עָנִי
poor
also: afflicted, humble, wretched fuller range ↓
Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
From Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
Where this word appears
See every Absolute-state word in the Hebrew Bible →
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Adjective
- A word that describes or qualifies a noun.
State
- Absolute
- The independent form of a noun, not bound to a following word.
- Construct
- A noun bound to a following noun in a possessive / “of” relationship (the construct chain).
Gender
- Masculine
- Grammatically masculine.
- Feminine
- Grammatically feminine.
Number
- Singular
- One.
- Plural
- More than one (in Hebrew, generally three or more).
Grammatical forms
- Adjective, Adjective, Masculine, Singular, Absolute 52 times (66%)
- Adjective, Adjective, Masculine, Plural, Absolute 14 times (18%)
- Adjective, Adjective, Masculine, Plural, Construct 9 times (11%)
- Adjective, Adjective, Feminine, Singular, Absolute 3 times (4%)
- Adjective, Adjective, Masculine, Singular, Construct 1 time (1%)
Parsed forms decoded from the imported morphology (morphhb / Westminster Leningrad Codex — WLC text public domain, morphhb tagging CC BY 4.0), counted across 79 parsed occurrences — not distinct verses.
Every verse where H6041 appears — 77 distinct verses across 15 books. Click any verse to open its interlinear word-by-word view. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context — . Each verse’s Hebrew form is shown with its reference; the English is not keyword-highlighted, since the data carries no word-level English alignment. Use “Compare translations” on any verse to read it across multiple English versions. This concordance covers the Hebrew Bible; Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) occurrences are not indexed here.
Exodus 1 verse
Leviticus 2 verses
- Leviticus 19:10 לֶֽ/עָנִ֤י prep det + Adjective Adjective ms You shall not glean your vineyard, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and for the foreigner. I am Yahweh your God.
- Leviticus 23:22 לֶֽ/עָנִ֤י prep det + Adjective Adjective ms "'When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap into the corners of your field, neither shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest: you shall leave them for the poor, and for the foreigner. I am Yahweh your God.'"
Deuteronomy 4 verses
- Deuteronomy 15:11 לַ/עֲנִיֶּ֛/ךָ prep + Adjective Adjective ms cs + sfx pers 2ms For the poor will never cease out of the land: therefore I command you, saying, You shall surely open your hand to your brother, to your needy, and to your poor, in your land.
- Deuteronomy 24:12 עָנִ֖י adj Adjective ms If he be a poor man, you shall not sleep with his pledge;
- Deuteronomy 24:14 עָנִ֣י adj Adjective ms You shall not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether he be of your brothers, or of your foreigners who are in your land within your gates:
- Deuteronomy 24:15 עָנִי֙ adj Adjective ms in his day you shall give him his hire, neither shall the sun go down on it; for he is poor, and sets his heart on it: lest he cry against you to Yahweh, and it be sin to you.
2 Samuel 1 verse
Job 6 verses
- Job 24:9 עָנִ֥י adj Adjective ms There are those who pluck the fatherless from the breast, And take a pledge of the poor,
- Job 24:14 עָנִ֥י adj Adjective ms The murderer rises with the light. He kills the poor and needy. In the night he is like a thief.
- Job 29:12 עָנִ֣י adj Adjective ms Because I delivered the poor who cried, And the fatherless also, who had none to help him.
- Job 34:28 עֲנִיִּ֣ים adj Adjective mp So that they caused the cry of the poor to come to him, He heard the cry of the afflicted.
- Job 36:6 עֲנִיִּ֣ים adj Adjective mp He doesn't preserve the life of the wicked, But gives to the afflicted their right.
- Job 36:15 עָנִ֣י adj Adjective ms He delivers the afflicted by their affliction, And opens their ear in oppression.
Psalms 29 verses
- Psalms 9:12 עניים adj Adjective mp For he who avenges blood remembers them. He doesn't forget the cry of the afflicted.
- Psalms 9:18 עֲ֝נִיִּ֗ים adj Adjective mp For the needy shall not always be forgotten, Nor the hope of the poor perish forever.
- Psalms 10:2 עָנִ֑י adj Adjective ms In arrogance, the wicked hunt down the weak; They are caught in the schemes that they devise.
- Psalms 10:9 עָנִ֑י עָ֝נִ֗י adj Adjective ms adj Adjective ms He lurks in secret as a lion in his ambush. He lies in wait to catch the helpless. He catches the helpless, when he draws him in his net.
- Psalms 10:12 עניים adj Adjective mp Arise, Yahweh! God, lift up your hand! Don't forget the helpless.
- Psalms 12:5 עֲנִיִּים֮ adj Adjective mp "Because of the oppression of the weak and because of the groaning of the needy, I will now arise," says Yahweh; "I will set him in safety from those who malign him."
- Psalms 14:6 עָנִ֥י adj Adjective ms You frustrate the plan of the poor, Because Yahweh is his refuge.
- Psalms 18:27 עָנִ֣י adj Adjective ms For you will save the afflicted people, But the haughty eyes you will bring down.
- Psalms 22:24 עָנִ֗י adj Adjective ms For he has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, Neither has he hidden his face from him; But when he cried to him, he heard.
- Psalms 25:16 וְ/עָנִ֣י conj + Adjective Adjective ms Turn to me, and have mercy on me, For I am desolate and afflicted.
- Psalms 34:6 עָנִ֣י adj Adjective ms This poor man cried, and Yahweh heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles.
- Psalms 35:10 עָ֭נִי וְ/עָנִ֥י adj Adjective ms conj + Adjective Adjective ms All my bones shall say, "Yahweh, who is like you, Who delivers the poor from him who is too strong for him, Yes, the poor and the needy from him who robs him?"
- Psalms 37:14 עָנִ֣י adj Adjective ms The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, To cast down the poor and needy, To kill those who are upright in the way.
- Psalms 40:17 עָנִ֣י adj Adjective ms But I am poor and needy; May the Lord think about me. You are my help and my deliverer. Don't delay, my God.
- Psalms 68:10 לֶ/עָנִ֣י prep det + Adjective Adjective ms Your congregation lived therein. You, God, prepared your goodness for the poor.
- Psalms 69:29 עָנִ֣י adj Adjective ms But I am in pain and distress. Let your salvation, God, protect me.
- Psalms 70:5 עָנִ֣י adj Adjective ms But I am poor and needy. Come to me quickly, God. You are my help and my deliverer. Yahweh, don't delay.
- Psalms 72:2 וַ/עֲנִיֶּ֥י/ךָ conj + Adjective Adjective mp cs + sfx pers 2ms He will judge your people with righteousness, And your poor with justice.
- Psalms 72:4 עֲֽנִיֵּי adj Adjective mp cs He will judge the poor of the people. He will save the children of the needy, And will break the oppressor in pieces.
- Psalms 72:12 וְ֝/עָנִ֗י conj + Adjective Adjective ms For he will deliver the needy when he cries; The poor, who has no helper.
- Psalms 74:19 עֲ֝נִיֶּ֗י/ךָ adj Adjective mp cs + sfx pers 2ms Don't deliver the soul of your dove to wild beasts. Don't forget the life of your poor forever.
- Psalms 74:21 עָנִ֥י adj Adjective ms Don't let the oppressed return ashamed. Let the poor and needy praise your name.
- Psalms 82:3 עָנִ֖י adj Adjective ms "Defend the weak, the poor, and the fatherless. Maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.
- Psalms 86:1 עָנִ֖י adj Adjective ms Hear, Yahweh, and answer me, For I am poor and needy.
- Psalms 88:15 עָ֘נִ֤י adj Adjective ms I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up. While I suffer your terrors, I am distracted.
- Psalms 102:1 לְ/עָנִ֣י prep + Adjective Adjective ms Hear my prayer, Yahweh! Let my cry come to you.
- Psalms 109:16 עָנִ֣י adj Adjective ms Because he didn't remember to show kindness, But persecuted the poor and needy man, The broken in heart, to kill them.
- Psalms 109:22 עָנִ֣י adj Adjective ms For I am poor and needy. My heart is wounded within me.
- Psalms 140:12 עָנִ֑י adj Adjective ms I know that Yahweh will maintain the cause of the afflicted, And justice for the needy.
Proverbs 8 verses
- Proverbs 3:34 ו/ל/עניים conj + prep + Adjective Adjective mp Surely he mocks the mockers, But he gives grace to the humble.
- Proverbs 14:21 עניים adj Adjective mp He who despises his neighbor sins, But blessed is he who has pity on the poor.
- Proverbs 15:15 עָנִ֣י adj Adjective ms All the days of the afflicted are wretched, But one who has a cheerful heart enjoys a continual feast.
- Proverbs 16:19 עניים adj Adjective mp It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor, Than to divide the plunder with the proud.
- Proverbs 22:22 עָנִ֣י adj Adjective ms Don't exploit the poor, because he is poor; And don't crush the needy in court;
- Proverbs 30:14 עֲנִיִּ֣ים adj Adjective mp There is a generation whose teeth are like swords, And their jaws like knives, To devour the poor from the earth, and the needy from among men.
- Proverbs 31:9 עָנִ֥י adj Adjective ms Open your mouth, judge righteously, And serve justice to the poor and needy."
- Proverbs 31:20 לֶ/עָנִ֑י prep det + Adjective Adjective ms She opens her arms to the poor; Yes, she extends her hands to the needy.
Ecclesiastes 1 verse
Isaiah 13 verses
- Isaiah 3:14 הֶֽ/עָנִ֖י ptcl def.art + Adjective Adjective ms Yahweh will enter into judgment with the elders of his people, And their leaders: "It is you who have eaten up the vineyard. The spoil of the poor is in your houses.
- Isaiah 3:15 עֲנִיִּ֖ים adj Adjective mp What do you mean that you crush my people, And grind the face of the poor?" says the Lord, Yahweh of Hosts.
- Isaiah 10:2 עֲנִיֵּ֣י adj Adjective mp cs to turn aside the needy from justice, and to rob the poor of my people of their right, that widows may be their spoil, and that they may make the fatherless their prey!
- Isaiah 10:30 עֲנִיָּ֥ה adj Adjective fs Cry aloud with your voice, daughter of Gallim! listen, Laishah! You poor Anathoth!
- Isaiah 14:32 עֲנִיֵּ֥י adj Adjective mp cs What then shall one answer the messengers of the nation? That Yahweh has founded Zion, and in her shall the afflicted of his people take refuge.
- Isaiah 26:6 עָנִ֖י adj Adjective ms The foot shall tread it down; even the feet of the poor, and the steps of the needy.
- Isaiah 32:7 עֲנִיִּים֙ adj Adjective mp The instruments of the churl are evil: he devises wicked devices to destroy the humble with lying words, even when the needy speaks right.
- Isaiah 41:17 הָ/עֲנִיִּ֨ים ptcl def.art + Adjective Adjective mp The poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue fails for thirst; I, Yahweh, will answer them, I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.
- Isaiah 49:13 וַ/עֲנִיָּ֖/ו conj + Adjective Adjective mp cs + sfx pers 3ms Sing, heavens; and be joyful, earth; and break forth into singing, mountains: for Yahweh has comforted his people, and will have compassion on his afflicted.
- Isaiah 51:21 עֲנִיָּ֑ה adj Adjective fs Therefore hear now this, you afflicted, and drunken, but now with wine:
- Isaiah 54:11 עֲנִיָּ֥ה adj Adjective fs you afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will set your stones in beautiful colors, and lay your foundations with sapphires.
- Isaiah 58:7 וַ/עֲנִיִּ֥ים conj + Adjective Adjective mp Isn't it to deal your bread to the hungry, and that you bring the poor who are cast out to your house? when you see the naked, that you cover him; and that you not hide yourself from your own flesh?
- Isaiah 66:2 עָנִי֙ adj Adjective ms For all these things has my hand made, and [so] all these things came to be, says Yahweh: but to this man will I look, even to him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at my word.
Jeremiah 1 verse
Ezekiel 4 verses
- Ezekiel 16:49 עָנִ֥י adj Adjective ms Behold, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: pride, fullness of bread, and prosperous ease was in her and in her daughters; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.
- Ezekiel 18:12 עָנִ֤י adj Adjective ms has wronged the poor and needy, has taken by robbery, has not restored the pledge, and has lifted up his eyes to the idols, has committed abomination,
- Ezekiel 18:17 מֵ/עָנִ֞י prep + Adjective Adjective ms who has withdrawn his hand from the poor, who has not received interest nor increase, has executed my ordinances, has walked in my statutes; he shall not die for the iniquity of his father, he shall surely live.
- Ezekiel 22:29 וְ/עָנִ֤י conj + Adjective Adjective ms The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery; yes, they have vexed the poor and needy, and have oppressed the foreigner wrongfully.
Amos 1 verse
Habakkuk 1 verse
Zephaniah 1 verse
Zechariah 4 verses
- Zechariah 7:10 וְ/עָנִ֖י conj + Adjective Adjective ms Don't oppress the widow, nor the fatherless, the foreigner, nor the poor; and let none of you devise evil against his brother in your heart.'
- Zechariah 9:9 עָנִי֙ adj Adjective ms Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion! Shout, daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king comes to you! He is righteous, and having salvation; Lowly, and riding on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
- Zechariah 11:7 עֲנִיֵּ֣י adj Adjective mp cs So I fed the flock of slaughter, especially the oppressed of the flock. I took for myself two staffs. The one I called "Favor," and the other I called "Union," and I fed the flock.
- Zechariah 11:11 עֲנִיֵּ֤י adj Adjective mp cs It was broken in that day; and thus the poor of the flock that listened to me knew that it was the word of Yahweh.
About this entry
At a glance — auto-summarized from this page’s data, not written by a person. Every figure links to its source below. This summary describes the numbers; it doesn’t interpret them.
At its core, עני (ʻânîy) means “poor.” Not a single-sense word: its full sense range also takes in “afflicted”, “humble”, and “wretched”. With 77 verses in 15 books, it is a moderately common word in the Hebrew Bible. Its uses concentrate in Psalms (38% of all occurrences). First canonically at Exodus 22:25, it enters the text early. Each statement above links to its evidence; the full detail follows below.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H6041 catalogs a Hebrew word from the Hebrew Old Testament.
These counts are not copied from any lexicon or concordance. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged Hebrew Old Testament. What Lemma adds →
- 77
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 77 distinct verses.
- 15 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 15 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #506
- by frequency
- Top 1000 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 506 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 77 occurrences in the concordance →
By section of the Old Testament
By traditional corpus
Conventional, traditional groupings — biblical authorship is debated, so this is a traditional corpus grouping, not an authorship claim. Each share is this word’s portion of its verses in that division of the Hebrew canon. Each figure is a share of the word’s 77 distinct verses.
- Writings (Ketuvim) 44 verses · 57%
- Prophets (Nevi'im) 26 verses · 34%
- Torah (Pentateuch) 7 verses · 9%
How translations render this word
Counts come from each version’s own published word-to-Strong’s tagging or interlinear alignment — an approximate guide to how each version renders this word, not a word-level alignment the data otherwise carries. Because each total is that version’s own tagged count, the per-version totals vary from one another and need not match the appearance or distinct-verse counts above. These counts may also differ from a printed concordance because Lemma counts each distinctly tagged rendering and does not collapse phrase taggings into a single head-word total. This is a fixed set of word-tagged versions (KJV, ASV, BSB, ULT) and does not change with the reading translation you choose elsewhere. Each version’s license is shown beside its name below (and on Sources).
- King James Version: Poor 44×, Afflicted 11×, I am poor 5×
- American Standard Version: Poor 37×, Afflicted 11×, I am poor 4×
- Berean Standard Bible: Poor 26×, Afflicted 19×, Oppressed 7×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text: Poor 34×, Afflicted 14×, Lowly 5×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H6041 across 75 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 12 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 5 further occurrences.
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders H6041 across 77 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 20 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
Renders H6041 across 76 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 19 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H6041 across 79 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 7 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Senses in the full BDB
What do BDB’s symbols mean?
BDB uses these scholarly abbreviations:
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 𝔊 | the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation, LXX) |
| 𝔙 | the Vulgate (the Latin translation) |
| 𝔖 | the Syriac version (the Peshitta) |
| 𝔗 | the Targum (the Aramaic translation) |
| ψ | the Psalms |
| √ | root (the underlying root or stem) |
| ‖ | parallel passage (a synonymous or contrasted parallel) |
| † | the dagger: every passage where the word occurs is cited |
The 4 senses and sub-senses the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon distinguishes for this word, in lexicon order (not ranked by frequency), with BDB’s own verbatim wording and sub-sense lettering. Shown in Hebrew script with BDB’s own scholarly abbreviations. The condensed entry is in the Lexicon Entry tab. See also the Forms in the corpus table below.
- 1. poor, needy, ‖ אביון Dt 15:11; 24:14, 15; Pr 31:20, ‖ יתום Jb 24:12; Ex 22:24 (E), Dt 24:12; having right to gleanings Lv 19:10; 23:22 (H); יְמֵי ע׳ Pr 15:15, cf. Pr 14:21 (Kt). e.g. Deuteronomy 15:11
- 2. poor and weak, oppressed by rich and powerful Is 3:14, 15; 32:7 (Qr), 58:7; Jb 29:12; 36:6, 15; Pr 30:14; Ec 6:8; Ez 18:17; Zc 7:10; Jb 24:4, also Am 8:4 (Qr); ‖ דל Jb 34:28; Pr 22:22; עֲנִיֵּי עַמִּי Is 10:2; ענו ואביון Jb 24:14; Pr 31:9; Je 22:16; Ez 16:49; 18:12; 22:29. e.g. Isaiah 3:14
- 3. poor, weak, afflicted Israel, or pious in Israel afflicted by wicked nations or the wicked in Israel itself ψ 10:2, 9(×2), 14:6 (dub., cf. ψ 53:6) 102:1 (or n.pr.), Is 14:32; Hb 3:14; of Zion, עֲנִיָּה Is 51:21; 54:11; שׁד ע׳ ψ 12:6; יחיד וע׳ 25:16; עני ואביון 35:10; 37:14; 40:18 = 70:6, 74:21; 86:1; 109:16, 22, pl. Is 41:17; עני וְכוֹאֵב ψ 69:30; ע׳ וָרָשׁ 82:3; עֱנוּת ע׳ 22:25; ע׳ וְג̇וֵעַ 88:16 ‖ דל Is 26:6 Zp 3:12; ע׳ וּנְכֵה־רוּחַ Is 66:2;—Zc 11:7, 11 v. ii. כְּנַעֲנִי;—God does not forget them ψ 9;13 (Kt)19 (Qr) 10:12 (Kt) 74:19, but has pity on them Is 49:13, saves ψ 34:7, delivers 35:10, and bestows various favours 68:11; 140:13, the king also judges 72:2, 4, and delivers 72:12. e.g. Psalms 10:2
- 4. humble, lowly, Zc 9:9 (victorious king); opp. לֵצִים Pr 3:34 (Kt); opp. גֵּאִים 16:19 (Kt); עם עני opp. עינים רמות ψ 18:28 = 2 S 22:28. e.g. Zechariah 9:9
Senses from the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon (Brown, Driver, Briggs; Oxford 1906 — public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). Full attribution on Sources.
Word origin
adj. poor, afflicted, humble;—ע׳ Dt 24:12 + 51 times; pl. עֲנִיִּים Is 3:15 + 6 times; cstr. עֲנִיֵּי Is 10:2 + 4 times (v. also Kt and Qr sub עָנָו supr.); sf. עֲנִיֶּיךָ ψ 72:2; 74:19, עֲנִיֶּ֑ךָ Dt 15:11; עֲנִיָּו Is 49:13; fs. עֲנִיָּה Is 51:21; 54:11 (+ Is 10:30 MT, but read עֲנִיהָ, v. I. ענה);—
— Brown-Driver-Briggs (Oxford 1906, public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). See Sources.
Derived from ענה (ʻânâh) (H6031) — to afflict.
Jastrow Dictionary
A second Hebrew/Aramaic lexicon for comparison, covering Aramaic and post-biblical (Talmudic, Targumic, Midrashic) usage that the biblical-Hebrew BDB does not. Matched by lemma rather than by Strong’s number, so a lemma may carry more than one Jastrow headword (shown separately below), and the entries cover usage well beyond the Bible.
עוֹנִי I
- , v. עוֹנָה II) misery, poverty, privation. Ab. IV, 9 כל המקיים … מע׳ וכ׳ he who fulfills the Law in spite of poverty, shall finally do so in wealth; וכל המבטל … סופו לבטלה מע׳ and he who neglects the Law on account of his wealth, shall finally neglect it from poverty. M. Kat. 17ᵇ, a. e. כל מקום … או מיתה או ע׳ wherever the scholars put their eyes (upon a person, i.e. decreed the ban), there follows either death or poverty. Midr. Till. to Ps. V (ref. to I Chr. XXII, 13) בעָנְיִי בצער וכ׳ what does ‘in my misery’ mean? In the pain which I suffered about it. Sifré Deut. 130 (ref. to Deut. XVI, 3) למה נקרא לחם ע׳ על שם עינוי וכ׳ why is it called bread of misery? For the affliction which they suffered in Egypt; a. fr.—[Pes. 36ᵇ תיפוק ליה מלחם ע׳ … באוני derive it (that you dare not use second tithes for unleavened bread to be eaten with the Passover lamb) from the expression ‘bread of misery’, which intimates ‘that which it is permitted to eat in mourning (to the exclusion of second tithes, v. Deut. XXVI, 14); ib.ᵃ לחם ע׳ מה שנאכל באנינות. Ib., a. e. לחם ע׳ לחם שעונין עליו וכ׳ ‘bread of recitation’, bread over which they recite many words (the Hagadah, Hallel &c.).] e.g. 1 Chronicles 22:13
עני
- (b. h.) [to turn, come out in turn,] to begin to speak; to respond; to speak or sing in chorus; to answer. Tem. 16ᵃ ע̇תנ̇יא̇ל̇ שעֲנָאו̇ א̇ל̇ he was surnamed Othniel, because God answered his prayer (ref. to I Chr. IV, 10). Y. Sot. V, 20ᶜ top והן עוֹנִין אחריו על כל דבר ודבר and they (the class) repeat each sentence after him; משה … והן עונין אחריו אשירה Moses said, I will sing &c., and they repeated in chorus, I will sing &c. Ib. משה אמר עזי והן עונין וכ׳ Moses said, My strength &c., and they responded, I will sing &c. Tosef. ib. VI, 2 ועונין על כל עינין ועינין and they (the class) repeat each sentence. Ib. 3 ועונין אחריו עינין ראשון and they (the people) always repeated the first sentence (as refrain). Succ. 38ᵇ מצוה לַעֲנוֹת הללויה it is proper to say in response Halleluiah. M. Kat. III, 9 כולן עוֹנוֹת כאחת all start the dirge at once; אחת מדברת וכולן עונות אחריה one speaks, and all repeat in chorus after her, v. עִינּוּי I. Ber. 47ᵃ עד שיכלה אמן מפי העוֹנִים until the Amen of the responding company is finished. Pes. 36ᵃ לחם שעונין וכ׳, v. עוֹנִי. Y. Succ. III, 54ᵃ top אם בירכך גוי עֲנֵה אחריו אמן if a gentile blesses thee, say after him Amen; a. fr. e.g. 1 Chronicles 4:10
- 1. to be answered, to have one’s prayer granted. Sabb. 30ᵃ וכשאמר זכור … מיד נ׳ but when he said, Remember &c. (Ex. XXXII, 13), his prayer was at once granted. R. Hash. 18ᵃ זה התפלל ונ׳ וכ׳ one prays and is heard, another prays and is not heard; Koh. R. to IX, 11, v. פָּגַע. Gen. R. s. 60 [read:] שלשה הם שנַעֲנוּ במענה פיהם three persons (mentioned in the Scriptures) were answered as soon as they had uttered their prayer; Yalk. ib. 108; a. fr. e.g. Exodus 32:13
- 2. to be called upon to speak; to answer, to deliver an opinion. Kidd. 40ᵇ נ׳ ר"ט ואמר וכ׳ R. Ṭ. (being asked his opinion) answered saying &c.; נַעֲנוּ כולם ואמרו וכ׳ all of them in turn answered saying &c.; Sifré Deut. 41; M. Kat. 28ᵇ (at a mourner’s house); a. fr.
