אַלְמָנוּת
𐤀𐤋𐤌𐤍𐤅𐤕
ʼalmânûwth
H491 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
State or condition of being a widow; widowhood. Refers primarily to the status of a woman who has lost her husband through death and has not remarried, often highlighting her social and legal status in the community.
Semantic Range
widowhood, state of being widowed, social/legal condition following loss of husband
Root / Etymology
From the root אלמן (ʼ-l-m-n) meaning 'to be widowed, to lose a husband.' The word אַלְמָנוּת is a feminine abstract noun formation, expressing the state or condition (i.e., 'widowhood') of one who is אַלְמָן (widow, i.e., the feminine is אַלְמָנָה for 'widow').
Historical & Contextual Notes
אַ לְמָנוּת appears infrequently in the Hebrew Bible, with its most direct occurrence in the sense of 'widowhood,' denoting the social and legal status of an Israelite woman after her husband's death (Genesis 38:11; Isaiah 47:8). The term draws attention not just to the individual's loss but also to their resultant standing in the community and potential vulnerability. In ancient Israelite society, the status of widowhood came with specific protections in law and ritual practice (see Deuteronomy and the Prophets). This word contrasts with the concrete sense expressed by אַלְמָנָה ('widow'), which refers to the person; אַלְמָנוּת describes the state or reality. Later translations and rabbinic literature frequently use the term to discuss legal and social ramifications. English translations sometimes narrow the meaning to 'widowhood,' but the biblical nuance can extend to themes of isolation, vulnerability, and lack of kinship protection.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
feminine of אַלְמָן; concrete, a widow; abstract, widowhood; widow, widowhood.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
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אלמן (ʾ-l-m-n) — to be widowed, to be bereaved of a husband, to lose a husband
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H490 | אַלְמָנָה | widowed woman |
Word Forms
3 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H491-02 |
אַלְמְנוּתָ֜/הּ | alemenutah | HNcfsc/Sp3fs |
her widowhood | her widowhood | 2 |
H491-01 |
אַלְמְנ֥וּת | alemenut | HNcfsc |
widowhood | widowhood of | 1 |
H491-03 |
אַלְמְנוּתַ֖יִ/ךְ | alemenutayikhe | HNcfpc/Sp2fs |
of your widowhood | your widowhoods | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
4 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H491-02 |
Genesis 38:14 | אַלְמְנוּתָ֜/הּ | alemenutah | HNcfsc/Sp3fs |
of her widowhood | her widowhood |
H491-02 |
Genesis 38:19 | אַלְמְנוּתָֽ/הּ | alemenutah | HNcfsc/Sp3fs |
her widowhood | her widowhood |
H491-01 |
2 Samuel 20:3 | אַלְמְנ֥וּת | alemenut | HNcfsc |
widowhood | widowhood of |
H491-03 |
Isaiah 54:4 | אַלְמְנוּתַ֖יִ/ךְ | alemenutayikhe | HNcfpc/Sp2fs |
of your widowhood | your widowhoods |