be darkness and not light.

Here: The cry mourners raised over a dead body ("Alas, my brother!"). Amos opens with it, so the oracle starts as a funeral lament for people who are still alive. The surrounding verses (5:16–17) are full of wailing, which supports this reading.

Amos 6:1 ה֚וֹי woe to!

Woe to those at ease in Zion and those secure on Mount Samaria, the distinguished ones of the foremost nation, to whom the house of Israel comes.

Here: The cry of mourners over a dead body. It opens the oracle like a funeral wail: the people about to be named are spoken of as if they were already dead.

Micah 2:1 ה֧וֹי woe to!

Woe to those who devise iniquity and plot evil on their beds! At morning’s light they accomplish it because the power is in their hands.

Here: The wail raised over a dead body. It opens the oracle as a funeral cry over men who are still alive and busy, treating them as already dead.

Nahum 3:1 ה֖וֹי woe to!

Woe to the city of blood, full of lies, full of plunder, never without prey.

Here: The cry raised over a corpse at a funeral. Nahum opens with it as if Nineveh were already dead and he were leading the mourning. Hebrew has no 'to' here; it is a cry addressed straight at the city: 'Alas, city…!'

Habakkuk 2:6 ה֚וֹי woe to!

Will not all of these take up a taunt against him, speaking with mockery and derision: ‘Woe to him who amasses what is not his and makes himself rich with many loans! How long will this go on?’

Here: The cry of a funeral lament. The nations mourn the tyrant as if he were already a corpse, and the mourning is mockery.

Habakkuk 2:9 ה֗וֹי woe to!

Woe to him who builds his house by unjust gain, to place his nest on high and escape the hand of disaster!

Here: The cry of mourning used at funerals, here turned into a prophetic taunt: the man about to be named is spoken of as if he were already dead. It opens the second of five 'woes' in Habakkuk 2:6–20.

Habakkuk 2:12 ה֛וֹי woe to!

Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed and establishes a town by iniquity!

Habakkuk 2:15 ה֚וֹי woe to!

Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbors, pouring it from the wineskin until they are drunk, in order to gaze at their nakedness!

Here: The cry of the funeral lament, used by the prophets to begin an oracle of doom. It treats the person addressed as already as good as dead. This is the fourth of five such cries in Habakkuk 2:6–20.

Habakkuk 2:19 ה֣וֹי woe to!

Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Awake!’ or to silent stone, ‘Arise!’ Can it give guidance? Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, yet there is no breath in it at all.”

Here: The cry of a mourner at a funeral, used by the prophets to open a speech of doom. It treats the idol-maker as someone already as good as dead. This is the fifth and last 'woe' in the taunt-song of 2:6–20.

Zephaniah 2:5 ה֗וֹי woe to!

Woe to the dwellers of the seacoast, O nation of the Cherethites! The word of the LORD is against you, O Canaan, land of the Philistines: “I will destroy you, and no one will be left.”

Here: The cry people raised when mourning the dead. It opens the oracle by grieving over the Philistine coast as if it were already a corpse. It is a prediction voiced as a funeral cry, not a spell.

Zephaniah 3:1 ה֥וֹי woe to!

Woe to the city of oppressors, rebellious and defiled!

Here: A cry first heard at funerals ('Alas, my brother!'). It opens a new oracle and mourns the city as if it were already dead, with judgment to follow.

Zechariah 2:6 ה֣וֹי ה֗וֹי alas!

“Get up! Get up! Flee from the land of the north,” declares the LORD, “for I have scattered you like the four winds of heaven,” declares the LORD.

Here: An exclamation that grabs attention. In funeral laments and prophetic warnings it is a cry of 'woe' or 'alas', but here it works as an urgent 'Hey! Up!' that summons people to act, as in Isaiah 55:1.

Zechariah 2:7 ה֥וֹי alas!

“Get up, O Zion! Escape, you who dwell with the Daughter of Babylon!”

Zechariah 11:17 ה֣וֹי woe to!

Woe to the worthless shepherd, who deserts the flock! May a sword strike his arm and his right eye! May his arm be completely withered and his right eye utterly blinded!”

Here: The cry of mourning for the dead, used here as a prophetic death-notice. It mourns the shepherd before his doom arrives and sets the tone of what follows.