What does צָעַק (ṣāʿaq) mean in the Bible?
צָעַק (ṣāʿaq): Urgent vocal cry that escalates from personal distress to public proclamation and assembly-gathering.
Hebrew · H6817
צָעַק
To shriek ; (by implication) to proclaim (an assembly)
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צָעַק H6817
Pronunciation ṣāʿaq
What does צָעַק (ṣāʿaq) mean in the Bible?
צָעַק (ṣāʿaq): Urgent vocal cry that escalates from personal distress to public proclamation and assembly-gathering.
Full entry for צָעַק (H6817) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H6817?
The BSB source-word alignment has 55 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include cried out (11), cry out (5), they cry out (3), I cry out (2), Then they cried out (2).
Where does צָעַק (ṣāʿaq) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 4:10. Its strongest book concentrations include Exodus (10), 2 Kings (8), Judges (6), Isaiah (5).
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It cried out 11× Genesis 41:55, Exodus 17:4, Numbers 11:2, Numbers 12:13
cry out 5× Deuteronomy 22:24, Isaiah 42:2, Jeremiah 22:20, Jeremiah 49:3
they cry out 3× Job 35:12, Isaiah 19:20, Isaiah 46:7
I cry out 2× Job 19:7, Psalms 88:1
Then they cried out 2× Psalms 107:6, Psalms 107:28
they cried out 2× 2 Chronicles 13:14, Nehemiah 9:27
were called out 2× Judges 7:23, Judges 7:24
were summoned 2× 1 Samuel 13:4, 2 Kings 3:21
[and] they cry out 1× Exodus 22:23
And [Moses] cried out 1× Exodus 15:25
and appealed 1× Exodus 5:15
and cried out 1× Exodus 14:10
and cry out 1× Jeremiah 22:20
and when we cried out 1× Numbers 20:16
and you cried out 1× Judges 10:12
are crying out 1× Exodus 5:8
are you crying out 1× Exodus 14:15
assembled 1× Judges 12:1
came to appeal 1× 2 Kings 8:5
cries out 1× Genesis 4:10
cry aloud 1× Isaiah 33:7
for help 1× Exodus 8:12
he cried out 1× 2 Kings 6:5
he cries out 1× Exodus 22:27
he let out 1× Genesis 27:34
I cried aloud 1× Psalms 77:1
in distress 1× Exodus 22:23
So [your fathers] cried out 1× Joshua 24:7
So we called out 1× Deuteronomy 26:7
summoned 1× 1 Samuel 10:17
The righteous cry out 1× Psalms 34:17
to appeal 1× 2 Kings 8:3
were called to arms 1× Judges 10:17
will cry out 1× Isaiah 65:14
Show sample aligned rows
Genesis 4:10 צֹעֲקִ֥ים to cries out Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural Genesis 27:34 וַיִּצְעַ֣ק to he let out Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular Genesis 41:55 וַיִּצְעַ֥ק to cried out Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular Exodus 5:8 צֹֽעֲקִים֙ to are crying out Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural Exodus 5:15 וַיִּצְעֲק֥וּ to and appealed Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural Exodus 8:12 וַיִּצְעַ֤ק to for help Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular Exodus 14:10 וַיִּצְעֲק֥וּ to and cried out Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural Exodus 14:15 תִּצְעַ֖ק to are you crying out Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular Exodus 15:25 וַיִּצְעַ֣ק to And [Moses] cried out Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular Exodus 17:4 וַיִּצְעַ֤ק to cried out Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Genesis 4:10
Aligned rows 55
Books represented 16
Genesis 3 Exodus 10 Numbers 3 Deuteronomy 3 Joshua 1 Judges 6 1 Samuel 2 1 Kings 1 2 Kings 8 2 Chronicles 1 Nehemiah 1 Job 2 Psalms 5 Isaiah 5 Jeremiah 3 Lamentations 1
Source forms
וַיִּצְעַ֣ק 3x way·yiṣ·‘aq Genesis 27:34, Exodus 15:25, Numbers 12:13
וַיִּצְעַ֥ק 3x way·yiṣ·‘aq Genesis 41:55, Numbers 11:2, 2 Kings 6:5
וַיִּצְעֲק֥וּ 3x way·yiṣ·‘ă·qū Exodus 5:15, Exodus 14:10, Judges 4:3
וַיִּצְעֲק֣וּ 3x way·yiṣ·‘ă·qū Joshua 24:7, Psalms 107:6, Psalms 107:28
וַיִּצְעַ֤ק 2x way·yiṣ·‘aq Exodus 8:12, Exodus 17:4
אֶצְעַ֣ק 1x ’eṣ·‘aq Job 19:7
וְאֶצְעָ֑קָה 1x wə·’eṣ·‘ā·qāh Psalms 77:1
וַיִּצָּעֵ֧ק 1x way·yiṣ·ṣā·‘êq Judges 7:23
Parsing patterns
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular 8x Genesis 27:34, Genesis 41:55, Exodus 8:12, Exodus 15:25
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural 7x Exodus 5:15, Exodus 14:10, Joshua 24:7, Judges 4:3
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular 4x Exodus 22:23, Exodus 22:27, Isaiah 42:2, Isaiah 46:7
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person feminine singular 4x Deuteronomy 22:24, Deuteronomy 22:27, 2 Kings 4:1, 2 Kings 6:26
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural 3x Judges 10:17, 1 Samuel 13:4, 2 Kings 3:21
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular 3x Judges 7:23, Judges 7:24, Judges 12:1
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural 3x Nehemiah 9:27, Job 35:12, Isaiah 19:20
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural 3x 2 Kings 4:40, Psalms 34:17, Isaiah 33:7
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Urgent vocal cry that escalates from personal distress to public proclamation and assembly-gathering.
Strong's H6817
Lexical occurrences 55 verses Word forms 2 forms 26 references Verse guides 0 guides
Study link Genesis 4:9-16 Source Gloss
to shriek ; (by implication) to proclaim (an assembly)
Extended definition Source: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Urgent vocal cry that escalates from personal distress to public proclamation and assembly-gathering.
to shriek; (by implication) to proclaim (an assembly) BDB: cry Usage: × at all, call together, cry (out), gather (selves) (together).
Grammatical Forms
How the stem changes the meaning of this verb across the biblical text.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Form groups 2 Aligned forms 26
Qal basic active stem — the word in its most common, direct sense 25×
Perfect 2Kgs 4:1 · 2Kgs 6:26 · Deut 22:24 · Deut 22:27 · 2Kgs 4:40 · Isa 33:7 · Ps 34:18 · 1Kgs 20:39 · Lam 2:18 · Ps 88:2 10×
Imperfect Exod 22:22 · Exod 22:26 · Isa 42:2 · Isa 46:7 · Isa 19:20 · Job 35:12 · Neh 9:27 · Exod 14:15 · Isa 65:14 · Job 19:7 10×
Participle active 2Kgs 8:5 · Exod 5:8 · Gen 4:10 3×
Infinitive absolute Exod 22:22 1×
Sequential imperfect Jer 49:3 1×
Piel intensive active — emphasizes thoroughness or repeated action 1×
Participle active 2Kgs 2:12 1×
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
blood crying out to God from the ground, expressing urgent plea
bitter outcry expressing anguish and emotional distress over deception
calling out to the Lord in distress, supplication for deliverance
Showing 3 selected witnesses from 55 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
צָעַק is a primitive root - no further derivation.
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain