Lexical Summary shava: To cry out, to call for help Original Word: שָׁוַע 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 Origina 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 CryAt 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). 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. 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 yeshavveULinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman'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 Job 29:12 Job 30:20 Job 30:28 Job 35:9 Job 36:13 Job 38:41 Psalm 18:6 Psalm 18:41 Psalm 22:24 Psalm 28:2 Psalm 30:2 Psalm 31:22 Psalm 72:12 Psalm 88:13 Psalm 119:147 Isaiah 58:9 Lamentations 3:8 Jonah 2:2 Habakkuk 1:2 21 Occurrences |
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