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Job 3:11 — Word Study

Depth

WLCלָ֤מָּה לֹּ֣א מֵרֶ֣חֶם אָמ֑וּת מִבֶּ֖טֶן יָצָ֣אתִי וְאֶגְוָֽע׃

BSAWhymâh did I not perishmûwth [die] at birthrechem [from the womb, at the moment of delivery] why did I not diegâvaʻ [expire, give up the ghost] as I cameyâtsâʼ from the wombbeṭen [belly, mother's body]

Word
Listen & take awayJob 3
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 11 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 (ve.'eg.Va') — no per-word recordings of the Hebrew exist to link to.
Take it away
Job 3:11quick helps
In a sentenceJob questions why he did not die at birth, expressing deep sorrow over his existence.
Who is speakingJob, lamenting his life and expressing his anguish.
Where we areIn a moment of despair, Job reflects on his birth and existence.
The hard wordגָּוַע
Take awayJob's lament reveals profound grief and a desire for peace.
8 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them › clause verbמוּת 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 3:11

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

10For that night did not shut the doors of the womb to hide the sorrow from my eyes.
11Why did I not perish at birth; why did I not die as I came from the womb?
12Why were there knees to receive me, and breasts that I should be nursed?
13For now I would be lying down in peace; I would be asleep and at rest

Job 3:11 captures Job's intense sorrow as he questions why he was allowed to live after birth. This verse is part of a larger lament where Job expresses his anguish over his suffering and the desire for peace in death. It reflects the deep emotional turmoil he experiences following the loss of his family and health, as seen in the preceding verses of this chapter.


Cross References

ReferenceText (BSB)
1Psalm 58:8Like a slug that dissolves in its slime, like a woman’s stillborn child, may they never see the sun.
2Jeremiah 15:10Woe to me, my mother, that you have borne me, a man of strife and conflict in all the land. I have neither lent nor borrowed, yet everyone curses me.
3Hosea 9:14Give them, O LORD— what will You give? Give them wombs that miscarry and breasts that dry up!
4Psalm 22:9–10Yet You brought me forth from the womb; You made me secure at my mother’s breast.
5Psalm 71:6I have leaned on You since birth; You pulled me from my mother’s womb. My praise is always for You.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 7 references, hung on the phrase they belong to


The Key Word מָה, La.mahgenerated

The word מָה (mah) is primarily an interrogative particle meaning 'what?' or 'how?'. In this context, it expresses Job's profound questioning of his existence and circumstances, indicating his confusion and despair.

This word's versatility allows it to convey various nuances, including asking for reasons, which is fitting here as Job seeks to understand the purpose behind his suffering.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

Translations of this verse generally agree on the meaning, with all versions capturing Job's lament and questions regarding his birth and existence.


Sentence Structuregenerated

The verse consists of two main clauses connected by a conjunction, with each clause expressing Job's lament: לָ֤מָּה La.mah introduces the first question about not perishing at birth, and the second clause continues with a similar inquiry about dying as he came from the womb.

The structure emphasizes Job's emotional state, with the repetition of the interrogative form underscoring his despair and confusion.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

In the Septuagint, מָה is rendered as τί (ti), which maintains the interrogative nature of Job's questions. This choice reflects a direct translation of Job's lament, capturing the essence of his inquiry.

The use of τί in the Septuagint aligns with the Hebrew intent, emphasizing the depth of Job's questioning regarding his existence.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

Job 3:11 expresses Job's deep sorrow as he questions why he did not die at birth. He reflects on his existence and the pain he feels, wishing for peace and understanding in his suffering.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

What does Job mean by asking why he did not perish at birth?

Job is expressing his profound grief and questioning the purpose of his life, feeling that death would have been preferable to his current suffering.

How does this verse reflect Job's emotional state?

This verse reveals Job's despair and confusion as he grapples with the pain of his existence and the loss he has experienced.

What is the significance of Job's questioning in this context?

Job's questioning highlights the struggle between faith and despair, as he seeks to understand his suffering and the reasons behind it.

