Original Word: עֱנוּת
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: `enuwth
Pronunciation: eh-nooth
Phonetic Spelling: (en-ooth')
KJV: affliction
NASB: affliction
Word Origin: [from H6031 (עָנָה - To afflict)]

1. affliction

affliction

From anah; affliction -- affliction.

see HEBREW anah

Word Origin
from anah
Definition
affliction
NASB Translation
affliction (1).

עֱנוּת noun feminine affliction: — Psalm 22:25; Che^{JBL xv (1896), 198} proposes צַעֲקַת cry [compare ᵐ5 ᵑ9 ᵑ7], (צ dropped out after ץ).

Root and Semantic Field

עֱנוּת conveys a state of deep affliction that includes external suffering, inward distress, and the social humiliation that often accompanies both. The word stands within a wider Old Testament vocabulary that links misery with humility before God, indicating that suffering is never merely physical pain but also a spiritual testing ground where faith is refined.

Occurrence in Scripture

Psalm 22:24 is the sole canonical use: “For He has not despised or detested the suffering of the afflicted; He has not hidden His face from him, but has listened to his cry for help” (Berean Standard Bible). The psalmist sets עֱנוּת in parallel with divine attentiveness, underscoring that covenant relationship persists even in extremity.

Theological Significance

1. Divine Compassion. The verse explicitly denies that God despises the sufferer’s עֱנוּת, affirming that covenant love reaches into the lowest human condition.
2. Vindication through Suffering. Psalm 22 moves from anguish to praise, foreshadowing the pattern of redemptive reversal: humiliation precedes exaltation.
3. Identification with the Messiah. The psalm’s prophetic voice anticipates Jesus Christ’s passion (Matthew 27:46), rooting New Testament teaching on the cross in Old Testament revelation.

Messianic Implications in Psalm 22

Jesus appropriates Psalm 22 on the cross, thereby claiming the afflicted voice of the psalmist (Matthew 27:46). God’s refusal to “despise” this עֱנוּת becomes clear in the resurrection, where apparent abandonment gives way to vindication (Acts 2:24). The single Old Testament occurrence thus provides an indispensable link between Davidic lament and Gospel fulfillment.

Historical and Cultural Insights

In the Ancient Near East, affliction frequently implied divine judgment. Psalm 22 corrects this assumption by presenting suffering as compatible with divine favor. The afflicted one’s appeal for help is met not with capricious silence but with covenantal faithfulness, reshaping Israel’s corporate understanding of hardship.

Relation to Broader Biblical Themes

• The Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53: “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” resonates with עֱנוּת, portraying redemptive suffering.
• Apostolic Teaching. Paul’s “light and momentary affliction” (2 Corinthians 4:17) and Peter’s call to humility under God’s mighty hand (1 Peter 5:6) echo the Psalm 22 assurance that affliction will be answered with glory.

Pastoral and Devotional Applications

1. Assurance in Distress. Believers facing oppression or illness can anchor hope in Psalm 22:24, confident that God does not ignore their cries.
2. Identification with Christ. Sharing in Christ’s sufferings (Philippians 3:10) aligns Christians with the messianic pattern traced from Psalm 22.
3. Ministry to the Afflicted. The church is called to embody divine compassion, refusing to “despise” the עֱנוּת of the marginalized and instead bearing one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2).

Summary of Ministry Significance

Though appearing only once, עֱנוּת encapsulates a core biblical truth: God turns toward, not away from, those in the depths of suffering. This single word thus serves as a theological hinge—binding the lament of David, the passion of Christ, and the comfort of all who suffer while awaiting final redemption.

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