Original Word: לַחַץ
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: lachats
Pronunciation: lah-khats
Phonetic Spelling: (lakh'-ats)
KJV: affliction, oppression
NASB: oppression, sparingly
Word Origin: [from H3905 (לָחַץ - oppressed)]

1. distress

affliction, oppression

From lachats; distress -- affliction, oppression.

see HEBREW lachats

Word Origin
from lachats
Definition
oppression, distress
NASB Translation
oppression (8), sparingly (2).

לַ֫חַץ noun masculine oppression, distress; — ׳ל absolute 1 Kings 22:27 (twice in verse) + 5 t.; construct 2 Kings 13:4 2t.; suffix לַחֲצֵ֫נוּDeuteronomy 26:4; Psalm 44:25; — oppression of Israel Exodus 3:9 (E; + verb cognate), 2 Kings 13:4 compare Deuteronomy 26:7 ("" עֳנִי, עָמָל) Psalm 44:25 ("" עֳנִי); oppression of (i.e. by) an enemy, Psalm 42:10; Psalm 43:2; in General Job 36:15 ׅ "" עֳנִי; ׳וּמַיִם ל ׳לֶחֶם ל 1 Kings 22:27 2Chronicles 18:26 bread of oppression and water of oppression, i.e. prison-fare (> Klo scanty fare); compare ׳לֶחֶם צַר וּמַיִם ל Isaiah 30:20, apparently of privations of a siege (compare Che Di Du; on the apposition in these passages see Ges^{§ 131}. 2 (b) Kö^{iii, § 333 p.q.} Da^{Synt. § 29. e}).

Concept of Constricting Pressure

The noun laḥats gathers up images of being squeezed, hemmed-in, or driven hard. Whether inflicted by foreign tyrants, abusive kings, or relentless enemies, it describes a pressure so intense that normal life is narrowed to survival. From the cry of enslaved Israel in Egypt to the personal laments of the psalmists, the word always signals a situation that demands divine rescue.

Occurrences and Literary Setting

• National bondage: Exodus 3:9; Deuteronomy 26:7
• Royal punishment: 1 Kings 22:27; 2 Chronicles 18:26 (twice recorded)
• Military domination: 2 Kings 13:4
• Personal chastening: Job 36:15
• Individual lament: Psalm 42:9; Psalm 43:2; Psalm 44:24
• Prophetic warning and hope: Isaiah 30:20

Each passage places laḥats at a crisis point where God’s people either cry out for help or receive promise that help is coming.

National Oppression and Covenant Memory

Exodus 3:9 frames laḥats as the signature cruelty of Egypt: “And now the cry of the Israelites has reached Me, and I have seen how severely the Egyptians are oppressing them”. The memory of that oppression becomes part of Israel’s testimony, rehearsed in worship (Deuteronomy 26:5-9) so that succeeding generations understand both the depth of bondage and the greatness of deliverance. Laḥats therefore anchors the national identity of Israel as a people redeemed from crushing pressure by the strong arm of the LORD.

Judicial Hardship under Unfaithful Kings

In 1 Kings 22:27 and its parallel 2 Chronicles 18:26, King Ahab orders Micaiah confined on “bread and water of affliction.” The meager rations mirror the prophet’s constricted liberty, dramatizing how unrighteous authority turns justice into oppression. The text exposes the contrast between human kings who create laḥats and the divine King who relieves it.

Military Domination and Divine Intervention

2 Kings 13:4 shows laḥats on an international scale: “Then Jehoahaz sought the favor of the LORD, and the LORD listened to him; for He saw the oppression of Israel, how the king of Aram oppressed them”. Here laḥats is military pressure applied by a hostile power. Yet the LORD does not ignore it, affirming that no political force is beyond His reach.

Pedagogical Affliction

Job 36:15 recognizes a chastening dimension: “He delivers the afflicted by their affliction and opens their ears in oppression”. Laḥats can become the furnace in which God refines His people, turning pressure into a means of revelation. The hardship is real, yet it becomes a classroom for obedience.

Personal Lament and Spiritual Warfare

The psalmists personalize laḥats. Psalm 42:9 asks, “Why must I walk in sorrow because of the oppression of the enemy?”. Psalm 44:24 pleads, “Why do You hide Your face and forget our misery and oppression?” In these prayers laḥats is not abstract but felt in the marrow—proof that believers may voice their pain honestly while still anchored in faith.

Prophetic Assurance amid Adversity

Isaiah 30:20 links laḥats with hope: “Though the Lord may give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your Teacher will no longer hide Himself”. Even when God permits laḥats as discipline, He balances it with the promise of revelation and restoration. The pressure is temporary; the presence of the Teacher is permanent.

Theological Themes

1. Divine Awareness and Action. Every laḥats text either declares that God sees oppression or shows Him acting to end it. The doctrine of divine omniscience is not theoretical; it is pastoral, assuring the oppressed that their cries are heard.

2. Covenant Faithfulness. Deliverance from laḥats is tied to covenant. The same LORD who rescued Israel from Egypt remains committed to relieve later generations, whether under Aramean attack or personal anguish.

3. Moral Accountability. Human agents who create laḥats—pharaohs, kings, or enemies—stand under divine judgment. Scripture never normalizes oppression; it brands it as sin and forecasts its overthrow.

4. Redemptive Pattern. The rhythm of oppression, cry, divine intervention, and deliverance previews the gospel. Isaiah 53 applies the verb form of the root to the Suffering Servant, pointing to Christ who endured ultimate oppression to liberate His people.

Ministry Implications

• Intercession: Laḥats texts model earnest prayer for the afflicted. Believers today are summoned to stand in that same gap.
• Pastoral Care: Recognizing laḥats as both external injustice and internal anguish guides shepherds to address social wrongs and personal wounds alike.
• Hope and Perseverance: The oppressed are encouraged to expect God’s timely deliverance, drawing strength from the historical record of His interventions.

Christological Fulfillment

Jesus Christ embodies the answer to laḥats. He experienced crushing pressure in Gethsemane and on the cross, yet through resurrection broke its power. His invitation, “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened” (Matthew 11:28), offers rest from every form of laḥats, assuring the Church that the One who once heard Israel’s cry still hears—and saves—today.

בְּלַ֣חַץ בַּלַּ֣חַץ בלחץ הַלַּ֔חַץ הלחץ וְֽלַחֲצֵֽנוּ׃ ולחצנו׃ לַ֔חַץ לַ֙חַץ֙ לַ֣חַץ לַחֲצֵֽנוּ׃ לָ֑חַץ לחץ לחצנו׃ bal·la·ḥaṣ balLachatz ballaḥaṣ bə·la·ḥaṣ beLachatz bəlaḥaṣ hal·la·ḥaṣ halLachatz hallaḥaṣ la·ḥă·ṣê·nū la·ḥaṣ lā·ḥaṣ lachatz lachaTzenu laḥaṣ lāḥaṣ laḥăṣênū VelachaTzenu wə·la·ḥă·ṣê·nū wəlaḥăṣênūInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts