Hebrew word · H480
אַלְלַי
'alai
woe!
An interjection of distress, 'alas!' or 'woe!' It sounds like the noise of wailing. It occurs only twice in the Hebrew Bible: here and in Job 10:15 ('If I am guilty, woe to me!').
Appears 2 times in 2 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·
What it means
woe! alas!
Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).
In depth
- Range of meaning
An interjection of distress, 'alas!' or 'woe!' It sounds like the noise of wailing. It occurs only twice in the Hebrew Bible: here and in Job 10:15 ('If I am guilty, woe to me!').
- Against the English
'Woe is me' (KJV, BSB) is accurate. 'Misery is mine' (WEB) and similar renderings catch the feeling. English 'woe' can also suggest the prophets' formal 'Woe to…!' announcements of judgment. Those use a different word (hôy). This word is a personal cry of anguish.
- Used elsewhere in the period
The rarity of the word stands out. Prophetic laments usually use ʾôy or hôy. Its double l and ay-sound echo ululation, the high trilling wail of mourners in the ancient Near East. Many commentators hear a sound-play with ʿōlēlōt ('gleanings') a few words later: ʾallay… ʿōlēlōt.
Where it appears
Job · 1
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Job 10:15 אַלְלַ֬י woe!
If I am guilty, woe to me! And even if I am righteous, I cannot lift my head. I am full of shame and aware of my affliction.
Here: A rare cry of grief, found elsewhere only in Micah 7:1. Its doubled sound sounds like wailing. If he is guilty, the result is plain disaster.
Micah · 1
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Micah 7:1 אַ֣לְלַי woe!
Woe is me! For I am like one gathering summer fruit at the gleaning of the vineyard; there is no cluster to eat, no early fig that I crave.
Here: A rare cry of distress, found only here and in Job 10:15. It sounds like wailing. It is grief spoken aloud, not a curse or a formal announcement of doom.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.