- 3. [to be made to respond Amen,] to be sworn; to promise allegiance. Y. Dem. II, 23ᵃ top הוא נ׳ לחבורה … נַעֲנִין לו he (the head of the house) promises allegiance to the order (v. חֲבֵרוּת), and the members of his house make the promise to him.
- to speak or sing in chorus, esp. to lament. M. Kat. III, 9, מְעַנּוֹת, v. עִינּוּי I.
עֲנֵי
- Targ. II Esth. VI, 10. Targ. I Kings XII, 7.—Targ. Ps. XXXIV, 5 (Ms. עַנְיָינִי). Ib. CII, 3; a. fr.—Y. Succ. III, 54ᵃ top מה נַעְנֵי what shall we say in response? Ib. ר׳ יונה ע׳ הכין והכין R. J. responded, so be it, and so be it. Ab. Zar. 18ᵃ bot. אימא אלהא דמאיר עֲנֵנִי say, O God of Meïr, hear me; a. fr.—[Men. 17ᵃ עני מרי, v. עֲנֵי II.]
- to speak or sing in chorus; to respond. Targ. O. Ex. XV, 21. Targ. II Esth. VI, 11.
- 1. to be answered. Targ. O. Ex. XIX, 19. Targ. Prov. XXI, 13 נתעני ed. Wil. (ed. Lag. נַעֲנוֹי will answer him; h. text יֵעָנֶה).—
- *2. (euphem.) to be gratified, be eased. Y. Shebi. III, 34ᶜ bot. ההן דאזיל ולא מִתְעַנֵּי … he who went out to ease his bowels without success; [perhaps to be read מתפני, v. פְּנֵי?]
עני ²
- to press, be pressed; to be detained.
- 1. to detain, postpone, esp. ע׳ דין to delay execution of capital judgment (which should take place on the day of sentence). Snh. XI, 4 (89ᵃ) אין מְעַנִּין את דינו של וכ׳ we must not put off his execution (opp. to the opinion משמרין אותו). Ib. 35ᵃ וליגמריה … נמצא אתה מְעַנֶּה את דינו shall we pass sentence on Friday and put him to death on Sunday? In such a case you would postpone his execution (against the law); v. עִינּוּי II.