How does this verse connect to the larger narrative of Job's story?

This lament sets the stage for Job's ongoing struggle with his suffering and the dialogues that follow, emphasizing the themes of pain, loss, and the search for meaning.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. In what ways have I questioned my own experiences and challenges, similar to Job?
  2. How can I find peace in difficult times, as Job longs for in this verse?
  3. What are some ways I can support others who are struggling with their own suffering?
  4. How does Job's lament resonate with my understanding of suffering and faith?

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

The early commentary from Gregory the Dialogist reflects on Job's questions, interpreting his lament as a moral inquiry into the nature of suffering.

Gregory the DialogistMorals on the Book of Job, Book IV c. 540–604
MORAL INTERPRETATION. Why died I not from the womb? Why did I not give up the ghost when I came out of the belly? Why did the knees prevent me? or why the breasts that I should suck? Be the thought far from us, that blessed Job,
Early Church Fathers on Job 3 →

Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on Job 3:11 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

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

Why died I not from the womb?.... That is, as soon as he came out of it; or rather, as soon as he was in it, or from the time that he was in it; or however, while he was in it, that so he might not

Read John Gill on Job 3 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

Why died I not from the womb? why did I not give up the ghost when I came out of the belly? Died ... from the womb - why died I not as soon as I came forth from the womb?

Read Robert Jamieson on Job 3 →
Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy Bible

From the womb, i.e. as soon as ever I was born, or come out of the womb. And the same thing is expressed in other words, which is an elegancy usual both in the Hebrew and in other languages.

Read Matthew Poole on Job 3 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Job 3:11 Why died I not from the womb? [why] did I [not] give up the ghost when I came out of the belly?Ver. 11. Why died I not from the womb? why did I not give up the ghost? &c.] Why was I not forthwith carried ab utero ad urnam? from the womb to the tomb, from the birth to the burial? True it is, that infants have the seed of death in them, and the principle of corruption, Romans 5:14. Every one (say some chemists) hath his own balsam within him; his own bane it is sure that he hath. But why should Job be so weary of life, and so wish to be rid of it? Is not life a great mercy? Doth not the philosopher affirm, that a pismire excelleth the heavens in dignity, because it is a living…

Read John Trapp on Job 3 →
AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible

Verse 11. Why died I not from the womb] As the other circumstance did not take place, why was I not still-born, without the possibility of reviviscence? or, as this did not occur, why did I not die as soon as born? These three things appear to me to be clearly intended here: - 1. Dying in the womb, or never coming to maturity, as in the case of an abortion. 2. Being still-born, without ever being able to breathe. 3. Or, if born alive, dying within a short time after. And to these states he seems to refer in the following verses.

Read AdamClarke on Job 3 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

11–19. Would God I had died from my birth If he must be born, Job asks, Why he did not die from the womb? his eye turning to the next possibility and chance of escaping sorrow. Had he died he would have been at peace; and the picture of the painless stillness of death fascinates him and he dwells long on it, counting over with a minute particularity all classes, kings and prisoners, slaves and masters, small and great, who there drink deep of a common peace, escaping the unquietness of life, for life upon the earth, however lived, is full of a painful restlessness. The thought of this stillness of death brings a certain calm to the sufferer’s mind, and the passionateness of his former words…

Read Cambridge on Job 3 →
Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Why died I not from the womb? - Why did I not die as soon as I was born? Why were any pains taken to keep me alive?

Read Albert Barnes on Job 3 →
Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible

Second long strophe — JOB WISHES THAT HE WERE DEAD, Job 3:11-19.a.

Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Job 3 →

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

Why did I not perish at birth; why did I not die as I came from the womb?

WEBWorld English Bible2000

“Why didn’t I die from the womb? Why didn’t I give up the spirit when my mother bore me?

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

Why did I not perish at birth; why did I not die as I came from the womb?

NETBNew English Translation2006

“Why did I not die at birth, and why did I not expire as I came out of the womb?

