στεναγ-μός G4726
Groaning, sighing; deep inward sounds expressing pain, grief, or longing
Στεναγμός refers to groaning or sighing, the deep utterances of pain, grief, or intense longing. In Acts 7:34, Stephen quotes God hearing the groaning of the enslaved Israelites in Egypt—their wordless cries of suffering that moved God to action. In Romans 8:26, Paul describes the Spirit interceding for believers with 'groanings too deep for words'—prayers beyond human articulation expressing the heart's deepest needs. Groaning in Scripture often represents the gap between present suffering and future glory, the yearning of creation and believers for redemption's completion.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Acts 7:34 (quoting Exodus 3:7) emphasizes God hearing Israel's groaning—their suffering has reached his ears and provoked his deliverance. Romans 8:26 describes ineffable groanings of the Spirit interceding when we don't know how to pray—divine groaning within human weakness. Both show groaning as communication beyond words, expressing depths ordinary language cannot reach. Classical Greek applied the term to sighing and groaning from pain, grief, or effort. 2×
AR["أَنِينَ", "بِآهَاتٍ"]·ben["আর্তনাদ", "দীর্ঘশ্বাসসমূহে"]·DE["Seufzen", "στεναγμοῦ"]·EN["groaning", "with-groanings"]·FR["gémissement"]·heb["אַנְחָתָם", "בַּ-אֲנָחוֹת"]·HI["कराहट", "से"]·ID["dengan-keluhan-keluhan", "keluhan"]·IT["gemito"]·jav["kanthi-pasambat", "pangeson"]·KO["탄식-을", "탄식들로"]·PT["com-gemidos", "gemido"]·RU["стенание"]·ES["con-gemidos", "gemido"]·SW["kuugua", "kwa-kuugua"]·TR["iniltilerle", "iniltisini"]·urd["کراہت", "کراہتوں-سے"]
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)H3541 1. thus, so, in this manner (569×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
στεναγ-μός, ὁ, sighing, groaning, Refs 5th c.BC+