- 2. to cause privation; to cause to fast. Yoma 77ᵇ (ref. to ויענה, Gen. XXXIV, 2) התם שעִינָּהּ מביאות וכ׳ this may be interpreted, that he deprived her of other connections. Ib. VIII, 4 התינוקות אין מענין אותן וכ׳ we must not let children fast on the Day of Atonement, v. חָנַךְ; a. e.—Part. pass. מְעוּנֶּה fasting. Tosef. Taan. II, 7; Erub. 41ᵃ כדי שלא יכנס לשבת כשהוא מע׳ that he may not begin the Sabbath fasting; Tanḥ. B’resh. 2.– e.g. Genesis 34:2
- 3. to afflict, oppress, wrong. Mekh. Mishp., s. 18 (ref. to Ex. XXII, 22) עד שיְעַנֶּה וישנה until he practices oppression repeatedly; a. e.—Part. pass. מְעוּנֶּה; pl. מְעוּנִּין. Yeb. 48ᵇ מפני מה גרים בזמן הזה מע׳ וכ׳ why are the proselytes of our days afflicted and subject to suffering? e.g. Exodus 22:22
- 4. to violate, outrage. Num. R. s. 9 (ref. to Mic. II, 9) שהיו מְעַנִּים נשי וכ׳ they violated married women and caused them to be forbidden to their husbands. Lev. R. s. 19; a. fr.—Mekh. l. c.; Yalk. Ex. 349 אם כשלא תְעַנּוּן את הדין וכ׳ if your wives will be spared from widowhood and your children from bereavement, because you do not violate justice, how much more, when you execute justice. e.g. Micah 2:9
- 1. to be afflicted, oppressed. Mekh. l. c. אלמנה … שדרכן לֵעָנוֹת בהן וכ׳ widows and orphans who are liable to be oppressed,—of them the text speaks (Ex. XXII, 21); Yalk. l. c. שדרכן לֵיעָנוֹת (not שדרכו). e.g. Exodus 22:21
- 2. to humble one’s self; to submit to a person’s discretion, beg pardon. Ber. 28ᵃ נַעֲנֵיתִי לך מחול לי I submit myself to thee, forgive me. Pesik. R. s. 38 נעניתי לו I beg his pardon. Yoma 22ᵇ נעניתי לכם עצמות וכ׳ I beg your pardon, bones of Saul!; Yalk. Sam. 117 נעניתי לך שאול וכ׳. Keth. 67ᵇ נעניתי לך קום אכול I beg of thee, get up and eat. Tosef. Ohol. V, 12 נמיתי לכם עצמות וכ׳ ed. Zuck. (oth. ed. נמתי, read נעניתי) I beg your pardon, bones of &c.
- 1. to be afflicted, suffer. Sifré Deut. 130 שנִתְעַנּוּ, v. עִינּוּי II.
- 2. to afflict one’s self, to fast. Ber. 8ᵇ (ref. to Lev. XXIII, 32) וכי בתשעה מִתְעַנִּין do men fast on the ninth (of Tishri)? R. Hash. 18ᵇ אין גזרת … רצו מתענין when there is no political persecution, but no peace, those who wish may fast &c. Erub. 41ᵃ והִתְעַנִּינוּ בו ולא וכ׳ we fasted, but not to the end of the day; a. fr. e.g. Leviticus 23:32
- (denom. of עָנִי) to become poor. Keth. VI, 6. Ber. 33ᵃ חזרו והֶעֱנוּ when they (the Jews) became poor again. Meïl. 17ᵃ מי שיש לו אויב יַעֲנִי או יעשיר if one has an enemy, does one wish him to be poor or rich?; a. e.
עֲנֵי ²
- 1. to tarry, be detained, late. Y. Sot. I, 16ᵈ bot. חד זמן ע׳ דריש once he (R. Meïr) was long in preaching (preached to a late hour, or came late); Num. R. s. 9 אִיעַנֵּי דרשה (Ithpa., read דָּרוֹשָׁה or דָּרְשָׁא); Lev. R. s. 9 תנתא מדרשא (corr. acc.). Y. Bicc. III, 65ᶜ bot. חד זמן ע׳ מיסק (not מסיק) once he was late in coming; (Keth. 62ᵇ משכתיה שמעתא); a. e.—עַנִּי מרי be slow, my lord (a respectful form of interrupting and introducing an objection or correction). Men. 17ᵃ ע׳ מ׳ משמיה דרב וכ׳ beg pardon, sir; (do you mean to say) ‘in the name of Rab?’ Said he, yes. Ib. 81ᵃ ע׳ מ׳ ארבעין וכ׳ beg pardon, he deserves forty lashes (for exchanging sacrifices), and yet his act is legal?; Snh. 26ᵇ ע׳ מ׳ ארבעין … וכשר he deserves forty lashes, and yet his testimony is admissible? B. Kam. 49ᵇ ע׳ מורי וכ׳; [Rashi interprets: give answer, my lord, v. עֲנֵי I].
- 2. to afflict, oppress. Targ. O. Ex. XXII, 21, sq. Ib. I, 12 מְעַנַּן (Y. מְעַנְיַין); a. e.—Part. pass. מְעַנֵּי; pl. מְעַנָּן. Targ. Is. LIII, 4.
- 3. to violate. Targ. O. Deut. XXII, 24 (ed. Amst. עָנֵי, corr. acc.); a. fr.
- 4. (with, or sub. נפשא) to afflict one’s self, fast. Targ. Lam. III, 33 (ed. Amst. עָנֵי). Targ. Lev. XVI, 31; a. fr.—Part. pass. as ab. Tanḥ. B’resh. 2 בשבת גופא לא מע׳ he does not fast on the Sabbath itself.
- 1. to be delayed. Num. R. s. 9, v. supra.
- 2. to be afflicted, suffer; to fast. Targ. I Kings II, 26. Targ. Zech. VII, 5; a. e.—Y. Ber. III, 6ᵇ top; Y. Naz. VII, 56ᵃ bot. בעי מזקפוניה ואשכחוניה איע׳ they wanted to help him up, but found that he was suffering; Koh. R. to VII, 2 (not איע׳ בדבורא).—4) to be violated. Targ. Lam. V, 11.
