The Greek verb klaio means to weep or cry — audible weeping, often with an intensity that distinguishes it from silent tears (dakruo). It describes real emotional grief and mourning. Jesus wept (edakrusen) in John 11, but at the tomb of Lazarus He also embrimaomai-ed deeply. Klaio describes the more vocal, expressive weeping of grief.
The occurrence of klaio in the Gospels reveals important truths about Jesus and about Christian life. Jesus told mourners at Jairus' daughter: 'Stop weeping; she is not dead but asleep.' Yet He wept over Jerusalem and was deeply moved at Lazarus's tomb. This is not contradiction — there is weeping appropriate to a fallen world, and there is premature weeping that lacks resurrection hope. Paul's instruction to 'weep with those who weep' (Romans 12:15) means entering fully into another's grief rather than offering quick solutions. Revelation 21:4 promises God will wipe away every tear — validating the reality of grief while declaring its ultimate end. Klaio is the honest language of a world not yet fully redeemed.