Lexical Summary nahaq: To kiss, to embrace Original Word: נָהַק Strong's Exhaustive Concordance bray A primitive root; to bray (as an ass), scream (from hunger -- bray. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origina prim. root Definition to bray, cry NASB Translation bray (1), cry (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs [נָהַק] verb bray, cry (Late Hebrew id.; Arabic  bray (of ass); Aramaic נְהַק cry out (of men), נְהִיקָא braying); — Qal Imperfect יִנְהַק Job 6:5 of wild ass; יִנְהָ֑קוּ Job 30:7 of cries of destitute outcasts. Topical Lexicon Semantic Range and Imagery נָהַק conveys the loud, guttural cry of a creature in distress, most graphically the harsh “bray” of the wild donkey. The verb therefore evokes a scene of insistent, almost uncontrollable lament. Within the Hebrew canon it functions metaphorically to portray human anguish that is raw, unadorned, and unmistakable. Biblical Occurrences 1. Job 6:5—Job employs the verb in a rhetorical question: “Does a wild donkey bray over fresh grass, or an ox low over its fodder?”. The point is clear: a creature that is well provided for has no reason to voice such a cry. Likewise, Job’s lament is justified by his profound suffering. Historical and Cultural Background In the Ancient Near East, the wild donkey (Equus africanus) symbolized independence yet was infamous for its piercing call. Shepherds and travelers would readily recognize the bray as a sign of hunger or agitation. By invoking this sound, the author of Job taps into a shared experiential knowledge: want produces noise; satiation produces silence. Literary and Theological Function in Job Job 6:5 forms part of Job’s initial rebuttal to Eliphaz. Job’s argument hinges on moral congruity: suffering should logically elicit lament. The verb intensifies his protest against the friends’ shallow counsel. Job 30:7 appears in Job’s climactic complaint, contrasting his former honor (Job 29) with present humiliation. The braying of the social outcasts mirrors Job’s own sense of abandonment, foreshadowing the cosmic interrogation he soon faces (Job 38–41). נָהַק thus amplifies the book’s central tension between divine sovereignty and human pain. Ministry Implications and Pastoral Application • Authentic Lament: נָהַק sanctions unvarnished cries before God. Believers can voice their distress without fear of reproach, confident that Scripture legitimizes such expression (cf. Psalm 22:1). Canonical and Christological Echoes Though rare in occurrence, the motif of desperate outcry reappears climactically in the Passion. As the sin-bearing Servant, Jesus “offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears” (Hebrews 5:7). The bray of Job anticipates the louder lament of Calvary, where ultimate dereliction secures eternal consolation (2 Corinthians 1:5). Related Hebrew Concepts • צָעַק (ṣāʿaq) – to cry out, especially for help. Together with נָהַק these verbs form a spectrum of auditory distress language in the Hebrew Scriptures, underscoring God’s attunement to the cries of His creation (Exodus 3:7). Devotional Reflection When the soul finds itself in barren places, compelled to “bray among the bushes,” נָהַק invites the sufferer to direct that raw sound heavenward. The One who inhales the bray of the donkey also hears the sigh of His people and, in Christ, answers with sustaining grace (2 Corinthians 12:9). Forms and Transliterations הֲיִֽנְהַק־ הינהק־ יִנְהָ֑קוּ ינהקו hă·yin·haq- hayinhak hăyinhaq- yin·hā·qū yinHaku yinhāqūLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Job 6:5 HEB: הֲיִֽנְהַק־ פֶּ֥רֶא עֲלֵי־ NAS: Does the wild donkey bray over KJV: Doth the wild ass bray when he hath grass? INT: bray the wild over Job 30:7 2 Occurrences |
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