Hebrew word · H6040

עֳנִי

'oni

affliction

Affliction, misery, oppression, humiliation, the condition of someone pushed down. It comes from the root 'nh II, 'to be bowed down; to oppress, humble, mistreat'. It is closely related to 'ani, 'poor, afflicted'. It covers both how someone suffers and how low their position is.

Appears 36 times in 36 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) affliction, poverty, misery

1a) affliction

1b) poverty

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 Genesis 16:11

Range of meaning

Affliction, misery, oppression, humiliation, the condition of someone pushed down. It comes from the root 'nh II, 'to be bowed down; to oppress, humble, mistreat'. It is closely related to 'ani, 'poor, afflicted'. It covers both how someone suffers and how low their position is.

Against the English

'Affliction' (KJV, WEB, ESV, NASB) is accurate but bookish. NIV's 'misery' focuses on how she feels. BSB's 'cry of affliction' and NLT's 'cry of distress' add a cry that is not in the Hebrew. None of these English words shows the link back to vv. 6 and 9, which use the same root.

Used elsewhere in the period

In v. 6 Sarai 'afflicted her' (vatte'anneha, from the same root), and Hagar fled. In v. 9 the messenger tells her 'return… and submit yourself (hit'anni, same root) under her hand.' Gen 15:13 predicts that Abram's descendants will be 'afflicted' ('innu) in Egypt. Exod 3:7 has God say 'I have surely seen the affliction ('oni) of my people… I have heard their cry.' Deut 26:7 has Israel confess 'YHWH heard our voice and saw our affliction.' The Septuagint here uses tapeinōsis, 'lowliness, humiliation'.

From the study of Exodus 3:17

Range of meaning

Affliction, oppression, misery, humiliation. It comes from the root ʿ-n-h, 'to be bowed down' or (in the active form) 'to press down, humble, mistreat.' The word nearly always describes a condition someone is forced into: by enemies, by a master, or by poverty.

Against the English

KJV, WEB and YLT have 'affliction.' BSB has 'your affliction in Egypt,' NIV 'misery,' NLT 'oppression.' 'Oppression' best brings out that someone is doing the pressing. 'Misery' turns it into a feeling.

How it drifted

In modern English 'affliction' usually means an illness or a private hardship ('afflicted with arthritis'). The Hebrew points to a human oppressor and a social condition of being kept down.

Used elsewhere in the period

Same root in Gen 15:13 ('they will afflict them four hundred years'), Exod 1:11–12 ('to afflict them with their burdens'), Exod 3:7, and Deut 26:7, where the creed recited at the firstfruits offering says 'the LORD saw our affliction, our toil and our oppression.' The unleavened bread of Passover is 'the bread of ʿoni' (Deut 16:3). The Septuagint here uses kakōsis, 'ill-treatment.'

From the study of Genesis 29:32

Range of meaning

Affliction, misery, humiliation, a lowered or oppressed state. It comes from the root 'nh, 'to be bowed down / to humble, oppress'. It covers social degradation, oppression and helpless suffering, not mainly physical illness.

Against the English

'Affliction' (KJV, ESV, BSB, WEB) or 'misery' (NIV, NASB, NLT). 'Misery' gets the feeling, and 'affliction' gets the sense of being pressed down. Neither brings out the humiliation as clearly as the Hebrew does.

How it drifted

Modern English 'affliction' leans toward disease or disability ('an affliction of the skin'). In Hebrew the word is about being made low, often by other people.

Used elsewhere in the period

The same pattern of 'Yahweh sees or hears the affliction' comes back at key moments. To Hagar, a slighted secondary wife: 'Yahweh has heard your affliction' (Gen 16:11). Jacob says the same of himself: 'God has seen my affliction' (Gen 31:42). To Israel in Egypt: 'I have surely seen the affliction of my people' (Exod 3:7; Deut 26:7). Hannah, the less-favoured wife: 'If you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant' (1 Sam 1:11). The Greek Old Testament renders it tapeinōsis, 'lowliness', the word Mary uses in Luke 1:48.

Where it appears

Genesis · 4

  1. Genesis 16:11 עָנְיֵֽךְ׃ affliction your

    The angel of the LORD proceeded: “Behold, you have conceived and will bear a son. And you shall name him Ishmael, for the LORD has heard your cry of affliction.

    Here: 'Your affliction.' It comes from the same root as Sarai's harsh treatment of Hagar in v. 6 and the 'submit' of v. 9. This is the mistreatment of someone of low status by someone with power over her, and it is the same word later used for Israel's slavery in Egypt.

  2. Genesis 29:32 בְּעָנְיִ֔י on affliction my

    And Leah conceived and gave birth to a son, and she named him Reuben, for she said, “The LORD has seen my affliction. Surely my husband will love me now.”

    Here: 'On/into my affliction.' Her low, humiliated position as the unwanted wife. The preposition 'be-' suggests looking closely at it, not just glancing.

  3. Genesis 31:42 עָנְיִ֞י affliction my

    If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, surely by now you would have sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen my affliction and the toil of my hands, and last night He rendered judgment.”

    Here: Being pressed down and humiliated by someone stronger, here the exploitation Jacob suffered under Laban (vv. 38–41). The same word is used for Israel's oppression in Egypt (Exod 3:7).

  4. Genesis 41:52 עָנְיִֽי׃ affliction my

    And the second son he named Ephraim, saying, “God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.”

Exodus · 3

  1. Exodus 3:7 עֳנִ֥י [the] affliction of

    The LORD said, “I have indeed seen the affliction of My people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their oppressors, and I am aware of their sufferings.

    Here: Suffering that others impose by pushing someone down. It comes from the same root as "to afflict them" in Exod 1:11–12 and Gen 15:13, so it names the very oppression that was foretold and has now come about.

  2. Exodus 3:17 מֵעֳנִ֣י from [the] affliction of

    And I have promised to bring you up out of your affliction in Egypt, into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—a land flowing with milk and honey.’

    Here: 'From' plus 'affliction': being pressed down and humiliated by others. It picks up 3:7 ('I have surely seen the affliction of my people') and the Egyptians' policy 'to afflict them' with forced labor (1:11).

  3. Exodus 4:31 עָנְיָ֔ם affliction their

    and they believed. And when they heard that the LORD had attended to the Israelites and had seen their affliction, they bowed down and worshiped.

    Here: 'Their affliction', the crushing oppression of forced labour. It comes from the same root as 1:11–12, where the taskmasters were set 'to afflict them'. The word names suffering that others inflict, not general bad luck.

Deuteronomy · 2

  1. Deuteronomy 16:3 עֹ֑נִי affliction

    You must not eat leavened bread with it; for seven days you are to eat with it unleavened bread, the bread of affliction, because you left the land of Egypt in haste—so that you may remember for the rest of your life the day you left the land of Egypt.

    Here: The state of being pressed down: the oppression, humiliation and poverty of slavery. It is the same word used for Israel's "affliction" in Egypt (Exodus 3:7; Deuteronomy 26:7). The bread itself is made to taste of that condition.

  2. Deuteronomy 26:7 עָנְיֵ֛נוּ affliction our

    So we called out to the LORD, the God of our fathers; and the LORD heard our voice and saw our affliction, toil, and oppression.

1 Samuel · 1

  1. 1 Samuel 1:11 בָּעֳנִ֣י on [the] affliction of

    And she made a vow, saying, “O LORD of Hosts, if only You will look upon the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, not forgetting Your maidservant but giving her a son, then I will dedicate him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall ever touch his head.”

    Here: “On the affliction of.” Her barrenness and the taunting she suffers lower her standing. The same word is used of Leah's unloved state and Israel's slavery in Egypt.

2 Kings · 1

  1. 2 Kings 14:26 עֳנִ֥י [the] affliction of

    For the LORD saw that the affliction of the Israelites, both slave and free, was very bitter. There was no one to help Israel,

1 Chronicles · 1

  1. 1 Chronicles 22:14 בְעָנְיִ֜י in affliction my

    Now behold, I have taken great pains to provide for the house of the LORD—100,000 talents of gold, 1,000,000 talents of silver, and bronze and iron too great to be weighed. I have also provided timber and stone, and you may add to them.

    Here: 'In my affliction / through my hardship.' It means misery or being pressed down. Here it most likely refers to the hard, war-filled life during which David gathered these materials. Many modern versions turn it into 'with great effort'.

Nehemiah · 1

  1. Nehemiah 9:9 עֳנִ֥י [the] affliction of

    You saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt; You heard their cry at the Red Sea.

    Here: Being pressed down and humiliated by others. Here it means the forced labour of Exodus 1, where the same root is used for the Egyptians 'afflicting' Israel with burdens. It is the very word of Exodus 3:7 and Deuteronomy 26:7.

Job · 6

  1. Job 10:15 עָנְיִֽי׃ affliction my

    If I am guilty, woe to me! And even if I am righteous, I cannot lift my head. I am full of shame and aware of my affliction.

    Here: 'My affliction': being pressed down and humbled by suffering and poverty. This is the word in 'I have surely seen the affliction of my people' (Exodus 3:7).

  2. Job 30:16 עֹֽנִי׃ affliction

    And now my soul is poured out within me; days of affliction grip me.

  3. Job 30:27 עֹֽנִי׃ affliction

    I am churning within and cannot rest; days of affliction confront me.

    Here: "Affliction": being bowed down and brought low. The word covers suffering, poverty and loss of standing, which suits a chapter about Job's fall from honor to public contempt.

  4. Job 36:8 עֹֽנִי׃ affliction

    And if men are bound with chains, caught in cords of affliction,

  5. Job 36:15 בְעָנְי֑וֹ by affliction his

    God rescues the afflicted by their affliction and opens their ears in oppression.

  6. Job 36:21 מֵעֹֽנִי׃ more than affliction

    Be careful not to turn to iniquity, for this you have preferred to affliction.

Psalms · 10

  1. Psalm 9:13 עָ֭נְיִי affliction my

    Be merciful to me, O LORD; see how my enemies afflict me! Lift me up from the gates of death,

    Here: "My affliction": the state of being pressed down and humiliated by others. It comes from the same root as "the afflicted" in v. 12, so the speaker counts himself among those whose cry God does not forget.

  2. Psalm 25:18 עָ֭נְיִי affliction my

    Consider my affliction and trouble, and take away all my sins.

    Here: 'My affliction': being pressed down, humbled, made low by hardship or by other people. It picks up verse 16, where the speaker calls himself 'lonely and afflicted' ('ani, from the same root).

  3. Psalm 31:7 עָנְיִ֑י affliction my

    I will be glad and rejoice in Your loving devotion, for You have seen my affliction; You have known the anguish of my soul.

    Here: 'My affliction': being pressed down, humbled, made low by suffering or by people. It is the same word used for Hagar's, Leah's, Hannah's and Israel's misery that God 'saw'.

  4. Psalm 44:24 עָנְיֵ֣נוּ affliction our

    Why do You hide Your face and forget our affliction and oppression?

    Here: The beaten-down, humiliated state of the people after defeat: poverty, powerlessness and disgrace. This is the same word used for Israel's suffering in Egypt.

  5. Psalm 88:9 עֹ֥נִי affliction

    My eyes grow dim with grief. I call to You daily, O LORD; I spread out my hands to You.

    Here: The condition of being bowed down and crushed: suffering, misery, wretchedness. It names his situation, not just his feelings. It comes from the same root as ʿānî, 'afflicted/poor', which he uses of himself in v. 15.

  6. Psalm 107:10 עֳנִ֣י affliction

    Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, prisoners in affliction and chains,

    Here: The wretched, humbled, powerless state of someone pressed down. Here it is set beside 'iron' as if it were a second kind of chain, so the misery itself holds them like fetters.

  7. Psalm 107:41 מֵע֑וֹנִי from affliction

    But He lifts the needy from affliction and increases their families like flocks.

    Here: 'From' (min) plus ʿoni, the state of being pushed down: misery, humiliation, oppression. The 'from' fits the height picture. The needy person is lifted up and away from the place where they were held down.

  8. Psalm 119:50 בְעָנְיִ֑י in affliction my

    This is my comfort in affliction, that Your promise has given me life.

    Here: 'In my affliction'. This means being pressed down and humiliated, usually by other people (the 'arrogant' of v.51). It is the same word used for Israel's misery in Egypt.

  9. Psalm 119:92 בְעָנְיִֽי׃ in affliction my

    If Your law had not been my delight, then I would have perished in my affliction.

    Here: 'In my affliction': the state of being pressed down, humbled and oppressed. In this stanza that means harassment by enemies (vv. 84–87, 95), not just illness. The prefix bə- means 'in' or 'during', and may also suggest 'by means of / under the weight of'.

  10. Psalm 119:153 עָנְיִ֥י affliction my

    Look upon my affliction and rescue me, for I have not forgotten Your law.

    Here: "My affliction": being pressed down, humiliated and helpless, whether by poverty, sickness or oppressors. In this stanza, enemies who persecute the speaker are mainly in view (vv. 150, 157).

Proverbs · 1

  1. Proverbs 31:5 עֹֽנִי׃ affliction

    lest they drink and forget what is decreed, depriving all the oppressed of justice.

    Here: The state of being pressed down: poor, oppressed, miserable, with no power. These are exactly the people who have no recourse if the king's court fails them.

Isaiah · 1

  1. Isaiah 48:10 עֹֽנִי׃ affliction

    See, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.

    Here: "Of affliction": the state of being pushed down, oppressed and made poor. It is the word for Israel's suffering in Egypt (Exod 3:7; Deut 16:3, "bread of affliction"), so the furnace is the oppression of exile, not suffering in general.

Lamentations · 5

  1. Lamentations 1:3 מֵעֹ֙נִי֙ from affliction

    Judah has gone into exile under affliction and harsh slavery; she dwells among the nations but finds no place to rest. All her pursuers have overtaken her in the midst of her distress.

  2. Lamentations 1:7 עָנְיָהּ֙ affliction her

    In the days of her affliction and wandering Jerusalem remembers all the treasures that were hers in days of old. When her people fell into enemy hands she received no help. Her enemies looked upon her, laughing at her downfall.

    Here: Her condition of being pressed down: poor, humiliated, powerless. It describes an objective state as well as a feeling, and it is the word used of Israel's misery in Egypt.

  3. Lamentations 1:9 עָנְיִ֔י affliction my

    Her uncleanness stains her skirts; she did not consider her end. Her downfall was astounding; there was no one to comfort her. Look, O LORD, on my affliction, for the enemy has triumphed!

    Here: 'My affliction': being crushed, brought low, oppressed. It is the word God used of Israel in Egypt: 'I have surely seen the affliction of my people' (Exod 3:7). Zion asks God to see her now as he saw them then.

  4. Lamentations 3:1 עֳנִ֔י affliction

    I am the man who has seen affliction under the rod of God’s wrath.

  5. Lamentations 3:19 עָנְיִ֥י affliction my

    Remember my affliction and wandering, the wormwood and the gall.

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