אוֹי (H188) — Hebrew Lexicon — Scattered Israelites

אוֹי

𐤀𐤅𐤉

ʼôwy

H188 particle

SILEX Entry

Root אוה to desire, wish, long for, express intense feeling

Definition

Interjection expressing distress, pain, or impending disaster; used to convey sorrow, lament, or warning in contexts of mourning, grief, or the pronouncement of impending judgment or misfortune. May also function as an exclamation of anguish or regret.

Semantic Range

woe, alas, oh (expressing sorrow), lament, cry of distress or warning, exclamation of impending disaster

Root / Etymology

Probably derived from the root אוָה (ʾāwâ), which relates to desiring or wishing, but in this usage it reflects the act of calling out, possibly extending to lament or cry. The form אוֹי functions as an onomatopoeic exclamation, with a sense of 'crying out'.

Historical & Contextual Notes

אוֹי is used primarily as a cry of distress, often in poetic, prophetic, or lament contexts. It is closely associated with proclamations of doom or expressions of deep sorrow, especially in prophetic books where it often precedes announcements of coming calamity (compare Isaiah 3:9, Jeremiah 4:13). The usage is generally consistent in conveying woe or lament, sometimes combined with other interjections (אוֹי נַפְשִׁי 'woe is my soul'). While later English translations may use 'woe,' 'alas,' or 'oh,' these may not capture the intensity or immediacy of the Hebrew exclamation. Unlike the noun אֵי ('where?') or similar-sounding roots related to location or identity, אוֹי is strictly an interjection and never a substantive. The nuance remains mostly unchanged across the biblical period, though in post-biblical Hebrew (see later rabbinic sources) similar forms may take on broadened, sometimes less intense emotional nuance.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

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

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

אוה (ʾ-w-h) — to desire, wish, long for, express intense feeling

Strong's	Lemma	SIBI-P1
H183	אָוָה	the ones craving
H184	אָוָה	you have craved
H185	אַוָּה	craving of
H189	אֱוִי	Evi
H337	אִי	coastland
H339	אִי	distant coastlands
H3970	מַאֲוַי	longings of
H5856	עִי	distant coastlands
H8378	תַּאֲוָה	for a craving

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE	Surface	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	Occurrences
`H188-01`	אוֹי	oy	`HTj`	Woe	Woe!	24

Occurrences in Scripture

24 total occurrences

SIDANCE	Reference	Word	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1
`H188-01`	Numbers 21:29	אוֹי	oy	`HTj`	Woe	Woe!
`H188-01`	Numbers 24:23	א֕וֹי	oy	`HTj`	Alas	Woe!
`H188-01`	1 Samuel 4:7	א֣וֹי	oy	`HTj`	Woe	Woe!
`H188-01`	1 Samuel 4:8	א֣וֹי	oy	`HTj`	Woe	Woe!
`H188-01`	Isaiah 3:9	א֣וֹי	oy	`HTj`	woe	Woe!
`H188-01`	Isaiah 3:11	א֖וֹי	oy	`HTj`	Woe	Woe!
`H188-01`	Isaiah 6:5	אֽוֹי	oy	`HTj`	Woe	Woe!
`H188-01`	Isaiah 24:16	א֣וֹי	oy	`HTj`	woe	Woe!
`H188-01`	Jeremiah 4:13	א֥וֹי	oy	`HTj`	Woe	Woe!
`H188-01`	Jeremiah 4:31	אֽוֹי	oy	`HTj`	Woe	Woe!
`H188-01`	Jeremiah 6:4	א֥וֹי	oy	`HTj`	Woe	Woe!
`H188-01`	Jeremiah 10:19	א֥וֹי	oy	`HTj`	Woe	Woe!
`H188-01`	Jeremiah 13:27	א֥וֹי	oy	`HTj`	Woe	Woe!
`H188-01`	Jeremiah 15:10	אֽוֹי	oy	`HTj`	Woe	Woe!
`H188-01`	Jeremiah 45:3	אֽוֹי	oy	`HTj`	woe	Woe!
`H188-01`	Jeremiah 48:46	אוֹי	oy	`HTj`	Woe	Woe!
`H188-01`	Ezekiel 16:23	א֣וֹי	oy	`HTj`	woe	Woe!
`H188-01`	Ezekiel 16:23	א֣וֹי	oy-2	`HTj`	woe	Woe!
`H188-01`	Ezekiel 24:6	אוֹי֮	oy	`HTj`	woe	Woe!
`H188-01`	Ezekiel 24:9	א֖וֹי	oy	`HTj`	Woe	Woe!
`H188-01`	Hosea 7:13	א֤וֹי	oy	`HTj`	Woe	Woe!
`H188-01`	Hosea 9:12	א֥וֹי	oy	`HTj`	woe	Woe!
`H188-01`	Proverbs 23:29	א֥וֹי	oy	`HTj`	woe	Woe!
`H188-01`	Lamentations 5:16	אֽוֹי	oy	`HTj`	woe	Woe!

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