Word Study for H5781 (עוּק) | Strong's Concordance

ʻûwq /ook/ Ask about this word

Roota primitive root

Meaningto pack

KJV usagebe pressed.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of ʻûwq — 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 ʻûwq, represented by H5781, is a primitive root meaning to pack or be pressed. This specific and evocative term appears only 2 times in a single verse, where it is used to describe a feeling of being burdened and weighed down.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

The sole biblical context for H5781 is found in a powerful divine declaration in Amos 2:13. In this verse, God uses a simile to express the burden of Israel's sin, stating, "Behold, I am pressed under you, as a cart is pressed that is full of sheaves." This imagery directly communicates the immense weight of the people's transgressions, portraying God as being crushed by their actions, much like a wagon overloaded to its limit. The word's repetition in the verse emphasizes the severity of the pressure.

Related Words & Concepts

The vividness of H5781 in its single appearance is enhanced by the words used alongside it:

H5699 ʻăgâlâh (cart, chariot, wagon): This word identifies the object being pressed. While often used for transport, such as the wagons sent by Joseph Genesis 45:21, here it functions as a metaphor for a system under extreme strain.
H4392 mâlêʼ (full or filling): This term describes the state of the cart, signifying it has reached its capacity. This concept of being full is used for both physical abundance, like houses full of good things Deuteronomy 6:11, and divine presence, where a train filled the temple Isaiah 6:1.
H5995 ʻâmîyr (a bunch of grain; handful, sheaf): This identifies the contents of the cart. Sheaves are associated with the result of a harvest, which can be gathered for judgment Micah 4:12, making them a fitting symbol for the accumulated sins weighing down the cart.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of H5781 is concentrated in its powerful metaphorical use.

The Burden of Sin: The word is used directly by God to articulate His experience of being burdened by sin. It transforms a physical action into a description of a divine emotional and spiritual reality Amos 2:13.
A Strained Relationship: The imagery of being "pressed" suggests that the relationship between God and His people has been pushed to a breaking point. The pressure is active and indicates that the current state is unsustainable.
Impending Consequence: An overloaded cart being pressed down implies an imminent collapse. The cart is full H4392 of sheaves H5995, suggesting the "harvest" of iniquity is complete and ready for its consequences, as seen when sheaves are gathered Micah 4:12.

Summary

In summary, while extremely rare, H5781 offers a uniquely visceral and potent image within scripture. It is not a broad, abstract term but a focused metaphor that vividly portrays God as being personally burdened by human sin. Its use in Amos 2:13 demonstrates how everyday agricultural imagery—a cart, sheaves, and the physical stress of a heavy load—is employed to convey a profound and unsettling theological truth about the weight of transgression and the limits of divine patience.

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 2 occurrences, inflected in 2 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.

מֵעִיק
תָּעִיק

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

1 verse, all in Amos — and none of the other 38 Old Testament books.

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.