Original Word: אֲנָקָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: anaqah
Pronunciation: ah-naw-KAH
Phonetic Spelling: (an-aw-kaw')
KJV: crying out, groaning, sighing
NASB: groaning
Word Origin: [from H602 (אָנַק - groan)]

1. shrieking

crying out, groaning, sighing

From 'anaq; shrieking -- crying out, groaning, sighing.

see HEBREW 'anaq

Word Origin
from anaq
Definition
a crying, groaning
NASB Translation
groaning (6).

I. אֲנָקָה noun feminine crying, groaning, in distress (Arabic ) Malachi 2:13 ("" דִּמְעָה, בְּכִי); construct אֶנְקַת Psalm 12:6 (of poor, אֶבְיוֺן); Psalm 79:11 (of prisoner אָסִיר), so Psalm 102:21.

Anakah – The Groan of the Afflicted

Scriptural Distribution

The noun appears four times in the Old Testament: Psalm 12:5, Psalm 79:11, Psalm 102:20, and Malachi 2:13. In every case it represents an audible, heartfelt expression of distress lifted toward God.

Portrait of Human Suffering

• Psalm 12:5 locates anakah in the cries of the “poor” and “needy.” Their plight is social oppression, yet the LORD declares, “Because of the oppression of the poor, because of the groaning of the needy, I will now arise… I will bring safety to him who yearns”. The term becomes shorthand for all dispossessed people whose only recourse is God.
• Psalm 79:11 transfers the groan from the streets to prison cells: “May the groaning of the prisoners reach You; by the strength of Your arm preserve those condemned to death”. The psalmist treats anakah as evidence for covenant appeal—if God has heard, He must act.
• Psalm 102:20 records the divine answer: God “hear[s] a prisoner’s groaning, to release those condemned to death”. The word thus frames both petition and deliverance.
• Malachi 2:13 turns the concept inward. The priests “cover the altar of the LORD with tears, with weeping and groaning,” yet their worship is rejected. Here anakah is a symptom of broken relationship; counterfeit piety produces unrelieved lament.

Theological Themes

1. Divine Compassion and Justice

Anakah signals need that moves God to intervene. Whether social, judicial, or spiritual, the burden is never ignored. The juxtaposition of groaning and God’s rising (Psalm 12:5) underscores His active righteousness.

2. Covenant Solidarity

The sufferers are often identified as “Your people” (Psalm 79). Groaning is not generic human misery; it is the distressed cry of those within covenant, confident that the LORD both hears and remembers.

3. From Complaint to Hope

Anakah functions as the hinge between lament and praise. It gives voice to agony while anticipating a future answer, prefiguring the New Testament assurance: “We know that the whole creation has been groaning… waiting eagerly for adoption” (Romans 8:22-23).

4. Worship and Integrity

Malachi exposes the danger of external religiosity. Groaning at the altar without repentance leaves worship barren. Genuine anakah must be coupled with covenant faithfulness.

Historical Setting

• Exilic and post-exilic communities likely treasured Psalms 79 and 102, where incarceration and death sentences evoke Babylonian oppression.
• Malachi addresses the restored community, warning that unfaithfulness can recreate exile-like distance even within the land.

Ministry Significance

Pastoral care: The vocabulary validates emotional honesty before God. Congregants should be encouraged to voice their anakah, confident He hears.

Social justice: Scripture links groaning to systemic oppression; ministries pursuing relief stand on firm biblical ground.

Worship leadership: Malachi urges integrity; musicians and pastors must ensure liturgy does not mask unrepented sin.

Intercession: Psalm 79:11 models advocacy for the imprisoned and condemned, guiding prayer meetings and prison outreach.

Eschatological Horizon

The pattern—groaning, divine hearing, deliverance—culminates in the gospel. Christ enters the world’s sighs, bears them on the cross, and promises final liberation. Until that consummation, anakah remains both a reminder of the world’s brokenness and a catalyst for hope in the coming King.

אֶנְקַ֣ת אֶנְקַ֪ת אנקת וַֽאֲנָקָ֑ה ואנקה מֵאַנְקַ֪ת מאנקת ’en·qaṯ ’enqaṯ enKat mê’anqaṯ mê·’an·qaṯ meanKat vaanaKah wa’ănāqāh wa·’ă·nā·qāhInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts