Original Word: גָּעַשׁ
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: ga`ash
Pronunciation: gah-ash
Phonetic Spelling: (gaw-ash')
NASB: shaken, shook, surge, stagger, toss
Word Origin: [a primitive root to agitate violently]

1. move, shake, toss, trouble

move, shake, toss, trouble

A primitive root to agitate violently -- move, shake, toss, trouble.

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to shake, quake
NASB Translation
shaken (3), shook (2), stagger (1), surge (2), toss (1).

[גָּעַשׁ] verb shake, quake (Late Hebrew id.) —

Qal Imperfect וַתִּגְעַשׁ Psalm 18:8 a = 2 Samuel 22:8 a Kt (Qr Hithpa`el); — quake of earth at theoph., Psalm 18:8 = 2 Samuel 22:8 (read Kt; "" רעשׁ).

Pu`al Imperfect be shaken up, convulsed יְגֹעֲשׁוּעַֿם Job 34:20 a people are convulsed.

Hithpa`el shake back and forth, toss or reel to and fro וַיִּתְגָּעַשׁ Qr 2 Samuel 22:8 a (< Kt Qal); יִתְגָָּֽעֲשׁוּ Jeremiah 46:7, וַיִּתְגָָּֽעֲשׁוּ Psalm 18:8b + 2t.; — of mountains Psalm 18:8b = 2 Samuel 22:8 b; of waves of sea, Jeremiah 5:22; of waters of Nile Jeremiah 46:7 (compare Jeremiah 46:8).

Hithpo`el Perfect וְהִתְגֹּעֲשׁוּ consecutive Jeremiah 25:16; Imperfect יִתְגֹּעֲשׁוּ Jeremiah 46:8; id. of waters of Nile Jeremiah 46:8; of drunken men, reel to and fro, Jeremiah 25:16 (figurative of nations confounded by ׳י).

Overview

גָּעַשׁ portrays violent shaking, quaking, or churning—whether of earth, sea, or people. The word functions as an image of God’s overwhelming presence, the frailty of human power, and the inevitability of divine judgment.

Cosmic Disturbance in Theophany

• 2 Samuel 22:8; Psalm 18:7 record the same royal hymn in which the earth “quaked and trembled” when the LORD intervened for David. The shaking underscores that creation itself reacts to the Lord’s wrath on evil and His rescue of the righteous.
• The phrase “the foundations of the heavens shook” (2 Samuel 22:8) moves beyond earthly seismic activity to a cosmic scale, teaching that no realm lies outside God’s sovereignty.

Human Frailty and Sudden Judgment

• Job 34:20 applies גָּעַשׁ to people: “In an instant they die; at midnight the people are shaken and pass away; the mighty are removed without human hand.” Divine justice comes swiftly, toppling the self-assured.
• Jeremiah 25:16, within the prophecy of the cup of wrath, pictures the nations that “drink and stagger and go out of their minds because of the sword.” Political powers reel like drunkards when God’s judgment strikes, proving that human stability is an illusion apart from Him.

Moral Trembling before the Creator

• Jeremiah 5:22 challenges hardened Judah: “Do you not tremble at My presence—the One who set the sand as the boundary for the sea?” The sea may continually pound its shore, yet an invisible decree restrains it. The verse uses natural law to demand reverent fear, reminding the faithful that holy awe is the beginning of wisdom.

Churning Seas and Imperial Ambition

• Jeremiah 46:7–8 twice employs גָּעַשׁ to depict Egypt: “Who is this rising like the Nile, like rivers whose waters churn? Egypt rises like the Nile, and its waters churn.” The image of roiling floodwaters conveys both the self-confidence and the inevitable defeat of the empire. What appears unstoppable to human eyes is but turbulent foam before the LORD of hosts.

Prophetic and Eschatological Echoes

Subsequent prophets amplify the motif of cosmic shaking (Isaiah 13:13; Haggai 2:6; Hebrews 12:26–27). גָּעַשׁ thus contributes to the broader biblical theme that God will once more shake not only the earth but also the heavens, removing all that is temporary so that what is unshakable may remain.

Ministry Applications

• Preaching: Passages employing גָּעַשׁ illustrate the urgency of repentance and the majesty of divine intervention.
• Worship: They inspire adoration for the Lord whose voice causes the earth to quake yet who is “a refuge and strength” (Psalm 46:1).
• Pastoral Care: The term reassures believers facing turmoil that God alone can steady the ground beneath their feet; all other securities may shake.
• Missions: The image of nations staggering under judgment (Jeremiah 25:16) fuels evangelistic zeal, reminding the church of humanity’s desperate need for the gospel before the final cosmic shaking.

Key References for Study

2 Samuel 22:8; Psalm 18:7; Job 34:20; Jeremiah 5:22; Jeremiah 25:16; Jeremiah 46:7–8.

וְהִֽתְגֹּֽעֲשׁ֖וּ וַ֝יִּתְגָּֽעֲשׁ֗וּ וַיִּֽתְגָּעֲשׁ֖וּ וַיִּֽתְגָּעֲשׁוּ֙ וַיִּתְגָּעַ֤שׁ וַתִּגְעַ֬שׁ והתגעשו ויתגעש ויתגעשו ותגעש יְגֹעֲשׁ֣וּ יִֽתְגָּעֲשׁ֖וּ יִתְגֹּ֣עֲשׁוּ יגעשו יתגעשו vaiyitgaAsh vaiyitgaaShu vattigAsh vehitgoaShu wat·tiḡ·‘aš wattiḡ‘aš way·yiṯ·gā·‘ă·šū way·yiṯ·gā·‘aš wayyiṯgā‘aš wayyiṯgā‘ăšū wə·hiṯ·gō·‘ă·šū wəhiṯgō‘ăšū yə·ḡō·‘ă·šū yəḡō‘ăšū yegoaShu yiṯ·gā·‘ă·šū yiṯ·gō·‘ă·šū yiṯgā‘ăšū yitgaaShu yiṯgō‘ăšū yitGoashuInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts