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Job 16:18 — Word Study

Depth

WLCאֶ֭רֶץ אַל־ תְּכַסִּ֣י דָמִ֑י וְֽאַל־ יְהִ֥י מָ֝ק֗וֹם לְזַעֲקָתִֽי׃

BSAO earthʼerets [land, ground, territory] do notʼal [let not, never] coverkâçâh my blooddâm [the liquid that flows through the body] may my cry for helpzaʻaq [outcry, shriek, lament, rescue, salvation] neverʼal behâyâh laid to restmâqôwm [have no place, find no rest, in silence, without response]

Word
Listen & take awayJob 16
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 18 is in this chapter.
Hebrew ↓ Download MP3 The Masoretic text of this chapter, read aloud. Read by Abraham Shmuelof, courtesy of Audio Scriptures International. Chapter divisions by the Academy of Ancient Languages..
Say the word Each Hebrew word carries its transliteration (le.za.'a.ka.Ti) — no per-word recordings of the Hebrew exist to link to.
Take it away
Job 16:18quick helps
In a sentenceJob pleads with the earth not to cover his blood and desires that his cry for help be heard.
Who is speakingJob, expressing his anguish and desire for justice.
Where we areIn a moment of despair, Job calls upon the earth in a poetic lament.
The hard wordדָמִ֑י
Take awayJob's blood symbolizes his life and suffering, and he seeks acknowledgment of his cries.
7 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them › clause subjectמָקוֹם verbכָּסָה The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
How rare are these words?in the Old Testament

Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.

Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.

Deep Study — Job 16:18

Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.

Context — Job's Lamentgenerated

17yet my hands are free of violence and my prayer is pure.
18O earth, do not cover my blood; may my cry for help never be laid to rest.
19Even now my witness is in heaven, and my advocate is on high.
20My friends are my scoffers as my eyes pour out tears to God.

Job 16:18 captures Job's desperate plea as he confronts his suffering and seeks recognition of his plight. He implores the earth not to conceal his blood, a metaphor for his life and injustice, while also expressing a deep yearning for his cries for help to be acknowledged. This verse reflects the intense emotional state of Job as he grapples with his circumstances and seeks divine justice.


Cross References

ReferenceText (BSB)
1Jeremiah 22:29O land, land, land, hear the word of the LORD!
2Genesis 4:11Now you are cursed and banished from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.
3Nehemiah 4:5Do not cover up their iniquity or let their sin be blotted out from Your sight, for they have provoked the builders.
4Isaiah 26:21For behold, the LORD is coming out of His dwelling to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity. The earth will reveal her bloodshed and will no longer conceal her slain.
5Ezekiel 24:7For the blood she shed is still within her; she poured it out on the bare rock; she did not pour it on the ground to cover it with dust.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 10 references, hung on the phrase they belong to


The Key Word דָמִ֑י, da.Migenerated

The word דָּם (dam) means 'blood' and signifies the vital fluid that sustains life. In this context, it represents Job's life force and the injustice of his suffering. The parsing indicates it is a masculine singular noun, showing it is treated as a specific entity in the verse.

Blood in the Bible often symbolizes life, guilt, or sacrifice. Job's plea not to let his blood be covered suggests a desire for his suffering to be acknowledged and remembered, rather than forgotten or ignored.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

The translations agree on the essential meaning of the verse, with all versions capturing Job's plea to the earth not to cover his blood and his desire for his cries for help to be heard.


Sentence Structuregenerated

The structure of the verse is built around two main clauses: the first expresses Job's plea to the earth not to cover his blood, and the second conveys his wish that his cry for help finds no rest. The finite verbs תְּכַסִּ֣י (you cover) and יְהִ֥י (it belong) govern the actions, while the noun phrase מָ֝ק֗וֹם (a place) serves as the subject of the second clause.

The Hebrew word order places emphasis on Job's direct address to the earth, highlighting his emotional urgency and the gravity of his request.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

The Septuagint translates אֶ֭רֶץ as γῆ (), which also means 'earth' and carries a similar connotation. This choice indicates a direct correspondence in meaning, maintaining the focus on the earth's role in Job's plea.

For דָמִ֑י, the LXX uses μου (mou), showing a shift to the first-person possessive, emphasizing Job's personal connection to his blood and suffering.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

Job 16:18 shows Job crying out to the earth, asking it not to cover his blood and expressing a desire that his cries for help are never ignored. This highlights his deep pain and longing for justice.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

What does Job mean by asking the earth not to cover his blood?

Job is expressing his anguish and desire for his suffering and life to be acknowledged, rather than forgotten.

Why does Job want his cry for help to never be laid to rest?

He wants his pleas for justice and recognition of his suffering to be heard and not ignored.

How does blood symbolize Job's situation?

Blood represents Job's life and suffering, highlighting the injustice he feels as he endures his trials.

What emotional state is Job in during this verse?

Job is in a state of deep despair and longing for recognition of his plight, pleading for acknowledgment of his suffering.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. In what ways do I seek acknowledgment for my own struggles and suffering?
  2. How can I express my cries for help in times of distress?
  3. What does it mean for me to confront the earth or my circumstances in prayer?
  4. How can I support others who feel their cries for help are going unheard?

The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it

The early Church Fathers, such as Gregory the Dialogist, referenced this verse to discuss themes of sin and justice in relation to Job's plight.

Gregory the DialogistMorals on the Book of Job, Book XIII c. 540–604
Ver. 18. O earth, cover thou not my blood; and let my cry find no place to lie hid in thee. It was said to man on his committing sin, Earth thou art, and unto earth shalt thou return;
Early Church Fathers on Job 16 →

Commentators on this verse — 7 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on Job 16:18 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

O earth, cover not thou my blood,.... This is an imprecation, wishing that if; he had been guilty of any capital crime, of such acts of injustice that he ought to be punished by the judge, and even

Read John Gill on Job 16 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

O earth, cover not thou my blood, and let my cry have no place.

Read Robert Jamieson on Job 16 →
Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy Bible

My blood, so called not actively, to wit, his own blood; but passively or objectively, i.e. the blood of others shed by him, and lying upon his conscience. The earth is said to cover that blood which lies undiscovered and unrevenged; of which See Poole "", See Poole ""; See Poole "", But, saith Job, if I be guilty of destroying any one man by murder or oppression, as I am traduced, O Lord, let the earth disclose it; let it be brought to light, that I may suffer condign punishment for it. My cry; either, 1. Passively, to wit, the cries and groans which I have forced from others by my oppressions; let those cries have no place to hide them. Or rather, 2. Actively, the cry of my complaints to…

Read Matthew Poole on Job 16 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Job 16:18 O earth, cover not thou my blood, and let my cry have no place.Ver. 18. O earth, cover not thou my blood] Job had made a high profession of his innocence and integrity. This he further confirmeth, 1. By an imprecation against himself. 2. By an appeal to God, Job 16:19. In this imprecation or wish of his (which Mr Broughton taketh to be meant by the foregoing words, Also my prayer is pure, rendered by him thus, But my wish is clean, saying, O earth, cover not, &c.) he hath an eye, no doubt, to the history of Abel’ s blood, shed by Cain, Genesis 4:1-15, and it is as if he should say, If I have committed murder or any the like wickedness, cover it not, O earth, but do thy office by…

Read John Trapp on Job 16 →
Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(18) Let my cry have no place.—That is, “Let there be no place in the wide earth where my cry shall not reach: let it have no resting place: let it fill the whole wide earth.”

Read Charles John Ellicott on Job 16 →
AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible

Verse 18. O earth, cover not thou my blood] This is evidently an allusion to the murder of Abel, and the verse has been understood in two different ways: 1. Job here calls for justice against his destroyers. His blood is his life, which he considers as taken away by violence, and therefore calls for vengeance. Let my blood cry against my murderers, as the blood of Abel cried against Cain. My innocent life is taken away by violence, as his innocent life was; as therefore the earth was not permitted to cover his blood, so that his murderer should be concealed, let my death be avenged in the same way. 2. It has been supposed that the passage means that Job considered himself accused of…

Read AdamClarke on Job 16 →
Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the Bible

O earth - Passionate appeals to the earth are not uncommon in the Scriptures; see the notes at Isaiah 1:2. Such appeals indicate deep emotion, and are among the most animated forms of personification.

Read Albert Barnes on Job 16 →

The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company

Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.

Modern formal

BSBBerean Standard Bible2020

O earth, do not cover my blood; may my cry for help never be laid to rest.

WEBWorld English Bible2000

“Earth, don’t cover my blood. Let my cry have no place to rest.

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

O earth, do not cover my blood; may my cry for help never be laid to rest.

NETBNew English Translation2006

“O earth, do not cover my blood, nor let there be a secret place for my cry.

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

O earth, cover not thou my blood, and let my cry have no place.

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

O earth, cover not thou my blood, And let my cry have no resting-place.

RVARevised Version, American1894

O earth, cover not thou my blood, and let my cry have no resting place.

NWBWebster's Bible1833

O earth, cover not thou my blood, and let my cry have no place.

GNVGeneva Bible1599

O earth, couer not thou my blood, and let my crying finde no place.

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

O earth, cover not my blood, and let there be no place for my cry!

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

O earth, do not thou cover my blood! And let there not be a place for my cry.

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

O earth, do not cover my blood! And let there not be a place for my cry.

ILTInterlinear Literal Translation2000

Earth! do thou not cover up my blood, and let no place restrain my cry.

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

Earth, do not cover up my blood; let my cry have no resting place.

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

These things have I suffered without the iniquity of my hand, when I offered pure prayers to God.

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

Earth, do not cover up my blood. May my cry find no place to hide.

BBEBible in Basic English1949

O earth, let not my blood be covered, and let my cry have no resting-place!

Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.


The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank

This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.

clauseclauseאֶ֭רֶץO.earthclauseadverbialאַלdo.notverbתְּכַסִּ֣יcovernoun phrase · objectדָמִ֑bloodיmyוְֽandclauseadverbialאַלnotverbיְהִ֥יlet.it.belongsubjectמָ֝ק֗וֹםa.placeprepositional phrase · prepositionalלְtonoun phraseזַעֲקָתִֽoutcryיmy

Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.


The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran

The Masoretic Text and the Septuagint largely agree in their wording for Job 16:18. Both texts convey Job's plea to the earth regarding his blood and his cry for help, with no significant variations in meaning.

Masoretic TextLeningrad Codex, c. AD 1008 — the text this page is built on

אֶ֭רֶץ אַל־ תְּכַסִּ֣י דָמִ֑י וְֽאַל־ יְהִ֥י מָ֝ק֗וֹם לְזַעֲקָתִֽי׃

Septuagintthe Greek the translators chose, word by word
אֶ֭רֶץγῆאַל־μὴתְּכַסִּ֣יἐπικαλύψῃςדָמִ֑יμουוְֽאַל־μηδὲיְהִ֥יεἴηמָ֝ק֗וֹםτόποςלְזַעֲקָתִֽי׃μου

8 of the 8 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.

Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.


The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with

This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.

Job 16:18אֶ֫רֶץO earthO earthאֶ֫רֶץאַלmay notmay notאַלכָּסָהyou coveryou coverכָּסָהדָּםblood myblood myדָּםאַלand may notand may notאַלהָיָהit belongit belongהָיָהמָקוֹםa placea placeמָקוֹםזְעָקָהto outcry mto outcry myזְעָקָהלֹאnotnotלֹאדָּמַםto silenceto silence: staדָּמַםלֵב(Leb)-kama(Leb)-kamaiלֵבזָעַקto cry outto cry outזָעַקכָּשָׂהbe satedbe satedכָּשָׂההָוָאto fallto fallהָוָאחָתַתto to be dto to be dismayחָתַתיָרֵאto fearto fearיָרֵאכְּנַ֫עַןCanaanCanaanכְּנַ֫עַןמִצְרַ֫יִם(Sea of) E(Sea of) Egyptמִצְרַ֫יִםשַׂקsackclothsackclothשַׂקעָנָןcloudcloudעָנָןזָרַקto scatterto scatterזָרַקנָקִיinnocentinnocentנָקִיבָּחַרto chooseto chooseבָּחַרשָׁחַטto slaughtto slaughterשָׁחַטרָעַשׁto shaketo shakeרָעַשׁשֶׁ֫בֶרbreakingbreakingשֶׁ֫בֶר
meets it a little oftener than chancemeets it far oftener than chancebuilt from the same roottwo words of the verse share ita word of this versea related word

Lexicons — every word in Job 16:18

One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.

Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.

