Lexical Summary anachah: sighing, groaning, groans Original Word: אֲנָחָה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance groaning, mourn, sigh From 'anachah; sighing -- groaning, mourn, sigh. see HEBREW 'anachah NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom anach Definition a sighing, groaning NASB Translation groaning (3), groans (1), sighing (5). Brown-Driver-Briggs אֲנָחָה noun feminine sighing, groaning (in poetry & late); — absolute Psalm 31:11 +; suffix אַנְחָתִי Job 3:4 +; אַנְחָתָהֿ Isaiah 21:2 (suffix with Raphe), Plural suffix אַנְחֹתַי Lamentations 1:22; — sighing, groaning, in distress, physical or mental Job 3:24 ("" שְׁאָגָה), Job 23:2 ("" שִׂיחַ), Psalm 6:7; Psalm 38:10 ("" תַּאֲוָה, Isaiah 21:2; Lamentations 1:22; "" יָגוֺן Psalm 31:11; Isaiah 35:10; Isaiah 51:11; Jeremiah 45:3; ׳קוֺל א Psalm 102:6. Topical Lexicon Overview Strong’s Hebrew 585, אֲנָחָה, denotes a deep sigh, groan, or moan that rises from anguish of body or soul. Though the term appears only eleven times, it traces a vivid line through Scripture—beginning with Job’s personal misery, coursing through Davidic laments and prophetic oracles, and culminating in Isaiah’s promise that “sorrow and sighing will flee” (Isaiah 35:10; 51:11). The word therefore marks both the depth of human pain under the curse and the breadth of divine compassion and deliverance. Biblical Occurrences and Contexts 1. Personal Suffering (Job; Psalms; Jeremiah) 2. National Distress (Isaiah 21:2; Lamentations 1:22) 3. Eschatological Hope (Isaiah 35:10; 51:11) Themes and Theology 1. Authentic Lament before God Groaning is not depicted as faithlessness but as faithful transparency. The sufferers lay bare their anguish before the covenant LORD, expecting Him to hear (Psalm 38:9). Scripture legitimizes lament as a means of clinging to God when explanations are absent. 2. The Burden of Sin and Mortality Several occurrences pair groaning with personal iniquity (Psalm 31:10; 38:9). Sighing becomes the audible weight of sin’s consequences, highlighting humanity’s need for atonement. 3. Divine Awareness and Response The psalmists’ confidence that their sighing is “not hidden” (Psalm 38:9) underscores God’s intimate knowledge of pain. Isaiah 21:2 shows that God not only notices but acts—He “puts an end” to the groaning of the oppressed by judging oppressors. 4. Redemptive Reversal The contrast between Job’s unceasing groans and Isaiah’s vision where sighing flees frames the Bible’s redemptive arc. What begins in Eden’s aftermath (Genesis 3) ends in Zion’s joy (Revelation 21:4 echoes Isaiah), exhibiting the consistency of God’s saving purpose. Christological Significance Isaiah’s promise finds fulfillment in the Messiah who entered human suffering. The Gospels depict Jesus “deeply moved and troubled” (John 11:33) and “sighing deeply in His spirit” (Mark 8:12, Greek stenazō). Though different in language, the conceptual link is clear: the Man of Sorrows bears the groans of His people, carries them to the cross, and by His resurrection secures the day when sighing ceases. Pastoral and Ministerial Application • Validation of Suffering: Believers may voice groans without shame, knowing Scripture gives inspired words for pain. Eschatological Horizon Romans 8:22-23 speaks of creation’s groaning while awaiting redemption, mirroring Isaiah’s imagery. The final eradication of sighing marks the consummation of God’s kingdom: “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (Revelation 21:4). Thus every present groan carries an eschatological undertone—an aching for the glory yet to be revealed. Intertextual Connections • Septuagint renders אֲנָחָה with gemismos or stenagmos, terms echoed in Acts 7:34 and Romans 8:26, broadening the theme from Hebrew lament to New Testament prayer aided by the Spirit. Summary אֲנָחָה bears witness to the reality of suffering in a fallen world, conveys the legitimacy of lament in the life of faith, and heralds the assured triumph of divine salvation wherein sorrow and sighing vanish forever. Forms and Transliterations אַנְחָתִ֑י אַנְחָתִ֣י אַנְחָתִֽי׃ אַנְחָתָ֖ה אַנְחֹתַ֖י אנחתה אנחתי אנחתי׃ בְּֽאַנְחָתִ֗י בְּאַנְחָתִ֔י בַּאֲנָ֫חָ֥ה באנחה באנחתי וְ֝אַנְחָתִ֗י וַאֲנָחָֽה׃ ואנחה׃ ואנחתי ’an·ḥā·ṯāh ’an·ḥā·ṯî ’an·ḥō·ṯay ’anḥāṯāh ’anḥāṯî ’anḥōṯay anchaTah anchaTi anchoTai ba’ănāḥāh ba·’ă·nā·ḥāh baaNaChah bə’anḥāṯî bə·’an·ḥā·ṯî beanchaTi vaanaChah veanchaTi wa’ănāḥāh wa·’ă·nā·ḥāh wə’anḥāṯî wə·’an·ḥā·ṯîLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Job 3:24 HEB: לִפְנֵ֣י לַ֭חְמִי אַנְחָתִ֣י תָבֹ֑א וַֽיִּתְּכ֥וּ NAS: For my groaning comes at the sight KJV: For my sighing cometh before INT: the sight of my food my groaning comes pour Job 23:2 Psalm 6:6 Psalm 31:10 Psalm 38:9 Psalm 102:5 Isaiah 21:2 Isaiah 35:10 Isaiah 51:11 Jeremiah 45:3 Lamentations 1:22 11 Occurrences |
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