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אַלְמָן

𐤀𐤋𐤌𐤍

ʼalmân

H488 adjective

SILEX Entry

Root אלם to be bound, to be silent, to be speechless

Definition

A man who has lost his wife by death; a widower. The term specifically denotes a male left without a spouse due to bereavement, and by extension can refer to one who is bereft or left without support, especially in legal or social contexts. Unlike the far more common feminine form for 'widow' (אַלְמָנָה, 'almānāh), use of אַלְמָן is rare and predominantly literary.

Semantic Range

widower (a man whose wife has died); bereaved man; one deprived or bereft of spousal support (rare, poetic or legal contexts)

Root / Etymology

Root: אָלַם (ʾālam), meaning 'to be bound, silent, speechless.' The word אַלְמָן is formed with the base root, likely in a nominal pattern indicating a state or quality, i.e., being left 'silent' or 'bereft' by loss. The precise derivational connection between root and word is debated; it is possible the sense of 'bound' or 'restrained' became associated with the state of social powerlessness following a spouse's death.

Historical & Contextual Notes

The masculine noun אַלְמָן is exceptionally rare in the Hebrew Bible, as the overwhelming focus is on the feminine term אַלְמָנָה due to the greater social and legal vulnerability of widowed women in ancient Israelite society. In the few occurrences of אַלְמָן (e.g., Job 27:15; 32:9), it always refers to a widower, sometimes in contexts of extreme loss or calamity. Unlike broader English usage that sometimes metaphorically extends 'widow' or 'widower' to groups or cities, the biblical term אַלְמָן remains specific to male bereavement. Later rabbinic Hebrew uses אַלְמָן more regularly. English translations may obscure this nuance by using 'widow' generically or omitting the gender distinction. The root אָלַם is obscure, and the semantic link between the root sense ('to be bound, silent') and the notion of a bereaved man requires further clarification, suggesting that social status and loss are connoted along with bereavement. The translation tradition never renders this word as 'Jew' or any related identity term. Socially, the implication is of loss of familial/social status or support usually connoted for widows, but specifically applied here to a man.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

prolonged from אָלַם in the sense of bereavement; discarded (as a divorced person); forsaken.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

אלם (ʾ-l-m) — to be bound, to be silent, to be speechless

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H193 אוּל bound entry-hall of
H197 אוּלָם in the entrance hall
H198 אוּלָם bound entrance-hall of
H199 אוּלָם bound entrance-hall of
H481 אָלַם those who silence

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H488-01 אַלְמָ֨ן aleman HAamsa widowed widower widower 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H488-01 Jeremiah 51:5 אַלְמָ֨ן aleman HAamsa widowed widower widower
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