Lexical Summary misped: Mourning, lamentation Original Word: מִסְפֵּד Strong's Exhaustive Concordance lamentation, mourning, wailing From caphad; a lamentation -- lamentation, one mourneth, mourning, wailing. see HEBREW caphad NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom saphad Definition a wailing NASB Translation lament (1), lamentation (4), mourning (5), wailing (4). Brown-Driver-Briggs מִסְמֵּד noun masculineGenesis 50:10 wailing; — absolute ׳מ Amos 5:16 11t.; construct מִסְמַּד Micah 1:11 2t.; suffix מִסְמְּדִי Psalm 30:12; — wailing: 1 for dead, Genesis 50:10 (J; as accusative of congnate meaning with verb), Zechariah 12:10 (with עַלֿ; compare Zechariah 12:11; Zechariah 12:11 below). 2 for calamity experienced Amos 5:16 (twice in verse) ("" אֵבֶל), vAmos 5:17; Micah 1:8 (כַּתַּנִּים ׳מ, "" אֵבֶל), Micah 1:11; Jeremiah 48:38; Ezekiel 27:31, anticipated Jeremiah 6:26; Esther 4:3. 3 in contrition Isaiah 22:12 (+ בְּכִי), Joel 2:12 (+ צוֺם, בְּכִי), compare Zechariah 12:11 (twice in verse). 4 in General, Psalm 30:12 (opposed to מָחוֺל, compare Ecclesiastes 3:4). Topical Lexicon Primary Sense and Semantic Range מִסְפֵּד denotes public or private mourning expressed through lamentation, wailing, and ritual actions. It covers grief for bereavement, calamity, or sin and is often accompanied by sackcloth, ashes, fasting, and loud cries. Cultural Background of Mourning in Ancient Israel Ancient Israelites responded to loss with highly visible, communal rites: tearing garments (Genesis 37:34), sitting in dust (Job 2:13), shaving the head (Isaiah 22:12), rhythmic beating of the breast, professional mourners (Amos 5:16), and funeral dirges. These acts acknowledged both the reality of death and the sovereign hand of God behind every life-event (Deuteronomy 32:39). Canonical Distribution and Representative Uses • Genesis 50:10 pictures the earliest recorded “great and solemn lamentation” when Joseph honored Jacob at the threshing floor of Atad. Theological Themes 1. Recognition of Divine Sovereignty: Mourning is never random grief but acknowledgment that the LORD gives and takes away (Job 1:21). Prophetic and Eschatological Dimensions Zechariah 12:10-14 pictures Israel’s future mourning over “the One they have pierced,” leading to cleansing (Zechariah 13:1). Revelation 1:7 echoes this theme, showing that final redemption arises out of heartfelt lament. Practical Implications for Ministry Today • Pastoral Care: Encourage authentic lament; suppressing grief undermines healing (1 Thessalonians 4:13). Connections to New Testament Fulfillment Jesus affirms the blessedness of those who mourn (Matthew 5:4) and embodies the reversal of grief through His resurrection (John 20:11-18). Final consolation is promised when “He will wipe away every tear” (Revelation 21:4), completing the trajectory from מִסְפֵּד to everlasting joy. Forms and Transliterations הַמִּסְפֵּד֙ המספד וּבְמִסְפֵּֽד׃ וּלְמִסְפֵּ֔ד וּמִסְפֵּ֑ד וּמִסְפֵּ֖ד ובמספד׃ ולמספד ומספד כְּמִסְפַּ֥ד כמספד מִסְפְּדִי֮ מִסְפֵּ֑ד מִסְפֵּ֔ד מִסְפֵּ֛ד מִסְפֵּ֥ד מִסְפֵּד֙ מִסְפַּ֖ד מספד מספדי ham·mis·pêḏ hammisPed hammispêḏ kə·mis·paḏ kemisPad kəmispaḏ mis·paḏ mis·pə·ḏî mis·pêḏ misPad mispaḏ misPed mispêḏ mispeDi mispəḏî ū·ḇə·mis·pêḏ ū·lə·mis·pêḏ ū·mis·pêḏ ūḇəmispêḏ ulemisPed ūləmispêḏ umisPed ūmispêḏ uvemisPedLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Genesis 50:10 HEB: וַיִּ֨סְפְּדוּ־ שָׁ֔ם מִסְפֵּ֛ד גָּד֥וֹל וְכָבֵ֖ד NAS: and sorrowful lamentation; and he observed KJV: sore lamentation: and he made INT: lamented there lamentation great and sorrowful Esther 4:3 Psalm 30:11 Isaiah 22:12 Jeremiah 6:26 Jeremiah 48:38 Ezekiel 27:31 Joel 2:12 Amos 5:16 Amos 5:16 Amos 5:17 Micah 1:8 Zechariah 12:11 Zechariah 12:11 14 Occurrences |