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Lamentations 3:8 — Word Study

Depth

WLCגַּ֣ם כִּ֤י אֶזְעַק֙ וַאֲשַׁוֵּ֔עַ שָׂתַ֖ם תְּפִלָּתִֽי׃

BSAEvengam [also, too] whenkîy I cry outzâʻaq [shout for help, call loudly] and plead for helpshâvaʻ [cry, entreat] He shuts outçâtham [closes, blocks] my prayertᵉphillâh [supplication, request to God]

Word
Listen & take awayLamentations 3
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 8 is in this chapter.
Hebrew ↓ Download MP3 The Masoretic text of this chapter, read aloud. Read by Abraham Shmuelof, courtesy of Audio Scriptures International. Chapter divisions by the Academy of Ancient Languages..
Say the word Each Hebrew word carries its transliteration (te.fi.la.Ti) — no per-word recordings of the Hebrew exist to link to.
Take it away
Lamentations 3:8quick helps
In a sentenceThe speaker laments that despite crying out for help, God does not respond to his prayers.
Who is speakingThe speaker is an individual in distress, expressing deep anguish and a sense of abandonment.
Where we areThis verse is part of a lamentation, reflecting on suffering and the perceived silence of God.
The hard wordשָׂתַ֖ם
Take awayThe plea for help is met with silence; the speaker feels shut out from divine communication.
6 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them › clause verbזָעַק The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
How rare are these words?in the Old Testament

Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.

Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.

Deep Study — Lamentations 3:8

Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.

Context — The Lament of the Afflictedgenerated

7He has walled me in so I cannot escape; He has weighed me down with chains.
8Even when I cry out and plead for help, He shuts out my prayer.
9He has barred my ways with cut stones; He has made my paths crooked.
10He is a bear lying in wait, a lion hiding in ambush.

Lamentations 3:8 expresses the profound sorrow of an individual who feels unheard by God. This verse is situated within a larger context of lament, where the speaker recounts their suffering and the feeling of being trapped without hope. The surrounding verses highlight the intensity of their plight, as they describe being walled in and weighed down, emphasizing the depth of their despair.


Cross References

ReferenceText (BSB)
1Lamentations 3:44You have covered Yourself with a cloud that no prayer can pass through.
2Job 19:7Though I cry out, ‘Violence!’ I get no response; though I call for help, there is no justice.
3Job 30:20I cry out to You for help, but You do not answer; when I stand up, You merely look at me.
4Psalm 22:2I cry out by day, O my God, but You do not answer, and by night, but I have no rest.
5Psalm 80:4O LORD God of Hosts, how long will Your anger smolder against the prayers of Your people?

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 7 references, hung on the phrase they belong to

Also when I cry and shout, he shutteth out my prayer.Lamentations 3:44 Job 19:7 Job 30:20 Psalm 22:2 Psalm 80:4 Habakkuk 1:2 Matthew 27:46

The Key Word שָׂתַ֖ם, sa.Tamgenerated

The verb שָׂתַם (satham) means to close, stop up, or block. It conveys the sense of preventing access or communication, as if God has shut off the speaker's prayers from being heard. This verb appears in the perfect tense, indicating a completed action — the speaker feels that God has definitively closed off their prayers.

In this context, the action of shutting out is not merely physical but deeply emotional, representing the speaker's feelings of abandonment and despair. The choice of this verb underscores the pain of feeling that one's cries for help are ignored.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against.


Sentence Structuregenerated

The finite verb שָׂתַ֖ם, he has shut out, governs the main clause, while two phrases describe the speaker's actions: אֶזְעַק֙, I will cry out, and אֲשַׁוֵּ֔עַ, and I may cry for help. The structure emphasizes the speaker's desperate attempts to reach out to God, contrasting with the final action of being shut out.

The Hebrew word order places emphasis on the speaker's actions first, highlighting their urgency and distress before presenting the response from God, which is the shutting out of their prayer.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

In the Septuagint, the Hebrew verb שָׂתַ֖ם is rendered as ἀπέφραχεν, which implies a sense of blocking or hindering. This choice reflects a similar meaning but may carry a slightly different connotation in the Greek context, emphasizing the act of preventing access.

The translation choice shows a consistent understanding of the speaker's plight, as both the Hebrew and Greek texts convey the sense of being cut off from divine communication.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

Lamentations 3:8 shows a person in deep distress, crying out for help but feeling that their prayers are not heard. They express a sense of being shut out by God, emphasizing their loneliness and despair.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

What does it mean that God shuts out my prayer?

This phrase indicates a feeling of abandonment and a belief that God is not responding to the speaker's pleas for help.

Why does the speaker feel the need to cry out?

The speaker is in a state of distress and feels overwhelmed, prompting them to call out for assistance from God.

Is this verse unique in expressing feelings of abandonment?

No, similar expressions of feeling unheard by God can be found in other parts of the Bible, such as in Psalm 22:2.

What can we learn from this verse about prayer?

This verse illustrates the struggle of prayer and the emotional turmoil that can accompany feelings of being ignored by God, reminding us of the importance of persistence in prayer.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. How do I respond when I feel that my prayers are not being heard?
  2. What can I learn from the speaker's expression of distress in this verse?
  3. How can I support others who feel abandoned in their prayers?
  4. What does this verse teach me about the nature of suffering and communication with God?

Commentators on this verse — 6 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on Lamentations 3:8 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Also when I cry and shout,.... Cry, because of the distress of the enemy within; "shout", or cry aloud for help from others without; as persons in a prison do, to make them hear and pity their case:

Read John Gill on Lamentations 3 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

He hath hedged me about, that I cannot get out: he hath made my chain heavy. Hedged - (Job 3:23; Hosea 2:6).

Read Robert Jamieson on Lamentations 3 →
Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy Bible

In the condition I am in, I cannot help myself, no creatures can help me, I have no hope but in God. I take the ordinary course in that case, which is prayer, I pray fervently and aloud, as those that are serious and importunate for what they desire (for shouting here signifies no more than making a loud noise, not a loud noise of joy and rejoicing, as it mostly signifies); but he deals with me as great persons that have no mind to listen to suitors, and shut their gates against them, he shutteth out my supplications: which made their case wholly desperate and remediless.

Read Matthew Poole on Lamentations 3 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Lamentations 3:8 Also when I cry and shout, he shutteth out my prayer.Ver. 8. Also when I cry and shout.] As poor prisoners use to do for relief and release. He shutteth out my prayer.] Or, Shutteth his ear to my prayer. This was very grievous to any good heart; more than it could be to Cicero, a stranger to the true God, who yet bewaileth the matter to his brother in these words, I would pray to the gods for those things; but that, alas! they have given over to hear my prayers.

Read John Trapp on Lamentations 3 →
Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(8) He shutteth out my prayer—i.e., stops it so that it does not reach the ear of Jehovah; and it is Jehovah himself who does this.

Read Charles John Ellicott on Lamentations 3 →
Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Shout - i. e. call for help. Shutteth out - Or, “shutteth in.” God has so closed up the avenues to the place in which he is immured, that his voice can find no egress.

Read Albert Barnes on Lamentations 3 →

The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company

Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.

Modern formal

BSBBerean Standard Bible2020

Even when I cry out and plead for help, He shuts out my prayer.

WEBWorld English Bible2000

Yes, when I cry, and call for help, he shuts out my prayer.

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

Even when I cry out and plead for help, He shuts out my prayer.

NETBNew English Translation2006

Also, when I cry out desperately for help, he has shut out my prayer.

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

Also when I cry and shout, he shutteth out my prayer.

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

Yea, when I cry, and call for help, he shutteth out my prayer.

RVARevised Version, American1894

Yea, when I cry and call for help, he shutteth out my prayer.

NWBWebster's Bible1833

Also when I cry and shout, he shutteth out my prayer.

GNVGeneva Bible1599

Also when I cry and showte, hee shutteth out my prayer.

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

Even when I cry and shout, he shutteth out my prayer.

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

Also when I call and cry out, He hath shut out my prayer.

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

Also when I call and cry out, || He has shut out my prayer.

ILTInterlinear Literal Translation2000

Also when I cry aloud and make entreaty, he shutteth out my prayer.

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

and though I call out and cry for help, he shut out my prayer.

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

Ghimel. Yea, and when I cry, and entreat, he hath shut out my prayer.

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

Even when I keep on crying out for help, he refuses to listen to my prayer.

BBEBible in Basic English1949

Even when I send up a cry for help, he keeps my prayer shut out.

Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.


The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank

This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.

clauseclauseגַּ֣םalsoclauseכִּ֤י(dm)clauseclauseverbאֶזְעַק֙I.will.cry.outוַandclauseverbאֲשַׁוֵּ֔עַI.will.cry.for.helpclauseverbשָׂתַ֖םhe.has.shut.outnoun phrase · objectתְּפִלָּתִֽprayerיmy

Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.


The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran

The Masoretic Text and the Septuagint agree in the wording of Lamentations 3:8, with all six words matched. This indicates a strong consistency in the rendering of this verse across these ancient witnesses.

Masoretic TextLeningrad Codex, c. AD 1008 — the text this page is built on

גַּ֣ם כִּ֤י אֶזְעַק֙ וַאֲשַׁוֵּ֔עַ שָׂתַ֖ם תְּפִלָּתִֽי׃

Septuagintthe Greek the translators chose, word by word
גַּ֣םκαίכִּ֤יγεאֶזְעַק֙κεκράχομαιוַאֲשַׁוֵּ֔עַβοήσωשָׂתַ֖םἀπέφραχενתְּפִלָּתִֽי׃μου

6 of the 6 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.

Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.


The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with

This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.

Lamentations 3:8גַּםalsoalsoגַּםכִּיififכִּיזָעַקI will cry I will cry outזָעַקשָׁוַעand I may cand I may cry fשָׁוַעסָתַםhe has shuthe has shut outסָתַםתְּפִלָּהprayer myprayer myתְּפִלָּהפָּלַלto prayto prayפָּלַלתְּמוֹלyesterdayyesterdayתְּמוֹלשִׁלְשֹׁםthree daysthree days agoשִׁלְשֹׁםיָדַעto knowto knowיָדַעיָלַלto wailto wailיָלַלשָׁוַעto cryto cryשָׁוַעזָעַקto cry outto cry outזָעַקעָנִיafflictedafflictedעָנִימַעְיָןspringspringמַעְיָןדָּנִאֵלDanielDanielדָּנִאֵלתְּחִנָּהsupplicatisupplicationתְּחִנָּהרִנָּהcrycryרִנָּה
meets it a little oftener than chancemeets it far oftener than chancebuilt from the same roottwo words of the verse share ita word of this versea related word

Lexicons — every word in Lamentations 3:8

One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.

Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.

also if I will cry out and I may cry for help he has shut out prayer my
גַּ֣םgam also H1571 Adverb
769× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Also means 'even' or 'too', used for emphasis or to connect ideas, like 'both...and' or 'neither...nor'. It can introduce a climax or show contrast.
Amplified meaning
also, too
Tyndale gloss
also
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

גַּם (gam) is an adverb meaning 'also' or 'moreover,' indicating addition or emphasis. It can express various nuances, such as 'even,' 'indeed,' or 'but.' The term is often used in a correlational manner, as in 'both...and.' It appears in contexts that require clarification or reinforcement of a statement.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

גַּם 768 adv. denoting addition, also, moreover, yea

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H1571 גַּם denoting addition, also, moreover, yea

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

1571 gam gam

by contraction from an unused root meaning to gather;

properly, assemblage; used only adverbially also, even, yea,

though; often repeated as correl. both...and:--again, alike,

also, (so much) as (soon), both (so)...and , but, either...or,

even, for all, (in) likewise (manner), moreover,

nay...neither, one, then(-refore), though, what, with, yea.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

גַּם (gam) — also.

1) also, even, indeed, moreover, yea

1a) also, moreover (giving emphasis)

1b) neither, neither...nor (with negative)

1c) even (for stress)

1d) indeed, yea (introducing climax)

1e) also (of correspondence or retribution)

1f) but, yet, though (adversative)

1g) even, yea, yea though (with 'when' in hypothetical case)

2) (TWOT) again, alike

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
DirObjM — Adverb
HD
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

ol'-so: In the Greek kai, when it is equivalent to "also" or "even," is always placed before the word or phrase which it is intended to emphasize (e.g. Ac 12:3; 1 Joh 4:21). Mt 6:14 should therefore read, "Your heavenly Father will forgive you also"; Lu 6:13, "Whom also he named apostles"; Heb 8:6, "The mediator of a better covenant also"; and 1Th 4:14, `If we believe that Jesus died and rose again, so also (we believe that) those who are fallen asleep in Jesus, God will bring with Him.'

also if I will cry out and I may cry for help he has shut out prayer my
כִּ֤יki if H3588 Particle
4,483× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
A conjunction used to show cause or connection, as in Genesis 2:23 where Adam says the woman is bone of his bone because she was taken out of him. It is often translated as 'for', 'because', or 'since'.
Tyndale gloss
for
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

כִּי (ki) is a conjunction primarily meaning 'that,' 'for,' or 'when.' It indicates causal relationships and can express conditions like 'if' or 'though.' The word is versatile, appearing in various contexts to convey certainty, exception, or concession. Notably, it can combine with other particles to modify its meaning, such as in the phrase כִּי אם־ (ki im), meaning 'that if.'

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

כִּי conj. that, for, when

that

Of time, when, of the past

elsewhere כִּי has a force approximating to if, though it usu. represents a case as more likely to occur than אִם

when or if, with a concessive force, i.e. though

Because, since

base

כִּי אם־

each part. retaining its independent force, and relating to a different clause:

that if

for if

(About 140 t.) the two particles being closely conjoined, and relating to the same clause—

limiting the prec. clause, except

the if being neglected, and treated as pleonastic, so that the clause is no longer a limitation of the preceding clause but a contradiction of it: but rather, but

after an oath, surely

base

כִּי עַל כֵּן forasmuch as

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3588a כִּי that, for, when . that

. . Of time, when, of the past

. elsewhere כִּי has a force approximating to if, though it usu. represents a case as more likely to occur than אִם

. when or if, with a concessive force, i.e. though

. Because, since

H3588b כִּי אם־ . each part. retaining its independent force, and relating to a different clause: . that if

. for if

. (About 140 t.) the two particles being closely conjoined, and relating to the same clause— . limiting the prec. clause, except

. the if being neglected, and treated as pleonastic, so that the clause is no longer a limitation of the preceding clause but a contradiction of it: but rather, but

. after an oath, surely

H3588c כִּי עַל כֵּן forasmuch as

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3588 kiy kee

a primitive particle (the full form of the prepositional

prefix) indicating causal relations of all kinds, antecedent

or consequent; (by implication) very widely used as a relative

conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by

other particles annexed:--and, + (forasmuch, inasmuch,

where-)as, assured(-ly), + but, certainly, doubtless, + else,

even, + except, for, how, (because, in, so, than) that, +

nevertheless, now, rightly, seeing, since, surely, then,

therefore, + (al- )though, + till, truly, + until, when,

whether, while, whom, yea, yet.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

כִּי (ki) — for.

1) that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since

1a) that

1a1) yea, indeed

1b) when (of time)

1b1) when, if, though (with a concessive force)

1c) because, since (causal connection)

1d) but (after negative)

1e) that if, for if, indeed if, for though, but if

1f) but rather, but

1g) except that

1h) only, nevertheless

1i) surely

1j) that is

1k) but if

1l) for though

1m) forasmuch as, for therefore

כִּי [אם] (ki im) — that if: except.

1) except if

1a) but if

1b) even though

כִּי [עַל כֵּן] (ki [al ken]) — for as that: since.

1) that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since

1a) that

1a1) yea, indeed

1b) when (of time)

1b1) when, if, though (with a concessive force)

1c) because, since (causal connection)

1d) but (after negative)

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj — Particle
HTc
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
also if I will cry out and I may cry for help he has shut out prayer my
אֶזְעַק֙'ez.'Ak I will cry out H2199 Verb · Qal · imperfect first person common singular
73× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This verb means to cry out for help or announce something publicly, often in a loud voice, like a herald calling people together. It is used in the Bible to describe people crying out to God for aid. It can also mean to summon or assemble people.
Amplified meaning
shout for help, call loudly
Tyndale gloss
to cry out
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

זָעַק (za`aq) is a Hebrew verb meaning to cry out or call for help, often in a context of distress or need. It can also refer to assembling or summoning people, particularly for military purposes. The word has various forms, including Qal, Niphal, and Hiphil, indicating different nuances of calling or gathering.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

[זָעַק] vb. cry, cry out, call

Qal

call, to one's aid

cry, cry out, in need

Niph. be called together, assemble, join

Hiph.

call, call out, or together, for military service

make a crying

have proclamation made

call out, or at

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H2199 זָעַק cry, cry out, call .. call, to one's aid

. cry, cry out, in need

. be called together, assemble, join

. . call, call out, or together, for military service

. make a crying

. have proclamation made

. call out, or at

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

2199 za`aq zaw-ak'

a primitive root; to shriek (from anguish or danger); by

analogy, (as a herald) to announce or convene publicly:--

assemble, call (together), (make a) cry (out), come with such

a company, gather (together), cause to be proclaimed.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

זָעַק (za.aq) — to cry out.

1) to cry, cry out, call, call for help

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to call (to one's aid)

1a2) to cry, cry out (in need)

1b) (Niphal) to be assembled, be called together, be joined together

1c) (Hiphil)

1c1) to call, call out, call together, summon

1c2) to make a crying, proclaim

1c3) to have a proclamation made

1c4) to call out to, call out at

Aramaic equivalent: ze.iq (זְעִ֑ק "to cry out" H2200)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Qal-Imperf-1cs — Verb · Qal · imperfect first person common singular
HVqi1cs
also if I will cry out and I may cry for help he has shut out prayer my
וַאֲשַׁוֵּ֔עַva.'a.sha.Ve.a' and I may cry for help H7768 Conjunction · verb piel first person common singular
21× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
To cry out in the original Hebrew means to shout for help or freedom from trouble. This verb is used to describe calling out for assistance in times of need.
Amplified meaning
cry, entreat
Tyndale gloss
to cry
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

שָׁוַע (shava`) is a Hebrew verb meaning to cry out, particularly for help. It is a primitive root that conveys the idea of calling for freedom from trouble, used in a causative and reflexive sense. The entries consistently indicate its use in the Piel form to express a loud cry or shout.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

[שָׁוַע] vb. Pi. cry out for help

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H7768 שָׁוַע pi. cry out for help

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

7768 shava` shaw-vah'

a primitive root; properly, to be free; but used only

causatively and reflexively, to halloo (for help, i.e. freedom

from some trouble):--cry (aloud, out), shout.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

שָׁוַע (sha.va) — to cry.

(Piel) to cry out (for help), shout

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | V-Piel-Imperf-1cs — Conjunction · verb piel first person common singular
HC/Vpu1cs
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

With the sense of that which brings aid, support, or deliverance, "help" (noun and vb.) represents a large variety of words in Hebrew and Greek (noun 7, verb 16). A principal Hebrew word is `azar, "to help," with the corresponding nouns `ezer, `ezrah; a chief Greek word is boetheo (Mt 15:25; Mr 9:22,24, etc.). True help is to be sought for in Yahweh, in whom, in the Old Testament, the believer is constantly exhorted to trust, with the renouncing of all other confidences (Ps 20:2; 33:20; 42:5; 46:1; 115:9,10,11; 121:2; Isa 41:10,13,14, etc.). In Ro 8:26 it is said, "the Spirit also helpeth our infirmity," the verb here…

also if I will cry out and I may cry for help he has shut out prayer my
שָׂתַ֖םsa.Tam he has shut out H5640 Verb · Qal · perfect third person masculine singular
14× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word means to stop or block something, like covering a hole. It can also mean to keep a secret. In the Bible, it is used to describe hiding or concealing things, like in Psalm 139:15.
Amplified meaning
closes, blocks
Tyndale gloss
to close
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

סָתַם (satham) is a Hebrew verb meaning to stop up, shut up, or keep close. It can refer to physically stopping up something, like a spring, or to figuratively keeping something secret. The entries indicate that it can also imply repair or concealment, with usage in various forms such as Qal and Niphal. Notably, it appears in Lamentations 3:8.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

סָתַם vb. stop up, shut up, keep close

Qal

stop up springs of water

shut up, keep close

Niph. the breaches [in the walls] had begun to be stopped up.

Pi. of stopping wells quite up

base

שָׂתַם vb. usu. stop up, in sense of shut out, shut ears against;—Qal La 3:8

ref

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H5640a סָתַם stop up, shut up, keep close H5640b שָׂתַם usu. stop up, in sense of shut out, shut ears against

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

5640 catham saw-tham'

or satham (Numbers 24:15) {saw-tham'}; a primitive root; to

stop up; by implication, to repair; figuratively, to keep

secret:--closed up, hidden, secret, shut out (up), stop.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

סָתַם (sa.tam) — to close.

1) to stop up, shut up, keep close

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to stop up

1a2) to shut up, keep close

1a3) secret (participle)

1b) (Niphal) to be stopped up

1c) (Piel) to stop up

שָׂתַם (sa.tam) — to stopper.

to stop up, shut up

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Qal-Perf-3ms — Verb · Qal · perfect third person masculine singular
HVqp3ms
also if I will cry out and I may cry for help he has shut out prayer my
תְּפִלָּתִֽי׃te.fi.la.Ti prayer my H8605 Noun common feminine singular construct · suffix
77× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In the Bible, this word means prayer or supplication, often used to describe requests to God. It appears in many Psalms, highlighting the importance of prayer in worship.
Amplified meaning
supplication, request to God
Tyndale gloss
prayer
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

תְּפִלָּה (tefillah) means 'prayer' and is derived from the root meaning intercession or supplication. It encompasses various forms of prayer, including hymns and requests for divine attention. The term appears in contexts such as the titles of Psalms, emphasizing its liturgical significance.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

תְּפִלָּה 77 n.f. prayer

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H8605 תְּפִלָּה prayer

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

8605 tphillah tef-il-law'

from 6419; intercession, supplication; by implication, a

hymn:--prayer.

see HEBREW for 06419

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

תְּפִלָּה (te.phil.lah) — prayer.

1) prayer

1a) prayer

1b) pray a prayer

1c) house of prayer

1d) hear prayer

1e) in Ps titles (of poetic or liturgical prayer)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-fs | Suff — Noun common feminine singular construct · suffix
HNcfsc/Sp1bs
Sources on this page. Lexicons and dictionaries imported from the CrossWire SWORD modules — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, Dodson, the Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones, Robinson and Packard, Webster and Cawdrey. Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Harper, 1889 — Grimm’s Wilke’s Clavis Novi Testamenti, translated, revised and enlarged by Joseph Henry Thayer) is public domain and is set here from the Internet Archive page scan greekenglishlex00grim; it is uncorrected OCR, marked as such on the entry itself, and the Strong’s numbers — which Thayer’s own edition does not carry — were matched by lemma against the other modules on this page. Trench’s Synonyms of the New Testament (Macmillan, 1880) and Moulton and Milligan’s Vocabulary of the Greek Testament (Hodder & Stoughton, 1930, which entered the United States public domain on 1 January 2026) are set from Internet Archive page scans synonymsofnewtes00treniala and vocabularyofgree00mouluoft, and are likewise uncorrected OCR matched to Strong’s numbers by lemma. Trench treats a group of words at once, so the same essay stands on the page of each word it compares. The Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary is © 1993 and is used here by permission for non-commercial use, www.teknia.com/greek-dictionary. The full Liddell-Scott-Jones and the Hebrew word data (TAHOT) come from STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0. Brown-Driver-Briggs is the OpenScriptures digitisation, public domain. Syntax analysis is the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (biblicalhumanities.org); the concordance and morphology are built from the tagged Nestle 1904 text. Septuagint occurrences use the Open Scriptures Septuagint lemma index, derived from CCAT (University of Pennsylvania) and the Rahlfs 1935 dataset by Eliran Wong, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — used here on a non-commercial ministry site. Greek of Josephus and Barnabas from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA 4.0. Commentaries and the Ante-Nicene Fathers are public-domain texts hosted on this site. Everyday Greek from the Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri, CC BY 3.0, with dates and provenance from the Heidelberger Gesamtverzeichnis. Philo and the Apostolic Fathers from Open Greek and Latin (First1KGreek), CC BY-SA 4.0. The apparatus and the fifth Greek column are the SBL Greek New Testament, © 2010 SBL and Logos Bible Software, CC BY 4.0. The Latin is the Clementine Vulgate (public domain); the Syriac New Testament is the ETCBC edition (MIT licence). The Hebrew behind the Greek is computed here from the Septuagint index and TAHOT, not taken from any aligned edition. The translation spread and the per-word edition marks come from the Translators Amalgamated Greek NT (STEPBible, CC BY 4.0); clause roles from the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (CC BY-SA 4.0); place identifications and their confidence from OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding (CC BY 4.0), with map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Gospel parallels are computed here from shared uncommon vocabulary, not taken from any printed harmony. Cross references are the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and the subject headings are Nave’s Topical Bible, both public domain. Works under Creative Commons licences are used unchanged apart from markup removal.

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