📖 Biblical Definition
God takes tears seriously. "You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle" (Ps 56:8) — God has a bottle. Jesus wept at Lazarus's tomb (John 11:35). Paul says "I have reminded you, with tears, night and day, for three years" (Acts 20:31) — a pastor's tears are in the job description. "They that sow in tears shall reap in joy" (Ps 126:5) — tears are seed. And the final promise: "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes" (Rev 21:4). Tears are not a sign of weakness to be hidden; they are biblical data the LORD collects.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
TEARS, n. pl.
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TEARS, n. pl. The transparent fluid secreted by the lachrymal gland and shed from the eyes. In Scripture, tears are not waste but seed, not weakness but prayer — "Put my tears in your bottle" — and the final promise of the new creation is specifically that God will wipe them away with His own hand. Every tear shed in righteousness is recorded, treasured, and eventually erased by the God who loved the weeper.
📖 Key Scripture
Psalm 56:8 — "You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book?"
John 11:35 — "Jesus wept."
Psalm 126:5-6 — "Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy! He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him."
Revelation 21:4 — "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
Modern culture hides tears. Scripture catalogs them in a divine bottle. Every tear has a receipt.
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Men especially are trained to hide tears; Jesus did not. Paul did not. David did not ("all night I make my bed swim; I drench my couch with my weeping" — Ps 6:6). The faithful pastor preaches with tears; the faithful intercessor weeps over the lost; the faithful saint sows in tears and reaps in joy. Do not hide the tears; offer them. God has a bottle with your name on it.
🔗 Greek & Hebrew Roots
H1832 — dimah. G1144 — dakry.
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H1832 — dimah (דִּמְעָה) — tear, weeping.
G1144 — dakry (δάκρυ) — tear; John 11:35 uses the verbal form.
Usage
"Put my tears in your bottle, O God. Every tear has a receipt in heaven."
"Those who sow in tears reap in joy. Do not bypass the tears; they are the seed."