← H489 H491 →

אַלְמָנָה

𐤀𐤋𐤌𐤍𐤄

ʼalmânâh

H490 noun

SILEX Entry

Root אלמן to be bereaved of a spouse, to lose a husband

Definition

A woman whose husband has died and who has not remarried, especially one dependent on her deceased husband's household or broader kin group for support. By extension, in certain poetic or metaphorical contexts, the term may refer to a city, house, or nation rendered desolate or bereft (i.e., 'widowed') by loss, devastation, or abandonment.

Semantic Range

widow (woman whose husband has died), woman deprived of her husband and support, figurative: city or land deprived of its inhabitants, house or palace rendered desolate, metaphorical use for abandoned or devastated entity

Root / Etymology

From the root אלמן (ʼ-l-m-n), which in verbal forms relates to the state of being bereft of a husband; the root is not otherwise attested in Biblical Hebrew dictionaries outside these noun forms, suggesting a primary association with 'bereavement' or 'widowhood.' The word אַלְמָנָה is a feminine noun built from this root. The possibility of denominative derivation related to loss or deprivation of husband/protector is widely accepted.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the biblical world, the status of the אלמנה (ʼalmânâh) was one of pronounced social and economic vulnerability. Israelite law and prophetic texts frequently identify widows, along with orphans and resident aliens, as deserving special care and justice (e.g., Exodus 22:22; Deuteronomy 24:17–21; Isaiah 1:17). The term, when applied metaphorically to cities or peoples (e.g., Lamentations 1:1; Isaiah 54:4), denotes profound loss and abandonment, evoking the image of a once-secure community now exposed and bereaved. The occasional translation of non-human subjects (such as a palace or the land) as 'desolate' or 'forsaken' reflects this metaphorical extension but should not obscure the primary reference to an actual widow. English translations sometimes render the figurative usage simply as 'desolate' or 'forsaken,' which may flatten the emotional and social weight present in the Hebrew. In some later periods (e.g., post-exilic texts), the metaphorical sense becomes more prominent, but the core meaning remains tied to human widowhood. The term is distinct from words for various kinds of bereavement (e.g., שׁכול shakul, for bereaved of children) in specifically defining widowhood, not simply general loss.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

feminine of אַלְמָן; a widow; also a desolate place; desolate house (palace), widow.

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.

+ Add Bantu Hebrew Word

Root Family

אלמן (ʾ-l-m-n) — to be bereaved of a spouse, to lose a husband, to be deprived of a husband

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H491 אַלְמָנוּת widowhood of

Word Forms

15 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H490-01 אַלְמָנָ֣ה alemanah HNcfsa widow widowed woman 22
H490-10 וְ/אַלְמָנָ֑ה vealemanah HC/Ncfsa and widow and widow 9
H490-15 וְ/לָ/אַלְמָנָ֖ה velaalemanah HC/Rd/Ncfsa and for the widow and to a widow 5
H490-14 וְ/הָֽ/אַלְמָנָה֙ vehaalemanah HC/Td/Ncfsa and the widow and the widowed woman 4
H490-02 אַלְמָנ֔וֹת alemanot HNcfpa widows widowed women 4
H490-04 אַלְמְנֹתָי/ו֙ alemenotayv HNcfpc/Sp3ms his widows his widows 2
H490-12 וְ֝/אַלְמְנֹתָ֗י/ו vealemenotayv HC/Ncfpc/Sp3ms and his widows and his widows 2
H490-05 אַלְמְנוֹתֶ֖י/הָ alemenoteyha HNcfpc/Sp3fs her widows her widows 1
H490-13 וְ/אַלְמְנֹתֶ֖י/ךָ vealemenoteykha HC/Ncfpc/Sp2ms and your widows your widows 1
H490-06 בְּ/אַלְמנוֹתָ֔י/ו bealemnotayv HR/Ncfpc/Sp3ms in-his-widowhouses in his widows 1

Occurrences in Scripture

56 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H490-01 Genesis 38:11 אַלְמָנָ֣ה alemanah HNcfsa a widow widowed woman
H490-01 Exodus 22:21 אַלְמָנָ֥ה alemanah HNcfsa widow widowed woman
H490-02 Exodus 22:23 אַלְמָנ֔וֹת alemanot HNcfpa widows widowed women
H490-01 Leviticus 21:14 אַלְמָנָ֤ה alemanah HNcfsa a widow widowed woman
H490-01 Leviticus 22:13 אַלְמָנָ֣ה alemanah HNcfsa widow widowed woman
H490-01 Numbers 30:10 אַלְמָנָ֖ה alemanah HNcfsa widow widowed woman
H490-10 Deuteronomy 10:18 וְ/אַלְמָנָ֑ה vealemanah HC/Ncfsa and the widow and widow
H490-14 Deuteronomy 14:29 וְ/הָֽ/אַלְמָנָה֙ vehaalemanah HC/Td/Ncfsa and the widow and the widowed woman
H490-14 Deuteronomy 16:11 וְ/הָ/אַלְמָנָ֖ה vehaalemanah HC/Td/Ncfsa and the widow and the widowed woman
H490-14 Deuteronomy 16:14 וְ/הָ/אַלְמָנָ֖ה vehaalemanah HC/Td/Ncfsa and the widow and the widowed woman
← H489 Hebrew Lexicon H491 →