Bible Dictionaries
Wailing

　　WAILING.—The expression of sorrow by loud cries is several times alluded to in the Gospels: Matthew 2:18 ‘In Rama was there a voice heard’; Matthew 11:17 ‘We have mourned unto you’ (cf. Luke 23:27, John 16:20). The Jewish custom is abundantly evidenced from the OT (see esp. Jeremiah 9:10; Jeremiah 9:17); in the Gospels only two instances are detailed, one at the death of Jairus’ daughter, and the other at Christ’s death. On both of these occasions mourning with loud cries is indicated (Matthew 9:23 ‘flute-players,’ ‘tumult’; Mark 5:38 ‘wailing’; Luke 23:27 ‘lamented,’ ὀλολύζειν, ‘howl’). In most other places the word translationὁ κλαυθμὸς καὶ ὁ βρυγὸς τῶν ὀδόντων was formerly translation