Word Study for H3811 (לָאָה) | Strong's Concordance

lâʼâh /law-aw'/ Ask about this word

Roota primitive root

Meaningto tire; (figuratively) to be (or make) disgusted

KJV usagefaint, grieve, lothe, (be, make) weary (selves).

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of lâʼâh — 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 lâʼâh, represented by H3811, primarily means to tire or to be weary. It appears 19 times across 18 unique verses, illustrating a state of exhaustion that can be physical, emotional, or spiritual. Its meaning extends beyond simple tiredness to include being figuratively disgusted, to faint, to grieve, or to lothe an action or situation.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In the biblical narrative, H3811 is used to describe various forms of exhaustion. It can depict physical fatigue, as when Jeremiah is asked, "If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses?" Jeremiah 12:5. The word also portrays a state of loathing, such as when the Egyptians shall lothe to drink from the river Exodus 7:18. It describes the weariness of futile effort, as when the men of Sodom wearied themselves to find the door after being struck with blindness Genesis 19:11. Critically, it is even applied to God, who declares, "I am weary with repenting" in response to persistent disobedience Jeremiah 15:6.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words provide context for the causes of the exhaustion expressed by H3811:

H5375 nâsâʼ (to lift, bear): Weariness can result from carrying a heavy load. God describes Israel's religious feasts as a burden he is weary to bear, connecting the feeling of exhaustion to the act of endurance Isaiah 1:14.
H5162 nâcham (to repent, console): The term is used to express God's emotional exhaustion. He declares He is weary with repenting from judgment due to Israel's unfaithfulness, showing a deep divine grief Jeremiah 15:6.
H6102 ʻâtsêl (slothful, sluggard): In a contrasting sense, weariness can be self-inflicted through inaction. For the slothful man, even the simple act of bringing his hand to his mouth grieveth him, illustrating a weariness born of laziness Proverbs 26:15.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of H3811 is significant, revealing insights into the nature of God, sin, and human struggle.

The Weariness of God: Scripture uses this human emotion to describe God's response to sin. He becomes weary of empty religious observances Isaiah 1:14 and of the people's unending rebellion, to the point of being weary with repenting Jeremiah 15:6. This language conveys God's deep frustration and grief over sin.
The Futility of Sin: Pursuing iniquity is portrayed as an exhausting endeavor. The people of Jerusalem weary themselves to commit iniquity Jeremiah 9:5, and the men of Sodom wearied themselves in a futile attempt to find Lot's door Genesis 19:11. This suggests that a life of sin is ultimately a draining and fruitless pursuit.
The Burden of the Prophetic Call: The prophets themselves experience this exhaustion. Jeremiah feels so weary with forbearing God's word that he cannot hold it in Jeremiah 20:9, and he is filled with the Lord's fury to the point of being weary with holding it in Jeremiah 6:11.

Summary

In summary, H3811 is a multifaceted term that expresses more than just physical tiredness. It encompasses the emotional exhaustion of grief, the disgust of loathing, and the spiritual weariness caused by sin and futility. It is applied to humans in their suffering, their sin, and their service to God, as seen in the experiences of Job and Jeremiah. Most profoundly, it is used to describe God's own exhaustion with empty ritual and persistent rebellion, making lâʼâh a powerful word that conveys the draining cost of iniquity on both God and humanity.

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 16 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form. Select any form to read what each part of its name means, and to filter the occurrence list to it.

נִלְאֵיתִי
נִלְאָה
יַּלְאוּ
תַלְאוּ
הַלְאוֹת
הֶלְאֵתִי
הֶלְאָת
הֶלְאָ
נִלְאֵיתִי
נִלְאוּ
נִלְאָה
נִלְאֵית
נִלְאוּ
תֵּלֶא
יִּלְאוּ
תִּלְאֶה

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 18 verses across 9 of the 39 books. Most frequent in Jeremiah (5 verses); never once in the other 30.

Genesis

Exodus

Job

Psalms

Proverbs

Isaiah

Jeremiah

Ezekiel

Micah

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, by grammatical form, 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.