vale of tears
English
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vale of tears
- /ˈveɪl əv ˈtɪəz/ UK
- /ˈveɪl əv ˈtɪɚz/ US
Where it comes from
Calque of Latin lacrimārum vallis from the “Salve Regina” (a hymn to the Virgin Mary), based on Hebrew עמק הבכא (ʿēmeq habbāḵāʾ) from Psalm 84:6 of the Bible. The Hebrew term may mean “valley of the baka tree”, a tree of uncertain species (compare 2 Samuel 5:23–24 where baka is used to refer to a tree, and is often translated into English as “balsam tree”, “mulberry tree”, or “poplar tree”), but ancient Greek translations assumed the word intended was בָּכָה (bakhá, “to cry, weep”) and so rendered the term as “valley of weeping”, which was then used in Latin and English translations. See, for example, the Douay–Rheims Bible (1610) where the verse is numbered as Psalm 83:6.
noun vales of tears
- The world, a place where difficulties and the sorrows of life are felt, especially (Christianity) as a place to be left behind when one dies and goes to heaven. He [Vitus Theodorus] was called to be a Paſtor at Norinberg, his own country, [...] till it pleaſed God to put an end to his labors, by tranſlating him out of this vale of tears into his Everlaſting Kingdom, Anno Chriſti 1549.
- A particular place of sorrow or suffering. That, in this pilgrimage of ſeventy years, / O'er rocks of perils, and through vales of tears, / Deſtin'd to march, our doubtful ſteps we tend, / Tir'd with the toil, yet fearful of its end: [...]
Translations
Every language
noun the world as the place where difficulties and the sorrows of life are felt
| Español | valle de lágrimas |
|---|---|
| Português | vale de lágrimas |
| Français | vallée de misère |
| Deutsch | Jammertal, Tal der Tränen |
| Italiano | valle di lacrime |
| Română | valea plângerii |
| Русский | юдо́ль judólʹ |
| العربية | وادِي دُمُوعٍ wādī dumūʕin |
Talk about this word "vale of tears." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/vale%20of%20tears. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026. vale of tears. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 7, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/vale%20of%20tears "vale of tears." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 7, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/vale%20of%20tears.Cite this
@misc{vale_of_tears_2026,
title = {vale of tears},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/vale%20of%20tears},
urldate = {2026-11-07}
}