O earth may not you cover blood my and may not it belong a place to outcry my
אֶ֭רֶץ'E.retz O earth H776 Noun common · feminine singular absolute
2,504× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The land or earth refers to the soil or ground, and can also mean a country, territory, or region. In the Bible, it is used to describe the earth and its inhabitants, and is often translated as 'land' or 'country'.
Amplified meaning
land, ground, territory
Tyndale gloss
land: soil
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

אֶ֫רֶץ (erets) is a feminine noun meaning 'earth' or 'land.' It encompasses various meanings, including the whole earth, specific territories like Canaan, and even inhabitants of the land. It can refer to soil, ground, or regions, and is used in phrases related to distance and the living. There is a note on the plural form אֲרָצוֹת, which mainly appears in later texts to denote multiple lands.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אֶ֫רֶץ n. f. & (seld.) m. earth, land

earth, whole earth (opp. to a part)

earth, opp. to heaven, sky

earth = inhabitants of earth

land =

country, territory

district, region

trial territory

piece of ground

specif. land of Canaan, or Israel

= inhabitants of land

used even of Shᵉʼôl

ground, surface of ground

soil, as productive

אֶרֶץ in phrases

people of the land

in measurements of distance

the country of the plain, level or plain country

land of the living

end(s) of the earth

pl. אֲרָצוֹת is almost wholly late; it denotes lands, countries, often in contrast to Canaan, lands of the nations, etc.

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H776 אֶ֫רֶץ n. f. & (seld.) m. earth, land . . earth, whole earth (opp. to a part)

. earth, opp. to heaven, sky

. earth = inhabitants of earth

. land = . country, territory

. district, region

. trial territory

. piece of ground

. specif. land of Canaan, or Israel

. = inhabitants of land

. used even of Shᵉʼôl

. . ground, surface of ground

. soil, as productive

. אֶרֶץ in phrases . people of the land

. in measurements of distance

. the country of the plain, level or plain country

. land of the living

. end(s) of the earth

. pl. אֲרָצוֹת is almost wholly late; it denotes lands, countries, often in contrast to Canaan, lands of the nations, etc.

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

776 'erets eh'-rets

from an unused root probably meaning to be firm; the earth

(at large, or partitively a land):--X common, country, earth,

field, ground, land, X natins, way, + wilderness, world.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אֶ֫רֶץ (e.rets) — land: country/planet.

: country/field

1) land, earth

1a) earth

1a1) whole earth (as opposed to a part)

1a2) earth (as opposed to heaven)

1a3) earth (inhabitants)

1b) land

1b1) country, territory

1b2) district, region

1b3) tribal territory

1b4) piece of ground

1b5) land of Canaan, Israel

1b6) inhabitants of land

1b7) Sheol, land without return, (under) world

1b8) city (-state)

1c) ground, surface of the earth

1c1) ground

1c2) soil

1d) (in phrases)

1d1) people of the land

1d2) space or distance of country (in measurements of distance)

1d3) level or plain country

1d4) land of the living

1d5) end(s) of the earth

1e) (almost wholly late in usage)

1e1) lands, countries

1e1a) often in contrast to Canaan

אֶ֫רֶץ (e.rets) — land: soil.

: soil

1) land, earth

1a) earth

1a1) whole earth (as opposed to a part)

1a2) earth (as opposed to heaven)

1a3) earth (inhabitants)

1b) land

1b1) country, territory

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-cs — Noun common · feminine singular absolute
HNcfsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

urth ('adhamah, 'erets, 'aphar; ge, oikoumene):

In a hilly limestone country like Palestine, the small amount of iron oxide in the rocks tends to be oxidized, and thereby to give a prevailing reddish color to the soil. This is especially the case on relatively barren hills where there is little organic matter present to prevent reddening and give a more blackish tinge.

'Adhamah (compare 'adham, "a man," and Adam) is from 'adham, "to be red," and is used in the senses: "earth" (Ex 20:24), "land" (Ps 105:35), a "land" or country (Isa 14:2), "ground" (Ge 4:11), "the earth" (Ge 7:4).

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Earth

(1.) In the sense of soil or ground, the translation of the word adamah’. In Gen. 9:20 “husbandman” is literally “man of the ground or earth.” Altars were to be built of earth (Ex. 20:24). Naaman asked for two mules’ burden of earth (2 Kings 5:17), under the superstitious notion that Jehovah, like the gods of the heathen, could be acceptably worshipped only on his own soil.

