עֲנָנָה (a.na.nah)
a.na.nah
cloud
H:N-FQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-F
Word Overview
The noun ananah refers to a cloud or something cloudy in appearance. It appears only once in the Hebrew Bible, in Job 3:5.
In this context, Job curses the day of his birth, wishing that it would be covered by darkness and ananah. The word evokes a thick, obscuring veil that blocks out light and hope, mirroring Job’s own despair.
While the more common Hebrew word for cloud is ‘anan, ananah carries a sense of density or gloom. Its single occurrence underscores the intensity of Job’s lament, using the image of a heavy cloud to symbolize the darkness he wishes upon his birth day.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word ananah appears only once in Scripture, tucked into Job’s raw lament in chapter three. It describes a thick, heavy cloud that blocks out light and hope. When Job wishes this darkness over his birth day, he is expressing the overwhelming weight of grief that can make even the brightest moments feel obscured.
Yet this image does not stand alone in isolation. Throughout the biblical narrative, clouds often serve as vehicles for God’s presence rather than mere symbols of despair. In Exodus, a cloud guides Israel; on Mount Sinai, it signifies glory. The same imagery that feels like a barrier to Job can also represent a shelter where we meet the Divine.
When you feel covered by your own ananah—when sorrow seems too dense to pierce—remember that God is not confined by the light you cannot see. He meets us in the shadows as faithfully as in the sunshine, offering a presence that sustains even when understanding fades.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- cloud1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- עֲנָנָ֑ה1×
Key Verses
-
Job 3:5
Let darkness and the shadow of death claim it for their own. Let a cloud dwell on it. Let all that makes the day black terrify it.
This is the sole occurrence of ananah, where Job uses the image of a dwelling cloud to express his desire for his birth day to be shrouded in total darkness.