אָנָה
𐤀𐤍𐤄
ʼânâh
H579 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To encounter, meet, or befall. In various contexts, אָנָה refers primarily to the act of something or someone coming toward, meeting with, or happening upon a person or event. It can denote a sense of coming to meet, but also the experience of something coming upon one, such as disaster or fortune.
Semantic Range
to encounter, to meet (as in coming together), to approach, to befall, to happen (to someone), to come upon, to be delivered up to, to seek a confrontation
Root / Etymology
Root: אנה. The general sense of the root involves movement toward or the idea of coming near, confronting, or seeking. The specific verb form conveys the action of encountering or being met by something or someone. The etymology is debated, with some suggesting a link to the notion of 'contracting in anguish,' though this is not certain.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In the Hebrew Bible, אָנָה most often appears in narrative or poetic contexts to describe 'befalling' or 'happening to' a person, frequently in passive constructions (e.g., calamity that 'befalls' someone). Its usage as 'to meet/encounter' is less about intentional confrontation and more about the event of coming together, sometimes unexpectedly. The term is distinct from פָּגַע (pāga‘), which more often means to encounter in the sense of entreating or interceding, or sometimes harming. In earlier periods (e.g., the patriarchal and monarchic eras), אָנָה is found less frequently and tends to carry a more neutral sense of 'to meet' or 'to come upon.' In poetic and wisdom literature, the meaning may shift toward 'befall' or 'happen.' English translations usually render it as 'befall,' 'meet,' or 'happen,' but these may not convey the sense of both agency and passivity found in the Hebrew usage. The word is rare in later texts, and by post-exilic times its semantic range is largely preserved in older phraseology.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
a primitive root (perhaps rather identical with אָנָה through the idea of contraction in anguish); to approach; hence, to meet in various senses; befall, deliver, happen, seek a quarrel.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
אנה (ʾ-n-h) — to approach, to come toward, to meet, to befall
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H578 | אָנָה | and they groaned aloud |
| H590 | אֳנִי | in a sea-going vessel of |
| H592 | אֲנִיָּה | and affliction-cry |
| H8385 | תַּאֲנָה | her pretext |
| H8386 | תַּאֲנִיָּה | formal lamentation |
Word Forms
4 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H579-04 |
יְאֻנֶּ֣ה | yeuneh | HVPi3ms |
will befall | he will be met with | 1 | |
H579-03 |
תְאֻנֶּ֣ה | teuneh | HVPi3fs |
evil shall befall | she will be met | 1 | |
H579-02 |
מִתְאַנֶּ֥ה | miteaneh | HVtrmsa |
he is seeking | one seeking encounter | 1 | |
H579-01 |
אִנָּ֣ה | inah | HVpp3ms |
caused-to-happen | he brought upon | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
4 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H579-01 |
Exodus 21:13 | אִנָּ֣ה | inah | HVpp3ms |
caused-to-happen | he brought upon | |
H579-02 |
2 Kings 5:7 | מִתְאַנֶּ֥ה | miteaneh | HVtrmsa |
he is seeking | one seeking encounter | |
H579-03 |
Psalms 91:10 | תְאֻנֶּ֣ה | teuneh | HVPi3fs |
evil shall befall | she will be met | |
H579-04 |
Proverbs 12:21 | יְאֻנֶּ֣ה | yeuneh | HVPi3ms |
will befall | he will be met with |