Hebrew word · H603

אֲנָקָה

'enkat

groaning

A groan, sigh or moan of distress. The related verb ʾanaq means "to groan" (Jeremiah 51:52, of the wounded; Ezekiel 9:4, of those who groan over Jerusalem's abominations). It always names the involuntary sound of people under pressure.

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

What it means

crying, groaning, 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 Psalm 102:20

Range of meaning

A groan, sigh or moan of distress. The related verb ʾanaq means "to groan" (Jeremiah 51:52, of the wounded; Ezekiel 9:4, of those who groan over Jerusalem's abominations). The noun appears only four times: Psalm 12:5 (Eng.; the groaning of the needy), Psalm 79:11, Psalm 102:20 and Malachi 2:13 (tears and groaning at the altar). It always names the involuntary sound of people under pressure.

Against the English

"Groaning" (KJV, BSB) and "groans" (WEB) are accurate. Nothing important is lost in English.

Used elsewhere in the period

Psalm 79:11, a lament over Jerusalem's destruction, uses almost the same phrase: "let the groaning of the prisoner (ʾenqat ʾasir) come before you … preserve the sons of death (benei temutah)." Psalm 12:5 has the LORD rising up "because of the groaning of the needy." The Greek Septuagint renders it stenagmos, "groan, sigh." The Exodus story uses different words for the same idea: God "heard their groaning" (naʾaqah, Exodus 2:24).

From the study of Psalm 79:11

Range of meaning

A groan, moan or cry of anguish. It comes from the verb ʾānaq, 'to groan', which is used for the moaning of the wounded (Jeremiah 51:52), of people grieving over abominations (Ezekiel 9:4), of mourners (Ezekiel 24:17) and of those dying in a city's fall (Ezekiel 26:15). The noun appears only four times: Psalm 12:5 [Hebrew 12:6] ('the groaning of the needy'), Psalm 79:11, Psalm 102:20 [102:21] and Malachi 2:13 (the altar covered 'with weeping and groaning').

Against the English

KJV and WEB have 'sighing', which in modern English suggests a mild breath of tiredness or disappointment. BSB, ESV and NIV have 'groans', and NLT has 'moaning', which are closer.

How it drifted

In 1611 'sigh' could carry deep sorrow (compare 'sighs and groans'), but today it usually means something light, even a little theatrical.

Used elsewhere in the period

In Psalm 12:5 it is the groaning of the poor that moves God to rise and act ('now I will arise, says the LORD'). The Greek Septuagint translates it stenagmos, 'groan', the same word Exodus 2:24 and 6:5 use for Israel's groaning in Egyptian slavery, which God 'heard'.

Where it appears

Psalms · 3

  1. Psalm 12:5 מֵאַנְקַ֪ת from [the] groaning of

    “For the cause of the oppressed and for the groaning of the needy, I will now arise,” says the LORD. “I will bring safety to him who yearns.”

    Here: The audible groan of someone in distress, used elsewhere of prisoners' groaning (Ps 79:11; 102:20). This sound is what God says he has heard.

  2. Psalm 79:11 אֶנְקַ֪ת [the] groaning of

    May the groans of the captives reach You; by the strength of Your arm preserve those condemned to death.

    Here: The groaning of. Not a quiet sigh but the deep, involuntary moan of someone in pain or despair. What reaches God here is not a polished prayer but the sound captives make.

  3. Psalm 102:20 אֶנְקַ֣ת [the] groaning of

    to hear a prisoner’s groaning, to release those condemned to death,

    Here: A rare word for the moan of someone in deep distress. It is a sound, not a worded prayer. The prisoner may be too weak or too hopeless to form a petition, and God hears even the groan. The form is grammatically bound to the next word: "the groaning of."

Malachi · 1

  1. Malachi 2:13 וַֽאֲנָקָ֑ה and groaning

    And this is another thing you do: You cover the altar of the LORD with tears, with weeping and groaning, because He no longer regards your offerings or receives them gladly from your hands.

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