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Job 7:3 — Word Study

Depth

WLCכֵּ֤ן הָנְחַ֣לְתִּי לִ֭י יַרְחֵי־ שָׁ֑וְא וְלֵיל֥וֹת עָ֝מָ֗ל מִנּוּ־ לִֽי׃

BSASokên [thus, in this manner] I am allottednâchal [to inherit, to possess] monthsyerach [lunar cycles, periods of time] of futilityshâvᵉʼ [vanity, emptiness, uselessness] and nightslayil [periods of darkness, adversity] of miseryʻâmâl [trouble, hardship, pain] are appointedmânâh [numbered, assigned]

Word
Listen & take awayJob 7
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 3 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 (Li) — no per-word recordings of the Hebrew exist to link to.
Take it away
Job 7:3quick helps
In a sentenceJob laments that he has been given a life filled with emptiness and suffering.
Who is speakingJob, expressing his deep anguish and despair.
Where we areIn a passage where Job reflects on his suffering and the futility of his days.
The hard wordשָׁוְא
Take awayJob feels trapped in a cycle of pain and worthlessness.
8 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them › clause verbנָחַל 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 7:3

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

2Like a slave he longs for shade; like a hireling he waits for his wages.
3So I am allotted months of futility, and nights of misery are appointed me.
4When I lie down I think: ‘When will I get up?’ But the night drags on, and I toss and turn until dawn.
5My flesh is clothed with worms and encrusted with dirt; my skin is cracked and festering.

Job 7:3 expresses Job's profound sense of despair as he recounts the months filled with futility and nights filled with misery that he feels have been assigned to him. This verse captures the essence of his suffering and the feeling of being overwhelmed by his circumstances, as he grapples with the meaning of his pain and the seeming emptiness of his existence.


Cross References

ReferenceText (BSB)
1Job 29:2“How I long for the months gone by, for the days when God watched over me,
2Psalm 6:6I am weary from groaning; all night I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears.
3Psalm 39:5You, indeed, have made my days as handbreadths, and my lifetime as nothing before You. Truly each man at his best exists as but a breath. Selah
4Ecclesiastes 1:14I have seen all the things that are done under the sun, and have found them all to be futile, a pursuit of the wind.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 4 references, hung on the phrase they belong to


The Key Word הָנְחַ֣לְתִּי, ha.ne.Chal.tigenerated

The verb הָנְחַ֣לְתִּי (*ha.ne.Chal.ti*) is a Hophal perfect form, indicating that Job has been allotted or assigned something. This word conveys a sense of receiving an inheritance or possession, but in this context, it reflects the burdensome nature of what he has received — months of futility.

The root of this verb, נָחַל (*nachal*), means to inherit or take possession, which in Job's case, is a heavy and painful inheritance. Job's use of this word emphasizes the weight of his suffering, as he feels that these months of emptiness are something he has been forced to accept.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, which uses allotted to convey the sense of being assigned something burdensome.


Sentence Structuregenerated

The main verb of the verse is הָנְחַ֣לְתִּי, I have been allotted, which governs the phrases that follow. The structure emphasizes Job's personal experience of suffering, as he details the months and nights that have been assigned to him.

The sentence is structured with a main clause followed by two noun phrases: months of futility and nights of misery. This arrangement highlights the dual nature of Job's suffering, both in time and in experience.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

The Septuagint translates הָנְחַ֣לְתִּי as ὑπέμεινα, which means 'I have endured.' This choice shifts the focus from merely being allotted something to actively enduring it, emphasizing Job's struggle with his suffering.

The Greek word for שָׁוְא is κενούς, which also conveys emptiness. This translation aligns with the Hebrew meaning but highlights the absence of value in Job's experiences.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

Job 7:3 reveals Job's deep sorrow as he feels he has been given months filled with emptiness and nights filled with pain. He expresses a sense of being trapped in a cycle of suffering, longing for relief from his misery.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

What does Job mean by 'months of futility'?

Job is expressing that his time feels wasted and filled with emptiness, reflecting his despair over his suffering.

Why does Job mention 'nights of misery'?

The nights symbolize not only darkness but also the ongoing pain and hardship he endures, emphasizing his sleeplessness and anguish.

What is the significance of the word 'allotted'?

Job uses 'allotted' to convey that he feels burdened with a fate he did not choose, highlighting his sense of helplessness.

How does this verse relate to the overall themes in Job?

This verse encapsulates the themes of suffering, despair, and the search for meaning in pain, which are central to the book of Job.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. In what areas of my life do I feel a sense of futility or emptiness, similar to Job's experience?
  2. How can I find hope in times of suffering, as Job seeks to understand his pain?
  3. What does it mean to endure hardships, and how can I support others who are going through difficult times?
  4. How can I better understand the concept of suffering in the context of faith?

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

The early church fathers, such as Gregory the Dialogist, have commented on this verse, interpreting Job's lament as a reflection of the Church's suffering.

Gregory the DialogistMorals on the Book of Job, Book VIII c. 540–604
So am I made to possess months of vanity, and I have numbered me wearisome nights. Yet, if this sentence be referred to the voice of Holy Church, the meaning thereof is traced out with a little more particularity.
Early Church Fathers on Job 7 →

Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on Job 7:3 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

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

So am I made to possess months of vanity,.... This is not a reddition or application of the above similes of the servant and hireling, Job 7:1; for that is to be understood, and to be supplied at the

Read John Gill on Job 7 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

So am I made to possess months of vanity, and wearisome nights are appointed to me. Months of vanity - comfortless misfortune. "I am made (obliged against my will) to posses" - literally, to be heir to-irony.

Read Robert Jamieson on Job 7 →
Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy Bible

This so respects not so much the desire and expectation of a hired servant, which is expressed , as the ground and reason of it, which is plainly implied there, to wit, his hard toil and service, which makes him thirst after rest. I am made to possess; God, by his sovereign power and providence, hath given me this as my lot and inheritance. Months; so he calls them rather than days, to note either the irksomeness and tediousness of his affliction, whereby every day seemed a month to him; or their length and continuance, which, as some infer from hence, had now been upon him some months. Of vanity; empty and unsatisfying, or false and deceitful, not giving me that ease and rest which they…

Read Matthew Poole on Job 7 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Job 7:3 So am I made to possess months of vanity, and wearisome nights are appointed to me.Ver. 3. So am I made to possess months of vanity] So, but a great deal worse than so is it with me. The labouring servant hath his shade; the painful hireling hath his hire at the set time; but I am made to possess, or have assigned to me for mine inheritance, not days, but whole months of vanity, that is, of molestation and misery, void of the least comfort or hope of amendment. The soldier, servant, hireling, suffer hardship in hope of better; but with me it is every day worse than other; and were it not for the hope of heaven, the life I lead here would be a little hell to me. From the months of…

Read John Trapp on Job 7 →
AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible

Verse 3. So am I made to possess] But night is no relief to me, it is only a continuance of my anxiety and labour. I am like the hireling, I have my appointed labour for the day. I am like the soldier harassed by the enemy: I am obliged to be continually on the watch, always on the look out, with scarcely any rest.

Read AdamClarke on Job 7 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

3. made to possess] lit. made to inherit. They are laid on him by the will of another. Job narrows his view here from the lot of men in general to his own. He is one of an afflicted race, but the universal misery does not alleviate his own, it rather increases it. That loss is common would not make My own less bitter, rather more; Too common! Never morning wore To evening, but some heart did break. A sorrowing Arab poet gives expression to a different feeling: Did not a common sorrow console me I would not live an hour among men, But whenever I will, they in like condition with myself respond to me. Hamasa, p. 389, 396. The point of comparison between Job’s life and the day of the hireling…

Read Cambridge on Job 7 →
Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the Bible

So am I made to possess - Hebrew I am made to inherit. The meaning is, that such sad and melancholy seasons now were his only portion.

Read Albert Barnes on Job 7 →
Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible

3. Months of vanity — The misery, ùׁ ?åà, (not “vanity.”) that he is made to inherit month after month, is the pivot of the comparison. As a slave suffers and desires rest, so does Job.

Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Job 7 →

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

So I am allotted months of futility, and nights of misery are appointed me.

WEBWorld English Bible2000

so I am made to possess months of misery, wearisome nights are appointed to me.

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

So I am allotted months of futility, and nights of misery are appointed to me.

NETBNew English Translation2006

thus I have been made to inherit months of futility, and nights of sorrow have been appointed to me.

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

So am I made to possess months of vanity, and wearisome nights are appointed to me.

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

So am I made to possess months of misery, And wearisome nights are appointed to me.

RVARevised Version, American1894

So am I made to possess months of vanity, and wearisome nights are appointed to me.

NWBWebster's Bible1833

So am I made to possess months of vanity, and wearisome nights are appointed to me.

GNVGeneva Bible1599

So haue I had as an inheritance the moneths of vanitie, and painefull nights haue bene appointed vnto me.

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

So am I made to possess months of vanity, and wearisome nights are appointed to me.

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

So I have been caused to inherit months of vanity, And nights of misery they numbered to me.

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

So I have been caused to inherit months of vanity, || And they numbered nights of misery to me.

ILTInterlinear Literal Translation2000

So was I compelled to possess months of vanity, and nights of trouble were counted out unto me.

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

so I have been made to endure months of misery; I have been given trouble-filled nights.

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

So I also have had empty months, and have numbered to myself wearisome nights.

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

I've been given months of emptiness and nights of misery.

BBEBible in Basic English1949

So I have for my heritage months of pain to no purpose, and nights of weariness are given to me.

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.

clauseadverbialכֵּ֤ןsoverbהָנְחַ֣לְתִּיI.have.been.allottedprepositional phrase · prepositionalלִ֭forיmyselfnoun phrase · objectיַרְחֵיmonthsשָׁ֑וְאof.worthlessnessוְandclausenoun phrase · objectלֵיל֥וֹתnightsעָ֝מָ֗לof.troubleverbמִנּוּpeople.have.allottedprepositional phrase · prepositionalלִֽtoיme

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 are largely in agreement, with eight out of nine words matching. The Septuagint reflects a similar sentiment but expresses it in a different structure, focusing on endurance rather than mere allotment.

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

כֵּ֤ן הָנְחַ֣לְתִּי לִ֭י יַרְחֵי־ שָׁ֑וְא וְלֵיל֥וֹת עָ֝מָ֗ל מִנּוּ־ לִֽי׃

Septuagintthe Greek the translators chose, word by word
כֵּ֤ןοὕτωςהָנְחַ֣לְתִּיὑπέμειναיַרְחֵי־μῆναςשָׁ֑וְאκενούςוְלֵיל֥וֹתνύκτεςעָ֝מָ֗לὀδυνῶνמִנּוּ־δεδομέναιלִֽי׃μοί

8 of the 9 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 7:3כֵּןsosoכֵּןנָחַלI have beenI have been allנָחַלנִיfor myselffor myselfנִייֶ֫רַחmonths ofmonths ofיֶ֫רַחשָׁוְאworthlessneworthlessnessשָׁוְאלַ֫יְלָהand nights and nights ofלַ֫יְלָהעָמָלtroubletroubleעָמָלמָנָהpeople havepeople have allמָנָהנִיto meto meנִיעָמַלto toilto toilעָמַלכּוּןto establito establish: pכּוּןשׁוֹאravageravageשׁוֹאלוּלstairsstairsלוּלכֹּהthusthusכֹּהאָדוֹןLordLordאָדוֹןאֶלְעָזָרEleazarEleazarאֶלְעָזָרנַחֲלָהinheritancinheritanceנַחֲלָהשָׁלֹשׁthreethreeשָׁלֹשׁכֵּןrightrightכֵּןכָּזָבlielieכָּזָבקָסַםto divineto divineקָסַםיוֹמָםby dayby dayיוֹמָםאוֹרto lightto lightאוֹראָ֫וֶןevil: wickevil: wickednesאָ֫וֶןרֹבabundanceabundanceרֹבסָפַרto recountto recountסָפַר
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 7:3

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.

so I have been allotted for myself months of worthlessness and nights of trouble people have allotted to me
כֵּ֤ןken so H3651 Adverb
771× 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 'so' or 'thus', often used to show agreement or confirmation, like in the book of Genesis. It can also mean 'rightly' or 'justly', as in doing something the correct way. It appears in various forms throughout the Old Testament.
Amplified meaning
thus, in this manner
Tyndale gloss
right
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word כֵּן (*ken*) is built from the root meaning 'set upright.' It functions as an adjective meaning 'right,' 'veritable,' or 'honest,' and as an adverb meaning 'so,' 'therefore,' or 'thus.' It appears in various contexts, often indicating manner or relation, and is used in phrases like 'forasmuch as.'

