הֶ֫בֶל
vapor
‘vapor’ is one of 2 main senses fuller range ↓
Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
From Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
Where this word appears
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Noun
- A naming word — a person, place, thing, or idea.
Noun type
- Common
- A common noun — a general class of person, place, or thing (“king,” “city,” “water”), not a specific name.
State
- Absolute
- The independent form of a noun, not bound to a following word.
- Construct
- A noun bound to a following noun in a possessive / “of” relationship (the construct chain).
Gender
- Masculine
- Grammatically masculine.
Number
- Singular
- One.
- Plural
- More than one (in Hebrew, generally three or more).
Every verse where H1892 appears in the Book of Isaiah — 3 distinct verses. Click any verse to open its interlinear word-by-word view. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context — . Each verse’s Hebrew form is shown with its reference; the English is not keyword-highlighted, since the data carries no word-level English alignment. Use “Compare translations” on any verse to read it across multiple English versions. This concordance covers the Hebrew Bible; Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) occurrences are not indexed here.
Isaiah
- Isaiah 30:7 הֶ֥בֶל n c ms For Egypt helps in vain, and to no purpose: therefore have I called her Rahab who sits still.
- Isaiah 49:4 וְ/הֶ֖בֶל conj + n c ms But I said, I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity; yet surely the justice [due] to me is with Yahweh, and my recompense with my God.
- Isaiah 57:13 הָ֑בֶל n c ms When you cry, let those who you have gathered deliver you; but the wind shall take them, a breath shall carry them all away: but he who takes refuge in me shall possess the land, and shall inherit my holy mountain.
About this entry
At a glance — auto-summarized from this page’s data, not written by a person. Every figure links to its source below. This summary describes the numbers; it doesn’t interpret them.
At its core, הבל (hebel) means “vapor.” Its English rendering has broadened — “vanity” classically, “is futile” (Berean Standard Bible) and “is vapor” (unfoldingWord Literal Text) in modern versions; see the renderings breakdown. Spanning 64 verses in 12 books, it ranks among the moderately common words of the Hebrew Bible. Its uses concentrate in Ecclesiastes (47% of all occurrences). Not a single-sense word: explore its full sense range. Each statement above links to its evidence; the full detail follows below.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H1892 catalogs a Hebrew word from the Hebrew Old Testament.
These counts are not copied from any lexicon or concordance. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged Hebrew Old Testament. What Lemma adds →
- 64
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 64 distinct verses.
- 12 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 12 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #542
- by frequency
- Top 1000 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 542 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 64 occurrences in the concordance →
Most concentrated in
- Ecclesiastes 30 verses 47%
- Psalms 8 verses 13%
- Jeremiah 8 verses 13%
By section of the Old Testament
By traditional corpus
Conventional, traditional groupings — biblical authorship is debated, so this is a traditional corpus grouping, not an authorship claim. Each share is this word’s portion of its verses in that division of the Hebrew canon. Each figure is a share of the word’s 64 distinct verses.
- Writings (Ketuvim) 47 verses · 73%
- Prophets (Nevi'im) 16 verses · 25%
- Torah (Pentateuch) 1 verse · 2%
How translations render this word
Counts come from each version’s own published word-to-Strong’s tagging or interlinear alignment — an approximate guide to how each version renders this word, not a word-level alignment the data otherwise carries. Because each total is that version’s own tagged count, the per-version totals vary from one another and need not match the appearance or distinct-verse counts above. These counts may also differ from a printed concordance because Lemma counts each distinctly tagged rendering and does not collapse phrase taggings into a single head-word total. This is a fixed set of word-tagged versions (KJV, ASV, BSB, ULT) and does not change with the reading translation you choose elsewhere. Each version’s license is shown beside its name below (and on Sources).
BDB lists this Strong’s number as 2 distinct words (homographs). Each count above pools all of them and is not split by sense — see the Senses section below. A low-frequency rendering may belong to a different one of those words, not the primary meaning.
- King James Version†: Vanity 17×, Vanities 10×, Is vanity 8×
- American Standard Version†: Vanity 17×, Is vanity 14×, Vanities 9×
- Berean Standard Bible†: Is futile 20×, Worthless idols 9×, Futility 8×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text†: Is vapor 19×, Vapor 15×, Vapors 5×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H1892 across 73† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 15 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders H1892 across 72† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 16 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
Renders H1892 across 73† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 14 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H1892 across 75† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 13 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Senses in the full BDB
What do BDB’s symbols mean?
BDB uses these scholarly abbreviations:
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 𝔊 | the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation, LXX) |
| 𝔙 | the Vulgate (the Latin translation) |
| 𝔖 | the Syriac version (the Peshitta) |
| 𝔗 | the Targum (the Aramaic translation) |
| ψ | the Psalms |
| √ | root (the underlying root or stem) |
| ‖ | parallel passage (a synonymous or contrasted parallel) |
| † | the dagger: every passage where the word occurs is cited |
The 2 senses and sub-senses the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon distinguishes for this word, in lexicon order (not ranked by frequency), with BDB’s own verbatim wording and sub-sense lettering. Shown in Hebrew script with BDB’s own scholarly abbreviations. The condensed entry is in the Lexicon Entry tab. See also the Forms in the corpus table below.