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

Why died I not from the womb? why did I not give up the ghost when I came out of the belly?

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

Why died I not from the womb? Why did I not give up the ghost when my mother bare me?

RVARevised Version, American1894

Why died I not from the womb? why did I not give up the ghost when I came out of the belly?

NWBWebster's Bible1833

Why died I not from the womb? why did I not expire at the time of my birth?

GNVGeneva Bible1599

Why died I not in the birth? or why dyed I not, when I came out of the wombe?

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

Wherefore did I not die from the womb, — come forth from the belly and expire?

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

Why from the womb do I not die? From the belly I have come forth and gasp!

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

Why do I not die from the womb? I have come forth from the belly and gasp!

ILTInterlinear Literal Translation2000

Why did I not die [the moment I issued] from the womb, and [why] was I not born merely to perish at once?

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

Why did I not die when I came out from the womb? Why did I not give up my spirit when my mother bore me?

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

Why did I not die in the womb, why did I not perish when I came out of the belly?

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

Why wasn't I stillborn? Why didn't I die at birth?

BBEBible in Basic English1949

Why did death not take me when I came out of my mother's body, why did I not, when I came out, give up my last breath?

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.

clauseclauseprepositional phrase · prepositionalלָ֤מָּהwhy?adverbialלֹּ֣אnotprepositional phrase · prepositionalמֵfrom.[the]רֶ֣חֶםwombverbאָמ֑וּתdid.I.dieclauseclauseprepositional phrase · prepositionalמִfrom.[the]בֶּ֖טֶןbellyverbיָצָ֣אתִיI.came.forthוְandclauseverbאֶגְוָֽעdid.I.expire?

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 show agreement in the overall structure and meaning of the verse, with five of the seven words matching. This consistency highlights the core message of Job's lament across different textual traditions.

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

לָ֤מָּה לֹּ֣א מֵרֶ֣חֶם אָמ֑וּת מִבֶּ֖טֶן יָצָ֣אתִי וְאֶגְוָֽע׃

Septuagintthe Greek the translators chose, word by word
לָ֤מָּהτίמֵרֶ֣חֶםκοιλίᾳאָמ֑וּתἐτελεύτησαיָצָ֣אתִיἐχῆλθονוְאֶגְוָֽע׃ἀπωλόμην

5 of the 7 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 3:11מָהwhy?why?מָהלֹאnotnotלֹארֶ֫חֶםfrom [the] from [the] wombרֶ֫חֶםמוּתdid I diedid I dieמוּתבֶּ֫טֶןfrom [the] from [the] bellבֶּ֫טֶןיָצָאI came fortI came forthיָצָאגָּוַעand I may eand I may expirגָּוַערָחַםto have coto have compassרָחַםכָּ֫כָהthusthusכָּ֫כָהפָּעַלto workto workפָּעַליָכֹלbe ablebe ableיָכֹלעוֹדstillstillעוֹדפֶּ֫טֶרfirstbornfirstbornפֶּ֫טֶרבֶּ֫טֶןbelly: abdbelly: abdomenבֶּ֫טֶןרָצַחto murderto murderרָצַחקָבַרto buryto buryקָבַרפְּרִיfruitfruitפְּרִימֵעֶהbellybellyמֵעֶהקָרָאto encountto encounter: mקָרָאגּוֹרָלallottedallottedגּוֹרָללוּififלוּ
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 3:11

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.

why? not from [the] womb did I die from [the] belly I came forth and I may expire?
לָ֤מָּהLa.mah why? H4100 Preposition · pronoun
753× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word means what or how, often used to ask questions or express surprise, like in Genesis when God asks Adam what he has done. It can also mean why or when, and is used in various ways throughout the Old Testament. It appears in many KJV translations, including how or what.
Tyndale gloss
what?
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

מָה (mah) is a Hebrew word primarily used as an interrogative particle meaning 'what?' or 'how?'. It can also function as an indefinite pronoun, encompassing meanings like 'anything' or 'whatever'. The word is versatile, appearing in various adverbial forms and often used with prefixes to express different nuances, such as reason or manner.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

מָה, rarely מָה־, מַה־, מַה‍ּ, מֶה, מַ‍ּ, מָ—pron.interrog. and indef. what? how? aught

interrog. what?

