H1897 H1897
To muse, meditate, utter, moan; onomatopoeic verb for low vocal sounds: murmuring Torah, groaning, plotting, growling.
Hagah is one of Hebrew poetry's most evocative verbs — onomatopoeic at its core, imitating the low, sustained sound that emerges when a person meditates aloud, when a mourner groans, or when a lion rumbles over its prey. The famous opening of Psalm 1 uses it for the blessed person who 'meditates' on Torah day and night, but this is no silent, cerebral exercise: hagah implies audible murmuring, the kind of half-voiced repetition by which ancient readers internalized a text. German sinnen ('to muse, ponder') captures the contemplative dimension, while Spanish splits revealingly between meditar for the reflective sense and gemir/arrullar for the mournful dove-sounds of Isaiah. The verb's darker register — muttering plots, devising evil — shows how the same low-voiced intensity that marks devotion can also mark conspiracy.
Senses
1. meditate, muse on — To meditate, muse on, murmur over — the most theologically celebrated sense at 8 occurrences, centered on sustained vocal reflection upon God's law, works, or character. Joshua 1:8 commands that the Torah 'shall not depart from your mouth; you shall meditate (hagah) on it day and night.' Psalm 63:6 and 143:5 use it for nighttime reflection on God's deeds. German sinnen and French murmurer together capture both the cognitive depth and the audible, repetitive quality. This is not silent reading but embodied, vocalized contemplation — a practice confirmed by Spanish meditar and Korean's selection of dedicated meditation vocabulary. 8×
AR["أتَأَمَّلُ","تَأَمَّلْتُ","وَ-تَلْهَجُ","وَأَتَأَمَّلُ","يَتَأمَّلُ","يَتَأَمَّلُ","يَلْهَجُ"]·ben["আমি-ধ্যান-করি","এবং-আমি-ধ্যান-করব","এবং-ধ্যান-করবে","চিন্তা-করে","ধ্যান-করবে","ধ্যান-করলাম","সে-ধ্যান-করে"]·DE["[יהגה]","sinnen","sinnt","sinnt-","und-du-soll-meditate","und-sinnt"]·EN["I-meditate","I-meditate-","and-I-will-meditate","and-you-shall-meditate","he-meditates","meditates","ponders","shall-meditate"]·FR["et-le-murmurer","et-tu-méditeras","le-murmurer","murmurer","méditer"]·heb["אהגה-","הגיתי","ו-הגית","ו-הגיתי","יהגה"]·HI["और-मनन-कर","मैं-ध्यान-करता-हूं","मैंने-ध्यान-किया","वह-ध्यान-करता-है","वे-हागीती","सोचता-है","सोचेगा"]·ID["Dan-aku-merenungkan","akan-merenungkan","aku-merenungkan","aku-merenungkan-","dan-merenungkanlah","ia-merenungkan","merencanakan","merenungkan"]·IT["e-meditare","e-tu-dovere-meditate","meditare","meditates","ponders"]·jav["Kula-nimbang-nimbang","Saha-kawula-badhé-manggalih","dipun-remeni","dipunrencanakaken","kawula-manggalih-","lan-panjenengan-badhe-mesu-budi","mikir","nyuntak"]·KO["그리고-묵상하라","내-가-묵상하나이다","망상하니-","묵상하느니라","묵상하는도다","묵상하리이다","묵상하였나이다","생각할-것이다"]·PT["E-meditarei","e-meditarás","medita","meditará","meditei","medito"]·RU["будет-размышлять","замышляет","и-буду-размышлять","и-размышляй","размышляет","размышляю","размышляю-"]·ES["Y-meditaré","medita","meditará","medito","medito-","y-meditarás"]·SW["Na-nitatafakari","hutafakari","na-usiku","na-utafikiri","nimetafakari","ninakutafakari","unafikiri","utakumbuka"]·TR["dusunecek","düşündüm","düşünür","düşünüyorum-","ve-düşüneceksin","ve-düşüneceğim"]·urd["اور-سوچ","اور-غور-کروں-گا","سوچتا-ہے","سوچوں-","سوچے-گا","میں-نے-غور-کیا","وہ-غور-کرتا-ہے"]
2. utter, speak, declare — To utter, speak forth, declare — 6 occurrences where the mouth or tongue is the explicit subject, shifting the emphasis from internal reflection to outward proclamation. 'My tongue shall utter your righteousness' (Ps 35:28); 'the mouth of the righteous utters wisdom' (Ps 37:30). The Spanish meditar gives way to emitir sonido ('emit sound') in the multilingual data, and the psalm contexts confirm vocal, public declaration rather than quiet musing. Job 27:4 makes the contrast especially clear: 'My tongue will not utter falsehood' — this is speech, not thought. 6×
AR["تَنطِق","يَلفِظُ","يَلْهَجُ"]·ben["উচ্চারণ-করে","তারা-গর্জন-করে","ধ্যান-করবে","বলবে","বলে"]·DE["[יהגה]","sinnt","sinnt-"]·EN["shall-utter","they-make-a-sound","utters","will-speak","will-speak-of"]·FR["murmurer","méditer"]·heb["יהגה","יהגו","תהגה"]·HI["बोलता-है","बोलती-रहेगी","बोलते-हैं","बोले","बोलेगा","बोलेगी"]·ID["mengucapkan","mereka-bersuara","merenungkan"]·IT["meditare","shall-utter","utters"]·jav["badhe-ngandika","badhé-ngomong","ngandikakaken","nglairaken","ngucap","nguwuh"]·KO["말하도다","말하리이다","묵상하리이다","소리내며","속삭임할-것이다","중얼거리리라"]·PT["fala","falará","murmuram","murmurar","profere"]·RU["будет-возвещать","будет-изрекать","издают-звука","изрекают","произнесёт"]·ES["emiten-sonido","medita","meditará","proclamará","pronunciará"]·SW["hutamka","kinatamka","sema","utasema","utatafakari","utazungumza"]·TR["düşünecek","konuşacak","mırıldanacaklar","mırıldanursa","söyler"]·urd["بولتے","بولے","بولے-گا","بیان-کرتا-ہے","بیان-کرے","بیان-کرے-گی"]
3. moan, groan like a dove — To moan, groan like a dove — 5 occurrences, all in the prophetic literature of Isaiah and Jeremiah, expressing communal or personal grief. Isaiah 38:14 compares Hezekiah's lament to a dove's moan; Isaiah 59:11 pairs bear-growling with dove-moaning as images of Israel's distress. Spanish arrullar ('to coo') and gemir ('to groan') both target the plaintive animal-sound register. French mediter misses this entirely, revealing how some traditions flatten the onomatopoeic richness. Jeremiah 48:31 extends the moaning to Moab's lament — even foreign grief finds expression through this verb. 5×
AR["أَئِنُّ","أَهْدِلُ","تَتَأَوَّهُونَ","نَهْدِرُ","هَدِيرًا"]·ben["আমরা-মনন-করি","আমি-গুনগুন-করি","গুনগুন-করব","দীর্ঘশ্বাস-ফেলবে","মনন-করে"]·DE["sinnen"]·EN["I-moan","he-moans","moaning","we-moan","you-will-moan"]·FR["méditer"]·heb["אהגה","הגה","יהגה","נהגה","תהגו"]·HI["कराहोगे","कूकना","मैं-कराहूंगा","मैं-कूकता-हूँ","हम-कूकते-हैं"]·ID["aku-meratap","aku-merintih","kamu-mengeluh","kita-meratap","meratap"]·IT["meditare"]·jav["kita-ngudang","ngudang","njerit-kawula","panjenengan-sesambat","piyambakipun-ngesah"]·KO["내가-탄식한다","신음하기를-","신음하는데","탄식하겠다-그가","탄식하라"]·PT["arrulhamos","arrulhando","gemerei","gemerreis","gemo"]·RU["будете-стенать","стенаем-мы","стенает","стенаньем","стону"]·ES["arrullamos","arrullar","gemiré","gemiréis","gimo"]·SW["itasononeka","mtaomboleza","ninaomboleza","tunalia"]·TR["cikarariz","incee-ses","inleyecek","inleyeceksiniz","inliyorum"]·urd["آہیں-بھرو-گے","غم-سے","میں-کوکتا-ہوں","وہ-کراہوں-گا","کراہتے-ہیں-ہم"]
4. mutter, plot, devise — To mutter, plot, devise — 5 occurrences where the low-voiced murmuring takes a sinister turn toward scheming and conspiracy. The paradigmatic instance is Psalm 2:1: 'Why do the nations rage and the peoples hagah a vain thing?' Spanish traman ('they plot') and maquinar ('to scheme') correctly identify the conspiratorial force. Isaiah 59:3,13 pair this muttering with lying and oppression, while Psalm 38:12 describes enemies devising treachery all day long. The common thread with senses 1-2 is the low, sustained vocalization — but here directed toward evil rather than truth. 5×
