יָגֵעַ (ya.ga)
ya.ga
be weary/toil
H:VQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 23 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:V
Word Overview
The Hebrew verb yaga means to toil, labor, or grow weary. It describes the physical and emotional exhaustion that results from sustained effort. The root idea is one of gasping for breath, suggesting a state where energy is depleted by hard work. This word appears in contexts ranging from agricultural labor to spiritual fatigue.
In Scripture, it often highlights the contrast between human limitation and divine strength. For instance, Isaiah 40:31 promises that those who wait on the Lord will not grow weary (yaga), even though they walk and run. Conversely, Isaiah 43:24 notes that Israel had wearied God with its sins, showing how relational strain can also be described by this term of exhaustion.
The word carries theological weight by acknowledging human frailty. It validates the reality of burnout while pointing to God as the source of renewal. Translators typically render it as "weary," "labor," or "faint," depending on whether the focus is on the act of working or the resulting state of tiredness.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
When life demands more energy than you have, the Hebrew word yaga describes that deep exhaustion. It captures the physical toll of hard work and the emotional weight of persistent effort. This term validates your fatigue as a real human experience rather than a spiritual failure.
Scripture acknowledges this weariness without judgment. In Isaiah 40:31, the promise is not that you will never feel tired, but that those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength. You will walk and run without growing weary because God supplies what you lack.
This word reminds us that our limits are not a sign of weakness but an invitation to depend on divine power. When your own resources are depleted, you can look to the Creator who never faints. His understanding is unsearchable, and His strength is sufficient for every season of labor.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 23 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- you have labored3×
- you make go wearily1×
- you labor1×
- you have wearied1×
- you have made weary/ me1×
- you have grown weary1×
- you had labored1×
- you became weary1×
- will I labor1×
- we have become weary1×
- they will labor1×
- they will become weary1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- יָגַ֖עַתְּ2×
- תִּיגַ֥ע1×
- תְּיַגַּע\־1×
- תְּיַגְּעֶ֑/נּוּ1×
- יָגָ֑עַתְּ1×
- יָגַ֥עְתָּ1×
- יָגַ֣עְתָּ1×
- יָגַ֙עְתִּי֙1×
- יָגַ֖עְנוּ1×
- יָגַ֔עַתְּ1×
- יָגַ֔עְתִּי1×
- יָגְעָ֣ה1×
Key Verses
-
Isaiah 40:31
but those who wait for Yahweh will renew their strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run, and not be weary. They will walk, and not faint.
This verse contrasts human limitation with divine renewal by promising that waiting on Yahweh prevents the state of being weary.
-
Isaiah 43:24
You have bought me no sweet cane with money, nor have you filled me with the fat of your sacrifices, but you have burdened me with your sins. You have wearied me with your iniquities.
Here the word shifts to describe how Israel's sins have wearied God, showing that relational strain can also deplete spiritual energy.
-
Job 9:29
I will be condemned. Why then do I labor in vain?
Job uses this term to express the futility of his efforts, highlighting the emotional exhaustion that comes from feeling condemned despite righteous living.
-
Lamentations 5:5
Our pursuers are on our necks. We are weary, and have no rest.
The people describe their physical and spiritual fatigue under oppression, noting they are weary with no rest available.