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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadInternational Standard Bible Encyclopedia: Grief; Grieve
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grēf, grēv: There are some 20 Hebrew words translated in the King James Version by “grief,†“grieve,†“to be grieved,†etc. Among the chief are חלה, ḥālāh, חלי, ḥŏlı̄, יגון, yāghōn, כּעס, ka'aṣ, עצב, ‛ācabȟ. They differ, partly, in their physical origin, and partly, in the nature and cause of the feeling expressed. the Revised Version (British and American) in several instances gives effect to this.
(1) HÌ£aÌ„laÌ„h, hÌ£ŏlı̄ express the sense of weakness, sickness, pain (e.g. Samson, in , , , “Then shall I become weak (hÌ£aÌ„laÌ„h), and be as another manâ€); the King James Version, “a heap in the day of griefâ€; , , “a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief,†“He hath borne our griefs†(hÌ£ŏlı̄), the Revised Version, margin Hebrew “sickness, sicknessesâ€; , “He hath put him to grief,†the Revised Version, margin “made him sick†(hÌ£aÌ„laÌ„h) (translated by Dillmann and others, “to crush him incurablyâ€; compare ; ); yaÌ„ghoÌ„n, perhaps from the pain and weariness of toil (), “For my life is spent with grief,†the Revised Version (British and American) “sorrowâ€; “The Lord added grief to my sorrow,†the Revised Version (British and American) “sorrow to my pain†(); ka‛asÌ£ implies provocation, anger, irritation; thus Hannah said to Eli (the King James Version), “Out of the abundance of my complaint and my grief (the Revised Version (British and American) “provocationâ€) have I spoken†(). ; , “griefâ€; , “A foolish son is a grief to his father†(i.e. source of provocation; the same word is rendered “wrath†in , the King James Version “a fool's wrath,†the Revised Version (British and American) “vexationâ€; so also ); , “Oh that my grief were thoroughly weighed,†the Revised Version (British and American) “Oh that my vexation were but weighed†(in the King James Version the same word is translated “wrath,†the Revised Version (British and American) “vexationâ€); ke'eÌ„bh, is “sorrow,†“pain,†properly “to hurt.†It occurs in “His grief (the Revised Version, margin “or painâ€) was very greatâ€; also the Revised Version (British and American), “griefâ€; makh'oÌ„bh “sorrows,†“pain,†“suffering†(, the Revised Version (British and American) “sorrowâ€; , the Revised Version, margin “or painâ€; , “a man of sorrowsâ€; , “Surely he hath carried our sorrowsâ€); maÌ„raÌ„h and maÌ„rar indicate “bitterness†(; ; ; ; , “The heart knoweth its own bitterness,†maÌ„raÌ„h); puÌ„kÌ£aÌ„h implies staggering, or stumbling, only in , “This shall be no grief unto thee,†the Revised Version, margin Hebrew “cause of staggeringâ€; ra‛ (a common word for “evilâ€) denotes an evil, a calamity, only once in the King James Version translated “grief,†namely, of Jonah's gourd, “to deliver him from his grief,†the Revised Version (British and American) “from his evil case†(); yaÌ„ra‛, “to be evil,†, the Revised Version (British and American) “Thy heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him†(also ; ; ; several times translated “grievousâ€); hÌ£aÌ„raÌ„h, “to burn,†“to be wroth†(e.g. , “Why art thou wroth?â€), is translated “grieved†in , and the King James Version (the Revised Version (British and American) “Samuel was wrothâ€); the same word is often used of the kindling of anger; laÌ„'aÌ„h, “to be weary,†“tired,†“faint†(), the King James Version “The slothful hideth his hand in his bosom, it grieveth him to bring it again to his mouth,†the Revised Version (British and American) “weariethâ€; also ; ‛aÌ„cabh, “to grieve,†“to be vexed,†occurs in ; ; , etc.; , “How oft did they ... grieve him in the desert.†Of other words sometimes translated “grief†may be mentioned kÌ£uÌ„tÌ£, “to weary of,†“to loathe†(), “Forty long years was I grieved with that generationâ€; in ; , the Revised Version, margin “loatheâ€; hÌ£aÌ„meÌ„c, implying to be bitterly or violently moved, sour (often translated “leavenedâ€), only in , the Revised Version (British and American) “For my soul was grieved,†margin, Hebrew “was in a ferment.â€
(2) In the New Testament “grief,†“grieve,†etc., are infrequent. The commonest words are luÌpeÌ„ (), the Revised Version (British and American) “griefs,†elsewhere translated “sorrowâ€; lupeÌoÌ„, “to grieve,†“afflict†(, the Revised Version (British and American) “sorrowfulâ€; “Peter was grievedâ€; ; , the Revised Version (British and American) “made sorryâ€; , “caused sorrowâ€; , “Grieve not the Holy Spirit of Godâ€); diaponeÌomai, literally, “to labor through,†“to grieve self†occurs twice (; the Revised Version (British and American) “sore troubledâ€); stenaÌzoÌ„, “to groan, or sigh,†once only translated “grief†(), the Revised Version, margin “groaningâ€; prosochthıÌzoÌ„, “to be indignant,†etc., twice (, , the Revised Version (British and American) “displeasedâ€). The reference is to , where the Septuagint by this Greek word translates kÌ£uÌ„tÌ£ (see above).
The less frequency in the New Testament of words denoting “grief†is significant. Christ came “to comfort all that mourn - to give a garland for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.†Christians, however, cannot but feel sorrow and be moved by grief, and it is to be noted that in both the Old Testament and New Testament, God Himself is said to be susceptible to grief.