Word Study for H3238 (יָנָה) | Strong's Concordance

yânâh /yaw-naw'/ Ask about this word

Roota primitive root

Meaningto rage or be violent; by implication, to suppress, to maltreat

KJV usagedestroy, (thrust out by) oppress(-ing, -ion, -or), proud, vex, do violence.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of yânâh — 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 yânâh, represented by H3238, is a primitive root meaning to rage or be violent. By implication, it means to suppress, maltreat, destroy, oppress, or vex. This powerful term appears 21 times across 20 unique verses, often in legal and prophetic contexts to condemn unjust actions and violence.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In biblical law, H3238 is used to establish clear boundaries for ethical behavior. God commands his people not to vex or oppress the stranger, reminding them of their own experience in Egypt Exodus 22:21. This principle extends to fair dealings in commerce, with the command, "ye shall not oppress one another" Leviticus 25:14, which is explicitly linked to the fear of God Leviticus 25:17. Prophets like Ezekiel and Jeremiah use the word to denounce social injustice, such as vexing the fatherless and the widow Ezekiel 22:7 or rulers using oppression to seize the people's inheritance and thrust them from their land Ezekiel 46:18.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words help clarify the scope of oppression forbidden by the use of H3238:

H6231 ʻâshaq (to press upon, i.e. oppress, defraud, violate, overflow): This term often appears with yânâh to describe the wrongful treatment of the vulnerable, as seen when the people of the land "have used oppression, and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy" Ezekiel 22:29.
H1497 gâzal (to pluck off; specifically to flay, strip or rob): This word emphasizes the violent taking of what belongs to another. An unrighteous man is described as one who has spoiled by violence and oppressed the poor and needy Ezekiel 18:12.
H2554 châmaç (to be violent; by implication, to maltreat): This root signifies overt violence and wrongdoing. It is used alongside yânâh in the command to "do no wrong, do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, nor the widow" Jeremiah 22:3.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of H3238 is significant, highlighting God's concern for justice and the protection of the vulnerable.

Protection of the Vulnerable: The repeated command not to vex the stranger, fatherless, or widow establishes a core tenet of biblical ethics. Mistreatment of these groups is a direct violation of God's expressed will (Jeremiah 22:3, Exodus 22:21).
Economic Justice: The prohibition extends to financial dealings, forbidding Israelites from oppressing one another in sales Leviticus 25:14 and warning princes against seizing possessions through oppression Ezekiel 45:8. Righteousness is tied to just economic conduct.
Divine Judgment: The "oppressing sword" Jeremiah 46:16 and the fierceness of the "oppressor" Jeremiah 25:38 are presented as instruments of God's anger against nations. A city characterized by oppression is declared "filthy and polluted" and faces woe Zephaniah 3:1.
A Symptom of Pride: In Psalms, the term is linked to the attitude of the "proud," whose contempt fills the soul of the righteous, connecting arrogance with the act of oppression Psalms 123:4.

Summary

In summary, H3238 is more than a simple descriptor of conflict; it is a term that defines a range of sinful actions, from personal maltreatment to systemic injustice. It serves as a cornerstone for biblical laws protecting the poor and powerless and is a key indicator of the kind of behavior that provokes divine judgment. The use of yânâh reveals a God who demands justice, condemns violence, and stands as a defender for those who are suppressed and vexed.

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 19 occurrences, inflected in 10 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form.

Hiphil Imperfect 2nd Plural Masculine 4×
Qal Participle Singular Feminine Absolute 4×
Hiphil Imperfect 2nd Singular Masculine 2×
Hiphil Perfect 3rd Plural common gender 2×
Hiphil Perfect 3rd Singular Masculine 2×
Hiphil Imperfect 3rd Plural Masculine 1×
Hiphil Imperfect 3rd Singular Masculine 1×
Hiphil Infinitive Construct 1×
Hiphil Participle Plural Masculine Construct 1×
Qal Imperfect 1st Plural common gender 1×

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.
Infinitive: The verb as a noun — "to do".
Participle: A verbal adjective — describes while carrying the verb's action.
Qal: The simple, basic stem — plain action in the active voice.
Hiphil: The causative stem — the subject causes the action.
Absolute: The independent form of a noun (not bound to another).
Construct: Bound to a following noun — "the X of…".

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 20 verses across 8 of the 39 books. Most frequent in Ezekiel (7 verses); never once in the other 31.

Exodus

Leviticus

Deuteronomy

Psalms

Isaiah

Jeremiah

Ezekiel

Zephaniah

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.