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לָאָה

𐤋𐤀𐤄

lâʼâh

H3811 verb

SILEX Entry

Root לאה to be weary, to tire, to become exhausted

Definition

To become weary, tired, or exhausted physically, emotionally, or spiritually; to lose strength or endurance as a result of exertion, persistence, or distress. In some contexts, to become impatient, discouraged, or disheartened by ongoing adversity or frustration. May also convey a sense of growing faint or vexed.

Semantic Range

to become physically tired, to be emotionally weary, to lose heart, to become discouraged, to lose stamina or patience, to faint, to languish

Root / Etymology

From the root לאה, which fundamentally conveys the idea of weariness or exhaustion. As a verb, לָאָה expresses a process of becoming weary, faint, or losing stamina.

Historical & Contextual Notes

The verb לָאָה appears in a range of biblical texts from the early monarchy through the post-exilic period, often conveying a literal physical exhaustion (as in being tired after work or travel), but frequently employed figuratively for emotional or spiritual weariness (e.g., becoming discouraged through adverse circumstances or persistent waiting, as in Isaiah 40:28–31). It is sometimes set in parallel with other verbs of fainting or growing weak (cf. יָגַע, to labor, become weary from exertion). While English translations variously render לָאָה as 'faint,' 'weary,' 'tire,' 'lose heart,' or 'become discouraged,' not all nuances are always visible in translation. Some post-exilic uses especially emphasize lack of stamina or diminished hope in the face of hardship. The term should be distinguished from related roots like יָגַע, which focuses more on the tiring result of intense labor, while לָאָה may have wider application to emotional endurance or spiritual patience as well. In later Hebrew literature, the root maintains its core sense of weariness but can broaden to encompass general discouragement.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; to tire; (figuratively) to be (or make) disgusted; faint, grieve, lothe, (be, make) weary (selves).

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

לאה (l-ʾ-h) — weariness, exhaustion, loss of strength

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H3812 לֵאָה Weary One
H8513 תְּלָאָה the wearying hardship

Word Forms

16 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H3811-07 נִלְאֵ֖יתִי nileeyti HVNp1cs I am weary I have grown weary I have grown weary 3
H3811-05 נִלְאָ֥ה nileah HVNp3ms he wearies himself he became weary he becomes weary 2
H3811-11 וַ/תֵּ֑לֶא vatele HC/Vqw2ms and you faint and you grew weary and you are weary 1
H3811-09 תַלְא֖וּ taleu HVhi2mp you weary you cause to grow weary you cause to grow weary 1
H3811-10 תִּלְאֶ֑ה tileeh HVqi2ms will you be weary you will grow weary will you grow weary 1
H3811-14 וְ֝/נִלְאָ֗ה venileah HC/VNrfsa and it was weary and becoming weary and it was weary 1
H3811-15 וְ/נִלְאֵ֥יתִי venileeyti HC/VNq1cs and I was weary and I became weary and I became weary 1
H3811-13 וַ/יִּלְא֖וּ vayileu HC/Vqw3mp so that they wearied and they became weary and they became weary 1
H3811-02 הֶלְאָ֑/נִי heleani HVhp3ms/Sp1cs you have wearied me he made me weary he made me weary 1
H3811-06 נִלְאֵ֖ית nileeyt HVNp2fs you are wearied you have grown weary you have grown weary 1

Occurrences in Scripture

19 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H3811-13 Genesis 19:11 וַ/יִּלְא֖וּ vayileu HC/Vqw3mp so that they wearied and they became weary and they became weary
H3811-16 Exodus 7:18 וְ/נִלְא֣וּ venileu HC/VNq3cp and will be weary and they became weary and they will become weary
H3811-07 Isaiah 1:14 נִלְאֵ֖יתִי nileeyti HVNp1cs I am weary I have grown weary I have grown weary
H3811-01 Isaiah 7:13 הַלְא֣וֹת haleot HVhc to weary to make weary to make weary
H3811-09 Isaiah 7:13 תַלְא֖וּ taleu HVhi2mp you weary you cause to grow weary you cause to grow weary
H3811-05 Isaiah 16:12 נִלְאָ֥ה nileah HVNp3ms he wearies himself he became weary he becomes weary
H3811-06 Isaiah 47:13 נִלְאֵ֖ית nileeyt HVNp2fs you are wearied you have grown weary you have grown weary
H3811-07 Jeremiah 6:11 נִלְאֵ֣יתִי nileeyti HVNp1cs I am weary I have grown weary I have grown weary
H3811-08 Jeremiah 9:4 נִלְאֽוּ nileu HVNp3cp they-have-worn-out they became weary they became weary
H3811-12 Jeremiah 12:5 וַ/יַּלְא֔וּ/ךָ vayaleukha HC/Vhw3mp/Sp2ms and they have wearied you and they caused you to grow weary and they have wearied you
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