7768. shava
Lexical Summary
shava: To cry out, to call for help

Original Word: שָׁוַע
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: shava`
Pronunciation: shah-VAH
Phonetic Spelling: (shaw-vah')
KJV: cry (aloud, out), shout
NASB: cry, cried, cried for help, cry for help, help, call for help, cried to him for help
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. (properly) to be free
2. but used only causatively and reflexively, to halloo (for help, i.e. freedom from some trouble)

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
cry aloud, out, shout

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.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to cry out (for help)
NASB Translation
call for help (2), cried (3), cried for help (3), cried to him for help (1), cried to you for help (1), cries for help (1), cry (5), cry for help (3), cry out for help (1), cry to you for help (1), help (3), shout for help (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
[שָׁוַע] verb Pi`el cry out for help (Gerb33 thinks denominative from שֵׁוְעָה, and this from √ akin to ישׁע deliver); — Perfect1singular שִׁוַּעְתִּי Psalm 30:3 3t.; Imperfect3feminine singular תְּשַׁוֵּ֑עַ Job 24:12; 2masculine singular תְּשַׁוַּע Isaiah 58:9, etc.; Infinitive construct suffix שַׁוְּעִי Psalm 28:2; Psalm 31:23; שַׁוְעִי Psalm 5:3 (Ol§ 182 d), etc.; Participle מְשַׁוֵּ֑עַ Psalm 72:12; Job 29:12; — cry for help: absolute Psalm 72:12; Job 19:7; Job 24:12; Job 29:12; Job 30:28; Job 35:9, + Isaiah 38:13 Houb Lo Che Du and others (for שִׁוִּיתִי); specifically to God Psalm 5:3; Psalm 18:42; Psalm 119:147; Job 36:13; Isaiah 58:9; Jonah 2:3; Habakkuk 1:2; Lamentations 3:8; with אל Psalm 18:7; Psalm 22:25; Psalm 28:2 = Psalm 31:23; Psalm 30:3; Psalm 88:14 + Psalm 31:2 (read with Weir אֱלֹהַי שִׁוַּעְתִּי יוֺם צַעֲקָתִי), Job 30:20; Job 38:41.

Topical Lexicon
Essence of the Cry

At its core, שָׁוַע is the urgent, heartfelt cry that rises from human distress toward the covenant-keeping God. Unlike mere speech, it carries the note of desperation that admits utter dependence and pleads for divine intervention. The term appears exclusively in contexts where the sufferer has exhausted every earthly resource and now appeals to the Lord, confident that He both hears and answers.

Usage in the Wisdom Literature

Job employs the verb more than any other Old Testament writer (Job 19:7; 24:12; 29:12; 30:20, 30:28; 35:9; 36:13; 38:41). His repeated cries expose the deep tension between faith and experience: “I cry, ‘Violence!’ but I get no response; I call for help, but there is no justice” (Job 19:7). Yet the narrative ultimately vindicates Job’s faith, demonstrating that unanswered cries are not unheard cries. Elihu reminds the afflicted that “people cry out under a multitude of oppressions; they plead for relief from the arm of the mighty” (Job 35:9), urging them to recognize God’s sovereign timing. Even the raven’s young “cry to God for help” (Job 38:41), underscoring that dependence on the Creator spans the whole created order.

Usage in the Psalms of David and the Community

David weaves שָׁוַע into personal lament and communal praise. “In my distress I called upon the Lord, I cried to my God for help” (Psalm 18:6). The same psalm later affirms covenant certainty: “They cried for help, but there was no one to save them—to the Lord, but He did not answer” (Psalm 18:41), revealing that divine silence toward the wicked contrasts sharply with His rescue of the righteous. Psalm 22:24 anticipates Messiah’s sufferings: “He has not despised nor detested the affliction of the afflicted; He has not hidden His face from him, but has listened to his cry for help.” The kingly Psalm 72:12 extends the theme to royal duty: “For he will deliver the needy who cry out.” Community worship adopts the posture of reliance: “Hear my cry for mercy when I call to You for help” (Psalm 28:2); “O Lord my God, I cried to You for help, and You healed me” (Psalm 30:2). Morning devotion is likewise shaped by urgency: “I rise before dawn and cry for help; in Your word I put my hope” (Psalm 119:147).

