Abal (aw-bal) [56]

Meaning

a.  To bewail.

b. A primary root.

1.  Abal is used in the simple, active verbal form primarily in poetry, and usually in a figurative sense.  When it is used of mourning for the dead in a literal sense, the word is found in prose sections and in the reflexive form, indicating action back to the subject.

Basic sentence structure: Subject verb object. Example, He loves himself.

Reflexive form: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves.

2.  To mourn, lament for the dead in a literal sense over the dead; Genesis 37:34, "And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days.".

3.  When used in the figurative sense, abal expresses "mourning" by:

• Gates. Isaiah 3:26, "And her gates shall lament and mourn; and she being desolate shall sit upon the ground.".
• Land. Isaiah 24:4, "The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish."
• Pastures. Amos 1:2, "And he said, The Lord will roar from Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the habitations of the shepherds shall mourn, and the top of Carmel shall wither."

4. In addition to mourning for the dead, "mourning" may be over:

• Jerusalem. Isaiah 66:10, "Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all ye that love her: rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn for her:"
• Sin. Ezra 10:6, "Then Ezra rose up from before the house of God, and went into the chamber of Johanan the son of Eliashib: and when he came thither, he did eat no bread, nor drink water: for he mourned because of the transgression of them that had been carried away." 
• God's judgment. Exodus 33:4, "And when the people heard these evil tidings, they mourned: and no man did put on him his ornaments."

5. One may pretend to be a mourner simply by putting on mourning clothes. 2 Samuel 14:2, "And Joab sent to Tekoah, and fetched thence a wise woman, and said unto her, I pray thee, feign thyself to be a mourner, and put on now mourning apparel, and anoint not thyself with oil, but be as a woman that had a long time mourned for the dead:"

Syn: 5594 is more dramatic stressing wailing and tearing out the hair.