Threneo is used for lamenting in scenes of grief and in a children’s call-and-response image.

The attested use is lamenting: it describes grief expressed over someone, anticipated grief, and a figurative lament in which others do not respond.

1. Expressing lament or mourning · dominant

   In Luke 23:27, the imperfect plural form describes women lamenting as they follow him; in John 16:20, the future plural form is set beside weeping, grief, and later joy. In Luke 7:32 and Matthew 11:17, the aorist plural form occurs in the children’s complaint that they lamented or sang a dirge, yet the others did not respond with mourning.

   Luke 23:27John 16:20Luke 7:32Matthew 11:17

In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB presents the clauses with “lament,” “lamenting,” and “sang a dirge,” alongside mourning, weeping, and grief. These variations show the verse-level presentation rather than separate definitions of the term.