Lexical Summary anan: Cloud Original Word: אָנַן Strong's Exhaustive Concordance complain A primitive root; to mourn, i.e. Complain -- complain. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origina prim. root Definition to complain, murmur NASB Translation complain (1), offer complaint (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs [אָנַן] verb only Hithpo`el complain, murmur (Mishna אֶנן, Aramaic אֲנַן, Arabic Topical Lexicon Root sense and verbal picture The verb conveys the idea of emitting a low, discontented sound—an inner groan that becomes audible complaint. It is not the reasoned lament of faith (as in many Psalms) but a muttering that challenges God’s goodness and order. Occurrences and narrative setting Numbers 11:1 locates the word at the outset of Israel’s wilderness wanderings. The freshly delivered nation, instead of responding to grace with trust, “began to complain about their hardship in the hearing of the LORD, and when He heard them His anger was kindled” (Numbers 11:1). The word appears again in Lamentations 3:39 where the prophet confronts survivors of Jerusalem’s fall: “Why should any living man complain, any man, for the punishment of his sins?”. The two contexts frame Israel’s history—from early redemption to post-exilic grief—showing that the same heart-issue can surface in very different generations. Theological profile 1. A sin of the redeemed. Both texts involve covenant people. Murmuring is therefore not a pagan vice but a temptation within the community of faith. Historical implications Israel’s murmuring becomes a paradigm in later Scripture. Asaph recounts it (Psalm 78:17-22), and Paul warns the church not to “grumble, as some of them did” (1 Corinthians 10:10). The sparse use of the verb אָנַן heightens its force: it marks key turning-points when discontent threatened the covenant community’s survival. Practical and pastoral applications • Cultivate gratitude. Regular remembrance of redemption (Exodus 19:4; 1 Peter 1:18-19) counteracts the impulse to complain. Christological and New Testament resonance Jesus, the true Israel, passes through wilderness testing without complaint (Matthew 4:1-11; 1 Peter 2:23). His silent suffering fulfills the righteous response Lamentations 3 demanded yet humanity could not supply. United to Him, believers receive both pardon for past murmuring and power to “hold fast the word of life” with joyful obedience (Philippians 2:16). Worship and liturgical use The theme informs corporate confession: “Forgive us, O Lord, for our murmuring hearts.” It also fuels thanksgiving liturgies that recount deliverance from Egypt to Calvary. Read alongside Numbers 11 and Lamentations 3, the verb אָנַן becomes a small yet piercing witness that God desires grateful trust, disciplines murmuring, and offers mercy to the penitent. Forms and Transliterations יִּתְאוֹנֵן֙ יתאונן כְּמִתְאֹ֣נְנִ֔ים כמתאננים kə·miṯ·’ō·nə·nîm kəmiṯ’ōnənîm kemitOneNim yiṯ’ōwnên yiṯ·’ō·w·nên yitoNenLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Numbers 11:1 HEB: וַיְהִ֤י הָעָם֙ כְּמִתְאֹ֣נְנִ֔ים רַ֖ע בְּאָזְנֵ֣י NAS: became like those who complain of adversity KJV: And [when] the people complained, it displeased INT: became now the people complain of adversity the hearing Lamentations 3:39 2 Occurrences |
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, Assyrian [anânu], whence ênênu, unnînu, sigh ZimBP 22) — Imperfect יִתְאוֺנֵן