Prophetic Contexts and National Lament

Isaiah links the cry with covenant restoration: “Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and He will say, ‘Here I am’” (Isaiah 58:9), promising responsiveness when true repentance replaces empty ritual. Jeremiah’s lament echoes communal grief: “Even when I cry out and shout for help, He shuts out my prayer” (Lamentations 3:8), capturing exile’s darkest night while implicitly trusting God’s steadfast love (Lamentations 3:22-23). Habakkuk voices prophetic perplexity: “How long, O Lord, must I cry for help? But You do not listen!” (Habakkuk 1:2). The resolution comes as the righteous live by faith, resting in God’s eventual vindication.

In the Experience of Jonah

From the belly of the fish the prophet confesses, “In my distress I called to the Lord, and He answered; from the belly of Sheol I cried for help, and You heard my voice” (Jonah 2:2). The episode illustrates that distance, disobedience, and even apparent death cannot mute the cry of repentance nor prevent divine deliverance.

Theological Insights

1. God’s Accessibility: Repeated instances confirm that the Lord is not distant but “near to all who call on Him” (Psalm 145:18).
2. Moral Dimension: Divine response correlates with righteousness and repentance. Unrepentant hearts may cry out but remain unheard (Job 36:13; Psalm 18:41).
3. Universal Reach: Both humans and animals depend on God (Job 38:41), highlighting His providence.
4. Eschatological Hope: Prophetic assurances (Isaiah 58:9) anticipate the final removal of oppression when every tearful cry is stilled (Revelation 21:4).

Christological Anticipation

Psalm 22:24, echoed in the Passion narratives, finds ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ, whose loud cry from the cross (“My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”) secures eternal access for all who cry to the Father in His name. The pattern of suffering-cry-deliverance culminates in resurrection glory, validating every petition offered through the Mediator.

Pastoral and Devotional Applications

• Encourage believers to bring unfiltered anguish to God; Scripture sanctions raw honesty.
• Assure the afflicted that apparent silence is not abandonment; timing lies in sovereign wisdom.
• Integrate lament-petitions into corporate worship, balancing praise with authentic supplication.
• Use the cry motif to teach perseverance in prayer, especially when justice seems delayed.

Implications for Corporate Worship and Intercession

Liturgical traditions may incorporate responsive readings of the Psalmic cries, fostering congregational empathy with the oppressed. Intercessory prayer teams can draw on the verb’s urgent tone to model earnest petition for persecuted believers worldwide, reflecting God’s heart to “deliver the needy who cry out” (Psalm 72:12).

Forms and Transliterations
אֲ֝שַׁוַּ֗ע אֲשַׁ֫וֵּ֥עַ אֲשַׁוֵּֽעַ׃ אֲשַׁוַּ֣ע אשוע אשוע׃ בְּשַׁוְּעִ֣י בְּשַׁוְּעִ֥י בשועי וַאֲשַׁוֵּ֔עַ וָאֲשַׁוֵּ֑עָה וּֽבְשַׁוְּע֖וֹ ואשוע ואשועה ובשועו יְ֝שַׁוְּע֗וּ יְשַׁוְּע֖וּ יְשַׁוְּע֥וּ יְשַׁוֵּ֑עוּ ישועו מְשַׁוֵּ֑עַ משוע שִׁוַּ֑עְתִּי שִׁוַּ֖עְתִּי שִׁוַּ֥עְתִּי שועתי תְּשַׁוֵּ֑עַ תְּשַׁוַּ֖ע תשוע ’ă·šaw·wa‘ ’ă·šaw·wê·a‘ ’ăšawwa‘ ’ăšawwêa‘ ashavVa ashavVea bə·šaw·wə·‘î bəšawwə‘î beshavveI mə·šaw·wê·a‘ məšawwêa‘ meshavVea shivVati šiw·wa‘·tî šiwwa‘tî tə·šaw·wa‘ tə·šaw·wê·a‘ təšawwa‘ təšawwêa‘ teshavVa teshavVea ū·ḇə·šaw·wə·‘ōw ūḇəšawwə‘ōw uveshavveO vaashavVea vaashavVeah wā’ăšawwê‘āh wa’ăšawwêa‘ wā·’ă·šaw·wê·‘āh wa·’ă·šaw·wê·a‘ yə·šaw·wê·‘ū yə·šaw·wə·‘ū yəšawwê‘ū yəšawwə‘ū yeshavveU
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Englishman's Concordance
Job 19:7
HEB: וְלֹ֣א אֵעָנֶ֑ה אֲ֝שַׁוַּ֗ע וְאֵ֣ין מִשְׁפָּֽט׃
NAS: answer; I shout for help, but there is no
KJV: but I am not heard: I cry aloud, but [there is] no judgment.
INT: no answer shout there justice

