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H162 · Hebrew · Old Testament
אֲהָהּ
ahahh
Interjection
Ah! Alas!

Definition

The Hebrew interjection ahahh (אֲהָהּ) is a raw cry of grief, distress, or lamentation — roughly equivalent to 'Ah!' or 'Alas!' in English. It appears at moments of profound anguish: prophetic grief over judgment, personal crisis, or the overwhelming weight of a divine calling.

This word belongs to a family of Hebrew lament interjections that allow the biblical writers and speakers to express unfiltered emotion before God. It is an honest, anguished cry — the kind that echoes through the Psalms, the Lamentations, and the calls of the prophets.

Usage & Theological Significance

The presence of raw lament language like ahahh in Scripture is itself theologically significant. The Bible does not sanitize grief. It records prophets crying out 'Ah! Alas!' in the face of judgment and suffering. When Jeremiah cried ahahh (Jeremiah 1:6, 4:10), he was not being faithless — he was being human before God.

This connects to the broader biblical tradition of lament: that honest grief brought before God is not a failure of faith but an act of trust. The Psalms of lament — and ultimately Jesus' cry from the cross ('My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?' Psalm 22:1/Matthew 27:46) — show that God receives our anguished cries. The God of Scripture is not threatened by our 'Alas!' — He invites it.

Key Bible Verses

Jeremiah 1:6 Alas, Sovereign LORD,' I said, 'I do not know how to speak; I am too young.'
Jeremiah 4:10 Then I said, 'Alas, Sovereign LORD! How completely you have deceived this people and Jerusalem by saying, "You will have peace," when the sword is at our throats.'
Ezekiel 4:14 Then I said, 'Not so, Sovereign LORD! I have never defiled myself. From my youth until now I have never eaten anything found dead.'
Joel 1:15 Alas for that day! For the day of the LORD is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty.
Joshua 7:7 Alas, Sovereign LORD, why did you ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us?

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