Word Study · Strong's H1892 · Hebrew
הֶבֶל
hebel
heh'bel
“emptiness or vanity”
Strong's Dictionary · 1890 · public domain
emptiness or vanity; figuratively, something transitory and unsatisfactory; often used as an adverb
Rendered in the KJV as
[idiom] altogether, vain, vanity.
- 73occurrencesin the Old Testament
- 12 of 39Old Testament bookswhere the word stands
- 33inflected formsdistinct spellings
Across 73 occurrences
The word itself
Inflected forms · 33
- הָֽבֶל׃13
- הֶ֖בֶל11
- הֶ֥בֶל7
- הֶ֣בֶל6
- הָ֑בֶל4
- בְּהַבְלֵיהֶֽם׃2
- הֶ֛בֶל2
- הַבְלֵי־2
- הֲבָלִ֖ים2
- בַהֶ֥בֶל1
- בַּהֶ֥בֶל1
- בְּהַבְלֵ֥י1
and 21 more spellings in the ledger below.
How it is rendered · 26
- [is] futility22
- vanity7
- futility6
- futilities4
- [are] a breath3
- [are] futility3
- futility of3
- [was] futility2
- futility your2
- in the futility2
- the vanity2
- vanities of2
The sense the word carries at each spot — how the translators read it there, not a fixed translation.
How it parses · 14
- noun · masculine singular45
- noun · masculine plural4
- noun · masculine singular · in construct (“…of”)3
- preposition + noun · masculine plural · in construct (“…of”) + pronoun suffix · 3rd person masculine plural3
- preposition with the article + noun · masculine singular3
- conjunction (“and”) + noun · masculine singular2
- noun · masculine plural · in construct (“…of”)2
- noun · masculine singular · in construct (“…of”) + pronoun suffix · 2nd person masculine singular2
- preposition + noun · masculine plural · in construct (“…of”)2
- preposition + noun · masculine singular2
- the definite article (“the”) + noun · masculine singular2
- conjunction (“and”) + noun · masculine plural1
Show the grammar codes as tagged
- HNcmsa · 45
- HNcmpa · 4
- HNcmsc · 3
- HR/Ncmpc/Sp3mp · 3
- HRd/Ncmsa · 3
- HC/Ncmsa · 2
- HNcmpc · 2
- HNcmsc/Sp2ms · 2
- HR/Ncmpc · 2
- HR/Ncmsa · 2
- HTd/Ncmsa · 2
- HC/Ncmpa · 1
All 73, in canonical order
The ledger of occurrences
Where this word lives
- Ecclesiastes38 of 73 · 52%
- Psalms9 of 73 · 12%
- Jeremiah8 of 73 · 11%
- Job5 of 73 · 7%
- Proverbs3 of 73 · 4%
Ecclesiastes carries the most and opens below; every other book is one click.
1 Kings2 occurrences
- 1 Kings 16:13בְּהַבְלֵיהֶֽם׃behavleihempreposition + noun · masculine plural · in construct (“…of”) + pronoun suffix · 3rd person masculine pluralThis happened because of all the sins Baasha and his son Elah had committed and had caused Israel to commit, provoking the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger with their worthless idols.here: with vanities their
- 1 Kings 16:26בְּהַבְלֵיהֶֽם׃behavleihempreposition + noun · masculine plural · in construct (“…of”) + pronoun suffix · 3rd person masculine pluralFor he walked in all the ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat and in his sins, which he caused Israel to commit, provoking the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger with their worthless idols.here: with vanities their
Job5 occurrences
- Job 7:16הֶ֥בֶלhevelnoun · masculine singularI loathe my life! I would not live forever. Leave me alone, for my days are but a breath.here: [are] a breath
- Job 9:29הֶ֣בֶלhevelnoun · masculine singularSince I am already found guilty, why should I labor in vain?here: vanity
- Job 21:34הָ֑בֶלhavelnoun · masculine singularSo how can you comfort me with empty words? For your answers remain full of falsehood.”here: vanity
- Job 27:12הֶ֣בֶלhevelnoun · masculine singularSurely all of you have seen it for yourselves. Why then do you keep up this empty talk?here: vanity
- Job 35:16הֶ֣בֶלhevelnoun · masculine singularSo Job opens his mouth in vain and multiplies words without knowledge.”here: vanity
Psalms9 occurrences
- Psalms 31:6הַבְלֵי־havlei-noun · masculine plural · in construct (“…of”)I hate those who cling to worthless idols, but in the LORD I trust.here: vanities of
- Psalms 39:5הֶ֥בֶלhevelnoun · masculine singularYou, indeed, have made my days as handbreadths, and my lifetime as nothing before You. Truly each man at his best exists as but a breath. Selahhere: vanity
- Psalms 39:6הֶ֥בֶלhevelnoun · masculine singularSurely every man goes about like a phantom; surely he bustles in vain; he heaps up riches not knowing who will haul them away.here: vanity
