הוֹ
oh!
Definition
הוֹ (hôw) is an interjection expressing deep lament, grief, or woe. It is a cry of distress or mourning, often translating as 'alas!' or 'oh!'. In its sole biblical occurrence in Amos 5:16, it is used in a context of divine judgment, where the prophet Amos declares that cries of 'hôw' will be heard in the streets and vineyards as a result of the coming calamity. This single usage strongly ties the word to expressions of sorrow in the face of God's righteous judgment.
Biblical Usage
This word is used only once in the Old Testament, in Amos 5:16. It appears in a prophetic oracle of judgment against Israel. The context is a description of widespread, public mourning ('in all the squares' and 'in all the streets'), where people will call out 'hôw' (alas!). Its usage is specifically tied to a context of lamentation resulting from divine punishment.
Etymology
הוֹ (hôw) is derived by a slight permutation or variation from the more common interjection הָהּ (hâh, H1929), which also means 'ah!' or 'alas!'. Both are primary exclamations of emotion. This places it within a small family of Hebrew interjections used to express sudden feeling, particularly grief or dismay.
Semantic Range
Though used only once, this word is theologically significant as it encapsulates the human response to God's judgment. In Amos 5:16, the cry of 'hôw' is not just general sadness but a specific lament provoked by the consequences of covenant unfaithfulness. Understanding this Hebrew cry enriches the reading of Amos by emphasizing the inescapable and public nature of the sorrow that follows divine justice. It serves as a stark verbal marker of the prophetic warning.
In ancient Israelite culture, loud, public lamentation was a standard practice for mourning death, disaster, or national calamity. The cry 'hôw' would have been a recognizable, spontaneous vocalization of grief, similar to 'woe!' in English. Its use in Amos paints a vivid picture of a society utterly overcome by sorrow as a direct result of its moral and spiritual failures.
הָהּ (hâh, H1929) — A nearly identical interjection for 'ah!' or 'alas!', used more frequently (e.g., Ezekiel 30:2). אוֹי (ʼôwy, H188) — A stronger exclamation meaning 'woe!', often used in prophetic judgments (e.g., Isaiah 3:9, Amos 5:18).
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
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