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

כֵּן adj. right, veritable, honest

right

veritable, true

pl. concr. honest (men)

base

כִּי עַל כֵּן forasmuch as

base

כֵּן adv. so

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3651a כֵּן adj. right, veritable, honest H3651b כִּי עַל כֵּן forasmuch as H3651c כֵּן so

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3651 ken kane

from 3559; properly, set upright; hence (figuratively as

adjective) just; but usually (as adverb or conjunction)

rightly or so (in various applications to manner, time and

relation; often with other particles):--+ after that

(this, -ward, -wards), as ... as, + (for-)asmuch as yet, + be

(for which) cause, + following, howbeit, in (the) like

(manner, -wise), X the more, right, (even) so, state,

straightway, such (thing), surely, + there (where)-fore, this,

thus, true, well, X you.

see HEBREW for 03559

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

כֵּן (ken) — right.

adv

adj

1) right, just, honest, true, veritable

1a) right, just, honest

1b) correct

1c) true, veritable

[כִּי עַל] כֵּן ([ki al] ken) — as.

adv

forasmuch as, since

כֵּן (ken) — so.

adv

1) so, therefore, thus

1a) thus, so

1b) just so

1c) therefore

1d) so...as (paired with adv)

1e) then

1f) forasmuch as (in phrase)

1g) (with prep)

1g1) therefore, this being so (specific)

1g2) hitherto

1g3) therefore, on this ground (general)

1g4) afterwards

1g5) in such case

Aramaic equivalent: ken (כֵּן "thus" H3652)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Part — Adverb
HD
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

so (co', although the Hebrew might be pointed cewe'; Assyrian Sib'u; Septuagint Segor, Soa; Manetho, Seuechos; Latin Sevechus; Herodotus (ii. 137 ff), Sabakon): In all probability the "Sabaeo" of Herodotus, the Shabaka, who founded the Ethiopian dynasty, the XXVth of Egyptian kings. His date is given as 715-707 BC (Flinders Petrie, History of Egypt, III, 281 ff), but we may suppose that before his accession to the throne he was entitled to be designated king, as being actually regent. To this So, Hoshea, king of Israel, made an appeal for assistance to enable him to throw off the yoke of the Assyrian Shalmaneser IV (2Ki 17:3). But Hoshea's submission to So brought him no advantage, for Shalmaneser came up throughout all the land and laid siege to Samaria. Not long after the fall of Samaria, So ventured upon an eastern campaign, and…

Easton's Bible Dictionary

So

(Nubian, Sabako), an Ethiopian king who brought Egypt under his sway. He was bribed by Hoshea to help him against the Assyrian monarch Shalmaneser (2 Kings 17:4). This was a return to the policy that had been successful in the reign of Jeroboam I.

Smith's Bible Dictionary

"So, king of Egypt," is once mentioned in the Bible -- (2 Kings 17:4) So has been identified by different writers with the first and second kings of the Ethiopian twenty-fifth dynasty, called by Manetho, Sabakon (Shebek) and Sebichos (Shebetek).

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

King of Egypt, made an alliance with Hoshea king of Israel, and promised him assistance; but was unable to prevent Shalmaneser king of Assyria from taking Samaria and subverting the kingdom, B. C. 721, 2Ki 17:4. See PHARAOH.

So is believed to have been the Servetus or Sabaco II of secular history, the second king of the Ethiopian or twenty-fifth dynasty, and the predecessor of Trihakah. A singular fact has been brought to light by the recent explorations at Nineveh, corroborating the Scripture record the more forcibly, because unexpected and direct. The Bible shows that Egypt and Assyria, though remote, were often in conflict during the height of the Assyrian ruins power, and that So was at war with Shalmaneser. After war comes the treaty of peace; and as the Bible prepares us to suppose such treaties were made, the Assyrian ruins…

The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
so I have been allotted for myself months of worthlessness and nights of trouble people have allotted to me
הָנְחַ֣לְתִּיha.ne.Chal.ti I have been allotted H5157 Verb · Hophal · perfect first person common singular
59× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew verb means to inherit or to take possession of something, as seen in the story of the Israelites inheriting the Promised Land in Joshua 1:6. It can also mean to distribute or divide something among people, like the division of the land in Joshua 13-19. The word is used in various forms throughout the Bible.
Amplified meaning
to inherit, to possess
Tyndale gloss
to inherit
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

