עָמַל
𐤏𐤌𐤋
ʻâmal
H5998 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To labor, work hard, endure strenuous activity often with a sense of hardship or distress. The verb עָמַל denotes not only physical or mental exertion but also carries connotations of toil accompanied by weariness, frustration, or futility. In many contexts, it implies work or effort that yields burdensome, painful, or even fruitless results.
Semantic Range
to toil, to labor strenuously, to work with hardship, to labor in vain, to suffer through labor, to be wearied by work, to experience trouble or distress as a result of exertion
Root / Etymology
From the Hebrew root ע-מ-ל, consistently attested in Northwest Semitic languages. The core root meaning is 'to labor, exert oneself greatly.' The verb-derived noun עָמָל refers to labor, toil, and, by extension, to trouble, suffering, or misfortune associated with such work. The verbal root itself emphasizes the strenuous, wearisome, or even burdensome nature of activity, beyond 'work' in a neutral sense.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In the Hebrew Bible, עָמַל most often describes toil or labor marked by hardship, such as agricultural labor under duress, or the struggles associated with daily living. It is frequently used in Wisdom literature (e.g., Ecclesiastes, Psalms) to comment on the transient or vexing nature of human effort—contrasting 'successful work' (עָשָׂה, עָבַד) with labor that produces little reward or is filled with sorrow. The sense of futility or suffering associated with עָמַל becomes especially pronounced in exilic and post-exilic texts, where it can connote oppression or the fruitless striving of the oppressed. English Bibles often translate עָמַל as 'labor,' 'trouble,' 'toil,' or 'misery,' but these do not always fully convey its sense of effort intertwined with hardship, frustration, or injustice. The semantic field partially overlaps with עָבַד ('to serve, work'), but עָבַד lacks the strong negative and wearying overtones of עָמַל.
Translation Consistency
ʻâmal consistently denotes strenuous, wearisome, often painful or fruitless exertion. "Toil" best captures the sense of hard, burdensome labor and frustration found in the SILEX range while remaining natural Bible-English. I considered "labor" and "work," but "toil" more clearly carries the hardship/futility nuance present in most occurrences.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
a primitive root; to toil, i.e. work severely and with irksomeness; (take) labour (in).
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.
Root Family
עמל (Amal) — to labor, to exert oneself, to toil
Word Forms
7 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5998-05 |
שֶׁ/עָמַ֣לְתִּי | sheamaleti | HTr/Vqp1cs |
that I toiled hard | that I toiled hard | 3 | |
H5998-06 |
שֶֽׁ/יַּעֲמֹ֖ל | sheyaamol | HTr/Vqi3ms |
he will toil | that he will toil | 3 | |
H5998-01 |
עָֽמַל | amal | HVqp3ms |
burdensome toil | toil | 1 | |
H5998-02 |
עָמַ֥לְתָּ | amaleta | HVqp2ms |
worked | you toiled hard | you toiled hard | 1 |
H5998-03 |
עָ֣מְלָה | amelah | HVqp3fs |
labors | she toiled hard | his toil | 1 |
H5998-04 |
עָמְל֣וּ | amelu | HVqp3cp |
they-labor | they toiled | they toiled | 1 |
H5998-07 |
יַעֲמֹ֧ל | yaamol | HVqi3ms |
he will toil | he will toil | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
11 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5998-02 |
Jonah 4:10 | עָמַ֥לְתָּ | amaleta | HVqp2ms |
worked | you toiled hard | you toiled hard |
H5998-04 |
Psalms 127:1 | עָמְל֣וּ | amelu | HVqp3cp |
they-labor | they toiled | they toiled |
H5998-03 |
Proverbs 16:26 | עָ֣מְלָה | amelah | HVqp3fs |
labors | she toiled hard | his toil |
H5998-06 |
Ecclesiastes 1:3 | שֶֽׁ/יַּעֲמֹ֖ל | sheyaamol | HTr/Vqi3ms |
he will toil | that he will toil | |
H5998-05 |
Ecclesiastes 2:11 | שֶׁ/עָמַ֣לְתִּי | sheamaleti | HTr/Vqp1cs |
that I toiled hard | that I toiled hard | |
H5998-05 |
Ecclesiastes 2:19 | שֶֽׁ/עָמַ֥לְתִּי | sheamaleti | HTr/Vqp1cs |
that I toiled hard | that I toiled hard | |
H5998-05 |
Ecclesiastes 2:20 | שֶׁ/עָמַ֖לְתִּי | sheamaleti | HTr/Vqp1cs |
that I toiled hard | that I toiled hard | |
H5998-01 |
Ecclesiastes 2:21 | עָֽמַל | amal | HVqp3ms |
burdensome toil | toil | |
H5998-06 |
Ecclesiastes 5:15 | שֶֽׁ/יַּעֲמֹ֖ל | sheyaamol | HTr/Vqi3ms |
he will toil | that he will toil | |
H5998-06 |
Ecclesiastes 5:17 | שֶׁ/יַּעֲמֹ֣ל | sheyaamol | HTr/Vqi3ms |
he will toil | that he will toil | |
H5998-07 |
Ecclesiastes 8:17 | יַעֲמֹ֧ל | yaamol | HVqi3ms |
he will toil | he will toil |