κλαυθμός
weeping, lamentation
Definition
κλαυθμός refers to the act of weeping, lamentation, or crying, often expressing profound grief, sorrow, or despair. In the New Testament, it consistently describes the intense mourning associated with judgment and loss, particularly in eschatological contexts. For example, in Matthew 8:12 and 22:13, it depicts the 'weeping and gnashing of teeth' of those excluded from God's kingdom, while in Matthew 2:18, it quotes Jeremiah 31:15 to describe Rachel's lamentation over her children, showing it can also denote historical grief.
Biblical Usage
This word is used exclusively in the Gospels, with all nine occurrences found in Matthew and Luke. It appears primarily in Jesus' teachings about final judgment, often paired with 'gnashing of teeth' (e.g., Matthew 13:42, 50; 24:51) to illustrate the anguish of the condemned. The pattern highlights its association with divine retribution and exclusion from salvation, making it a stark term for eschatological sorrow.
Etymology
Derived from the verb κλαίω (klaio, G2799), meaning 'to weep' or 'to lament.' The noun form κλαυθμός intensifies the action, emphasizing loud, mournful crying. It shares a root with other lament-related terms in Greek, reflecting a focus on audible expressions of grief.
Semantic Range
κλαυθμός is theologically significant as it vividly portrays the consequences of rejecting God's kingdom. Its use in Jesus' parables (e.g., Matthew 25:30) underscores the reality of eternal separation and judgment, enriching readers' understanding of biblical warnings about salvation and doom. It serves as a sobering reminder of the stakes in spiritual decision-making.
In ancient Mediterranean culture, loud, demonstrative weeping was a common and socially expected response to death, disaster, or profound loss, unlike more restrained modern norms. κλαυθμός would have evoked images of public, communal lamentation, amplifying its impact in biblical passages about collective judgment or mourning.
κλαίω (klaio, G2799) — the verb 'to weep,' focusing on the action; θρῆνος (threnos, G2355) — a lament or dirge, often for the dead, more formal than κλαυθμός; ὀδυρμός (odyrmos, G3602) — mourning or wailing, similar in intensity but less common in the NT.
Word Details
How this works
Definitions are from the Dodson Greek-English Lexicon, a concise public-domain resource suitable for introductory word study. Brief glosses are supplemented by STEPBible TBESG data (CC BY 4.0). For advanced research, standard scholarly references include BDAG (Danker, 3rd ed.) and LSJ.
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