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אֲנָחָה

𐤀𐤍𐤇𐤄

ʼănâchâh

H585 noun

SILEX Entry

Root אנח to sigh, groan, exhale in pain

Definition

A deep audible exhalation expressing pain, grief, distress, or weariness; a sigh, groan. Primarily denotes an involuntary expression of deep emotion, often in lament or as a spontaneous response to suffering or loss. In context, can convey either personal anguish or communal mourning.

Semantic Range

sigh, groan, audible expression of pain; lamenting exhalation caused by grief, distress, or weariness

Root / Etymology

From the root אנח, meaning 'to sigh,' 'to groan.' The noun is a feminine formation expressing the result or act (the audible sound) of the root's action—thus, 'a sighing, groaning.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

Used primarily in poetic or lament contexts in prophetic literature (e.g., Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Isaiah), אֲנָחָה signifies an audible lamentation resulting from physical or emotional pain. The term is typically used to describe the experience of Israelites in distress (due to war, exile, oppression, or death), and rarely—if ever—employed for ordinary or contented exhalations. Its usage is concentrated in passages emphasizing suffering, divine judgment, or national catastrophe. The term is both individual (personal agony) and collective (national distress), sometimes employed as a literary device in prophetic texts to express the intensity of Israelite suffering. In Late Biblical Hebrew, the word maintains this core meaning, though it is less frequent. English translations (e.g., groaning, sighing, lament) reflect the basic meaning, but sometimes obscure the audible, involuntary, and emotionally intense nature of the word. Note: אֲנָחָה is distinct from other forms of lament such as קִינָה (kinah, 'lament'), which has a more formal, poetic connotation.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from אֲנָחָה; sighing; groaning, mourn, sigh.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

אנח (ʾ-n-ḥ) — to sigh, groan, exhale in pain

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H5168 נַחְנוּ we
H580 אֲנוּ we
H584 אָנַח the ones groaning

Word Forms

7 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H585-02 אַנְחָתִ֑/י anechati HNcfsc/Sp1cs my groaning my groaning 3
H585-06 וַ/אֲנָחָֽה vaanachah HC/Ncfsa and sighing a groan 2
H585-05 בְּ/אַנְחָתִ֔/י beanechati HR/Ncfsc/Sp1cs with my groaning in my sighing 2
H585-03 אַנְחֹתַ֖/י anechotay HNcfpc/Sp1cs my groans my groanings 1
H585-04 בַּ/אֲנָ֫חָ֥ה baanachah HR/Ncfsa in sighing in a groan 1
H585-07 וְ֝/אַנְחָתִ֗/י veanechati HC/Ncfsc/Sp1cs and my groaning my sighing 1
H585-01 אַנְחָתָ֖/ה anechatah HNcfsc/Sp3fs her sighing her groaning 1

Occurrences in Scripture

11 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H585-01 Isaiah 21:2 אַנְחָתָ֖/ה anechatah HNcfsc/Sp3fs her sighing her groaning
H585-06 Isaiah 35:10 וַ/אֲנָחָֽה vaanachah HC/Ncfsa and sighing a groan
H585-06 Isaiah 51:11 וַ/אֲנָחָֽה vaanachah HC/Ncfsa and-sighing a groan
H585-05 Jeremiah 45:3 בְּ/אַנְחָתִ֔/י beanechati HR/Ncfsc/Sp1cs with my groaning in my sighing
H585-05 Psalms 6:7 בְּֽ/אַנְחָתִ֗/י beanechati HR/Ncfsc/Sp1cs with my groaning in my sighing
H585-04 Psalms 31:11 בַּ/אֲנָ֫חָ֥ה baanachah HR/Ncfsa in sighing in a groan
H585-07 Psalms 38:10 וְ֝/אַנְחָתִ֗/י veanechati HC/Ncfsc/Sp1cs and my groaning my sighing
H585-02 Psalms 102:6 אַנְחָתִ֑/י anechati HNcfsc/Sp1cs of my groaning my groaning
H585-02 Job 3:24 אַנְחָתִ֣/י anechati HNcfsc/Sp1cs my sighing my groaning
H585-02 Job 23:2 אַנְחָתִֽ/י anechati HNcfsc/Sp1cs my groaning my groaning
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