אוֹי — Numbers 21:29 Hebrew Word Study

אוֹי

𐤀𐤅𐤉

Woe

probably from אָוָה (in the sense of crying out after); lamentation; also interjectionally Oh!; alas, woe.

H188

Numbers 21:29 · Word #1

Lexicon `H188`

Part of Speech	`T` — Particle — Function word
Subtype	— Interjection

Ah—woe!

Root	אוה (ʾ-w-h)
Core Meanings	desire, longing, craving, crying out
Semantic Range	cry of distress, lamentation, expression of grief, pronouncement of doom, prophetic denunciation
Conceptual Significance	אוֹי frequently introduces prophetic declarations of judgment ("woe oracles") and also expresses personal or communal anguish. It embodies both emotional lament and solemn warning, marking moments of crisis, covenant violation, or impending judgment in the biblical narrative.
Morphological Notes	Hebrew particle, interjection (HTj); indeclinable and not marked for gender, number, or person.
Rendering Rationale	The interjection אוֹי expresses a visceral cry that likely stems from the root אוה, conveying intense longing or anguished outcry. Rendering it as "Ah—woe!" preserves both the emotional force of a spontaneous cry and the sense of lament or dread inherent in the root. As an interjection (HTj), it is grammatically invariable, so no gender or number distinctions apply.

AI-generated (openai/gpt-5.2-chat-latest)

SILEX Code	Transliteration	SIBI-P1
`H185-01`	avat	longing-of
`H189-01`	evi	Desire (masculine personal name)
`H339-01`	hai	the desirable coastland
`H339-02`	haiyim	the desirable coastlands
`H183-01`	hamiteavim	the ones craving for themselves
`H6914-01`	hataavah	the Craving
`H183-02`	hiteauu	they have given themselves to longing
`H183-03`	hiteaveyti	I have intensely longed
`H339-03`	i	desirable coastland
`H183-04`	ivah	he longed for her
`H183-05`	ivetah	she has intensely longed
`H183-06`	ivitikha	I have longed for you
`H339-04`	iyey	desirable coastlands of
`H339-05`	iyim	desirable coastlands
`H339-06`	laiyim	to the desirable coastlands
`H339-08`	meiyey	from coastlands-of
`H853-06`	meotakhe	this-of-thee
`H176-01`	o	or (as an alternative option)
`H853-12`	otam	these same ones (m.p.)
`H853-16`	otehem	these same entities of them
`H853-22`	oto	him
`H8378-01`	taavah	a craving
`H8378-02`	taavat	longing-of
`H183-07`	teaveh	she earnestly craves
`H183-08`	titeayv	you will crave
`H183-09`	ttv	you will long
`H176-02`	v	or (as an alternative desire)
`H183-10`	vayiteauu	and they gave themselves over to craving
`H183-11`	vayiteayv	and he indulged in longing
`H339-09`	veiyey	and coastlands of
`H339-10`	veiyim	and coastlands
`H853-32`	veoti	and me
`H183-12`	vytv	and he longed

Location	Form	Transliteration	Meaning
Numbers 21:29	אוֹי	oy	Woe
Numbers 24:23	א֕וֹי	oy	Alas
1 Samuel 4:7	א֣וֹי	oy	Woe
1 Samuel 4:8	א֣וֹי	oy	Woe
Isaiah 3:9	א֣וֹי	oy	woe
Isaiah 3:11	א֖וֹי	oy	Woe
Isaiah 6:5	אֽוֹי	oy	Woe
Isaiah 24:16	א֣וֹי	oy	woe
Jeremiah 4:13	א֥וֹי	oy	Woe
Jeremiah 4:31	אֽוֹי	oy	Woe
Jeremiah 6:4	א֥וֹי	oy	Woe
Jeremiah 10:19	א֥וֹי	oy	Woe
Jeremiah 13:27	א֥וֹי	oy	Woe
Jeremiah 15:10	אֽוֹי	oy	Woe
Jeremiah 45:3	אֽוֹי	oy	woe
Jeremiah 48:46	אוֹי	oy	Woe
Ezekiel 16:23	א֣וֹי	oy	woe
Ezekiel 16:23	א֣וֹי	oy-2	woe
Ezekiel 24:6	אוֹי֮	oy	woe
Ezekiel 24:9	א֖וֹי	oy	Woe
Hosea 7:13	א֤וֹי	oy	Woe
Hosea 9:12	א֥וֹי	oy	woe
Proverbs 23:29	א֥וֹי	oy	woe
Lamentations 5:16	אֽוֹי	oy	woe