Lexical Summary yagon: Sorrow, grief, anguish Original Word: יָגוֹן Strong's Exhaustive Concordance grief, sorrow From yagah; affliction -- grief, sorrow. see HEBREW yagah NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom yagah Definition grief, sorrow NASB Translation sorrow (14). Brown-Driver-Briggs יָגוֺן noun [masculine] grief, sorrow; — absolute יָגוֺן Genesis 42:38 12t.; suffix (מִ)יגוֺנָם Jeremiah 31:13; — sorrow, Genesis 42:38; Genesis 44:31 (J), Psalm 13:3; Jeremiah 8:18; "" אֲנָחָה Psalm 31:11; Isaiah 35:10; Isaiah 51:11; compare Psalm 107:39 ("" עֹצֶר, רָעָה), Psalm 116:3 ("" צָרָה), Jeremiah 20:18 ("" עָמָל), Jeremiah 31:13 ("" אֵבֶל, opposed to שִׂמַּחְתִּים), Jeremiah 45:3 ("" מַכְאֹבִי), Ezekiel 23:33 ("" שִׁכָּרוֺן, but Co.; שׁברון with Manuscripts; compare Ezekiel 21:11); Esther 9:22 (opposed to שִׂמְחָה). Topical Lexicon Meaning and Emotional Scope יָגוֹן communicates an inward grief that drains vitality and dampens hope. It is deeper than momentary sadness, describing a sustained weight of heart that can lead to physical depletion (Psalm 31:10) yet also stands ready to be displaced by covenantal joy when God intervenes (Isaiah 35:10). Distribution in Scripture The word appears fourteen times, clustered in historical narrative (Genesis), festal history (Esther), lament and praise (Psalms), and the prophetic corpus (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel). This spread shows that sorrow is both personal and corporate, affecting patriarchs, monarchies and nations alike. Narrative Usage in Genesis The first two occurrences frame Jacob’s fear of losing Benjamin (Genesis 42:38; Genesis 44:31). יָגוֹן marks the potential depth of paternal loss: “you would bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow” (Genesis 42:38). These verses anchor the term in family relationships and foreshadow Israel’s later national griefs. From Mourning to Festal Reversal (Esther 9:22) The Purim record memorializes the day “when their sorrow was turned to joy” (Esther 9:22). Here יָגוֹן becomes the backdrop for deliverance, illustrating that God’s providence can flip the emotional script of an entire people in a single, decisive act. Individual Lament in the Psalms • Psalm 13:2 voices the question of duration: “How long shall I harbor sorrow in my soul?” Together these songs teach that lament is legitimate worship, inviting honesty before God while expecting eventual rescue. National Lament and Hope in the Prophets Jeremiah repeatedly employs יָגוֹן to portray Judah’s collapse (Jeremiah 8:18; 20:18; 31:13; 45:3). Yet even Jeremiah can foresee reversal: “I will turn their mourning into joy, give them comfort and gladness for their sorrow” (Jeremiah 31:13). Isaiah amplifies this promise: “Sorrow and sighing shall flee” (Isaiah 35:10; 51:11). Ezekiel’s “cup of horror and desolation” (Ezekiel 23:33) shows that unrepentant sin leaves sorrow in its wake, underscoring the moral dimension of grief. Redemptive Trajectory: Sorrow to Gladness Across the canon יָגוֹן rarely stands alone; it is regularly paired with an antithesis—joy, singing, comfort. The pattern points to a God who neither trivializes suffering nor allows it the last word. Every appearance of יָגוֹן in the latter prophets is matched by an assurance of eventual consolation. Implications for Suffering and Consolation Ministry 1. Authentic acknowledgment: Scripture validates deep grief; ministry should allow space for unfiltered lament. Messianic Resonance While Isaiah 53 employs a different Hebrew term for “sorrows,” the Servant’s experience gathers up all יָגוֹן into Himself, assuring believers that their grief has been borne by a sympathetic Redeemer (Hebrews 4:15). The resurrection then guarantees that the trajectory from sorrow to joy—sketched throughout the Old Testament—finds its climactic fulfillment in Christ. Key Takeaways • יָגוֹן captures the profound ache of fallen humanity. Forms and Transliterations בְּיָג֖וֹן בְיָג֡וֹן ביגון וְיָג֑וֹן וְיָג֖וֹן וְיָג֣וֹן וְיָגֽוֹן׃ ויגון ויגון׃ יָג֑וֹן יָג֖וֹן יָג֣וֹן יָג֥וֹן יגון מִיָּגוֹן֙ מִיגוֹנָֽם׃ מיגון מיגונם׃ bə·yā·ḡō·wn ḇə·yā·ḡō·wn beyaGon bəyāḡōwn ḇəyāḡōwn mî·ḡō·w·nām mî·yā·ḡō·wn migoNam mîḡōwnām mîyāḡōwn miyagoyN veyaGon wə·yā·ḡō·wn wəyāḡōwn yā·ḡō·wn yaGon yāḡōwnLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Genesis 42:38 HEB: אֶת־ שֵׂיבָתִ֛י בְּיָג֖וֹן שְׁאֽוֹלָה׃ NAS: down to Sheol in sorrow. KJV: my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave. INT: down my gray sorrow to Sheol Genesis 44:31 Esther 9:22 Psalm 13:2 Psalm 31:10 Psalm 107:39 Psalm 116:3 Isaiah 35:10 Isaiah 51:11 Jeremiah 8:18 Jeremiah 20:18 Jeremiah 31:13 Jeremiah 45:3 Ezekiel 23:33 14 Occurrences |
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