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# הָבַל

Biblical Hebrew · Strong's H1891

**act emptily** — used 5 times in the Hebrew Bible. Below: its meanings with their sources, MACULA's glosses, and 2 verses word for word and in JPS 1917.

## Meaning

### OpenScriptures lexical index

act emptily [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1492/1891/#m1)

### Brown–Driver–Briggs 1906

הָבַל: vb. denom. act emptily, become vain [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1492/1891/#m2)

**The whole BDB entry:** vb. denom. act emptily, become vain— Je 2:5 = 2 K 17:15 they went after vanity וַיֶּהְבָּ֑לוּ and became vain, ψ 62:11 וּבְגָזֵל אַל־תֶּהְבָּ֑לוּ do not become vain (i.e. be demoralized) by robbery; with acc. cogn. Jb 27:12 לָמָּה זֶה הֶבֶל תֶּהְבָּ֑לוּ why do ye become vain with vanity (i.e. shew yourselves utterly vain)? cause to become vain Je 23:16 (of false prophets) מַהְבִּלִים הֵמָּה אֶתְכֶם i.e. fill you with vain hopes.

Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 5 of its verses cited, 2 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (3 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 2 words shared with the BDB entry, 0 with the glosses (3 candidates)

## Glosses

MACULA's English glosses of the word in the text, with how often each is used: they became vain (2); \[are\] causing to become vain (1); do you become vain (1).

## In the verses

[Job 27:12](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/JOB.27.12/) · [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/JOB.27.12/#tree)

הֵן־אַתֶּ֣ם כֻּלְּכֶ֣ם חֲזִיתֶ֑ם וְלָמָּה־זֶּ֝֗ה הֶ֣בֶל תֶּהְבָּֽלוּ׃

*Word for word:* there! you of.you all you.have.seen and why? this vanity do.you.become.vain

*JPS 1917:* Behold, all ye yourselves have seen it; why then are ye become altogether vain?

[Psalms 62:11](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PSA.62.11/) · [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PSA.62.11/#tree)

אַל־תִּבְטְח֣וּ בְעֹשֶׁק֮ וּבְגָזֵ֪ל אַל־תֶּ֫הְבָּ֥לוּ חַ֤יִל ׀ כִּֽי־יָנ֑וּב אַל־תָּשִׁ֥יתוּ לֵֽב׃

*Word for word:* do.not trust in extortion and in robbery do.not put.vain.hope wealth (dm) it.will.bear.fruit do.not set heart

*JPS 1917:* Trust not in oppression, and put not vain hope in robbery; if riches increase, set not your heart thereon.

## On Mova

- [This word in the Tanakh dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/1891.html) on Mova free.
- [Trees and pragmatics of its meanings](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1492/1891/): every English meaning parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.

Sources. The words, their counts, glosses and the word-for-word renderings: MACULA Hebrew (the Westminster Leningrad Codex; Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0). Meanings: the OpenScriptures lexical index (CC BY 4.0), Brown–Driver–Briggs 1906 and Jastrow 1903 (public domain, via Sefaria); Targum Onkelos from Sefaria (public domain). Translation: JPS 1917 (public domain, from eBible.org).