Original Word: יָגָה
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: yagah
Pronunciation: yah-gah'
Phonetic Spelling: (yaw-gaw')
KJV: afflict, cause grief, grieve, sorrowful, vex
NASB: grieve, afflicted, caused her grief, causes grief, inflicted, torment, tormentors
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to grieve

afflict, cause grief, grieve, sorrowful, vex

A primitive root; to grieve -- afflict, cause grief, grieve, sorrowful, vex.

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to suffer
NASB Translation
afflicted (1), caused her grief (1), causes grief (1), grieve (2), inflicted (1), torment (1), tormentors (1).

I. [יָגָה] verb suffer, not in

Qal (compare Arabic castravit, be abraded (of the foot); of horse, have pain in the hoof) —

Niph`al Participle feminine plural נוּגוֺת (on form see Kö^{i. 582}) Lamentations 1:4 ("" נֶאֱנָחִים, מַר) grieved, masculine plural construct נוּגֵי (see Kö^l.c.) Zephaniah 3:18 (followed by preposition, compare Ges^{§ 130}. 1); of virgins of Zion Lamentations 1:4; of exiles Zephaniah 3:18.

Pi`el Imperfect וַיַּגֶּה (for וַיְיַגֶּה, see Kö^{i. 582. 412}) grieve, followed by accusative Lamentations 3:33 ("" עִנָּה).

Hiph`il Perfect3masculine singular הוֺגה Lamentations 1:12; Lamentations 3:32; suffix הוֺגָהּ Lamentations 1:5; Imperfect2masculine plural תּוֺגְיוּן Job 19:2; Participle plural suffix מוֺגַיִךְ Isaiah 51:23; — cause grief or sorrow, absolute Lamentations 3:32 (opposed to רִחַם); followed by accusative (Zion) Lamentations 1:5, compare Isaiah 51:23, also Lamentations 1:12 (object omitted, but אשׁר of grief = wherewith); followed by נָפְשִׁי Job 19:2. — On 2 Samuel 20:13 see II. יגה.

Range of Meaning and Emotional Palette

יָגָה portrays the inner and outer experience of being pressed, afflicted, or grieved. The term moves beyond a momentary sting to express a sustained state of mental anguish or physical oppression. It covers agony caused by hostile people (Job 19:2; Isaiah 51:23), national calamity (Lamentations 1), divine chastening (Lamentations 3:32–33), and even godly sorrow that accompanies repentance and longing for restoration (Zephaniah 3:18).

Survey of Old Testament Usage

• Job 19:2 – Job accuses his friends: “How long will you torment my soul and crush me with words?” Their relentless speeches intensify his grief rather than relieve it.
• Isaiah 51:23 – The cup of wrath passes from Zion to “your tormentors,” revealing that God ultimately transfers oppression away from His people.
• Lamentations 1:4, 5, 12 – Threefold description of Jerusalem’s fall: priests groan, virgins grieve, and the city wails, confessing that the Lord “has brought her grief because of her many transgressions.”
• Lamentations 3:32–33 – A crucial balance: “Though He causes grief, He will show compassion… For He does not willingly afflict or grieve the sons of men.” Divine judgment is purposeful, never capricious.
• Zephaniah 3:18 – Future reversal: “I will gather those among you who grieve about the appointed feasts,” a promise that worshipers weighed down by exile will rejoice again.

Theological Themes

1. Suffering under human hostility. Job and Isaiah show grief inflicted by others. Scripture acknowledges the depth of such wounds while assuring accountability for oppressors.
2. Redemptive discipline. Lamentations and Zephaniah interpret national catastrophe as covenant chastening intended to lead to repentance and eventual healing (compare Hebrews 12:5-11).
3. Compassion embedded in judgment. The same passages that speak of grief also underscore God’s steadfast love. Affliction is never His ultimate desire; mercy stands ready once discipline achieves its aim.
4. Corporate and individual dimensions of sorrow. יָגָה embraces communal lament (Lamentations; Zephaniah) and personal pain (Job), reminding readers that grief touches every layer of covenant life.
5. Foreshadowing Christ’s sufferings. The vocabulary of anguish echoes Isaiah Fifty-Three, where the Servant bears grief for His people, fulfilling the pattern that salvation comes through sorrow.

Historical Setting

• Job – Patriarchal or early Israelite period; the drama explores undeserved suffering.
• Isaiah 51 – Near the end of the eighth century B.C., looking ahead to Babylonian exile and ultimate restoration.
• Lamentations – Early sixth century B.C. after Jerusalem’s destruction by Babylon.
• Zephaniah – Late seventh century B.C., warning Judah before the fall yet promising post-exilic joy.

Across these centuries, יָגָה marks key crisis points in Israel’s story, creating a linguistic thread that ties personal trials to national upheavals.

Ministry and Pastoral Application

• Honest lament. Scripture legitimizes the vocabulary of deep grief; believers need not sanitize their sorrow when approaching God.
• Discernment in counsel. Job’s friends show how careless words compound suffering. Effective ministry listens first and speaks with measured compassion.
• Hope amid chastening. Lamentations 3 locates mercy at the heart of disciplined grief. Counsel should hold affliction and hope together, directing sufferers to God’s faithful character.
• Restoration for the worshiping community. Zephaniah 3:18 encourages church leaders to care for those whose grief keeps them from corporate celebration, with confidence that the Lord Himself gathers and renews.

Contemporary Relevance

Modern believers face persecution, personal loss, and societal upheaval. יָגָה reminds the church that:
• Suffering is neither random nor meaningless within God’s sovereign plan.
• Divine compassion outlasts divine discipline.
• Genuine revival often dawns on the heels of penitential sorrow (2 Corinthians 7:10).

Related Concepts

• עָנָה (to afflict) – focuses on oppression’s external pressure.
• צָרָה (distress) – depicts tight corners or straits.
• נָחַם (to comfort) – divine answer to grief.

Together they form a biblical theology in which God allows pressure, invites lament, and supplies comfort.

Scripture Index

Job 19:2; Isaiah 51:23; Lamentations 1:4, 1:5, 1:12; Lamentations 3:32, 3:33; Zephaniah 3:18

הוֹגָ֔ה הוֹגָ֖הּ הוֹגָ֣ה הוגה וַיַּגֶּ֖ה ויגה מוֹגַ֔יִךְ מוגיך נּוּג֖וֹת נוּגֵ֧י נוגות נוגי תּוֹגְי֣וּן תוגיון hō·w·ḡāh hoGah hōwḡāh mō·w·ḡa·yiḵ moGayich mōwḡayiḵ nū·ḡê nū·ḡō·wṯ nūḡê nuGei nuGot nūḡōwṯ tō·wḡ·yūn togYun tōwḡyūn vaiyagGeh way·yag·geh wayyaggehInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts