Word Study for H3021 (יָגַע) | Strong's Concordance

yâgaʻ /yaw-gah'/ Ask about this word

Roota primitive root

Meaningproperly, to gasp; hence, to be exhausted, to tire, to toil

KJV usagefaint, (make to) labour, (be) weary.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of yâgaʻ — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Hebrew word yâgaʻ, represented by H3021, is a primitive root meaning to be exhausted, to tire, or to toil. It conveys the idea of gasping from exertion, which can lead to fainting or being weary. It appears 26 times across 25 unique verses in the Bible, highlighting its use in describing both physical and spiritual exhaustion.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In scripture, H3021 describes several forms of exhaustion. It can refer to physical toil, such as the weariness of a soldier in battle whose hand grew weary from holding his sword 2 Samuel 23:10. It is also used to describe the futility of effort, as when the people of Babylon labour in vain Jeremiah 51:58. The term extends to emotional and spiritual states, as seen when Jeremiah fainted in his sighing due to overwhelming grief Jeremiah 45:3. In a striking turn, the word is used to describe how humanity can weary the LORD with their sins and rebellious words (Isaiah 43:24, Malachi 2:17), even while God himself, as the Creator, is never weary Isaiah 40:28.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words provide a fuller picture of the concepts of toil and rest:

H3286 yâʻaph (to tire; faint, be weary): Often used in parallel with yâgaʻ, this word also denotes exhaustion. It appears in contexts where both youths and God himself are described, contrasting those who faint and are weary with the God who does not (Isaiah 40:28, Isaiah 40:30).
H5999 ʻâmâl (toil, wearing effort): This term describes the work or trouble that leads to exhaustion. The labour of the foolish is what wearieth them Ecclesiastes 10:15.
H5117 nûwach (to rest, i.e. settle down): As the direct opposite of yâgaʻ, this word represents relief from toil. This contrast is starkly presented when the people cry out, "we labour, and have no rest" Lamentations 5:5.
H7385 rîyq (emptiness; figuratively, a worthless thing; in vain): This term describes the futility of much human labor. The word yâgaʻ is often paired with it, as when Isaiah laments, "I have laboured in vain" Isaiah 49:4, or when God promises that His people "shall not labour in vain" Isaiah 65:23.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of H3021 is significant, contrasting human frailty with divine strength.

Futility of Misdirected Labor: The word is frequently used to describe effort that is ultimately pointless. This is seen in the warning not to labour to be rich Proverbs 23:4 and in the lament of the prophet who felt he had laboured in vain Isaiah 49:4. This theme culminates in the judgment of those who labour for the fire, only to be wearied for vanity Habakkuk 2:13.
Divine Inexhaustibility: A central theme is the contrast between created beings and the Creator. Even strong youths may grow weary and faint Isaiah 40:30, but the everlasting God is never weary Isaiah 40:28. This highlights God's limitless power and eternal nature.
Spiritual Weariness and Renewal: The word describes not only physical but spiritual states. Israel can become weary of God Isaiah 43:22, and conversely, their sins can weary the LORD Malachi 2:17. The ultimate antidote to this weariness is found not in human strength but in reliance on God, as those who wait upon Him will run and not be weary Isaiah 40:31.

Summary

In summary, H3021 is a term that encompasses far more than simple physical exertion. It explores the depths of human weariness, from the toil of a soldier to the despair of a prophet. It serves as a powerful theological tool to contrast the limitations of humanity, who can labour in vain, with the inexhaustible strength of God, who is never weary. Ultimately, yâgaʻ points to the profound truth that true strength and purposeful labor are found only in reliance on the LORD, who promises renewal to those who wait for Him.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Hebrew Old Testament, this word appears as a verb across 26 occurrences, inflected in 16 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form.

Qal Perfect 1st Singular common gender 4×
Qal Perfect 2nd Singular Feminine 4×
Qal Conjunction+Imperfect 3rd Plural Masculine 3×
Qal Imperfect 3rd Plural Masculine 2×
Qal Perfect 2nd Singular Masculine 2×
Hiphil Perfect 1st Plural common gender 1×
Hiphil Perfect 1st Singular common gender 1×
Hiphil Perfect 2nd Plural Masculine 1×
Hiphil Perfect 2nd Singular Masculine 1×
Piel Imperfect 2nd Singular Masculine 1×
Piel Imperfect 3rd Singular Feminine 1×
Qal Imperfect 1st Singular common gender 1×

+ 4 rarer forms

Singular: One.
Plural: More than one.
Masculine: Masculine grammatical gender.
Feminine: Feminine grammatical gender.
common gender: Either gender — the form does not distinguish.
1st: First person — the speaker ("I"/"we").
2nd: Second person — the one addressed ("you").
3rd: Third person — the one spoken about ("he"/"they").
Imperfect: Ongoing or repeated action in the past — "was doing".
Perfect: A completed act whose results continue.
Qal: The simple, basic stem — plain action in the active voice.
Piel: The intensive stem — strengthened or emphatic action.
Hiphil: The causative stem — the subject causes the action.
Conjunction+Imperfect: Imperfect joined by a simple "and".

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

Appears in 25 verses across 11 of the 39 books. Most frequent in Isaiah (12 verses); never once in the other 28.

Joshua

2 Samuel

Job

Psalms

Proverbs

Ecclesiastes

Isaiah

Jeremiah

Lamentations

Habakkuk

Malachi

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.