UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament

Sense 1: to weep, to wail, to lament, weeping, crying

Semantic entry: 25.138

Semantic domains: Attitudes and Emotions

Subdomains: Laugh, Cry, Groan

Definition: to weep or wail, with emphasis upon the noise accompanying the weeping

Notes: In RV MAT 2:18 · LV MAT 2:18 · Read together MAT 2:18 κλαίω occurs with a so-called ‘direct object,’ for example, Ραχὴλ κλαίουσα τὰ τέκνα αὐτῆς … ὅτι οὐκ εἰσίν ‘Rachel weeps for her children … because they are all dead.’ The so-called direct object is, however, the cause of the weeping, and the so-called transitive usage of κλαίω does not alter the meaning.