(2). As the rendering of ’erets, it means the whole world (Gen. 1:2); the land as opposed to the sea (1:10). Erets also denotes a country (21:32); a plot of ground (23:15); the ground on which a man stands (33:3); the inhabitants of the earth (6:1; 11:1); all the world except Israel (

Smith's Bible Dictionary

The term is used in two widely-different senses: (1) for the material of which the earth’s surface is composed; (2) as the name of the planet on which man dwells. The Hebrew language discriminates between these two by the use of separate terms, adamah for the former, erets for the latter. Adamah is the earth in the sense of soil or ground, particularly as being susceptible of cultivation. (Genesis 2:7) Erets is applied in a more or less extended sense-- (1) to the whole world, (Genesis 1:1) (2) to land as opposed to sea, (Genesis 1:10) (3) to a country, (Genesis 21:32) (4) to a plot of ground, (Genesis 23:15) and (5) to…

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

In both Hebrew and Greek the same word is used to denote the earth as a whole, and a particular land. Only the context can enable us to decide in which of these senses it is to be taken in a given passage.

Thus in Mt 27:45 we might, so far as the original word is concerned, render either "there was darkness over all the land," or over all the earth. The expression "all the earth" is sometimes used hyperbolically for a large portion of it, Ezr 1:2. The word is used of the whole world, etc. In a moral sense, earthly is opposed to what is heavenly, spiritual and holy, Joh 3:31 1Co 15:47 Col 3:2

O earth may not you cover blood my and may not it belong a place to outcry my
אַל־'al- may not H408 Particle
724× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Means not or nothing, used to express negation, as in the phrase do not or let not be.
Amplified meaning
let not, never
Tyndale gloss
not
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

אַל (al) is a negative particle meaning 'not' or 'no,' often used to express a wish or prohibition rather than an objective fact. It can also function as a noun meaning 'nothing.' The lexicons highlight its use in various contexts, including deprecative forms, but do not show significant disagreement.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אַל adv. of negation, denying however, not objectively as a fact, but subjectively as a wish, expressing therefore a deprecation or prohibition

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H408 אַל adv. of negation, denying however, not objectively as a fact, but subjectively as a wish, expressing therefore a deprecation or prohibition

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

408 'al al

a negative particle (akin to 3808); not (the qualified

negation, used as a deprecative); once (Job 24:25) as a noun,

nothing:--nay, neither, + never, no ,nor, not, nothing

(worth), rather than.

see HEBREW for 03808

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אַל (al) — not.

1) not, no, nor, neither, nothing (as wish or preference)

1a) do not, let not (with a verb)

1b) let there not be (with a verb understood)

1c) not, no (with substantive)

1d) nothing (as substantive)

Aramaic equivalent: al (אַל "not" H0409)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Part — Particle
HTn
O earth may not you cover blood my and may not it belong a place to outcry my
תְּכַסִּ֣יte.kha.Si you cover H3680 Verb · Piel · jussive second person feminine singular
152× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
To cover something means to fill up hollows or hide something from view, as seen in many biblical stories. This verb is used in various forms throughout the Bible, such as to cover oneself with clothing or to conceal something for protection. It can also mean to overwhelm or spread over something.
Tyndale gloss
to cover
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word כָּסָה (*kacah*) primarily means to cover or conceal. It encompasses a range of meanings, including to clothe, hide, or overwhelm. The entries describe various forms of the verb, such as being covered or covering oneself, and its use in contexts like protection or sin. There is no significant disagreement among the lexicons.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

[כָּסָה] vb. cover

Qal

conceal

pass. (cstr.) covered in respect of sin (by God, which he thus puts out of sight)

Niph. covered

Pi.

cover, clothe

cover, conceal blood

cover (with covering of protection)

cover, spread over

cover, overwhelm

cover over

Pual.

be covered

be clothed

Hithp. cover, clothe oneself

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3680 כָּסָה cover .. conceal

. pass. (cstr.) covered in respect of sin (by God, which he thus puts out of sight)

. covered

. . cover, clothe

. cover, conceal blood

. cover (with covering of protection)

. cover, spread over

. cover, overwhelm

. cover over

. . be covered

. be clothed

. cover, clothe oneself

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3680 kacah kaw-saw'

a primitive root; properly, to plump, i.e. fill up hollows;

by implication, to cover (for clothing or secrecy):--clad

self, close, clothe, conceal, cover (self), (flee to) hide,

overwhelm. Compare 3780.

see HEBREW for 03780

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

כָּסָה (ka.sah) — to cover.

