Original Word: מוּד
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: muwd
Pronunciation: mohd
Phonetic Spelling: (mood)
KJV: measure
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to shake

measure

A primitive root; to shake -- measure.

Word Origin
the same as madad, q.v.

II. מוד verb assumed by Ke Or and others (= מוֺט) as √ of וַיְמֹ֫דֶד Habakkuk 3:6, but see מדד

Po`el

מוֺדַע see ידע.

Linguistic and Conceptual Overview

The root מוּד (mûd) conveys the idea of heartfelt lamentation—an audible, communal wailing that arises when disaster, death, or divine judgment strikes. Though this particular form is unattested in the Old Testament text, its sense is preserved in cognate Semitic languages and in related Hebrew roots describing mourning, groaning, or shaking with grief. Scripture consistently treats such wailing as more than raw emotion; it is a spiritual, covenant-aware response that acknowledges the moral dimension of suffering and cries out for God’s mercy.

Old Testament Background

1. Corporate grief. Israel practiced public lament after national catastrophe (Judges 20:26; Nehemiah 1:4). The cry created solidarity before God, reminding the nation that its welfare depended on covenant faithfulness.
2. Personal bereavement. Individuals such as David over Saul and Jonathan (2 Samuel 1:17-27) or Job on the ash heap (Job 3:24-25) embodied the same impulse in private sorrow.
3. Prophetic summons. Prophets often commanded ritual wailing to prompt repentance. “Consider now and call for the mourning women to come” (Jeremiah 9:17-18). Amos 5:16 portrays God Himself ordaining public cries because sin had made judgment inevitable.
4. Cultic liturgy. Lament Psalms give structured voice to this grief (for example, Psalms 38; 79; 130), leading worshipers from anguish to renewed trust.

Historical and Cultural Setting

Ancient Near Eastern societies hired professional mourners who composed dirges and led processions. Israel adopted the form but filled it with covenant content, addressing the LORD rather than unnamed fate. Lament became an act of faith: while other nations wailed in despair, Israel wailed toward God, expecting redemptive intervention (Psalm 80:3).

Intercanonical Connections

1. The Suffering Servant. Isaiah 53:3-4 depicts Messiah as “a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief,” absorbing the lament of Israel into His own passion.
2. Gospel fulfillment. Jesus wept at Lazarus’s tomb (John 11:33-35) and over Jerusalem (Luke 19:41-44), embodying holy lament while inaugurating the kingdom that will end all mourning.
3. Apostolic teaching. Paul affirms that godly sorrow “produces repentance leading to salvation” (2 Corinthians 7:10). The pattern of lament → repentance → restoration remains unchanged.
4. Eschatological reversal. Revelation 21:4 promises that God “will wipe away every tear,” turning the final page on all covenantal wailing.

Ministry and Pastoral Implications

• Space for lament. Churches should allow believers to grieve openly, modeling scriptural honesty rather than stoic denial.
• Lament as pathway to hope. Teaching must highlight how sorrow drives the heart toward God’s promises.
• Prophetic critique. Contemporary lament exposes societal sin—abortion, injustice, apostasy—and calls communities to repentance.
• Comforting the afflicted. Shepherds meet sufferers with the gospel that transforms mourning into praise (Isaiah 61:1-3).

Christological and Eschatological Trajectory

The cross answers every covenant wail. In the loud cry of Jesus (Matthew 27:46) all human lament reaches its climax; in the empty tomb it is transfigured into resurrection joy. Until His return, the Church lives between these poles—groaning with creation (Romans 8:22-23) yet rejoicing in assured glory.

Key Scripture Passages Illustrating the Theme

Jeremiah 9:17-18; 2 Samuel 1:17-27; Amos 5:16; Psalm 130:1-6; Isaiah 53:3-4; Matthew 27:46; 2 Corinthians 7:10; Revelation 21:4.

Devotional Reflection

Every sigh of the righteous is noticed by the God who “stores my tears in Your bottle” (Psalm 56:8). Because of Christ, lament does not end in despair but echoes forward to the day when grief will be forever swallowed up by glory.

Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts