Hebrew word · H585

אֲנָחָה

be'anchati

sighing

Groaning or sighing from pain, grief or oppression: the audible moan of distress (Psalm 31:10; Job 3:24; Lamentations 1:22). From the verb ʾānaḥ 'to groan'.

Appears 11 times in 11 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

sighing, groaning (expression of grief or physical distress)

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Isaiah 21:2

Range of meaning

Groaning or sighing from pain, grief or oppression: the audible moan of distress (Psalm 31:10; Job 3:24; Lamentations 1:22). From the verb ʾānaḥ 'to groan'.

Against the English

KJV/ESV/YLT 'sighing'. Modern 'sighing' often suggests mild weariness, boredom or relief. The Hebrew is the moan of people suffering. NIV and BSB use 'groaning', which is closer.

How it drifted

In older English 'sigh' carried deep sorrow. Today it has weakened to a small sound of exasperation.

Used elsewhere in the period

Isaiah 35:10 and 51:11: 'sorrow and sighing (ʾănāḥâ) shall flee away', both about the redeemed returning to Zion. The Septuagint usually renders it stenagmos, 'groaning'.

From the study of Psalm 31:10

Range of meaning

Sighing, groaning: the audible breath of exhaustion, grief or distress.

Against the English

KJV, WEB, YLT: 'sighing'. BSB, NIV: 'groaning'. 'Sighing' can sound mild in modern English; the Hebrew word belongs with laments and mourning.

Used elsewhere in the period

Isa 35:10 and 51:11: 'yagon wa'anachah', 'sorrow and sighing shall flee away', the same pair as here, as a set phrase for the misery that God's rescue ends. Ps 6:6: 'I am weary with my groaning'. Lam 1:22: 'my groans are many and my heart is faint'.

From the study of Psalm 38:9

Range of meaning

Sighing or groaning: the sound of grief, exhaustion or oppression, from the verb ʾānaḥ, 'to sigh, groan.' It is a bodily, audible expression of distress and not a carefully composed prayer.

Against the English

KJV, BSB and WEB say 'groaning'; YLT, NASB, ESV and NIV say 'sighing'; NLT 'my every sigh.' Both are right. 'Sighing' catches the quiet, worn-out breath. 'Groaning' catches the pain. The word covers both.

Used elsewhere in the period

Ps 6:6 ('I am weary with my sighing'); Ps 31:10 ('my years with sighing'); Ps 102:5; Lam 1:22 ('my sighs are many'); Isa 35:10 and 51:11 ('sorrow and sighing shall flee away'). The related verb is used of Israel in Egypt: 'the Israelites groaned... and God heard their groaning' (Exod 2:23-24, with a related noun). The Greek Psalms render it stenagmos, the word behind 'groanings' in Rom 8:26.

Where it appears

Job · 2

  1. Job 3:24 אַנְחָתִ֣י groaning my

    I sigh when food is put before me, and my groans pour out like water.

  2. Job 23:2 אַנְחָתִֽי׃ groaning my

    “Even today my complaint is bitter. His hand is heavy despite my groaning.

    Here: 'My groaning': the deep, audible sigh of a person worn down by pain. It echoes 3:24, 'my sighing comes before my bread'.

Psalms · 4

  1. Psalm 6:6 בְּֽאַנְחָתִ֗י by groaning my

    I am weary from groaning; all night I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears.

    Here: 'With/by my groaning.' This is the heavy, audible sigh or moan of someone in pain or grief. The preposition can mean 'with' (along with) or 'from' (because of). Either way, the groaning is both his condition and the thing that has worn him out.

  2. Psalm 31:10 בַּאֲנָ֫חָ֥ה with groaning

    For my life is consumed with grief and my years with groaning; my iniquity has drained my strength, and my bones are wasting away.

    Here: The audible sigh or groan of someone worn down. It matches 'grief' in the line before. The same pair, grief and sighing, appears together in Isaiah 35:10 and 51:11.

  3. Psalm 38:9 וְ֝אַנְחָתִ֗י and sighing my

    O Lord, my every desire is before You; my groaning is not hidden from You.

    Here: 'And my sighing': the audible breath of grief and exhaustion that comes out when words fail. It picks up the groaning and 'roaring' of v. 8 and puts it in front of God.

  4. Psalm 102:5 אַנְחָתִ֑י groaning my

    Through my loud groaning my skin hangs on my bones.

Isaiah · 3

  1. Isaiah 21:2 אַנְחָתָ֖ה groaning its

    A dire vision is declared to me: “The traitor still betrays, and the destroyer still destroys. Go up, O Elam! Lay siege, O Media! I will put an end to all her groaning.”

    Here: 'Her groaning': the moaning of people in distress. 'Her' most likely refers to Babylon, so the phrase probably means the groaning Babylon caused among the peoples she oppressed.

  2. Isaiah 35:10 וַאֲנָחָֽה׃ פ and sighing

    So the redeemed of the LORD will return and enter Zion with singing, crowned with everlasting joy. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee.

    Here: The audible groan of someone weighed down. The same root describes Israel groaning under slavery in Egypt (Exod 2:23). The groan of captivity is the last thing named, and it is running away.

  3. Isaiah 51:11 וַאֲנָחָֽה׃ ס and sighing

    So the redeemed of the LORD will return and enter Zion with singing, crowned with everlasting joy. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee.

    Here: The audible sigh or groan of someone worn down. Paired with yagon, it is the sound of grief, set against the ringing shout at the start of the verse.

Jeremiah · 1

  1. Jeremiah 45:3 בְּאַנְחָתִ֔י with groaning my

    You have said, ‘Woe is me because the LORD has added sorrow to my pain! I am worn out with groaning and have found no rest.’”

Lamentations · 1

  1. Lamentations 1:22 אַנְחֹתַ֖י groaning<s> my

    Let all their wickedness come before You, and deal with them as You have dealt with me because of all my transgressions. For my groans are many, and my heart is faint.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.