נָחַל (nachal) is a Hebrew verb meaning to inherit or take possession. It encompasses various aspects of acquiring property, including dividing land and bequeathing inheritance. The entries detail its uses in different grammatical forms, such as Qal for taking possession and Hiphil for giving as an inheritance. There is no significant disagreement among the lexicons regarding its meanings.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

נָחַל vb. denom. get or take as a possession

Qal

take possession, inherit

fig. have or get as a possession, property

divide the land for a possession

Pi. divide for a possession

Hithp. possess oneself of land

Hiph.

give as a possession

cause to inherit, give as an inheritance

Hoph. made to possess

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H5157 נָחַל vb. denom. get or take as a possession

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

5157 nachal naw-khal'

a primitive root; to inherit (as a (figurative) mode of

descent), or (generally) to occupy; causatively, to bequeath,

or (generally) distribute, instate:--divide, have

((inheritance)), take as a heritage, (cause to, give to, make

to) inherit, (distribute for, divide (for, for an, by), give

for, have, leave for, take (for)) inheritance, (have in, cause

to, be made to) possess(-ion).

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

נָחַל (na.chal) — to inherit.

1) to get as a possession, acquire, inherit, possess

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to take possession, inherit

1a2) to have or get as a possession or property (fig.)

1a3) to divide the land for a possession

1a4) to acquire (testimonies) (fig.)

1b) (Piel) to divide for a possession

1c) (Hithpael) to possess oneself of

1d) (Hiphil)

1d1) to give as a possession

1d2) to cause to inherit, give as an inheritance

1e) (Hophal) to be allotted, be made to possess

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Hophal-Perf-1cs — Verb · Hophal · perfect first person common singular
HVHp1cs
so I have been allotted for myself months of worthlessness and nights of trouble people have allotted to me
לִ֭יli for myself H9030 Preposition · suffix
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

נִי (ni) — me.

Personal object pronoun - suffix for propositions and verbs without an object: 1st person singular

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HR/Sp1bs — Preposition · suffix
HR/Sp1bs
so I have been allotted for myself months of worthlessness and nights of trouble people have allotted to me
יַרְחֵי־yar.chei- months of H3391 Noun common · masculine plural construct
12× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word refers to a month or lunar cycle. It is also translated as moon in some contexts, and is used to describe a calendar month.
Amplified meaning
lunar cycles, periods of time
Tyndale gloss
month
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

יֶ֫רַח (yerach) means 'month' and is derived from an unused root of uncertain meaning. It refers to a lunar cycle or calendar month and is associated with the moon. The Aramaic equivalent is יְרַח (ye.rach).

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

יֶ֫רַח n.m. month

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3391 יֶ֫רַח month

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3391 yerach yeh'-rakh

from a unused root of uncertain signification; a lunation,

i.e. month:--month, moon.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

יֶ֫רַח (ye.rach) — month.

1) month (lunar cycle), moon

1a) month

1b) calendar month

Aramaic equivalent: ye.rach (יְרַח "month" H3393)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-mp — Noun common · masculine plural construct
HNcmpc
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

ov:

(1) In Anglo-Saxon, had the meaning "from," "away from" (as the strengthened form "off" has still), and was not used for genitive or possessive relations, these being expressed by special case-forms. In the Norman period, however, "of" was taken to represent the French de (a use well developed by the time of Chaucer), and in the Elizabethan period both senses of "of" were in common use. But after about 1600 the later force of the word became predominant, and in the earlier sense (which is now practically obsolete) it was replaced by other prepositions. In consequence the King James Version (and in some cases the Revised Version (British and American)) contains many uses of "of" that are no longer familiar--most of them, to be sure, causing no difficulty, but there still being a few responsible for real obscurities.

English usagewhat the translators’ English meant
Webster's Dictionary (1828), Webster's Unabridged (1913), Webster's Dictionary (1806)

OF, preposition ov. [Gr.]

1. From or out of; proceeding from, as the cause, source, means, author or agent bestowing.

I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered to you. 1 Corinthians 11:1.

For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts. Joshua 11:1.

It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed.

Lamentations 3:1.

The whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. Proverbs 16:1.

Go, inquire of the Lord for me. 2 Chronicles 34:2.

That holy thing that shall be born of thee. Luke 1:1.