Used adverbially

Indef. pron.

With preps.

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H4100 מָה, rarely מָה־, מַה־, מַה‍ּ, מֶה, מַ‍ּ, מָ—pron. interrog. and indef. what? how? aught . interrog. what?

. Used adverbially

. Indef. pron.

. With preps.

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

4100 mah maw

or mah {mah}; or ma {maw}; or ma {mah}; also meh {meh}; a

primitive particle; properly, interrogative what? (including

how? why? when?); but also exclamation, what! (including

how!), or indefinitely what (including whatever, and even

relatively, that which); often used with prefixes in various

adverbial or conjunctive senses:--how (long, oft, (-

soever)), (no-)thing, what (end, good, purpose, thing),

whereby(-fore, -in, -to, -with), (for) why.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

מָה (mah) — what?.

interr pron

1) what, how, of what kind

1a) (interrogative)

1a1) what?

1a2) of what kind

1a3) what? (rhetorical)

1a4) whatsoever, whatever, what

1b) (adverb)

1b1) how, how now

1b2) why

1b3) how! (exclamation)

1c) (with prep)

1c1) wherein?, whereby?, wherewith?, by what means?

1c2) because of what?

1c3) the like of what?

1c3a) how much?, how many?, how often?

1c3b) for how long?

1c4) for what reason?, why?, to what purpose?

1c5) until when?, how long?, upon what?, wherefore?

indef pron

2) anything, aught, what may

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep | Part — Preposition · pronoun
HR/Pi
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
why? not from [the] womb did I die from [the] belly I came forth and I may expire?
לֹּ֣אlo' not H3808 Particle
5,170× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word for not or no is used to indicate absence or negation, as when God says no to the Israelites' requests, or when they disobey His commands.
Tyndale gloss
not
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

לֹא (lo') is a Hebrew word meaning 'not' or 'no.' It serves as a simple negation and can imply absence or prohibition. The word can also be used in various contexts, often combined with other particles for emphasis or clarification. Its Aramaic equivalent is לָא (la), which also means 'not.'

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

לֹא or לוֹא adv. not

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3808 לֹא or לוֹא not

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3808 lo' lo

or lowi {lo}; or loh (Deut. 3:11) {lo}; a primitive particle;

not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often

used with other particles (as follows):--X before, + or else,

ere, + except, ig(-norant), much, less, nay, neither, never,

no((-ne), -r, (-thing)), (X as though...,(can-), for) not (out

of), of nought, otherwise, out of, + surely, + as truly as, +

of a truth, + verily, for want, + whether, without.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

לֹא (lo) — not.

1) not, no

1a) not (with verb-absolute prohibition)

1b) not (with modifier-negation)

1c) nothing (subst)

1d) without (with particle)

1e) before (of time)

Aramaic equivalent: la (לָא "not" H3809)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HTn — Particle
HTn
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
why? not from [the] womb did I die from [the] belly I came forth and I may expire?
מֵרֶ֣חֶםme.Re.chem from [the] womb H7358 Preposition · noun common masculine singular absolute
26× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word means womb, referring to the place where a fetus grows. It is translated as matrix or womb in the KJV, symbolizing birth and new life. It is a significant concept in biblical culture.
Amplified meaning
from the womb, at the moment of delivery
Tyndale gloss
womb
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

רֶ֫חֶם (rechem) means 'womb' and is derived from the root word רָחַם (racham). It primarily refers to the womb itself, but can also denote a woman or female servant. The term appears in contexts related to childbirth and femininity.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

רֶ֫חֶם, רַ֫חַם n.m. womb

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H7358 רֶ֫חֶם, רַ֫חַם womb

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

7358 rechem rekh'-em

from 7355; the womb (compare 7356):--matrix, womb.

see HEBREW for 07355

see HEBREW for 07356

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

רֶ֫חֶם (re.chem) — womb.

1) womb

1a) womb

1b) womb-man, woman-slave, woman, two women

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep | N-ms — Preposition · noun common masculine singular absolute
HR/Ncmsa
why? not from [the] womb did I die from [the] belly I came forth and I may expire?
אָמ֑וּת'a.Mut did I die H4191 Verb · Qal · imperfect first person common singular
840× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In the Bible, this Hebrew word means to die, either literally or as a punishment, and is used in books like Genesis and Exodus. It can also mean to perish or be killed. This concept is seen in the story of Adam and Eve, where death enters the world as a result of sin.
Amplified meaning
die
Tyndale gloss
to die
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

מוּת (mūth) is a Hebrew verb meaning 'to die' or 'to kill.' It encompasses a range of meanings from dying naturally to being executed as a penalty. The word can refer to both humans and animals, and it includes various forms such as causing death or being killed. There is a distinction in usage based on the subject, whether it is a person or God inflicting death.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

מוּת vb. die

Qal

die, of natural or other causes

die as a penalty = be put to death

Po‛lel. kill, put to death, despatch (intens.)

Hiph.

abs., elsewhere c. acc., subj. man

subj. God, by inflicting penalty

of animals killing men

bring to a premature death

Hoph. be killed, put to death

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H4191 מוּת die .. die, of natural or other causes

. die as a penalty = be put to death

. kill, put to death, despatch (intens.)

. . abs., elsewhere c. acc., subj. man

. subj. God, by inflicting penalty

. of animals killing men

. bring to a premature death

. be killed, put to death

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

4191 muwth mooth

a primitive root: to die (literally or figuratively);

causatively, to kill:--X at all, X crying, (be) dead (body,

man, one), (put to, worthy of) death, destroy(-er), (cause to,

be like to, must) die, kill, necro(-mancer), X must needs,

slay, X surely, X very suddenly, X in (no) wise.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

מוּת (mut) — to die.

1) to die, kill, have one executed

1a)(Qal)

1a1) to die

1a2) to die (as penalty), be put to death

1a3) to die, perish (of a nation)

1a4) to die prematurely (by neglect of wise moral conduct)

1b) (Polel) to kill, put to death, dispatch

1c) (Hiphil) to kill, put to death

1d) (Hophal)

1d1) to be killed, be put to death

1d1a) to die prematurely

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Qal-Imperf-1cs — Verb · Qal · imperfect first person common singular
HVqi1cs
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

(muth, gawa`; apothnesko, teleutao): "To die," etc., is of very frequent occurrence, and in the Old Testament is generally the translation of muth, meaning perhaps originally, "to be stretched out" or "prostrate." "To die," should be the consequence of eating the forbidden fruit (Ge 2:17; compare Ge 20:7; 2Ki 1:4,6). "Die" is commonly used of natural death (Ge 5:8; 25:8). It is used also of violent death (Ge 26:9,11; Ex 21:20); punitive (Ex 19:12; 21:12,14; 28:43; Nu…

why? not from [the] womb did I die from [the] belly I came forth and I may expire?
מִבֶּ֖טֶןmi.Be.ten from [the] belly H990 Preposition · noun common feminine singular absolute
72× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word refers to the belly or womb, and is used to describe the seat of hunger, emotions, and even the depths of the afterlife. It is used in the Bible to describe the body and its functions. The KJV translates it as belly, body, or womb.
Amplified meaning
belly, mother's body
Tyndale gloss
belly: abdomen
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word בֶּ֫טֶן (*beten*) primarily means 'belly,' 'body,' or 'womb.' It is derived from a root suggesting hollowness and encompasses various uses, including the physical abdomen and metaphorical meanings, such as the seat of hunger or mental faculties. The lexicons consistently highlight these aspects without significant disagreement.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

בֶּ֫טֶן n.f. belly, body, womb

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H990 בֶּ֫טֶן belly, body, womb

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

990 beten beh'-ten

from an unused root probably meaning to be hollow; the belly,

especially the womb; also the bosom or body of anything:--

belly, body, + as they be born, + within, womb.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

בֶּ֫טֶן (be.ten) — belly: abdomen.

: abdomen

1) belly, womb, body

1a) belly, abdomen

1a1) as seat of hunger

1a2) as seat of mental faculties

1a3) of depth of Sheol (fig.)

1b) womb

בֶּ֫טֶן (be.ten) — belly: womb.

: womb/pregnancy

1) belly, womb, body

1a) belly, abdomen

1a1) as seat of hunger

1a2) as seat of mental faculties

1a3) of depth of Sheol (fig.)

1b) womb

בֶּ֫טֶן (be.ten) — belly: hump.

: hump

1) belly, womb, body

1a) belly, abdomen

1a1) as seat of hunger

1a2) as seat of mental faculties

1a3) of depth of Sheol (fig.)

1b) womb

בֶּ֫טֶן (be.ten) — belly: body.

: body

1) belly, womb, body

1a) belly, abdomen

1a1) as seat of hunger

1a2) as seat of mental faculties

1a3) of depth of Sheol (fig.)

1b) womb

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep | N-fs — Preposition · noun common feminine singular absolute
HR/Ncfsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

bel'-i: gachon = "the external abdomen" (Ge 3:14; Le 11:42). qobhah = "the abdominal cavity" (Nu 25:8 the American Standard Revised Version "body"). beTen = "the internal abdomen," "the womb" (1Ki 7:20; Job 15:2,35 the King James Version; Job 20:15,23; 40:16; Ps 17,14; Pr 13:25; 18:20; Jer 1:5; Eze 3:3); also figuratively "the internal regions," "the body of anything" (

Belly

The seat of the carnal affections (Titus 1:12; Phil. 3:19; Rom. 16:18). The word is used symbolically for the heart (Prov. 18:8; 20:27; 22:18, marg.). The “belly of hell” signifies the grave or underworld (Jonah 2:2).

Nave's Topical Bible

→ Used figuratively for the seat of the affections Job 15:2,35; 20:20; Ps 44:25; Pr 18:20; 20:27,30; Hab 3:16; Joh 7:38; Tit 1:12

why? not from [the] womb did I die from [the] belly I came forth and I may expire?
יָצָ֣אתִיya.Tza.ti I came forth H3318 Verb · Qal · perfect first person common singular
1,067× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In the Bible, this Hebrew word means to go out or come out, and it's used in many different ways, like leaving a place or starting a new journey, as seen in Genesis and Exodus.
Tyndale gloss
to come out: come
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

יָצָא (yatsa') is a Hebrew verb meaning to go or come out, with various applications including departure, escape, and emergence. It can refer to both animate and inanimate subjects and emphasizes the idea of origin or source. The verb appears in different forms, such as Qal, Hiphil, and Hophal, indicating actions like leading out or being brought forth.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

יָצָא 1068 vb. go or come out

Qal

go or come out or forth

from (מִן) a place

go forth from (the presence of) a person

in technical senses

of flight, involving escape

depart

of inanimate things

with especial emphasis on idea of origin, source

of children as going forth from loins (of father)

go forth to a place

go forward, proceed to or toward something

come or go forth, with esp. ref. to purpose or result

of combinations

Hiph.

cause to go or come out, bring out, lead out

fig. obj. persons, bring out of (מִן) distress, etc.

bring out animals

inanimate obj.

fig. subj. י׳, bring forth from (מִן)

Hoph. be brought forth

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3318 יָצָא go or come out .. go or come out or forth . from (מִן) a place

. go forth from (the presence of) a person

. in technical senses

. of flight, involving escape

. depart

. of inanimate things

. with especial emphasis on idea of origin, source

. of children as going forth from loins (of father)

. . go forth to a place

. go forward, proceed to or toward something

. come or go forth, with esp. ref. to purpose or result

. of combinations

. . cause to go or come out, bring out, lead out

. fig. obj. persons, bring out of (מִן) distress, etc.