- Psalms 39:11הֶ֖בֶלhevelnoun · masculine singularYou discipline and correct a man for his iniquity, consuming like a moth what he holds dear; surely each man is but a vapor. Selahhere: vanity
- Psalms 62:9הֶ֥בֶלhevelnoun · masculine singularLowborn men are but a vapor, the exalted but a lie. Weighed on the scale, they go up; together they are but a vapor.here: [are] a breath
- Psalms 62:9מֵהֶ֥בֶלmehevelpreposition + noun · masculine singularLowborn men are but a vapor, the exalted but a lie. Weighed on the scale, they go up; together they are but a vapor.here: [are] more than a breath
- Psalms 78:33בַּהֶ֥בֶלbahevelpreposition with the article + noun · masculine singularSo He ended their days in futility, and their years in sudden terror.here: in the futility
- Psalms 94:11הָֽבֶל׃havelnoun · masculine singularThe LORD knows the thoughts of man, that they are futile.here: [are] a breath
- Psalms 144:4לַהֶ֣בֶלlahevelpreposition with the article + noun · masculine singularMan is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow.here: to the breath
Proverbs3 occurrences
- Proverbs 13:11מֵהֶ֣בֶלmehevelpreposition + noun · masculine singularDishonest wealth will dwindle, but what is earned through hard work will be multiplied.here: from vanity
- Proverbs 21:6הֶ֥בֶלhevelnoun · masculine singularMaking a fortune by a lying tongue is a vanishing mist, a deadly pursuit.here: [is] a breath
- Proverbs 31:30וְהֶ֣בֶלvehevelconjunction (“and”) + noun · masculine singularCharm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.here: and [is] vanity
Ecclesiastes38 occurrences
- Ecclesiastes 1:2הֲבֵ֤לhavelnoun · masculine singular · in construct (“…of”)“Futility of futilities,” says the Teacher, “futility of futilities! Everything is futile!”here: futility of
- Ecclesiastes 1:2הֲבָלִים֙havalimnoun · masculine plural“Futility of futilities,” says the Teacher, “futility of futilities! Everything is futile!”here: futilities
- Ecclesiastes 1:2הֲבֵ֥לhavelnoun · masculine singular · in construct (“…of”)“Futility of futilities,” says the Teacher, “futility of futilities! Everything is futile!”here: futility of
- Ecclesiastes 1:2הֲבָלִ֖יםhavalimnoun · masculine plural“Futility of futilities,” says the Teacher, “futility of futilities! Everything is futile!”here: futilities
- Ecclesiastes 1:2הָֽבֶל׃havelnoun · masculine singular“Futility of futilities,” says the Teacher, “futility of futilities! Everything is futile!”here: [is] futility
- Ecclesiastes 1:14הֶ֖בֶלhevelnoun · masculine singularI have seen all the things that are done under the sun, and have found them all to be futile, a pursuit of the wind.here: [is] futility
- Ecclesiastes 2:1הָֽבֶל׃havelnoun · masculine singularI said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy what is good!” But it proved to be futile.here: [was] futility
- Ecclesiastes 2:11הֶ֙בֶל֙hevelnoun · masculine singularYet when I considered all the works that my hands had accomplished and what I had toiled to achieve, I found everything to be futile, a pursuit of the wind; there was nothing to be gained under the sun.here: [was] futility
- Ecclesiastes 2:15הָֽבֶל׃havelnoun · masculine singularSo I said to myself, “The fate of the fool will also befall me. What then have I gained by being wise?” And I said to myself that this too is futile.here: [is] futility
- Ecclesiastes 2:17הֶ֖בֶלhevelnoun · masculine singularSo I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. For everything is futile and a pursuit of the wind.here: [is] futility
- Ecclesiastes 2:19הָֽבֶל׃havelnoun · masculine singularAnd who knows whether that man will be wise or foolish? Yet he will take over all the labor at which I have worked skillfully under the sun. This too is futile.here: [is] futility
- Ecclesiastes 2:21הֶ֖בֶלhevelnoun · masculine singularWhen there is a man who has labored with wisdom, knowledge, and skill, and he must give his portion to a man who has not worked for it, this too is futile and a great evil.here: [is] futility
- Ecclesiastes 2:23הֶ֥בֶלhevelnoun · masculine singularIndeed, all his days are filled with grief, and his task is sorrowful; even at night, his mind does not rest. This too is futile.here: [is] futility