Hence of is the sign of the genitive case, the case that denotes production; as the son of man, the son proceeding from man, produced from man. This is the primary sense, although we now say, produced by man. 'Part of these were slain; ' that is, a number separate, for part denotes a division; the sense then is, a number from or out of the whole were slain. So also, 'some of these were slain; ' that is…

The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
so I have been allotted for myself months of worthlessness and nights of trouble people have allotted to me
שָׁ֑וְאShav' worthlessness H7723 Noun common · masculine singular absolute
53× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Vanity or falsehood, this word describes something empty, useless, or deceitful, like the idols worshipped by the Israelites in Isaiah 41:29, or the lies and false promises spoken by false prophets in Jeremiah 23:25.
Amplified meaning
vanity, emptiness, uselessness
Tyndale gloss
vanity: false
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word שָׁוְא (*shav*) means emptiness or vanity. It conveys ideas of falsehood, worthlessness, and deception, both in a literal sense and in terms of moral or spiritual emptiness. The lexicons highlight its use in describing empty speech or conduct that is devoid of value.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

שָׁוְא n.[m.] emptiness, vanity

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H7723 שָׁוְא emptiness, vanity

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

7723 shav' shawv

or shav {shav}; from the same as 7722 in the sense of

desolating; evil (as destructive), literally (ruin) or morally

(especially guile); figuratively idolatry (as false,

subjective), uselessness (as deceptive, objective; also

adverbially, in vain):--false(-ly), lie, lying, vain, vanity.

see HEBREW for 07722

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

שָׁוְא (shav) — vanity: false.

: false

1) emptiness, vanity, falsehood

1a) emptiness, nothingness, vanity

1b) emptiness of speech, lying

1c) worthlessness (of conduct)

Also means: shav (שָׁוְא ": vain" H7723H)

שָׁוְא (shav) — vanity: vain.

: vain/empty/worthless

1) emptiness, vanity, falsehood

1a) emptiness, nothingness, vanity

1b) emptiness of speech, lying

1c) worthlessness (of conduct)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-ms — Noun common · masculine singular absolute
HNcmsa
so I have been allotted for myself months of worthlessness and nights of trouble people have allotted to me
וְלֵיל֥וֹתve.lei.Lot and nights of H3915 Conjunction · noun common feminine plural construct
233× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Night refers to the time of darkness, opposed to day, and can also symbolize adversity or hardship. It is a period of rest, but also of potential danger or uncertainty.
Amplified meaning
periods of darkness, adversity
Tyndale gloss
night
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

לַ֫יְלָה (layil) means 'night' and is derived from a root that suggests a twist away from light. It encompasses the literal sense of night as opposed to day, as well as figurative uses related to gloom or adversity. The term appears in contexts like Isaiah 21:11.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

לַ֫יְלָה, לַ֫יִל 242 n.m. night

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3915 לַ֫יְלָה, לַ֫יִל night

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3915 layil lah'-yil

or (Isa. 21:11) leyl {lale}; also laylah {lah'- yel-aw}; from

the same as 3883; properly, a twist (away of the light), i.e.

night; figuratively, adversity:--((mid-))night (season).

see HEBREW for 03883

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

לַ֫יְלָה (lay.lah) — night.

1) night

1a) night (as opposed to day)

1b) of gloom, protective shadow (fig.)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | N-mp — Conjunction · noun common feminine plural construct
HC/Ncfpc
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

ov:

(1) In Anglo-Saxon, had the meaning "from," "away from" (as the strengthened form "off" has still), and was not used for genitive or possessive relations, these being expressed by special case-forms. In the Norman period, however, "of" was taken to represent the French de (a use well developed by the time of Chaucer), and in the Elizabethan period both senses of "of" were in common use. But after about 1600 the later force of the word became predominant, and in the earlier sense (which is now practically obsolete) it was replaced by other prepositions. In consequence the King James Version (and in some cases the Revised Version (British and American)) contains many uses of "of" that are no longer familiar--most of them, to be sure, causing no difficulty, but there still being a few responsible for real obscurities.

English usagewhat the translators’ English meant
Webster's Dictionary (1828), Webster's Unabridged (1913), Webster's Dictionary (1806)

OF, preposition ov. [Gr.]

1. From or out of; proceeding from, as the cause, source, means, author or agent bestowing.

I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered to you. 1 Corinthians 11:1.

For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts. Joshua 11:1.

It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed.

Lamentations 3:1.

The whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. Proverbs 16:1.

Go, inquire of the Lord for me. 2 Chronicles 34:2.

That holy thing that shall be born of thee. Luke 1:1.

