Hebrew word · H602

אָנַק

vehane'enakim

to groan

To groan or moan, a low cry of pain. The verb is rare: in the Niphal it appears only here and in Ezekiel 26:15 (the groaning of the wounded). The Qal form appears in Jeremiah 51:52 and Ezekiel 24:17, where Ezekiel is told to “groan silently” when his wife dies.

Appears 4 times in 4 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) to cry, groan

1a) (Qal) to cry, lament

1b) (Niphal) to make lamentation

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 Ezekiel 9:4

Range of meaning

To groan or moan, a low cry of pain. The verb is rare: in the Niphal it appears only here and in Ezekiel 26:15 (the groaning of the wounded). The Qal form appears in Jeremiah 51:52 and Ezekiel 24:17, where Ezekiel is told to “groan silently” when his wife dies. The related noun ʾănāqâ is used of the groaning of the needy (Psalm 12:6 [Eng. 12:5]) and of a prisoner (Psalm 79:11; 102:21).

Against the English

KJV and WEB say “cry,” which a modern reader may take as weeping with tears or as a loud outcry. ESV, NASB and BSB “groan” is closer. NIV “lament” suggests a formal, spoken mourning song, which the word does not require.

How it drifted

In 1611 “cry” could cover any vocal expression of distress. Today it means mainly weeping, or calling out loudly, and so suggests a public protest the Hebrew does not specify.

Used elsewhere in the period

Ezekiel 24:17 and 26:15; Psalm 12:5; 79:11; 102:20; Malachi 2:13 (the altar covered with “groaning”).

Where it appears

Jeremiah · 1

  1. Jeremiah 51:52 יֶאֱנֹ֥ק he will groan

    “Therefore, behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will punish her idols, and throughout her land the wounded will groan.

Ezekiel · 3

  1. Ezekiel 9:4 וְהַנֶּ֣אֱנָקִ֔ים and who groan

    “Go throughout the city of Jerusalem,” said the LORD, “and put a mark on the foreheads of the men sighing and groaning over all the abominations committed there.”

    Here: “And who groan/moan.” This is a low cry of pain. It rhymes with the previous word (neʾĕnāḥîm / neʾĕnāqîm), so the pair sounds like one continuous moan. It is not a public protest shout.

  2. Ezekiel 24:17 הֵאָנֵ֣ק׀ groaning

    Groan quietly; do not mourn for the dead. Put on your turban and strap your sandals on your feet; do not cover your lips or eat the bread of mourners.”

  3. Ezekiel 26:15 בֶּאֱנֹ֨ק when groan

    This is what the Lord GOD says to Tyre: ‘Will not the coastlands quake at the sound of your downfall, when the wounded groan at the slaughter in your midst?

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