Word Study for H605 (אָנַשׁ) | Strong's Concordance

ʼânash /aw-nash'/ Ask about this word

Roota primitive root

Meaningto be frail, feeble, or (figuratively) melancholy

KJV usagedesperate(-ly wicked), incurable, sick, woeful.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of ʼânash — 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 ʼânash, represented by H605, conveys a state of being desperately ill, frail, or woeful. It is defined as to be frail, feeble, or (figuratively) melancholy; desperate(-ly wicked), incurable, sick, woeful. Appearing 9 times in 9 unique verses, this term is consistently used to describe conditions that are beyond human remedy, whether it be a physical sickness, a spiritual wound, or profound moral corruption.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In biblical contexts, H605 describes a condition that is hopeless from a human standpoint. The prophet Jeremiah uses it to characterize the state of the human heart H3820 as "desperately wicked" Jeremiah 17:9. The term is frequently translated as "incurable" when referring to the wounds H4347, bruises H7667, and sorrow H4341 brought upon Judah due to its great iniquity H5771 and increased sins H2403 (Jeremiah 30:12, Jeremiah 30:15). It also describes a fatal physical illness, as when the LORD H3068 struck the child H3206 born to David H1732, who became "very sick" H605 2 Samuel 12:15.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words help illustrate the severe nature of the conditions described by ʼânash:

H4347 makkâh (a wound; plague, slaughter, stripe, stroke): This word often specifies the physical injury or plague that is then declared to be incurable H605. It is used to describe the wound of God's people which cannot be healed by their own efforts (Micah 1:9, Jeremiah 15:18).
H7667 sheber (a fracture, ruin, breach, destruction): Paired with ʼânash, this term describes a state of being broken beyond human repair. The LORD H3068 declares that the "bruise" of his people is incurable H605 Jeremiah 30:12.
H3511 kᵉʼêb (suffering, grief, pain, sorrow): This word for pain or sorrow is used with ʼânash to depict an emotional state of utter hopelessness, such as a "desperate sorrow" Isaiah 17:11 or a "perpetual pain" Jeremiah 15:18.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of H605 is significant, highlighting the gravity of sin and human limitation.

The Incurable Nature of Sin: The word is repeatedly tied to the consequences of sin. Judah's sorrow H4341 is incurable H605 "for the multitude of thine iniquity" H5771 Jeremiah 30:15. This demonstrates that sin creates a condition that man cannot remedy on his own.
The Depravity of the Heart: Jeremiah's declaration that the heart is "deceitfully wicked" H605 is a foundational statement on the fallen human condition. The use of ʼânash indicates a moral sickness so deep that it is incurable from a human perspective Jeremiah 17:9.
Divine Judgment: The word describes afflictions that originate from God as judgment. In response to David's H1732 sin with Uriah's H223 wife H802, the LORD H3068 struck their child, who became "very sick" H605 2 Samuel 12:15, a sickness that led to death.

Summary

In summary, H605 is a powerful term used to describe a state of utter desperation and hopelessness. Whether applied to a fatal sickness, a nation's ruin from sin, or the inherent condition of the human heart, ʼânash consistently points to a reality that is incurable by human means. It underscores the severity of physical suffering, sorrow, and moral failure, directing focus toward the need for a divine remedy for that which is hopelessly broken.

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 an adjective and a verb across 9 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.

אָנוּשׁ
אֲנוּשָׁה
יֵּאָנַשׁ

Related Words

Other entries the study above points to — each one is drawn from a reference it makes. Follow the trail to see how the words connect.

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 9 verses across 5 of the 39 books. Most frequent in Jeremiah (5 verses); never once in the other 34.

2 Samuel

Job

Isaiah

Jeremiah

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.