הבל I vapour, breath (NH id., Syriac ܗܰܒܳܠܴܐ id.) fig. vanity (so NH, Syriac ܗܶܒܠܴܐ )
- 1. lit. Is 57:13 all of them (the idols) יִשָּׂא־רוּחַ יִקַּח הָ֑בֶל a breath (𝔙 aura) will carry away, Pr 21:6, the getting of treasures by a lying tongue is הֶבֶל נִדָּף, a vapour driven away. Elsewhere always e.g. Isaiah 57:13
- 2. fig. of what is evanescent, unsubstantial, worthless, vanity, as of idols Je 10:15 = 51:18; 16:19 הֶבֶל וְאֵין בָּם מוֹעִיל (‖ שֶׁקֶר), heathen observances 10:3, and in phr. הָלַךְ אַחֲרֵי הַהֶבֶל 2:5 2 K 17:15; Pr 13:11 הוֹן מֵהֶבֶל wealth (gotten) out of vanity (i.e. not by solid toil, opp. קֹבֵץ עַל יָד) is minished (but 𝔊 𝔙 Ew מְבֹהָל, v. 20:21 Qr), 31:30 שֶׁקֶר הַחֵן וְהֶבֶל הַיֹּ֑פִי, La 4:17 אֶל עֶזְרָתֵנוּ הֶבֶל to our vain (Dr§ 193 n.) help; of life Jb 7:16 כִּי הֶבֶל יָמָֽי׃, ψ 78:33 וַיְכַל בַּהֶבֶל יְמֵיהֶם consumed their days as (בְּ I7d) vanity, man ψ 39:6, 12; 62:10 הֶבֶל בְּנֵי אָדָם … הֵמָּה מֵהֶבֶל יָחַֽד׃ they are altogether (made) of vanity, 94:11: 144:4, especially in Ec (31 times + הֲבֵל הֲבָלִים 1:2(×2); 12:8) of the fruitlessness of all human enterprise and endeavour, 1:2 הַכֹּל הֶבֶל, v 14 הַכֹּל הֶבֶל וּרְעוּת רוּחַ all was vanity and the pursuit of wind, 2:1, 14, 15 etc., 6:4 (of an abortion) בַּהֶבֶל בָּא i.e. into a lifeless existence, v 11 יֵשׁ דְּבָרִים הַרְבֵּה מַרְבִּים הָ֑בֶל (of discussions leading to no result), note also the phrases יְמֵי (הֶבְלוֹ, הֶבְלְךָ) הֶבְלִי 7:15; 9:9, יְמֵי חַיֵּי ה׳ 6:12; 9:9; Jb 27:12 (v. הָבַל), Is 49:4 לְתֹהוּ וָהֶבֶל for nought and vanity have I spent my strength; as adv. accus. vainly, to no purpose Is 30:7 הֶבֶל וָרִיק יַעְזֹ֑רוּ, ψ 39:7 אַךְ הֶבֶל יֶהֱמָיוּן they disquiet themselves to no purpose, Jb 9:29 הֶבֶל אִיגָֽע 35:16, with נִחַם to comfort 21:34 Zc 10:2. Pl. †הֲבָלִים of false gods, Dt 32:21 כִּעֲסוּנִי בְהַבְלֵיהֶם (‖ בְּלֹא־אֵל) 1 K 16:13, 26 Je 8:19 הַבְלֵי נֵכָר (‖ בִּפְסִילֵיהֶם), 10:8; 14:22 הַבְלֵי הַגּוֹיִם, ψ 31:7 הַשֹּׁמְרִים הַבְלֵי־שָׁוְא empty vanities Jon 2:9; in more general sense Ec 1:2(×2); 12:8 הֲבֵל הֲבָלִים, 5:6. e.g. Jeremiah 10:15
הבל II m. (perhaps i.q. Assyrian ablu, son, COTGloss. cf. also WeSkizzen iii. 70
Senses from the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon (Brown, Driver, Briggs; Oxford 1906 — public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). Full attribution on Sources.
Word origin
I. n.m. vapour, breath (NH id., Syriac ܗܰܒܳܠܴܐ id.) fig. vanity (so NH, Syriac ܗܶܒܠܴܐ )—הָ֑בֶל Ec 1:2 +; cstr. הֲבֵל †Ec 1:2(×2); 12:8, sf. הֶבְלִי etc. Ec 6:12; 7:15; 9:9(×2); pl. הֲבָלִים Je 10:8 +; cstr. הַבְלֵי Je 8:19 +, sf. הַבְלֵיהֶם Dt 32:21 +;—
II. n.pr.m. (perhaps i.q. Assyrian ablu, son, COTGloss. cf. also WeSkizzen iii. 70: der. from I. הֶבֶל not prob.) second son of Adam Gn 4:2(×2), 4(×2), 8(×2), 9, 25.
