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אַלְמָנָה

𐤀𐤋𐤌𐤍𐤄

ʼalmânâh

H490 noun

SILEX Entry

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.

Translation Consistency

primary "widow" 49 occurrences

ʼAlmânâh’s primary and overwhelmingly attested sense is the woman whose husband has died. The vast majority of existing renderings use the root form ‘widow’ or its straightforward inflections (widowed, widows). ‘Widow’ is the most natural, common English word and also allows adjectival/figurative inflections (widowed, widowed city) to express the poetic uses; alternatives like ‘deserted’ or ‘bereft’ are less specific to the normal social/legal meaning.

Alternatives (1 occurrence):
"deserted houses" (1x)

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 recorded for this word yet.

Root Family

אלמן (ʼalmânâh) — to be bereaved of a spouse, to lose a husband

Root אלמן to be bereaved of a spouse, to lose a husband
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H491 אַלְמָנוּת widowhood of

Word Forms

15 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H490-01 אַלְמָנָ֨ה alemanah HNcfsa widow widowed woman widowed woman 22
H490-10 וְ/אַלְמָנָ֑ה vealemanah HC/Ncfsa and widow and widow and widow 9
H490-15 וְ/לָ/אַלְמָנָ֖ה velaalemanah HC/Rd/Ncfsa and for the widow and to a widow and to a widow 5
H490-02 אַלְמָנ֔וֹת alemanot HNcfpa widows widowed women widowed women 4
H490-14 וְ/הָֽ/אַלְמָנָה֙ vehaalemanah HC/Td/Ncfsa and the widow and the widowed woman and the widowed woman 4
H490-04 אַלְמְנוֹתָ֔י/ו alemenotayv HNcfpc/Sp3ms his widows his widows his widows 2
H490-12 וְ֝/אַלְמְנֹתָ֗י/ו vealemenotayv HC/Ncfpc/Sp3ms and his widows and his widows and his widows 2
H490-03 אַלְמְנֹתָ/ו֙ alemenotav HNcfpc/Sp3ms their widows his widows their widows 1
H490-05 אַלְמְנוֹתֶ֖י/הָ alemenoteyha HNcfpc/Sp3fs her widows her widows her widows 1
H490-06 בְּ/אַלְמנוֹתָ֔י/ו bealemnotayv HR/Ncfpc/Sp3ms in-his-widowhouses in his widows in his deserted houses 1

