Lexical Summary tseaqah: Cry, outcry, cry for help Original Word: צַעֲקָה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance crying From tsa'aq; a shriek -- cry(-ing). see HEBREW tsa'aq NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom tsaaq Definition a cry, outcry NASB Translation cry (14), cry of distress (1), outcry (6). Brown-Driver-Briggs צְעָקָה noun feminine cry, outcry (older form of זְּעָקָה); — absolute׳צ Genesis 27:34 +; construct צַעֲקַת Exodus 3:9 +; suffix צַעֲקָתוֺ 1 Samuel 9:16 +, etc.; — 1 outcry against (Sodom) Genesis 18:21; Genesis 19:13 (both J). 2 cry of distress especially as heard by ׳י Exodus 3:7 (J), Exodus 22:22 (E), compare Isaiah 5:7; Job 27:9; Job 34:28; Psalm 9:13; בָּאָה אֵלַי ׳צ Exodus 3:9 (E), 1 Samuel 9:16, compare Job 34:28; גְּדֹלָה ׳צ Exodus 11:6; Exodus 12:30 (both J), Nehemiah 5:1; as accusative of congnate meaning with verb Genesis 27:34 (J); ׳קוֺל צ 1 Samuel 4:14; Jeremiah 25:36 ("" יְלָלָה), Zephaniah 1:10 ("" id., + שֶׁבֶר גדול), Jeremiah 48:3 ("" שֹׁד וָשֶׁבֶר גדול), compare Jeremiah 49:21; צַעֲקַת שֶׁבֶר Jeremiah 48:5; ("" בְּכִי). Topical Lexicon Overview צַעֲקָה appears twenty-one times across the Old Testament, functioning as a vivid marker of human distress that rises to the heavenly court. Whether uttered by an individual or a whole community, it signals a desperate appeal for intervention, most often from God Himself. The term clusters around moments of moral crisis, social injustice, covenant judgment, and redemptive deliverance. Patterns of Usage in Scripture 1. Moral outrage that demands divine verdict (Genesis 18:21; Genesis 19:13). Early Genesis Witness: A Cry for Justice In the patriarchal narratives, צַעֲקָה first surfaces as the collective “outcry” from Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18:21; 19:13). The language underscores the ethical seriousness of systemic sin. God arises as righteous Judge, affirming that persistent wickedness elicits a moral summons that cannot be ignored. Covenantal Deliverance in Exodus Exodus frames צַעֲקָה as the catalyst for redemption. “I have heard them crying out because of their oppressors” (Exodus 3:7). The word links divine compassion, covenant remembrance, and miraculous liberation. Later, Egypt’s own “great cry” (Exodus 11:6; 12:30) becomes the ironic reversal of fortunes—oppressors turned victims—displaying the principle that God both rescues and judges in response to human outcry. Legal Safeguard and Social Justice In Exodus 22:23 God legislates: “If you do mistreat them, and they cry out to Me, I will surely hear their cry”. Here צַעֲקָה grounds Israel’s civil code in divine empathy, warning that the oppressed possess direct access to the heavenly throne. The verse functions as both deterrent and comfort, establishing social ethics under divine surveillance. Historical Narratives: Crisis Leadership When the Philistines capture the ark, “Eli heard the outcry” (1 Samuel 4:14), indicating civic panic over theological catastrophe. Conversely, God reassures Samuel: “their cry has come to Me” (1 Samuel 9:16). In both scenes national survival hinges on leaders who recognize and respond to the collective צַעֲקָה. Wisdom Literature: The Enigma of Unanswered Cries Job wrestles with the apparent silence of heaven: “Will God hear his cry when distress comes upon him?” (Job 27:9). Elihu counters by affirming that God “heard the outcry of the afflicted” (Job 34:28). The dialogue preserves the tension between divine justice and hiddenness, ultimately resolved by God’s sovereign self-disclosure in Job 38–41. Psalms: Liturgical Assurance Psalm 9:12 anchors worship in the certainty that God “does not ignore the cry of the afflicted”. צַעֲקָה thus becomes a corporate confession: lament is not futile but an act of faith that anticipates God’s righteous intervention. Prophetic Oracles: Herald of Impending Judgment Isaiah 5:7 laments that Judah’s social inequities have replaced righteousness with “a cry.” Jeremiah and Zephaniah broaden the horizon—shepherds (Jeremiah 25:36), Moab (Jeremiah 48:3, 48:5), Edom (Jeremiah 49:21), and Jerusalem itself (Zephaniah 1:10) all emit צַעֲקָה as Babylonian judgment looms. The prophets portray the cry both as symptom of calamity and evidence for the prosecution in God’s courtroom. Theological Themes • Divine Audibility: God consistently “hears” צַעֲקָה, affirming His relational nearness. Ministry Implications 1. Pastoral Care: Encourage honest lament; God welcomes raw, urgent prayer. Christological and Eschatological Outlook The incarnation fulfills the motif, as the Messiah embodies both the One who hears and the One who cries (“Jesus cried out in a loud voice,” Matthew 27:46). At the consummation, final judgment and ultimate deliverance will answer every remaining צַעֲקָה, wiping away tears and silencing oppression forever (Revelation 21:4). Forms and Transliterations הַֽ֭צַעֲקָתוֹ הַכְּצַעֲקָתָ֛הּ הַצְּעָקָ֔ה הכצעקתה הצעקה הצעקתו וְצַעֲקַ֖ת וצעקת צְעָקָ֔ה צְעָקָ֕ה צְעָקָ֖ה צְעָקָ֥ה צְעָקָֽה׃ צְעָקָה֙ צַֽעֲקַת־ צַעֲקַ֣ת צַעֲקַ֥ת צַעֲקָת֖וֹ צַעֲקָתָ֤ם צַעֲקָתָם֙ צַעֲקָתֽוֹ׃ צעקה צעקה׃ צעקת צעקת־ צעקתו צעקתו׃ צעקתם ha·ṣa·‘ă·qā·ṯōw hak·kə·ṣa·‘ă·qā·ṯāh hakkəṣa‘ăqāṯāh hakketzaakaTah haṣ·ṣə·‘ā·qāh haṣa‘ăqāṯōw haṣṣə‘āqāh hatzaakato hatztzeaKah ṣa‘ăqaṯ ṣa‘ăqaṯ- ṣa‘ăqāṯām ṣa‘ăqāṯōw ṣa·‘ă·qā·ṯām ṣa·‘ă·qā·ṯōw ṣa·‘ă·qaṯ ṣa·‘ă·qaṯ- ṣə‘āqāh ṣə·‘ā·qāh tzaaKat tzaakaTam tzaakaTo tzeaKah vetzaaKat wə·ṣa·‘ă·qaṯ wəṣa‘ăqaṯLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Genesis 18:21 HEB: נָּ֣א וְאֶרְאֶ֔ה הַכְּצַעֲקָתָ֛הּ הַבָּ֥אָה אֵלַ֖י NAS: entirely according to its outcry, which has come KJV: altogether according to the cry of it, which is come INT: now and see outcry has come about Genesis 19:13 Genesis 27:34 Exodus 3:7 Exodus 3:9 Exodus 11:6 Exodus 12:30 Exodus 22:23 1 Samuel 4:14 1 Samuel 9:16 Nehemiah 5:1 Job 27:9 Job 34:28 Job 34:28 Psalm 9:12 Isaiah 5:7 Jeremiah 25:36 Jeremiah 48:3 Jeremiah 48:5 Jeremiah 49:21 Zephaniah 1:10 21 Occurrences |
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