— Brown-Driver-Briggs (Oxford 1906, public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). See Sources.
Derived from הבל (hâbal) (H1891) — to become vain.
Jastrow Dictionary
A second Hebrew/Aramaic lexicon for comparison, covering Aramaic and post-biblical (Talmudic, Targumic, Midrashic) usage that the biblical-Hebrew BDB does not. Matched by lemma rather than by Strong’s number, so a lemma may carry more than one Jastrow headword (shown separately below), and the entries cover usage well beyond the Bible.
הָבַל
- , Hif. הֶהֱבִיל (cmp. הבב) to be affected by hot air, begin to steam. Sabb. I, 6 (17ᵇ) long enough before the Sabbath כדי שיַהֲבִילוּ for the flax stalks to begin &c.
הֲבַל
- (= b. h. הָבַל, denom. of הַבְלָא)
- 1. to do vain things. Targ. Job XXVII, 12.
- 2. to be wanton, to sport. Targ. Ps. LXII, 11 תְהַבְלוּן ed. Wil. (Bxt. תִתְהַבְּלוּן Ithpa.; ed. Lag. תקבלון, Ms. תתחבלון).
הֶבֶל
- , constr. הֲבֵל or הֲבַל (b. h.)
- 1. breath, vapor, air, heat. Sabb. 88ᵇ בה׳ שבפיהם with the (fiery) breath of their mouths. Ib. 119ᵇ ה׳ תינוקות וכ׳ the breath of school children. Ib. ה׳ שאין בו חטא a sinless breath (of children). Y. Ab. Zar. III, 42ᵈ bot. ה׳ המרחץ וכ׳ the vapor of the bath room is injurious to the teeth. Yeb. 80ᵇ אין בשרו מעלה ה׳ his body (after bathing) does not steam. Pesik. Baḥod. p. 154ᵃ; Lev. R. s. 29 (ref. to Ps. LXII, 10) עד שהן עשויין ה׳ בתוך וכ׳ while they are yet a gas (in the first embryonic stage) …, they are predestined for marital union. Y. Ter. X, 47ᵃ bot. הה׳ כובש the heat (of the fresh bread placed on top of an open wine casket) keeps the evaporations of the wine down. B. Kam. 50ᵇ להַבְלוֹ for injuries suffered through the bad air of the pit (into which the animal fell), opp. to לחבטו injuries arising from knocking against the ground. Koh. R. to I, 2 ה׳ של תנור the hot air of the stove; ה׳ של עליונה the vapor of the topmost pot; Yalk. ib. 966 ה׳ שביעית; a. e.— e.g. Psalms 62:10
- 2. (b. h.) vanity. B. Bath. 16ᵇ תנחומין של ה׳ vain consolations. Koh. R. l. c.; Yalk. l. c. (ref. to Ps. CXLIV, 4) לאיזו ה׳ to what kind of hebel (breath) man is like; a. fr.—Pl. הֲבָלִים. Ib. שבעה ה׳ וכ׳ the seven times that Solomon used the word hebel. Pesik. Baḥod. l. c.; Lev. R. l. c. כל ה׳ וכזבים וכ׳ all the vain things and falsehoods which the Israelites commit. e.g. Psalms 144:4
A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature (Marcus Jastrow; London, Luzac, 1903) — Public Domain. Digitized via Sefaria. Digitized via Sefaria. Full attribution on Sources.
Forms in the corpus
The 33 distinct written forms H1892 takes in the Hebrew Bible, most frequent first — each parse links to that state’s occurrences in the concordance. Hebrew forms include their vowel points and cantillation, so a single lemma takes many written forms.
Same root — word family
Other BDB entries built from the same root as H1892, grouped by Strong’s listed origin. These share a root / origin per the lexicon — not necessarily a shared meaning. Each links to that word’s own entry.
Derives from
Proper names from this root
People and places named from this root — a name, not an additional meaning of the word.
Compare all same-root words → 1 of the same-root words is a proper name (a person or place). They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.
Septuagint verse parallels
This word appears in 62 verses that also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), out of the 64 Hebrew verses it occurs in. You can read those verses in Greek by switching the Old Testament edition to the Septuagint.
Read these verses in the Septuagint
- Deuteronomy 32:21
- 1 Kings 16:13
- 2 Kings 17:15
- Job 7:16
- Psalms 31:6
- Proverbs 13:11
- Ecclesiastes 1:2
- Isaiah 30:7
- Jeremiah 2:5
- Lamentations 4:17
- Jonah 2:8
- Zechariah 10:2
This is a verse-level parallel only — the same verses exist in both the Hebrew and Greek Old Testaments. No word-level Hebrew↔Greek correspondence is claimed: the data carries no such alignment, so no Greek word is shown as this Hebrew word’s translation. Coverage is not total — the Septuagint omits the deuterocanon and renumbers the Psalms, so some Hebrew verses have no direct Greek parallel.