- Ecclesiastes 2:26הֶ֖בֶלhevelnoun · masculine singularTo the man who is pleasing in His sight, He gives wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner He assigns the task of gathering and accumulating that which he will hand over to one who pleases God. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.here: [is] futility
- Ecclesiastes 3:19הָֽבֶל׃havelnoun · masculine singularFor the fates of both men and beasts are the same: As one dies, so dies the other—they all have the same breath. Man has no advantage over the animals, since everything is futile.here: [is] futility
- Ecclesiastes 4:4הֶ֖בֶלhevelnoun · masculine singularI saw that all labor and success spring from a man’s envy of his neighbor. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.here: [is] futility
- Ecclesiastes 4:7הֶ֖בֶלhevelnoun · masculine singularAgain, I saw futility under the sun.here: futility
- Ecclesiastes 4:8הֶ֛בֶלhevelnoun · masculine singularThere is a man all alone, without even a son or brother. And though there is no end to his labor, his eyes are still not content with his wealth: “For whom do I toil and bereave my soul of enjoyment?” This too is futile—a miserable task.here: [is] futility
- Ecclesiastes 4:16הֶ֖בֶלhevelnoun · masculine singularThere is no limit to all the people who were before them. Yet the successor will not be celebrated by those who come even later. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.here: [is] futility
- Ecclesiastes 5:7וַהֲבָלִ֔יםvahavalimconjunction (“and”) + noun · masculine pluralFor as many dreams bring futility, so do many words. Therefore, fear God.here: and futilities
- Ecclesiastes 5:10הָֽבֶל׃havelnoun · masculine singularHe who loves money is never satisfied by money, and he who loves wealth is never satisfied by income. This too is futile.here: [is] futility
- Ecclesiastes 6:2הֶ֛בֶלhevelnoun · masculine singularGod gives a man riches, wealth, and honor, so that he lacks nothing his heart desires; but God does not allow him to enjoy them. Instead, a stranger will enjoy them. This is futile and a grievous affliction.here: [is] futility
- Ecclesiastes 6:4בַהֶ֥בֶלvahevelpreposition with the article + noun · masculine singularFor a stillborn child enters in futility and departs in darkness, and his name is shrouded in obscurity.here: in the futility
- Ecclesiastes 6:9הֶ֖בֶלhevelnoun · masculine singularBetter what the eye can see than the wandering of desire. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.here: [is] futility
- Ecclesiastes 6:11הָ֑בֶלhavelnoun · masculine singularFor the more words, the more futility—and how does that profit anyone?here: futility
- Ecclesiastes 6:12הֶבְל֖וֹhevlonoun · masculine singular · in construct (“…of”) + pronoun suffix · 3rd person masculine singularFor who knows what is good for a man during the few days in which he passes through his fleeting life like a shadow? Who can tell a man what will come after him under the sun?here: futility his
- Ecclesiastes 7:6הָֽבֶל׃havelnoun · masculine singularFor like the crackling of thorns under the pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This too is futile.here: [is] futility
- Ecclesiastes 7:15הֶבְלִ֑יhevlinoun · masculine singular · in construct (“…of”) + pronoun suffix · 1st person masculine or feminine singularIn my futile life I have seen both of these: A righteous man perishing in his righteousness, and a wicked man living long in his wickedness.here: futility my
- Ecclesiastes 8:10הָֽבֶל׃havelnoun · masculine singularThen too, I saw the burial of the wicked who used to go in and out of the holy place, and they were praised in the city where they had done so. This too is futile.here: [is] futility
- Ecclesiastes 8:14הֶבֶל֮hevelnoun · masculine singularThere is a futility that is done on the earth: There are righteous men who get what the actions of the wicked deserve, and there are wicked men who get what the actions of the righteous deserve. I say that this too is futile.here: [is] futility
- Ecclesiastes 8:14הָֽבֶל׃havelnoun · masculine singularThere is a futility that is done on the earth: There are righteous men who get what the actions of the wicked deserve, and there are wicked men who get what the actions of the righteous deserve. I say that this too is futile.here: [is] futility