Job 24:12
HEB: וְנֶֽפֶשׁ־ חֲלָלִ֥ים תְּשַׁוֵּ֑עַ וֶ֝אֱל֗וֹהַּ לֹא־
NAS: of the wounded cry out; Yet God
KJV: of the wounded crieth out: yet God
INT: and the souls of the wounded cry God does not

Job 29:12
HEB: אֲ֭מַלֵּט עָנִ֣י מְשַׁוֵּ֑עַ וְ֝יָת֗וֹם וְֽלֹא־
NAS: the poor who cried for help, And the orphan
KJV: the poor that cried, and the fatherless,
INT: delivered the poor cried and the orphan had no

Job 30:20
HEB: אֲשַׁוַּ֣ע אֵ֭לֶיךָ וְלֹ֣א
NAS: I cry out to You for help, but You do not answer
KJV: I cry unto thee, and thou dost not hear
INT: cry about not

Job 30:28
HEB: קַ֖מְתִּי בַקָּהָ֣ל אֲשַׁוֵּֽעַ׃
NAS: up in the assembly [and] cry out for help.
KJV: I stood up, [and] I cried in the congregation.
INT: stand the assembly cry

Job 35:9
HEB: עֲשׁוּקִ֣ים יַזְעִ֑יקוּ יְשַׁוְּע֖וּ מִזְּר֣וֹעַ רַבִּֽים׃
NAS: they cry out; They cry for help because
KJV: they make [the oppressed] to cry: they cry out by reason of the arm
INT: of oppressions cry cry of the arm of the mighty

Job 36:13
HEB: אָ֑ף לֹ֥א יְ֝שַׁוְּע֗וּ כִּ֣י אֲסָרָֽם׃
NAS: up anger; They do not cry for help when
KJV: wrath: they cry not when he bindeth
INT: anger not cry when binds

Job 38:41
HEB: אֶל־ אֵ֣ל יְשַׁוֵּ֑עוּ יִ֝תְע֗וּ לִבְלִי־
NAS: When its young cry to God And wander
KJV: when his young ones cry unto God,
INT: to God about cry and wander without

Psalm 18:6
HEB: וְאֶל־ אֱלֹהַ֪י אֲשַׁ֫וֵּ֥עַ יִשְׁמַ֣ע מֵהֵיכָל֣וֹ
NAS: upon the LORD, And cried to my God
KJV: upon the LORD, and cried unto my God:
INT: to my God and cried heard of his temple

Psalm 18:41
HEB: יְשַׁוְּע֥וּ וְאֵין־ מוֹשִׁ֑יעַ
NAS: They cried for help, but there was none
KJV: They cried, but [there was] none to save
INT: cried there to save

Psalm 22:24
HEB: פָּנָ֣יו מִמֶּ֑נּוּ וּֽבְשַׁוְּע֖וֹ אֵלָ֣יו שָׁמֵֽעַ׃
NAS: His face from him; But when he cried to Him for help, He heard.
KJV: his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard.
INT: his face at cried about heard