AR["تَفَكَّرَتْ-","تَلْهَجُ","وَ-المُتَمتِمِينَ","وَ-لَاهِجُونَ","يَلْهَجونَ"]·ben["-এবং-উচ্চারণ-করা","এবং-বিড়বিড়-করে","চিন্তা-করে","ধ্যান-করে-","মনন-করে"]·DE["sinnen","sinnt","sinnt-","und-sinnen"]·EN["and-the-muttering","and-uttering","do-meditate-","mutters","they-mutter"]·FR["et-méditer","murmurer","méditer"]·heb["ו-ה-מהגים","ו-הוגו","יהגו","יהגו-","תהגה"]·HI["और-बड़बड़ाने-वालों","और-बोलना","बोलती-है","सोचती-है","सोचते-हैं"]·ID["dan-bergumam","dan-menggumamkan","menggumamkan","merencanakan-"]·IT["e-meditare","meditare"]·jav["lan-ingkang-bisik-bisik","lan-ngucapaken","ngrancang-","ngumandang","sami-ngrancang"]·KO["그리고-속삭이는데","꾸미도다","말하는가","속삭이는데","중얼거리는"]·PT["e-murmurando","e-os-que-murmuram","imaginam","meditam","murmura"]·RU["замышляют","замышляют-","и-бормочущим","и-произносить","произносит"]·ES["meditan","murmura","traman-","y-los-que-murmuran","y-proferir"]·SW["na-kunong'ona","na-kunongʻona","unongʻona","wanapanga","wanatafakari"]·TR["düşünürler","düşünürler-","mirilniyor","ve-mirildayanlar","ve-mirildiama"]·urd["اور-بولنا","اور-بڑبڑانے-والوں","سوچتی-ہیں","سوچتے-ہیں","گنگناتی-ہے"]
5. growl, roar over prey — To growl or roar over prey — a single vivid occurrence in Isaiah 31:4, where Yahweh is compared to a lion that 'growls' over its kill, undeterred by the shepherds called out against it. Spanish ruge ('roars') captures the animal ferocity. This is the most purely onomatopoeic use of hagah, stripped of cognitive content and reduced to raw, threatening sound. It anchors the verb's semantic range at its most primal: before hagah is meditation or speech or mourning, it is simply a deep, resonant, sustained vocalization. 1×
AR["يَزْأَرُ"]·ben["গর্জন-করে"]·DE["sinnen"]·EN["growls"]·FR["méditer"]·heb["יהגה"]·HI["गरजता-है"]·ID["mengaum"]·IT["meditare"]·jav["ngerung"]·KO["으르렁거린다"]·PT["ruge"]·RU["рычит"]·ES["ruge"]·SW["anavyonguruma"]·TR["kirrildir"]·urd["دہاڑے"]
Related Senses
H3045 1. Qal: to know, perceive, understand (829×)H5315 1. soul, inner being (647×)H3820a 1. heart, inner self (mind/will/emotion) (572×)H4672 1. Qal: find, discover (289×)G1492 1. know facts or truths (285×)H3824 1. heart, inner self (mind/will/emotion) (250×)H1245 1. seek, search for (200×)G1097 1. know, be acquainted with (196×)H2142 1. Qal: remember, recall (173×)G2588 1. heart (inner self, mind, will) (158×)H0977 1. choose, select (Qal active) (145×)G2147 1. find, discover (144×)G5590 1. soul, inner self (100×)H4672 2. Niphal: be found, be discovered (99×)H1875 1. seek, search for (96×)H5315 2. life, vitality (94×)H1847 1. knowledge, discernment (90×)H2450 1. wise, prudent (84×)H7911 1. Qal: to forget (83×)H3684 1. fool, dullard (70×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† I. הָגָה vb. moan, growl, utter, speak, muse (only poet.) (onomatop.; NH הָגָה muse, speak, spell a word, so Aramaic הֲגָא; ܗܓܳܐ muse, especially Ethpa.; Arabic هَجَا satirize, insult, scold, also spell (borrowed meaning))— Qal Perf. 2 ms. וְהָגִ֫יתָ consec. Jos 1:8; 1 s. הָגִ֫יתִי ψ 143:5, וְהָגִיתִי consec. ψ 77:13; Impf. יֶהְגֶּה Jb 27:4 + 8 times; 3 fs. תֶּהְגֶּה ψ 35:28 + 2 times, אֶהְגֶּה…