1) to cover, conceal, hide

1a) (Qal) conceal, covered (participle)

1b) (Niphal) to be covered

1c) (Piel)

1c1) to cover, clothe

1c2) to cover, conceal

1c3) to cover (for protection)

1c4) to cover over, spread over

1c5) to cover, overwhelm

1d) (Pual)

1d1) to be covered

1d2) to be clothed

1e) (Hithpael) to cover oneself, clothe oneself

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Piel-Juss-2fs — Verb · Piel · jussive second person feminine singular
HVpj2fs
O earth may not you cover blood my and may not it belong a place to outcry my
דָמִ֑יda.Mi blood my H1818 Noun common masculine singular construct · suffix
360× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Blood refers to the liquid that flows through the body, essential for life. In the Bible, blood is often used to symbolize life, guilt, or sacrifice, as seen in the story of Jesus' crucifixion.
Amplified meaning
the liquid that flows through the body
Tyndale gloss
blood
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

דָּם (dam) means 'blood' and refers to the blood of both humans and animals. It is often associated with death, particularly when shed, and can also figuratively denote the juice of grapes or bloodshed. The term carries religious significance and is used in various contexts, including references to guilt and innocence.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

דָּם 300 n.m. blood

blood of man or animal

usually blood become visible

blood used with religious significance

fig. of wine

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H1818 דָּם blood

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

1818 dam dawm

from 1826 (compare 119); blood (as that which when shed

causes death) of man or an animal; by analogy, the juice of

the grape; figuratively (especially in the plural) bloodshed

(i.e. drops of blood):--blood(-y, -guiltiness, (-thirsty), +

innocent.

see HEBREW for 01826

see HEBREW for 0119

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

דָּם (dam) — blood.

1) blood

1a) of wine (fig.)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-ms | Suff — Noun common masculine singular construct · suffix
HNcmsc/Sp1bs
O earth may not you cover blood my and may not it belong a place to outcry my
וְֽאַל־ve.'al- and may not H408 Conjunction · particle
724× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Means not or nothing, used to express negation, as in the phrase do not or let not be.
Tyndale gloss
not
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

אַל (al) is a negative particle meaning 'not' or 'no,' often used to express a wish or prohibition rather than an objective fact. It can also function as a noun meaning 'nothing.' The lexicons highlight its use in various contexts, including deprecative forms, but do not show significant disagreement.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אַל adv. of negation, denying however, not objectively as a fact, but subjectively as a wish, expressing therefore a deprecation or prohibition

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H408 אַל adv. of negation, denying however, not objectively as a fact, but subjectively as a wish, expressing therefore a deprecation or prohibition

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

408 'al al

a negative particle (akin to 3808); not (the qualified

negation, used as a deprecative); once (Job 24:25) as a noun,

nothing:--nay, neither, + never, no ,nor, not, nothing

(worth), rather than.

see HEBREW for 03808

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אַל (al) — not.

1) not, no, nor, neither, nothing (as wish or preference)

1a) do not, let not (with a verb)

1b) let there not be (with a verb understood)

1c) not, no (with substantive)

1d) nothing (as substantive)

Aramaic equivalent: al (אַל "not" H0409)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | Part — Conjunction · particle
HC/Tn
O earth may not you cover blood my and may not it belong a place to outcry my
יְהִ֥יye.Hi it belong H1961 Verb · Qal · jussive third person masculine singular
3,562× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word for to be means to exist or come into being. It is used to describe something that happens or comes to pass, like in Genesis where God creates the world.
Tyndale gloss
to be
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word הָיָה (hayah) is a primitive root meaning to exist or become, and it encompasses a range of meanings including to happen, occur, and come to pass. It is often used in narrative contexts, particularly in phrases like "and it came to pass." The word can also denote a state of being or existence, and it appears frequently in various forms throughout the Old Testament.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

הָיָה 3570 vb. fall out, come to pass, become, be

Qal

Fall out, happen

occur, take place, come about, come to pass

esp. & very oft., come about, come to pass

וַיְהִי and it came to pass that, most often (c. 292 t.)

rarely also Pf. c. וְ conj. וְהָיָה

less oft. וְהָיָה Pf. consec. and it shall come to pass, or frequentat. came to pass (repeatedly, etc.)

Come into being, become

abs., in lively narrative, arise, appear, come

sq. prep.

become

sq. pred. noun (to be viewed as implicit accus.)

sq. pred. adj.

become like

sq. pred. לְ pers.

sq. לְ pred.

oft. c. לְ pred. לְ pers.

with עַל and לְ

sts. c. לְ pers. only = became the property of, come into the possession of

Be (often with subbordinate idea of becoming)

exist, be in existence

abide, remain, continue

with word of locality, be in or at a place, be situated, stand, lie

as copula, joining subj. & pred.

