The Hebrew interrogative particle eykoh (also eykah) means 'where?' or 'how?' and is used to express lamentation, searching, and disbelief. It is the opening word of the book of Lamentations — the word from which the entire book derives its Hebrew name, expressing the depth of grief over Jerusalem's fall.
The book of Lamentations opens with a single word: Eykah — 'How lonely sits the city that was full of people!' (Lamentations 1:1). This piercing interrogative expresses not just a question but a lament — how could this happen? How has it come to this? In its deepest use, eykoh is the language of spiritual crisis. Yet Lamentations does not end in despair — it moves through grief to the assertion of enduring faith: 'Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness' (3:22–23). Honest lament is always safe in the presence of a faithful God.