Lexical Summary
oy: Woe, alas
Original Word:אוֹי
Part of Speech:Interjection
Transliteration:owy
Pronunciation:oy
Phonetic Spelling:(o'-ee)
KJV: alas, woe
NASB:woe, alas
Word Origin:[probably fromH183 (אָוָה - desire) (in the sense of crying out after)]
1. lamentation
2. (interjectionally) Oh!
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
alas, woe
Probably from'avah (in the sense of crying out after); lamentation; also interjectionally Oh! -- alas, woe.
see HEBREW'avah
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origina prim. interj.
Definitionwoe!
NASB Translationalas (2), woe (21).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
(onomatopoetic; compare
,
) an impassioned expression of grief and despair: usually with dative
Isaiah 6:5woe to me! for I am undone, so
Isaiah 24:16;
Jeremiah 10:19;
Jeremiah 15:10;
woe to us!
1 Samuel 4:7,8;
Jeremiah 4:13;
Jeremiah 6:4;
Jeremiah 4:31;
Jeremiah 45:3;
Lamentations 5:16. With the 2nd or 3rd person often implying a denunciation;
Numbers 21:29 (=
Jeremiah 48:46)
Jeremiah 13:27;
Ezekiel 16:23 repeated ;
Isaiah 3:9Isaiah 3:11;
Hosea 7:13;
Hosea 9:12 ("" ). With a voc. (or implicit accusative)
Ezekiel 24:6,9 ; absolute
Numbers 24:23. Used as a substantive
Proverbs 23:29 ("" ).
Topical Lexicon
Summaryאוֹי (Strong’s H188) is the anguished cry translated “woe,” “alas,” or “ah!” It erupts from lips overwhelmed by calamity, moral outrage, or impending judgment. Across the Old Testament this interjection exposes the true cost of sin, sounding either from human throats crushed by suffering or from prophetic voices announcing the sure retribution of God.
Semantic Range and Emotional Color
אוֹי conveys more than general sorrow. It is the gut-level gasp that something is terribly wrong—whether the fall of a nation, the pain of personal affliction, or the certainty of divine recompense. The word is terse, immediate, and visceral, carrying tones of pity, shock, warning, and even helpless resignation.
Occurrences and Literary Settings
1. Woe from Enemies Confronted by God
•Numbers 21:29;Numbers 24:23 record Balaam’s oracles over Moab: “Alas, who can live unless God has ordained it?” (Numbers 24:23). Pagan nations instinctively fear the covenant God when He rises to act.
2. Woe in Israel’s History Narratives
•1 Samuel 4:7–8 preserves Philistine terror as the ark enters Israel’s camp: “Woe to us! For nothing like this has happened before.” Their cry admits Yahweh’s supremacy even while they steel themselves for battle.
3. Personal and Corporate Lament
•Proverbs 23:29 paints the misery of drunkenness with a chain of questions that opens, “Who has woe?” highlighting self-inflicted sorrow.
•Jeremiah 4:31; 10:19; 15:10; 45:3;Lamentations 5:16 expose Jeremiah’s grief and Judah’s ruin: “Woe to me, for the LORD has added sorrow to my pain” (Jeremiah 45:3).
4. Prophetic Judgments
•Isaiah 3:9, 11; 6:5; 24:16 marshal אוֹי as formal denunciation. Isaiah confesses, “Woe to me, for I am ruined!” (Isaiah 6:5), then pronounces woe upon the wicked (Isaiah 3:11).
• Ezekiel repeats אוֹי against Jerusalem’s bloodguilt and corruption (Ezekiel 16:23; 24:6, 9).
•Hosea 7:13; 9:12 lament Ephraim’s apostasy: “Woe to them, for they have strayed from Me!” (Hosea 7:13).
Historical Background
The eighth- to sixth-century prophets wielded אוֹי during political upheavals—Assyrian expansion, Babylonian siege, and national exile. The cry matches the era’s disintegration of social order and covenant fidelity. Earlier narratives (Numbers, Samuel) display אוֹי on pagan lips, foreshadowing God’s universal dealings with nations.
Theological Themes
• The Inevitability of Divine Justice
אוֹי underscores that judgment is not random; it responds to specific covenant violations. Isaiah’s and Jeremiah’s woes prove that holiness demands accountability.
• Human Frailty and Sin’s Toll
Personal cries (Jeremiah, Proverbs) reveal sin’s inward devastation even before external judgment falls. אוֹי functions as a spiritual stethoscope detecting hidden decay.
• The Mercy Implied in Warning
Every prophetic woe implicitly invites repentance. If judgment is announced ahead of time, escape remains possible for the humble and contrite.
Christological Connections
Isaiah’s self-woe (Isaiah 6:5) sets the stage for the atoning work of the Seraph-touched coal and points forward to Christ, who absorbs ultimate woe on the cross. Jesus later echoes the prophetic pattern with His own “woes” against unrepentant cities (Matthew 11:21) and hypocritical leaders (Matthew 23), affirming continuity between Old and New Testament judgment oracles.
Pastoral and Ministry Application
• Preaching
אוֹי models how to balance compassion with conviction. Gospel proclamation must still warn: unrepentant sin ends in real woe, yet Christ offers deliverance.
• Counseling
Recognize and validate the anguished “woe” of those suffering consequences of sin; then guide them to the hope of forgiveness and restoration.
• Worship and Lament
Biblical lament allows believers to voice אוֹי without faithlessness. Corporate prayers may incorporate this cry when confronting injustice or communal sorrow.
Related Hebrew and Greek Terms
While אוֹי is the briefest woe, longer forms (הוֹי, אֵי) and the Greek οὐαί in the Septuagint and New Testament mirror its force, knitting together the Bible’s unified witness to the seriousness of sin and the grace extended to sinners.
Key Passages for Study
Isaiah 6:5;Jeremiah 4:31;Ezekiel 24:6–9;Hosea 7:13. Each passage couples the cry of woe with either a revelation of God’s holiness, a call to repentance, or a promise of eventual redemption.
Forms and Transliterations
א֕וֹי א֖וֹי א֣וֹי א֤וֹי א֥וֹי אֽוֹי־ אוֹי֮ אוֹי־ אוי אוי־ ’ō·w ’ō·w- ’ōw ’ōw- o
Links
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Strong's Numbers •
Englishman's Greek Concordance •
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