Hebrew word · Strong's H6817

צָעַק

tsâʻaq · tsaw-ak' · verb · “to cry out, call”

In a sentence

Tsaaq means to cry out — usually in distress for help. Israel’s exodus story begins with a great cry; the Psalms are full of such cries; God hears them.

Tsaaq is the desperate cry of those in trouble — slaves in Egypt, an injured Abel’s blood, a widow at her gate, a psalmist in the night.

The Old Testament repeatedly insists that this kind of cry reaches God. He “heard our cry” at the Red Sea; he hears every cry of the oppressed today. Honest cries are real prayer.

Strong's reference

Definition: to shriek; (by implication) to proclaim (an assembly)

KJV usage: [idiom] at all, call together, cry (out), gather (selves) (together).

Reference gloss from Strong's Concordance (1890, public domain).

Key verses BSB · Public Domain (CC0)

Exodus 3:7 “The LORD said, “I have indeed seen the affliction of My people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their oppressors, and I am aware of their sufferings.” Psalms 34:17 “The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears; He delivers them from all their troubles.” Psalms 107:6 “Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and He delivered them from their distress.”

Original BibleDawn word study. Original-language data and the public-domain Strong's (1890) gloss are referenced; see sources.