יָגוֹן
affliction
Definition
The Hebrew noun יָגוֹן (yâgôwn) refers to a deep, internal experience of grief, sorrow, or affliction. It describes the emotional and psychological anguish that results from distressing circumstances, such as bereavement (Genesis 42:38), personal suffering (Psalm 31:10), or national calamity (Psalm 107:39). In some contexts, it denotes the cause of the grief itself—the afflictive event. The word carries a sense of heaviness and pain that weighs on the heart, distinct from momentary sadness.
Biblical Usage
יָגוֹן is used 14 times, primarily in poetic and prophetic books like Psalms, Isaiah, and Lamentations, as well as in narrative (Genesis, Esther). It often appears in parallel with other words for sorrow, like 'אָנַח' (to sigh) in Psalm 31:10, emphasizing intense personal distress. In narrative, it describes the profound grief of a father fearing his son's death (Genesis 44:31). Prophetically, it is something God promises to remove in the future restoration (Isaiah 35:10, 51:11).
Etymology
Derived from the root יָגָה (yâgâh, H3013), meaning 'to suffer, to grieve, to afflict.' This root conveys the action of causing grief or being grieved. יָגוֹן is the noun form expressing the resulting state or feeling. Cognates in other Semitic languages also relate to grief and mourning, confirming its core meaning of deep sorrow.
Semantic Range
This word is theologically significant as it gives voice to the authentic human experience of suffering within the biblical narrative. It validates grief as a real part of life in a fallen world. Importantly, the prophets use יָגוֹן to describe a sorrow that God Himself will ultimately abolish in the messianic age (Isaiah 35:10), connecting human affliction to the hope of divine redemption. Understanding this Hebrew term enriches reading by highlighting the depth of biblical lament and the promise of its cessation.
In ancient Israelite culture, grief like יָגוֹן was often expressed communally and physically (e.g., weeping, tearing clothes). It was not seen as a purely private emotion but as a significant experience that could impact one's standing and health. The cultural expectation was to move from mourning to joy, a transition God promises to enact.
עָצֶב (ʿāṣeb, H6087) — more general sorrow or pain, sometimes idolatrous 'toil'. מַכְאוֹב (mak'ôb, H4341) — physical pain or suffering. תּוּגָה (tûgâh, H8424) — deep grief or heaviness, often used in poetry as a close parallel.
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
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