Hence of is the sign of the genitive case, the case that denotes production; as the son of man, the son proceeding from man, produced from man. This is the primary sense, although we now say, produced by man. 'Part of these were slain; ' that is, a number separate, for part denotes a division; the sense then is, a number from or out of the whole were slain. So also, 'some of these were slain; ' that is…

so I have been allotted for myself months of worthlessness and nights of trouble people have allotted to me
עָ֝מָ֗ל'a.Mal trouble H5999 Noun common · both singular absolute
55× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word refers to trouble or hard work that causes worry or pain, whether physical or mental, like the struggles of the Israelites in the book of Exodus.
Amplified meaning
trouble, hardship, pain
Tyndale gloss
trouble
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

עָמָל (amal) refers to trouble, labor, or toil. It encompasses a range of meanings including physical and mental effort, as well as sorrow and mischief. The word is built from a root that conveys the idea of wearing effort and can imply grievance or wickedness. It appears in contexts related to suffering and toil.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

עָמָל n.m. f. trouble, labor, toil

trouble (∥ sorrow): one’s own suffering

trouble, mischief, as done to others

toil, labour (late in Heb.)

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H5999 עָמָל trouble, labor, toil

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

5999 `amal aw-mawl'

from 5998; toil, i.e. wearing effort; hence, worry, wheth. of

body or mind:--grievance(-vousness), iniquity, labour,

mischief, miserable(-sery), pain(-ful), perverseness, sorrow,

toil, travail, trouble, wearisome, wickedness.

see HEBREW for 05998

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

עָמָל (a.mal) — trouble.

1) toil, trouble, labour

1a) trouble

1b) trouble, mischief

1c) toil, labour

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-cs — Noun common · both singular absolute
HNcbsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
Nave's Topical Bible

→ BORROWING Mt 6:25-34; Mr 5:35,36; Joh 14:1; 16:6,7; Php 4:6; 1Pe 5:7

See AFFLICTION

See SUFFERING

→ INSTANCES OF

Israelites at the Red Sea Ex 14:10-12

About water Ex 15:23-25; 17:2,3; Nu 20:1-13

Food Ex 16:2,3; Nu 11:4-33

When Moses waited upon the mountain Ex 32:1

so I have been allotted for myself months of worthlessness and nights of trouble people have allotted to me
מִנּוּ־mi.nu- people have allotted H4487 Verb · Piel · perfect third person common plural
28× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
To count or number something means to weigh it out or assign a value to it. In the Bible, this term is used to describe the act of counting or numbering people, animals, or things. For example, in the book of Numbers, the Israelites are counted and numbered before entering the Promised Land.
Amplified meaning
numbered, assigned
Tyndale gloss
to count
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

מָנָה (manah) is a Hebrew verb meaning to count, number, or reckon. It encompasses various forms, including appointing and assigning, and can indicate both active and passive senses, such as being counted or appointed. The entries suggest a range of uses in contexts of enumeration and official designation, but do not provide specific verse references.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

מָנָה vb. count, number, reckon, assign

Qal

count, number

reckon, assign, appoint

Niph.

be counted, numbered

be reckoned, assigned

Pi. appoint, ordain

Pu. appointed

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H4487 מָנָה count, number, reckon, assign .. count, number

. reckon, assign, appoint

. . be counted, numbered

. be reckoned, assigned

. appoint, ordain

. appointed

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

4487 manah maw-naw'

a primitive root; properly, to weigh out; by implication, to

allot or constitute officially; also to enumerate or

enroll:--appoint, count, number, prepare, set, tell.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

מָנָה (ma.nah) — to count.

1) to count, reckon, number, assign, tell, appoint, prepare

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to count, number

1a2) reckon, assign, appoint

1b) (Niphal)

1b1) to be counted, be numbered

1b2) to be reckoned, be assigned

1c) (Piel) to appoint, ordain

1d) (Pual) appointed (participle)

Aramaic equivalent: me.nah (מְנָה "to reckon/appoint" H4483)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Piel-Perf-3cp — Verb · Piel · perfect third person common plural
HVpp3cp
so I have been allotted for myself months of worthlessness and nights of trouble people have allotted to me
לִֽי׃Li to me H9030 Preposition · suffix
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

נִי (ni) — me.

Personal object pronoun - suffix for propositions and verbs without an object: 1st person singular

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HR/Sp1bs — Preposition · suffix
HR/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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