A LAMENT, a formal dirge — both the poem and the act of chanting it ('David chanted this QINAH,' 2 Samuel 1:17). It is a recognized genre with its own limping rhythm, and its signature is a repeated cry: here 'How the mighty have fallen,' three times (vv19, 25, 27). ⚠️ A lament is not a balanced obituary — David's says nothing of Saul's madness, the spear thrown at him, or the years of pursuit. Its whole business is to praise and to grieve. The book of LAMENTATIONS is named from this word in Hebrew tradition (Eikhah, 'How…', is its opening cry), and Amos parodies the form to devastating effect (5:1-2). → first discussed at 2 Samuel 1:17