לָאָה (la.ah)
la.ah
be weary
H:VQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 15 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:V
Word Overview
The Hebrew verb la’ah describes a state of deep weariness, often carrying the nuance of impatience or grief. It appears in fifteen verses across the Old Testament, with significant usage in Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Job. The word captures more than physical tiredness; it points to a soul that is exhausted by circumstances, leading to a sense of being overwhelmed or offended by one’s situation.
In its basic form, it signifies becoming weary or impatient, as seen when the prophet Isaiah laments his own condition in Isaiah 40:29-31. The text contrasts human weakness with divine strength, noting that God gives power to the weary. In other contexts, such as Job 7:11, the speaker uses it to express a desire to speak out from a place of deep grief and exhaustion, highlighting how this weariness can manifest as emotional distress rather than just physical fatigue.
This term is distinct from words that simply mean "tired" because it often implies a reaction to prolonged suffering or injustice. It reflects the human experience of reaching a limit where patience wears thin. By using la’ah, biblical writers articulate the raw reality of spiritual and emotional depletion, offering a vocabulary for those who feel their strength has been fully drained by life’s burdens.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
When life feels heavy and your strength is gone, this Hebrew word reminds us that exhaustion is a real part of the human experience. It describes more than just being tired after a long day; it speaks to a soul worn down by grief, injustice, or prolonged struggle. The biblical writers did not hide their fatigue but brought it directly before God, acknowledging that they had reached their limit.
Isaiah 40:29 offers a gentle promise for those in this state: God gives power to the weary and increases the strength of the weak. This is not a command to push through on your own, but an invitation to rest in His provision. You do not have to carry every burden alone when your spirit feels depleted.
Jeremiah 6:11 shows a prophet who was so overwhelmed by the weight of his message that he could no longer hold it back. Even holy men felt the crushing pressure of their calling and circumstances. This honesty invites you to bring your own raw feelings to God, knowing He understands the depth of human weariness.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 15 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- I am weary2×
- you will make weary1×
- you have become weary1×
- will you be impatient?1×
- it has wearied itself1×
- he is weary1×
- he has made weary/ me1×
- have I made weary/ you1×
- and/ you have become impatient1×
- and/ they will be weary1×
- and/ they have made weary/ you1×
- and/ they became weary1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- נִלְאֵ֖יתִי2×
- תִּלְאֶ֑ה1×
- תַלְא֖וּ1×
- נִלְאָ֥ה1×
- נִלְאֵ֣יתִי1×
- נִלְאֵ֖ית1×
- נִ֝לְאָ֗ה1×
- וַ/תֵּ֑לֶא1×
- וַ/יַּלְא֔וּ/ךָ1×
- וַ/יִּלְא֖וּ1×
- וְ/נִלְאֵ֥יתִי1×
- וְ/נִלְא֣וּ1×
Key Verses
-
Jeremiah 6:11
Therefore I am full of Yahweh’s wrath. I am weary with holding it in. “Pour it out on the children in the street, and on the assembly of young men together; for even the husband with the wife will be taken, the aged with him who is full of days.
Here the word describes an internal pressure so intense that the prophet feels he can no longer contain God's wrath, highlighting weariness as a state of emotional overflow.
-
Job 16:7
But now, God, you have surely worn me out. You have made all my company desolate.
Job uses this term to express how divine testing has left him physically and spiritually drained, showing that this word captures the pain of prolonged suffering.
-
Isaiah 1:14
My soul hates your New Moons and your appointed feasts. They are a burden to me. I am weary of bearing them.
God declares He is weary of religious rituals performed without genuine heart change, indicating that this weariness can also reflect divine frustration with empty observance.