Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Jason Hare <jaihare AT gmail.com>]

Great question, Michael. 

I'd think of גְּרוּשָׁה for "divorced woman" and אַלְמָנָה for "widowed woman." I'd love to see if there are examples to the contrary.

Even-Shoshan states that אַלְמָנָה חַיָּה is a woman whose husband left here without getting a proper divorce. אַלְמָנָה, however, is specifically defined as a woman whose husband has died.

I've never heard of the word being used otherwise, and I'd also like to know if that's a conjecture or if there are examples to confirm it.

Thanks!

Jason

On Fri, Jun 14, 2013 at 4:09 AM, Michael Abernathy <mabernathy AT conwaycorp.net> wrote:

I was just reading Isaiah 1:17 in the Net Bible and I noticed the
footnote concerning   אַלְמָנָה.  It comments that this can refer to a woman
who has lost her husband through death or divorce. Can anyone cite a
reference where it should be understood to mean a divorced woman?
Thanks,
Michael Abernathy