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יָגָה

𐤉𐤂𐤄

yâgâh

H3013 verb

SILEX Entry

Root יגה to afflict (emotionally), to cause grief, to experience grief

Definition

To cause grief or sorrow, to be deeply distressed or troubled, to afflict emotionally; to be affected with pain, anguish, or sadness, whether by internal distress or through external imposition. The term often denotes emotional suffering, grief, or psychological affliction, and is used to describe both the imposition of grief by others and the experience of deep personal distress.

Semantic Range

to grieve, to cause grief, to be sorrowful, to be troubled emotionally, to be afflicted (emotionally), to vex, to torment emotionally

Root / Etymology

The root יגה is rare and appears to carry the sense of emotional disturbance or grief. It does not have many securely related derivatives. The root meaning points toward 'to experience or cause emotional distress,' though the connection to broader Semitic roots is uncertain. Likely denominative and related to expressions of emotional suffering, if not a loan or an isolated root.

Historical & Contextual Notes

יָגָה (yâgâh) is a rarely used verb in Biblical Hebrew, with attestation in poetic or highly emotive texts. Its occurrences are limited (e.g., Lamentations 1:4, 1:12), almost always denoting intense emotional pain or distress, either as an inward experience (to be grieved) or as something inflicted (to cause grief). The word is more expressive and intense than more common verbs for sorrow such as אָבַל (to mourn) or יָדָה (to lament), focusing on the affective state of the subject. The term is not used institutionally (as in ritual mourning) but rather to describe acute psychological or existential affliction, often in the context of Jerusalem’s or Zion's suffering after destruction. English terms like 'afflict' or 'grieve' capture aspects of its meaning, but no single term fully expresses its emotive depth or passivity/causative nuance. In later periods, other words became more standard for mourning and distress, and יָגָה appears primarily in older poetic texts.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; to grieve; afflict, cause grief, grieve, sorrowful, vex.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

יגה (y-g-h) — to afflict emotionally, to cause grief, to experience grief

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H3014 יָגָה he caused distress
H3015 יָגוֹן in anguish
H8424 תּוּגָה to deep sorrow

Word Forms

6 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H3013-01 הוֹגָ֖/הּ hogah HVhp3ms/Sp3fs has afflicted her he has caused grief 3
H3013-06 וַ/יַּגֶּ֖ה vayageh HC/Vpw3ms nor grieve and he caused grief 1
H3013-03 נוּגֵ֧י nugey HVNrmpc grievers afflicted ones of 1
H3013-05 תּוֹגְי֣וּ/ן togeyun HVhi2mp/Sn you torment you cause grief 1
H3013-04 נּוּג֖וֹת nugot HVNsfpa grieve grieved ones 1
H3013-02 מוֹגַ֔יִ/ךְ mogayikhe HVhrmpc/Sp2fs your-tormentors those causing you grief 1

Occurrences in Scripture

8 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H3013-02 Isaiah 51:23 מוֹגַ֔יִ/ךְ mogayikhe HVhrmpc/Sp2fs your-tormentors those causing you grief
H3013-03 Zephaniah 3:18 נוּגֵ֧י nugey HVNrmpc grievers afflicted ones of
H3013-05 Job 19:2 תּוֹגְי֣וּ/ן togeyun HVhi2mp/Sn you torment you cause grief
H3013-04 Lamentations 1:4 נּוּג֖וֹת nugot HVNsfpa grieve grieved ones
H3013-01 Lamentations 1:5 הוֹגָ֖/הּ hogah HVhp3ms/Sp3fs has afflicted her he has caused grief
H3013-01 Lamentations 1:12 הוֹגָ֣ה hogah HVhp3ms inflicted he has caused grief
H3013-01 Lamentations 3:32 הוֹגָ֔ה hogah HVhp3ms he-causes-grief he has caused grief
H3013-06 Lamentations 3:33 וַ/יַּגֶּ֖ה vayageh HC/Vpw3ms nor grieve and he caused grief
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