- to become poor. Taan. 23ᵇ אמר לִיעֲנוּ ואִיעֲנוּ he said, let them become poor, and they became poor.
עֹנִי
- m., v. עוֹנִי
עַנִּי
- ch. = h. עֹנִי. Targ. O. Deut. XVI, 3 ed. Berl. (oth. ed. עָנִי, עֹנִי, עוֹנִי).
עָנִי
- [afflicted, humble,] poor. Sabb. I, 1, sq., v. בַּיִת.—מעשר ע׳, v. מַעֲשֵׂר.—Ned. 64ᵇ, a. e. ארבעה ע׳ סומא וכ׳ … four classes of people are as if dead, the poor man, the blind &c. Ib. 41ᵃ אין ע׳ אלא בדיעה only he is poor who lacks knowledge. Keth. 68ᵃ ע׳ בדעת poor in disposition, illiberal, niggardly. Pes. 118ᵃ (expl. Ps. CXVIII, 1) שגובה … עשיר בשורו ואת ע׳ בשיו he collects the debt of man out of the good bestowed upon him, taking from the rich man his ox, from the poor man his lamb. Lev. R. s. 34, v. יַעַן. Y. Ber. IX, 13ᵇ ואם היה ע׳ כופר בו but if his relative is poor, he disowns him; a. v. fr.—Pl. עֲנִיִּים. Ex. R. s. 31 (ref. to Ex. XXII, 24) אמרו … ומי הם עמך אמר להם הע׳ Israel asked the Lord, and who are thy people? Said he to them, the poor. Ab. I, 5 ויהיו ע׳ בני ביתך let the poor be members of thy household. B. Mets. 71ᵃ (ref. to Ex. l. c.) עֲנִיֶּיךָ ועֲנִיֵּי עירך וכ׳ as between thy own poor (relatives) and the poor of thy town, thy own poor have the first claim &c. Keth. 106ᵇ אף לא בשל ע׳ neither may you trade with funds designed for the poor. Peah I, 2 לפי רוב הע׳ according to the number of poor (dependent on the field corners, פֵּאָה); a. v. fr.—Fem. עֲנִיּה, עֲנִיָּיה. Keth. 62ᵇ ע׳ זו לשוא שימרה this poor woman has been waiting (for her husband) in vain. Y. ib. IX, 33ᵃ top מה נעשה באותה הע׳ what has been done in that poor woman’s case? Gen. R. s. 60 פתחו לאותה הע׳ open the gate for the poor animal; a. fr. e.g. Psalms 118:1
A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature (Marcus Jastrow; London, Luzac, 1903) — Public Domain. Digitized via Sefaria. Digitized via Sefaria. Full attribution on Sources.
Forms in the corpus
The 43 distinct written forms H6041 takes in the Hebrew Bible, most frequent first — each parse links to that state’s occurrences in the concordance. Hebrew forms include their vowel points and cantillation, so a single lemma takes many written forms.
Same root — word family
Other BDB entries built from the same root as H6041, grouped by Strong’s listed origin. These share a root / origin per the lexicon — not necessarily a shared meaning. Each links to that word’s own entry.
Derives from
Shares the same root
- מענה maʻănâh H4618 ploughing ground
- ענה ʻănâh H6033 poor
- ענו ʻânâv H6035 poor
- ענות ʻĕnûwth H6039 affliction
- עני ʻŏnîy H6040 affliction
- ענין ʻinyân H6045 occupation
- תענית taʻănîyth H8589 fasting
Proper names from this root
People and places named from this root — a name, not an additional meaning of the word.
Compare all same-root words → Showing 4 of 11 — not the complete family. 2 of the same-root words are proper names (people or places). They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.
Septuagint verse parallels
This word appears in 64 verses that also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), out of the 77 Hebrew verses it occurs in. You can read those verses in Greek by switching the Old Testament edition to the Septuagint.
Read these verses in the Septuagint
- Exodus 22:25
- Leviticus 19:10
- Deuteronomy 15:11
- 2 Samuel 22:28
- Job 24:9
- Psalms 9:12
- Proverbs 3:34
- Ecclesiastes 6:8
- Isaiah 3:14
- Jeremiah 22:16
- Ezekiel 16:49
- Amos 8:4
This is a verse-level parallel only — the same verses exist in both the Hebrew and Greek Old Testaments. No word-level Hebrew↔Greek correspondence is claimed: the data carries no such alignment, so no Greek word is shown as this Hebrew word’s translation. Coverage is not total — the Septuagint omits the deuterocanon and renumbers the Psalms, so some Hebrew verses have no direct Greek parallel.
