6053. ananah

Lexical Summary

ananah: cloud

Original Word: עֲנָנָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: `ananah
Pronunciation: ah-nah-NAH
Phonetic Spelling: (an-aw-naw')
KJV: cloud
NASB: cloud
Word Origin: [feminine of H6051 (עָנָן - cloud)]

1. cloudiness

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

cloud

Feminine of anan; cloudiness -- cloud.

see HEBREW anan

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from the same as anan
Definition
a cloud
NASB Translation
cloud (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

עֲנָנָה noun feminine cloud (Ges^{§ 122t}) Job 3:5.

Topical Lexicon

Meaning and Imagery

עֲנָנָה evokes a dense, brooding cloud mass—an enveloping shroud that extinguishes light and visibility. Beyond meteorology, the word conveys an atmosphere of foreboding: a pall of sorrow, judgment, or mystery that descends upon human experience and appears to engulf all hope of clarity.

Unique Occurrence

Job 3:5: “May darkness and gloom reclaim it; may a cloud settle over it; may the blackness of the day terrify it.”

In Job’s passionate lament, the cloud functions as an agent of cosmic erasure. By wishing a cloud to “settle” over the day of his birth, Job calls for creation itself to reverse course, blotting out a moment that brought him into a life now dominated by suffering.

Contextual Significance in Job 3:5

1. Extreme Lament: Job’s plea illustrates how grief can press human language to the brink; even the created order becomes a target of his protest.
2. Cosmic Inversion: Light—usually associated with God’s favor (Numbers 6:25)—is replaced by an all-consuming cloud, portraying the depth of perceived divine distance.
3. Honest Faith: The verse legitimizes raw lament within covenant relationship; Job speaks not in rebellion but in agonized faith, still addressing the God he believes rules the cosmos.

Old Testament Parallels

Although עֲנָנָה appears only once, related “cloud” language shapes many biblical narratives:
• Exodus 13:21—A pillar of cloud guides Israel by day, signaling protective presence.
• Exodus 20:21—Moses draws near “the thick darkness where God was,” showing that even gloom can cloak the Holy One.
• Zephaniah 1:15—“A day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness,” depicting judgment.

These texts reveal a paradox: clouds may both conceal and reveal, terrify and safeguard, judge and guide, depending on divine purpose.

Redemptive-Historical Trajectory

Cloud imagery later frames pivotal moments:
• Matthew 17:5—A bright cloud overshadows the Mount of Transfiguration, declaring Jesus as Son and Messiah.
• Acts 1:9—The risen Christ is taken up by a cloud, promising His return “in the same way” (Acts 1:11).
• Revelation 1:7—“He is coming with the clouds,” linking heavenly authority with final vindication.

Thus, the gloom of Job 3 ultimately finds counterpoint in the glorious cloud of Christ’s exaltation and return.

Ministry Implications

1. Space for Lament: Pastoral care must allow believers to voice Job-like prayers when swallowed by “clouds” of suffering.
2. Assurance of Presence: Scripture testifies that the same God who leads by cloud (Exodus 13:21) also hears cries from within the cloud of despair (Psalm 18:9).
3. Forward Hope: Even when darkness feels permanent, redemptive history moves toward a day when “there will be no more night” (Revelation 22:5).

Key Passages for Reflection

Job 3:3–26; Exodus 13:21–22; Psalm 18:9–12; Isaiah 60:1–2; Matthew 24:30; Revelation 1:7.

Forms and Transliterations

עֲנָנָ֑ה עננה ‘ă·nā·nāh ‘ănānāh anaNah

Englishman's Concordance

Job 3:5
HEB: תִּשְׁכָּן־ עָלָ֣יו עֲנָנָ֑ה יְ֝בַעֲתֻ֗הוּ כִּֽמְרִ֥ירֵי
NAS: claim it; Let a cloud settle
KJV: stain it; let a cloud dwell
INT: settle and A cloud terrify the blackness

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 6053
1 Occurrence

‘ă·nā·nāh — 1 Occ.