. bring out animals

. inanimate obj.

. fig. subj. י׳, bring forth from (מִן)

. be brought forth

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3318 yatsa' yaw-tsaw'

a primitive root; to go (causatively, bring) out, in a great

variety of applications, literally and figuratively, direct

and proxim.:--X after, appear, X assuredly, bear out, X

begotten, break out, bring forth (out, up), carry out, come

(abroad, out, thereat, without), + be condemned,

depart(-ing, -ure), draw forth, in the end, escape, exact,

fail, fall (out), fetch forth (out), get away (forth, hence,

out), (able to, cause to, let) go abroad (forth, on, out),

going out, grow, have forth (out), issue out, lay (lie) out,

lead out, pluck out, proceed, pull out, put away, be risen, X

scarce, send with commandment, shoot forth, spread, spring

out, stand out, X still, X surely, take forth (out), at any

time, X to (and fro), utter.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

יָצָא (ya.tsa) — to come out: come.

: come/go_out/escape

1) to go out, come out, exit, go forth

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to go or come out or forth, depart

1a2) to go forth (to a place)

1a3) to go forward, proceed to (to or toward something)

1a4) to come or go forth (with purpose or for result)

1a5) to come out of

1b) (Hiphil)

1b1) to cause to go or come out, bring out, lead out

1b2) to bring out of

1b3) to lead out

1b4) to deliver

1c) (Hophal) to be brought out or forth

יָצָא (ya.tsa) — to come out: send.

: send/take_out/release

1) to go out, come out, exit, go forth

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to go or come out or forth, depart

1a2) to go forth (to a place)

1a3) to go forward, proceed to (to or toward something)

1a4) to come or go forth (with purpose or for result)

1a5) to come out of

1b) (Hiphil)

1b1) to cause to go or come out, bring out, lead out

1b2) to bring out of

1b3) to lead out

1b4) to deliver

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Qal-Perf-1cs — Verb · Qal · perfect first person common singular
HVqp1cs
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

forth: "Forth," adverb (from "for"), signifies movement

(1) forward,

(2) out of,

(3) beyond a certain boundary.

In a few instances in the Old Testament it is the translation of the preposition `al, properly "above," "upon" (2Ki 11:15; 2Ch 23:14; Am 7:17 the King James Version), and of chuts, "without" (Ge 39:13; Jud 19:25). "Forth" is often used as an expletive of various verbs, as "break (forth)," "bring (forth)," "call (forth)," etc. In the Gospel of John it is the translation of exo, "without," as "Lazarus, come forth" (11:43; so 15:6; 19:4 the King James Version…

why? not from [the] womb did I die from [the] belly I came forth and I may expire?
וְאֶגְוָֽע׃ve.'eg.Va' and I may expire? H1478 Conjunction · verb qal first person common singular
24× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word means to die or expire, like when Jesus gave up his spirit on the cross in Matthew 27:50. It implies a complete stop, like a final breath. It is used in the Bible to describe the end of life.
Amplified meaning
expire, give up the ghost
Tyndale gloss
to die
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

גָּוַע (gava') is a primitive root meaning to breathe out, which implies dying or perishing. It covers various aspects of death, including to expire, give up the ghost, or be ready to die. The entries consistently emphasize its connection to death without any noted disagreements.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

גָּוַע vb. expire, perish, die

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H1478 גָּוַע expire, perish, die

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

1478 gava` gaw-vah'

a primitive root; to breathe out, i.e. (by implication)

expire:--die, be dead, give up the ghost, perish.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

גָּוַע (ga.va) — to die.

1) to expire, die, perish, give up the ghost, yield up the ghost, be dead, be ready to die

1a) (Qal) to expire, die, be about to die

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | V-Qal-Imperf-1cs — Conjunction · verb qal first person common singular
HC/Vqu1cs
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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