Lexical Summary
qonen: To lament, to chant a dirge, to mourn
Original Word: קוּן
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: quwn
Pronunciation: koh-NEN
Phonetic Spelling: (koon)
KJV: lament, mourning woman
NASB: chant, chanted, chanted a lament, lament, mourning women
Word Origin: [a primitive root]
1. to strike a musical note, i.e. chant or wail (at a funeral)
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
lament, mourning woman
A primitive root; to strike a musical note, i.e. Chant or wail (at a funeral) -- lament, mourning woman.
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origindenominative verb from
qinahDefinitionto chant an elegy or dirge
NASB Translationchant (3), chanted (2), chanted a lament (1), lament (1), mourning women (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
[] ; —
Perfect3plural consecutive
Ezekiel 27:32 ( person), suffix (cognate)
Ezekiel 32:16;
Imperfect3masculine singular
2 Samuel 1:17 (with accusative of congnate meaning with verb + person), compare ( person only), 2 Chronicles 35:25 and ( person)
2 Samuel 3:33; 3feminine plural with accusative of congnate meaning with verb,
Ezekiel 32:16, + person
Ezekiel 32:16;
Participle as substantive
Jeremiah 9:16 (professional)
wailing women. Topical Lexicon
Occurrences and Contexts The verb קוּן appears eight times, always in a setting of public lament. David employs it twice (2 Samuel 1:17; 2 Samuel 3:33), the Chronicler records it in connection with Jeremiah’s funeral song for Josiah (2 Chronicles 35:25), and the prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel use it of professional mourners called to bewail national catastrophe (Jeremiah 9:17; Ezekiel 27:32; Ezekiel 32:16—three poetic lines counted separately in Hebrew tradition). Whether over a fallen king, a murdered commander, or a doomed nation, the word marks an event as spiritually weighty and communally remembered.
Cultural Background
In the ancient Near East, formal dirges were more than emotional outlets; they were covenantal acknowledgments that death and judgment had intruded upon God’s ordered world. Skilled singers—often women—would “consider and summon” (Jeremiah 9:17) to articulate collective grief, reinforcing solidarity and inviting reflection on sin, justice, and hope. Israel adopted and refined this practice, embedding divine truth in poetic structure (compare the acrostic form of Lamentations).
The Ministry of Lament in Israel
1. Honoring the righteous dead: David’s “lament for Saul and his son Jonathan” (2 Samuel 1:17) preserves the memory of God’s anointed and of covenant loyalty.
2. Exposing folly: Over Abner, the king sings, “Should Abner die as a fool dies?” (2 Samuel 3:33), transforming a funeral into a moral lesson.
3. Teaching generations: “All the male and female singers commemorate Josiah in their laments” (2 Chronicles 35:25); the dirge becomes curriculum for national conscience.
4. Warning the nations: Ezekiel’s oracles invite Tyre and Egypt to hear a song that pre-announces their downfall (Ezekiel 27:32; 32:16). The lament thus functions prophetically before the event, demonstrating God’s sovereignty over international affairs.
Theological Themes
• The sanctity of human life: Every occurrence assumes the worth of the person or people mourned, whether friend or foe.
• The certainty of divine judgment: Laments for nations underline that “the Lord God” (Ezekiel 32:16) holds empires accountable.
• The necessity of repentance: Jeremiah’s call for professional mourners is immediately followed by a summons to heed God’s word (Jeremiah 9:20–24). Grief without repentance is incomplete.
• Hope beyond sorrow: Biblical lament is never nihilistic; it points forward to restoration, as seen when Ezekiel later foresees Egypt’s eventual place in messianic blessing (Ezekiel 29:13–14).
Christological Reflections
Jesus fulfills the pattern of righteous lamenter. He “wept over” Jerusalem (Luke 19:41) and quoted lament psalms on the cross (Matthew 27:46). The verb קוּן frames Israel’s expectation for a Messiah who enters human sorrow, validating it and transforming it through His resurrection.
Pastoral Application
1. Corporate worship benefits from biblically informed lament that acknowledges loss while confessing God’s sovereignty.
2. Funeral ministry may draw on David’s model—celebrating God’s grace in the deceased and exhorting the living.
3. National days of mourning or remembrance gain depth when Scripture’s laments are read aloud, turning civic grief into spiritual reflection.
Related Scriptures
• Psalms 44; 60; 79—community laments that mirror the function of קוּן.
• Lamentations 3:19–24—the pivot from sorrow to hope, essential to every lament.
• Revelation 18:9–19—an eschatological echo of Ezekiel’s laments over Tyre and Egypt, showing the continuity of God’s justice.
Forms and Transliterations
וְקוֹנְנ֖וּ וַיְקֹנֵ֣ן וַיְקֹנֵ֥ן וַיְקוֹנֵ֣ן ויקונן ויקנן וקוננו לַמְקוֹנְנ֖וֹת למקוננות קִינָ֥ה קינה תְּקוֹנֵ֣נָּה תקוננה kiNah lam·qō·wn·nō·wṯ lamkonNot lamqōwnnōwṯ qî·nāh qînāh tə·qō·w·nên·nāh tekoNennah təqōwnênnāh vaykoNen vekonNu way·qō·nên way·qō·w·nên wayqōnên wayqōwnên wə·qō·wn·nū wəqōwnnū
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