- Ecclesiastes 9:9הֶבְלֶ֔ךָhevlekhanoun · masculine singular · in construct (“…of”) + pronoun suffix · 2nd person masculine singularEnjoy life with your beloved wife all the days of the fleeting life that God has given you under the sun—all your fleeting days. For this is your portion in life and in your labor under the sun.here: futility your
- Ecclesiastes 9:9הֶבְלֶ֑ךָhevlekhanoun · masculine singular · in construct (“…of”) + pronoun suffix · 2nd person masculine singularEnjoy life with your beloved wife all the days of the fleeting life that God has given you under the sun—all your fleeting days. For this is your portion in life and in your labor under the sun.here: futility your
- Ecclesiastes 11:8הָֽבֶל׃havelnoun · masculine singularSo if a man lives many years, let him rejoice in them all. But let him remember the days of darkness, for they will be many. Everything to come is futile.here: [is] futility
- Ecclesiastes 11:10הָֽבֶל׃havelnoun · masculine singularSo banish sorrow from your heart, and cast off pain from your body, for youth and vigor are fleeting.here: [are] futility
- Ecclesiastes 12:8הֲבֵ֧לhavelnoun · masculine singular · in construct (“…of”)“Futility of futilities,” says the Teacher. “Everything is futile!”here: futility of
- Ecclesiastes 12:8הֲבָלִ֛יםhavalimnoun · masculine plural“Futility of futilities,” says the Teacher. “Everything is futile!”here: futilities
- Ecclesiastes 12:8הָֽבֶל׃havelnoun · masculine singular“Futility of futilities,” says the Teacher. “Everything is futile!”here: [is] futility
Isaiah3 occurrences
- Isaiah 30:7הֶ֥בֶלhevelnoun · masculine singularEgypt’s help is futile and empty; therefore I have called her Rahab Who Sits Still.here: futility
- Isaiah 49:4וְהֶ֖בֶלvehevelconjunction (“and”) + noun · masculine singularBut I said, “I have labored in vain, I have spent My strength in futility and vanity; yet My vindication is with the LORD, and My reward is with My God.”here: and futility
- Isaiah 57:13הָ֑בֶלhavelnoun · masculine singularWhen you cry out, let your companies of idols deliver you! Yet the wind will carry off all of them, a breath will take them away. But he who seeks refuge in Me will inherit the land and possess My holy mountain.”here: a breath
Jeremiah8 occurrences
- Jeremiah 2:5הַהֶ֖בֶלhahevelthe definite article (“the”) + noun · masculine singularThis is what the LORD says: “What fault did your fathers find in Me that they strayed so far from Me, and followed worthless idols, and became worthless themselves?here: the vanity
- Jeremiah 8:19בְּהַבְלֵ֥יbehavleipreposition + noun · masculine plural · in construct (“…of”)Listen to the cry of the daughter of my people from a land far away: “Is the LORD no longer in Zion? Is her King no longer there?” “Why have they provoked Me to anger with their carved images, with their worthless foreign idols?”here: by vanities of
- Jeremiah 10:3הֶ֣בֶלhevelnoun · masculine singularFor the customs of the peoples are worthless; they cut down a tree from the forest; it is shaped with a chisel by the hands of a craftsman.here: [is] futility
- Jeremiah 10:8הֲבָלִ֖יםhavalimnoun · masculine pluralBut they are altogether senseless and foolish, instructed by worthless idols made of wood!here: futilities
- Jeremiah 10:15הֶ֣בֶלhevelnoun · masculine singularThey are worthless, a work to be mocked. In the time of their punishment they will perish.here: [are] futility
- Jeremiah 14:22בְּהַבְלֵ֤יbehavleipreposition + noun · masculine plural · in construct (“…of”)Can the worthless idols of the nations bring rain? Do the skies alone send showers? Is this not by You, O LORD our God? So we put our hope in You, for You have done all these things.here: among [the] vanities of
- Jeremiah 16:19הֶ֖בֶלhevelnoun · masculine singularO LORD, my strength and my fortress, my refuge in the day of distress, the nations will come to You from the ends of the earth, and they will say, “Our fathers inherited nothing but lies, worthless idols of no benefit at all.here: futility
- Jeremiah 51:18הֶ֣בֶלhevelnoun · masculine singularThey are worthless, a work to be mocked. In the time of their punishment they will perish.here: [are] futility
Lamentations1 occurrence
Jonah1 occurrence
Same headword in Strong's