Psalm 28:2
HEB: ק֣וֹל תַּ֭חֲנוּנַי בְּשַׁוְּעִ֣י אֵלֶ֑יךָ בְּנָשְׂאִ֥י
NAS: of my supplications when I cry to You for help, When I lift
KJV: of my supplications, when I cry unto thee, when I lift up
INT: the voice of my supplications cry toward lift

Psalm 30:2
HEB: יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהָ֑י שִׁוַּ֥עְתִּי אֵ֝לֶ֗יךָ וַתִּרְפָּאֵֽנִי׃
NAS: my God, I cried to You for help, and You healed
KJV: my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed
INT: LORD my God cried and healed

Psalm 31:22
HEB: ק֥וֹל תַּחֲנוּנַ֗י בְּשַׁוְּעִ֥י אֵלֶֽיךָ׃
NAS: of my supplications When I cried to You.
KJV: of my supplications when I cried unto thee.
INT: the voice of my supplications cried about

Psalm 72:12
HEB: יַ֭צִּיל אֶבְי֣וֹן מְשַׁוֵּ֑עַ וְ֝עָנִ֗י וְֽאֵין־
NAS: the needy when he cries for help, The afflicted
KJV: the needy when he crieth; the poor
INT: will deliver the needy cries the afflicted has

Psalm 88:13
HEB: אֵלֶ֣יךָ יְהוָ֣ה שִׁוַּ֑עְתִּי וּ֝בַבֹּ֗קֶר תְּֽפִלָּתִ֥י
NAS: But I, O LORD, have cried out to You for help, And in the morning
KJV: But unto thee have I cried, O LORD;
INT: about LORD have cried the morning my prayer

Psalm 119:147
HEB: קִדַּ֣מְתִּי בַ֭נֶּשֶׁף וָאֲשַׁוֵּ֑עָה [לִדְבָרֶיךָ כ]
NAS: before dawn and cry for help; I wait
KJV: the dawning of the morning, and cried: I hoped
INT: rise dawn and cry act wait

Isaiah 58:9
HEB: וַיהוָ֣ה יַעֲנֶ֔ה תְּשַׁוַּ֖ע וְיֹאמַ֣ר הִנֵּ֑נִי
NAS: will answer; You will cry, and He will say,
KJV: shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say,
INT: and the LORD will answer will cry will say I am'

Lamentations 3:8
HEB: כִּ֤י אֶזְעַק֙ וַאֲשַׁוֵּ֔עַ שָׂתַ֖ם תְּפִלָּתִֽי׃
NAS: I cry out and call for help, He shuts
KJV: Also when I cry and shout, he shutteth out
INT: when cry and call out my prayer

Jonah 2:2
HEB: מִבֶּ֧טֶן שְׁא֛וֹל שִׁוַּ֖עְתִּי שָׁמַ֥עְתָּ קוֹלִֽי׃
NAS: And He answered me. I cried for help from the depth
KJV: of hell cried I, [and] thou heardest
INT: the depth of Sheol cried heard my voice

Habakkuk 1:2
HEB: אָ֧נָה יְהוָ֛ה שִׁוַּ֖עְתִּי וְלֹ֣א תִשְׁמָ֑ע
NAS: O LORD, will I call for help, And You will not hear?
KJV: O LORD, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear!
INT: How LORD call not hear

21 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 7768
21 Occurrences


’ă·šaw·wa‘ — 2 Occ.
’ă·šaw·wê·a‘ — 2 Occ.
bə·šaw·wə·‘î — 2 Occ.
mə·šaw·wê·a‘ — 2 Occ.
šiw·wa‘·tî — 4 Occ.
tə·šaw·wa‘ — 1 Occ.
tə·šaw·wê·a‘ — 1 Occ.
ū·ḇə·šaw·wə·‘ōw — 1 Occ.
wa·’ă·šaw·wê·a‘ — 1 Occ.
wā·’ă·šaw·wê·‘āh — 1 Occ.
yə·šaw·wə·‘ū — 4 Occ.

7767
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