זָעַק
To shriek (from anguish or danger); by analogy, (as a herald) to announce or convene publicly
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What this page is: Each lexicon entry shows the original Hebrew or Greek word behind the English translation: its meaning, its range of use, and where it appears in Scripture.
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Canonical witness: The witness passages show where this word is used in context. Click any to open the study page for that passage.
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What does זָעַק (zaaq) mean in the Bible?
זָעַק (zaaq) is a Hebrew word meaning "to shriek (from anguish or danger); by analogy, (as a herald) to announce or convene publicly". to shriek (from anguish or danger); by analogy, (as a herald) to announce or convene publicly BDB: cry Usage: assemble, call (together), (make a) cry (out), come with such a company, gather (together), cause to be proclaimed. Distinguishes emotional distress from true repentance.
Meaning
Urgent vocalization that bridges personal distress and public proclamation; cry of desperation or authoritative summons
to shriek (from anguish or danger); by analogy, (as a herald) to announce or convene publicly BDB: cry Usage: assemble, call (together), (make a) cry (out), come with such a company, gather (together), cause to be proclaimed.
Why This Word Matters
Distinguishes emotional distress from true repentance. Hosea 7:8-16
Grammatical Forms
How the stem changes the meaning of this verb across the biblical text.
Qal basic active stem — the word in its most common, direct sense 19×
Hiphil causative active — the subject causes someone else to perform the action 2×
Niphal passive or reflexive — the subject receives or experiences the action 2×
Biblical Occurrences
Each occurrence shows the passage reference, the original language term as it appears in that context, its transliteration, and the contextual sense.
Old Testament Witnesses
Showing 8 of 73 occurrences in the biblical text.