Word Study for H585 (אֲנָחָה)

ʼănâchâh /an-aw-khaw'/ Ask about this word

Rootfrom אֲנָחָה

Meaningsighing

KJV usagegroaning, mourn, sigh.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of ʼănâchâh — 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 ʼănâchâh, represented by H585, describes a deep expression of distress, translated as sighing or groaning. It appears 11 times across 11 unique verses, consistently depicting a profound and audible sound of anguish stemming from sorrow, weariness, or physical pain.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In the biblical narrative, H585 is used to illustrate the depths of human suffering. For Job, his sighing is a constant companion that comes before his food Job 3:24. The Psalms portray it as an expression of extreme weariness and grief, leading to a bed watered with tears Psalms 6:6 and the physical decay of the body, where strength fails and bones are consumed Psalms 31:10. This groaning is often a response to affliction and iniquity Lamentations 1:22. However, scripture also presents a future hope where God's redemptive work will cause all sighing and sorrow to flee away for the redeemed of the LORD Isaiah 35:10.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words help illustrate the full scope of the experience that causes such groaning:

H3015 yâgôwn (grief, sorrow): This word for affliction is frequently paired with H585, highlighting that groaning is an outward expression of internal grief. In the future restoration, both sorrow and sighing will flee away together Isaiah 51:11.
H3021 yâgaʻ (faint, labour, weary): This term signifies the physical exhaustion that accompanies deep distress. The psalmist is "weary with my groaning" Psalms 6:6, and Jeremiah "fainted in my sighing" Jeremiah 45:3.
H6106 ʻetsem (bone, body, selfsame): The connection to bones demonstrates how deeply this sorrow affects the physical body. Sufferers feel their bones are consumed Psalms 31:10 or cleave to their skin by reason of their groaning Psalms 102:5.
H1742 davvây (faint, troubled): This word describes a state of sickness or trouble and is used to describe the faint heart that produces "many sighs" Lamentations 1:22.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of H585 is significant, reflecting the human condition in a fallen world.

Expression of Affliction: Groaning is a visceral response to pain and grief. It can be a complaint of bitter circumstances Job 23:2 or the result of sorrow added by the LORD Jeremiah 45:3.
Consequence of Iniquity: The Bible directly links this suffering to sin. A life spent with grief and years with sighing are the result of iniquity, which causes strength to fail Psalms 31:10.
A Cry Heard by God: Though a sound of despair, it is not unheard by God. The psalmist confidently states to the Lord, "my groaning is not hid from thee" Psalms 38:9, indicating it functions as an honest cry for help.
Promise of Cessation: Prophetic passages use the end of sighing as a key sign of God's final redemption. The LORD promises to make sighing cease Isaiah 21:2 and replace it with everlasting joy for his ransomed people in Zion Isaiah 35:10.

Summary

In summary, H585 conveys much more than a simple sigh. It is a profound, physical manifestation of a heart and body overwhelmed by grief, iniquity, and weariness. It represents the painful reality of suffering in the present age, while also pointing toward a future redemptive hope where God himself will silence every groan and replace it with everlasting joy.

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 noun across 11 occurrences, inflected in 3 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.

אַנְחָתִ
אֲנָחָה
אַנְחֹתַ

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 11 verses across 5 of the 39 books. Most frequent in Psalms (4 verses); never once in the other 34.

Job

Psalms

Isaiah

Jeremiah

Lamentations

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.