H7581 H7581
Roaring (of a lion, literal or figurative); groaning or anguished outcry (of a person in distress)
The noun שְׁאָגָה captures two contrasting sounds: the fierce roar of a lion and the anguished groan of a suffering human being. As a leonine roar, it evokes terrifying power — Isaiah 5:29 compares invading armies to a roaring lion, and Ezekiel 19:7 describes a conquering king whose roar devastates the land. As a human groan, it voices the depths of personal anguish — David's 'words of my groaning' in Psalm 22:1, the psalm Jesus quoted from the cross, and Job's sighs that come instead of bread (Job 3:24). Spanish captures the split neatly: rugido for the lion's roar, gemir/gemido for human groaning.
Senses
1. roaring (of lions) — The roar of a lion, used both literally and as a powerful metaphor for aggressive, predatory force. Isaiah 5:29 likens the roar of invading nations to a lion's growl (Spanish rugido, Arabic za'ir). Job 4:10 uses it figuratively for the wicked whose roaring is silenced by God. Ezekiel 19:7 describes a young lion — a figure for a king of Judah — whose roar (she'agato) devastates cities. Zechariah 11:3 pairs it with the lions of the Jordan thicket. The consistent multilingual rendering as 'roar/rugido/rugissement' confirms the animalistic, powerful quality of this sound. 4×
AR["زَئيرُ", "زَئِيرُهُ", "زَئِيرِ", "زَئِيرِهِ"]·ben["গর্জন", "গর্জনের", "তার-গর্জনের।"]·DE["[שאגה]", "[שאגת]", "[שאגתו]"]·EN["roar", "roaring-his", "roaring-of", "the-roar-of"]·FR["[שאגה]", "rugissement", "שאגת"]·heb["שאגה", "שאגת", "שאגתו"]·HI["गर्जना", "गर्जना-उसकी", "दहाड़", "दहाड़ने-की"]·ID["Auman", "Aumannya", "auman", "aumannya"]·IT["[שאגה]", "[שאגת]", "[שאגתו]", "il-roar-di"]·jav["Nggero", "auman-nipun", "gereng"]·KO["그의-포효의", "우는-소리", "포효이", "포효함이라"]·PT["Rugido", "rugido-de", "seu-rugido"]·RU["рык", "рыка", "рычания-его", "рёв"]·ES["Rugido", "Rugido-de", "rugido-de", "su-rugido"]·SW["kunguruma-kwa", "kunguruma-kwake", "ngurumo"]·TR["Kukreyisi", "kükremesi", "kükremesinin"]·urd["اُس-کی-دہاڑ-کی", "دہاڑ", "دہاڑنے-کی", "گرج"]
2. groaning (of human distress) — The groan, moan, or anguished cry of a human being in deep suffering — a sound that shares the raw intensity of the lion's roar but is redirected inward by pain rather than outward by power. In Psalm 22:1, David cries out with 'the words of my groaning' (divre she'agati) — the very psalm whose opening words Jesus spoke from the cross. Psalm 32:3 speaks of groaning all day long when sin is unconfessed. Job 3:24 says his groanings pour out like water. Spanish shifts from rugido to gemir/gemido, and the possessive 'my groaning/my groanings' in English marks the deeply personal, first-person quality of this suffering — a sound torn from the human throat rather than roared from a predator's jaws. 3×
AR["بِأَنِينِي", "زَفَراتي", "صُرَاخِي"]·ben["আমার-ক্রন্দনে", "আমার-চিৎকারের", "আমার-চীৎকারগুলি"]·DE["[שאגתי]", "durch-mein-groaning", "mein-groaning"]·EN["my-groaning", "my-groanings", "through-my-groaning"]·FR["dans-rugissement", "mon-שאגתי-moi", "rugissement"]·heb["ב-שאגת-י", "שאגותי", "שאגתי"]·HI["कराहने-मेरे-के", "मेरी-दहाड़ें", "से-कराहने-मेरी"]·ID["jeritanku"]·IT["mio-groanings-mio", "ruggito"]·jav["ing-pasambat-kula", "panggereng-kawula", "pasambat-kula"]·KO["나-의-신음함-으로", "나의-포효들이", "부르짖음-의"]·PT["em-meu-bramir", "meu-gemido", "rugidos-meus"]·RU["от-стенания-моего", "стенания-моего", "стенания-мои"]·ES["en-mi-gemir", "mi-gemido", "mis-rugidos"]·SW["kulia-kwangu", "kuugua-kwangu", "kwa-kuugua-kwangu"]·TR["haykırışlarım", "iniltimle", "kükremelerimin"]·urd["-میری-چیخ-میں", "میری-چیخ-کے", "میری-چیخیں"]
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
† שְׁאָגָה n.f. roaring;— 1. like lion, abs. שׁ׳ Is 5:29 (of invaders); of lion, cstr. שַׁאֲגַת Zc 11:3; Jb 4:10 (fig. of wicked), sf. קוֹל שַׁאֲגָתוֹ Ez 19:7 (fig. of conquering king). 2. human cry in distress, שַׁאֲגָתִי ψ 32:3, דִּבְרֵי שׁ׳ 22:2, שַׁאֲגֹתָ֑י Jb 3:24.