Read the full entry →
Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H1961 הָיָה fall out, come to pass, become, be .. . . Fall out, happen

. occur, take place, come about, come to pass

. esp. & very oft., come about, come to pass . . וַיְהִי and it came to pass that, most often (c. 292 t.)

. rarely also Pf. c. וְ conj. וְהָיָה

. less oft. וְהָיָה Pf. consec. and it shall come to pass, or frequentat. came to pass (repeatedly, etc.)

. Come into being, become . . abs., in lively narrative, arise, appear, come

. sq. prep.

. become . sq. pred. noun (to be viewed as implicit accus.)

. sq. pred. adj.

. become like

. sq. pred. + לְ pers.

. sq. לְ pred.

. oft. c. לְ pred. + לְ pers.

. with עַל and לְ

. sts. c. לְ pers. only = became the property of, come into the possession of

. Be (often with subbordinate idea of becoming) . exist, be in existence

. abide, remain, continue

Read the full entry →
Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

1961 hayah haw-yaw

a primitive root (compare 1933); to exist, i.e. be or become,

come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or

auxiliary):--beacon, X altogether, be(-come), accomplished,

committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), do, faint,

fall, + follow, happen, X have, last, pertain, quit

(one-)self, require, X use.

see HEBREW for 01933

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

הָיָה (ha.yah) — to be.

1) to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out

1a) (Qal)

1a1) ---

1a1a) to happen, fall out, occur, take place, come about, come to pass

1a1b) to come about, come to pass

1a2) to come into being, become

1a2a) to arise, appear, come

1a2b) to become

1a2b1) to become

1a2b2) to become like

1a2b3) to be instituted, be established

1a3) to be

1a3a) to exist, be in existence

1a3b) to abide, remain, continue (with word of place or time)

1a3c) to stand, lie, be in, be at, be situated (with word of locality)

1a3d) to accompany, be with

1b) (Niphal)

1b1) to occur, come to pass, be done, be brought about

1b2) to be done, be finished, be gone

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Qal-Juss-3ms — Verb · Qal · jussive third person masculine singular
HVqj3ms
O earth may not you cover blood my and may not it belong a place to outcry my
מָ֝ק֗וֹםma.Kom a place H4725 Noun common · masculine singular absolute
401× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Maqom means a place or location, like a city or a region. It can also refer to a condition of the body or mind. This term is used to describe a wide range of locations and situations.
Amplified meaning
have no place, find no rest, in silence, without response
Tyndale gloss
place
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

מָקוֹם (maqom) means 'place' and encompasses a variety of contexts, including a standing place, station, or post. It can refer to human abodes, localities, regions, and even figurative conditions of body or mind. The term is derived from a root meaning 'standing' and is used broadly in the Old Testament.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

מָקוֹם, מָקֹם 399 n.m. standing-place, place

standing-place

station, where soldiers are placed

post, office

place where a thing belongs

esp.

place of human abode

of י׳’s abode

place

in gen. place, locality, spot

space, room

space, distance, between

region, quarter, direction

peculiar uses

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H4725 מָקוֹם, מָקֹם standing-place, place . . standing-place

. station, where soldiers are placed

. post, office

. . place where a thing belongs

. esp. . place of human abode

. of י׳’s abode

. place

. in gen. place, locality, spot

. . space, room

. space, distance, between

. region, quarter, direction

. peculiar uses

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

4725 maqowm maw-kome'

or maqom {maw-kome'}; also (feminine) mqowmah {mek-o-mah'};

or mqomah {mek-o-mah'}; from 6965; properly, a standing, i.e.

a spot; but used widely of a locality (general or specific);

also (figuratively) of a condition (of body or

mind):--country, X home, X open, place, room, space, X

whither(-soever).

see HEBREW for 06965

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

מָקוֹם (ma.qom) — place.

1) standing place, place

1a) standing place, station, post, office

1b) place, place of human abode

1c) city, land, region

1d) place, locality, spot

1e) space, room, distance

1f) region, quarter, direction

1g) give place to, instead of

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-ms — Noun common · masculine singular absolute
HNcmsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

plas: Normally for maqom, Old Testament, and topos, New Testament, but in the King James Version "place" represents a great number of Hebrew and Greek words, often used with no difference in force (e.g. 2Ch 35:10,15). the Revised Version (British and American) has made few changes, but occasionally has attempted to specialize the meaning (Ge 40:13; Job 37:8; Ac 8:32; Jas 3:11, etc.).

O earth may not you cover blood my and may not it belong a place to outcry my
לְזַעֲקָתִֽי׃le.za.'a.ka.Ti to outcry my H2201 Preposition · noun common feminine singular construct · suffix
18× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word means a loud cry or shriek, often expressing distress, like the outcry in Exodus 2:23. It can also describe a clamor or cry for help. In the Bible, it appears in various forms, such as crying out to God.
Amplified meaning
outcry, shriek, lament, rescue, salvation
Tyndale gloss
outcry
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

זְעָקָה (ze'aqah) refers to a cry or outcry, often associated with distress or clamour. It is derived from the root word meaning to cry out, and its usage encompasses various forms of vocal expression, particularly in moments of urgency or need.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

זְעָקָה n.f. cry, outcry

outcry, against

cry of distress

outcry, clamour

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H2201 זְעָקָה cry, outcry

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

2201 za`aq zah'-ak

and (feminine) zoaqah {zeh-aw-kaw'}; from 2199; a shriek or

outcry:--cry(-ing).

see HEBREW for 02199

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

זְעָקָה (ze.a.qah) — outcry.

1) cry, outcry

1a) outcry

1b) cry of distress

1c) outcry, clamour

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep | N-fs | Suff — Preposition · noun common feminine singular construct · suffix
HR/Ncfsc/Sp1bs
Sources on this page. Lexicons and dictionaries imported from the CrossWire SWORD modules — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, Dodson, the Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones, Robinson and Packard, Webster and Cawdrey. Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Harper, 1889 — Grimm’s Wilke’s Clavis Novi Testamenti, translated, revised and enlarged by Joseph Henry Thayer) is public domain and is set here from the Internet Archive page scan greekenglishlex00grim; it is uncorrected OCR, marked as such on the entry itself, and the Strong’s numbers — which Thayer’s own edition does not carry — were matched by lemma against the other modules on this page. Trench’s Synonyms of the New Testament (Macmillan, 1880) and Moulton and Milligan’s Vocabulary of the Greek Testament (Hodder & Stoughton, 1930, which entered the United States public domain on 1 January 2026) are set from Internet Archive page scans synonymsofnewtes00treniala and vocabularyofgree00mouluoft, and are likewise uncorrected OCR matched to Strong’s numbers by lemma. Trench treats a group of words at once, so the same essay stands on the page of each word it compares. The Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary is © 1993 and is used here by permission for non-commercial use, www.teknia.com/greek-dictionary. The full Liddell-Scott-Jones and the Hebrew word data (TAHOT) come from STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0. Brown-Driver-Briggs is the OpenScriptures digitisation, public domain. Syntax analysis is the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (biblicalhumanities.org); the concordance and morphology are built from the tagged Nestle 1904 text. Septuagint occurrences use the Open Scriptures Septuagint lemma index, derived from CCAT (University of Pennsylvania) and the Rahlfs 1935 dataset by Eliran Wong, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — used here on a non-commercial ministry site. Greek of Josephus and Barnabas from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA 4.0. Commentaries and the Ante-Nicene Fathers are public-domain texts hosted on this site. Everyday Greek from the Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri, CC BY 3.0, with dates and provenance from the Heidelberger Gesamtverzeichnis. Philo and the Apostolic Fathers from Open Greek and Latin (First1KGreek), CC BY-SA 4.0. The apparatus and the fifth Greek column are the SBL Greek New Testament, © 2010 SBL and Logos Bible Software, CC BY 4.0. The Latin is the Clementine Vulgate (public domain); the Syriac New Testament is the ETCBC edition (MIT licence). The Hebrew behind the Greek is computed here from the Septuagint index and TAHOT, not taken from any aligned edition. The translation spread and the per-word edition marks come from the Translators Amalgamated Greek NT (STEPBible, CC BY 4.0); clause roles from the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (CC BY-SA 4.0); place identifications and their confidence from OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding (CC BY 4.0), with map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Gospel parallels are computed here from shared uncommon vocabulary, not taken from any printed harmony. Cross references are the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and the subject headings are Nave’s Topical Bible, both public domain. Works under Creative Commons licences are used unchanged apart from markup removal.

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