Occurrences in Scripture

56 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H490-01 Genesis 38:11 אַלְמָנָ֣ה alemanah HNcfsa a widow widowed woman widowed woman
H490-01 Exodus 22:21 אַלְמָנָ֥ה alemanah HNcfsa widow widowed woman widowed woman
H490-02 Exodus 22:23 אַלְמָנ֔וֹת alemanot HNcfpa widows widowed women widowed women
H490-01 Leviticus 21:14 אַלְמָנָ֤ה alemanah HNcfsa a widow widowed woman widowed woman
H490-01 Leviticus 22:13 אַלְמָנָ֣ה alemanah HNcfsa widow widowed woman widowed woman
H490-01 Numbers 30:10 אַלְמָנָ֖ה alemanah HNcfsa widow widowed woman widowed woman
H490-10 Deuteronomy 10:18 וְ/אַלְמָנָ֑ה vealemanah HC/Ncfsa and the widow and widow and widow
H490-14 Deuteronomy 14:29 וְ/הָֽ/אַלְמָנָה֙ vehaalemanah HC/Td/Ncfsa and the widow and the widowed woman and the widowed woman
H490-14 Deuteronomy 16:11 וְ/הָ/אַלְמָנָ֖ה vehaalemanah HC/Td/Ncfsa and the widow and the widowed woman and the widowed woman
H490-14 Deuteronomy 16:14 וְ/הָ/אַלְמָנָ֖ה vehaalemanah HC/Td/Ncfsa and the widow and the widowed woman and the widowed woman
H490-01 Deuteronomy 24:17 אַלְמָנָֽה alemanah HNcfsa of the widow widowed woman widowed woman
H490-15 Deuteronomy 24:19 וְ/לָ/אַלְמָנָ֖ה velaalemanah HC/Rd/Ncfsa and for the widow and to a widow and to a widow
H490-15 Deuteronomy 24:20 וְ/לָ/אַלְמָנָ֖ה velaalemanah HC/Rd/Ncfsa and for the widow and to a widow and to a widow
H490-15 Deuteronomy 24:21 וְ/לָ/אַלְמָנָ֖ה velaalemanah HC/Rd/Ncfsa and for the widow and to a widow and to a widow
H490-15 Deuteronomy 26:12 וְ/לָֽ/אַלְמָנָ֔ה velaalemanah HC/Rd/Ncfsa and to the widow and to a widow and to a widow
H490-15 Deuteronomy 26:13 וְ/לָ/אַלְמָנָ֔ה velaalemanah HC/Rd/Ncfsa and-to-the-widow and to a widow and to a widow
H490-10 Deuteronomy 27:19 וְ/אַלְמָנָ֑ה vealemanah HC/Ncfsa and the widow and widow and widow
H490-01 2 Samuel 14:5 אַלְמָנָ֥ה alemanah HNcfsa widow widowed woman widowed woman
H490-01 1 Kings 7:14 אַלְמָנָ֨ה alemanah HNcfsa widow widowed woman widowed woman
H490-01 1 Kings 11:26 אַלְמָנָ֔ה alemanah HNcfsa widow widowed woman widowed woman
H490-01 1 Kings 17:9 אַלְמָנָ֖ה alemanah HNcfsa widow widowed woman widowed woman
H490-01 1 Kings 17:10 אַלְמָנָ֖ה alemanah HNcfsa widow widowed woman widowed woman
H490-07 1 Kings 17:20 הָ/אַלְמָנָ֞ה haalemanah HTd/Ncfsa the widow the husband-bereaved woman the widow
H490-01 Isaiah 1:17 אַלְמָנָֽה alemanah HNcfsa for the widow widowed woman for the widowed woman
H490-01 Isaiah 1:23 אַלְמָנָ֖ה alemanah HNcfsa of widow widowed woman widowed woman
H490-04 Isaiah 9:16 אַלְמְנֹתָי/ו֙ alemenotayv HNcfpc/Sp3ms widows his widows his widows
H490-02 Isaiah 10:2 אַלְמָנוֹת֙ alemanot HNcfpa widows widowed women widowed women
H490-06 Isaiah 13:22 בְּ/אַלְמנוֹתָ֔י/ו bealemnotayv HR/Ncfpc/Sp3ms in-his-widowhouses in his widows in his deserted houses
H490-01 Isaiah 47:8 אַלְמָנָ֔ה alemanah HNcfsa as a widow widowed woman widowed woman
H490-10 Jeremiah 7:6 וְ/אַלְמָנָה֙ vealemanah HC/Ncfsa and widow and widow and widow
H490-03 Jeremiah 15:8 אַלְמְנֹתָ/ו֙ alemenotav HNcfpc/Sp3ms their widows his widows their widows
H490-11 Jeremiah 18:21 וְ/אַלְמָנ֔וֹת vealemanot HC/Ncfpa and widows and widowed women and widows
H490-10 Jeremiah 22:3 וְ/אַלְמָנָ֤ה vealemanah HC/Ncfsa and widow and widow and widow
H490-13 Jeremiah 49:11 וְ/אַלְמְנֹתֶ֖י/ךָ vealemenoteykha HC/Ncfpc/Sp2ms and your widows your widows your widows
H490-04 Ezekiel 19:7 אַלְמְנוֹתָ֔י/ו alemenotayv HNcfpc/Sp3ms his widows his widows his widows
H490-10 Ezekiel 22:7 וְ/אַלְמָנָ֖ה vealemanah HC/Ncfsa and-widow and widow and widow
H490-05 Ezekiel 22:25 אַלְמְנוֹתֶ֖י/הָ alemenoteyha HNcfpc/Sp3fs her widows her widows her widows
H490-10 Ezekiel 44:22 וְ/אַלְמָנָה֙ vealemanah HC/Ncfsa and-a-widow and widow and widow
H490-14 Ezekiel 44:22 וְ/הָֽ/אַלְמָנָה֙ vehaalemanah HC/Td/Ncfsa and-the-widow and the widowed woman and the widowed woman
H490-01 Ezekiel 44:22 אַלְמָנָ֔ה alemanah HNcfsa widow widowed woman widowed woman
H490-10 Zechariah 7:10 וְ/אַלְמָנָ֧ה vealemanah HC/Ncfsa and widow and widow and widow
H490-01 Malachi 3:5 אַלְמָנָ֨ה alemanah HNcfsa widow widowed woman widowed woman
H490-02 Psalms 68:6 אַלְמָנ֑וֹת alemanot HNcfpa widows widowed women widowed women
H490-12 Psalms 78:64 וְ֝/אַלְמְנֹתָ֗י/ו vealemenotayv HC/Ncfpc/Sp3ms and his widows and his widows and his widows
H490-01 Psalms 94:6 אַ֭לְמָנָה alemanah HNcfsa widow widowed woman widowed woman
H490-01 Psalms 109:9 אַלְמָנָֽה alemanah HNcfsa a widow widowed woman widowed woman
H490-10 Psalms 146:9 וְ/אַלְמָנָ֣ה vealemanah HC/Ncfsa and widows and widow and widow
H490-01 Proverbs 15:25 אַלְמָנָֽה alemanah HNcfsa of the widow widowed woman widowed woman
H490-02 Job 22:9 אַ֭לְמָנוֹת alemanot HNcfpa widows widowed women widowed women
H490-01 Job 24:3 אַלְמָנָֽה alemanah HNcfsa widow's widowed woman widowed woman
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