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הֶגֶה

𐤄𐤂𐤄

hegeh

H1899 noun

SILEX Entry

Root הגה to mutter, to groan, to meditate, to utter indistinctly

Definition

A low, indistinct sound; typically a murmur, sigh, or barely audible utterance. In biblical contexts, הֶגֶה denotes sound produced by the mouth that is not loud or articulate speech, and can refer to mumbling, sighing, subdued utterance, or indistinct noise—sometimes used of human expressions of grief, absorbed thought, or quiet recitation.

Semantic Range

murmur, moan, sigh, muttered sound, indistinct utterance, subdued speech, low sound in grief or incantation, tale (in the sense of a low report)

Root / Etymology

Derived from the root הגה, which at the root level means 'to murmur, mutter, meditate.' The word הֶגֶה is a nominal form, describing the product or act of subdued vocalization. Although related to the root's typical meaning of 'to speak in an undertone,' in context it denotes audible but inarticulate sound.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, הֶגֶה appears twice (Isaiah 8:19, Isaiah 38:14), illustrating different shades of the term's meaning: in Isaiah 8:19, it refers to the faint muttering of mediums and necromancers; in Isaiah 38:14, it denotes the low, mournful sound made by Hezekiah, likened to the twittering of a dove—expressing grief or deep emotion, not coherent speech. While related to the practice of quiet recitation or meditation in other forms (see also הָגָה as verb), הֶגֶה as a noun is more closely tied to the audible, physical aspect of low utterance, rather than internal or mental meditation. English translations tend to use terms like “mutter,” “moan,” or “sound” but often flatten the nuance: it can convey anything from distracted murmuring, through expressions of pain or distress, to ritualistic or magical incantation. No significant semantic shift is attested across historical periods; its meaning remains consistent but contextually dependent.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from הָגָה; a muttering (in sighing, thought, or as thunder); mourning, sound, tale.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

הגה (h-g-h) — to mutter, to groan, to meditate, to utter indistinctly

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1897 הָגָה I murmur
H1898 הָגָה he murmured
H1900 הָגוּת and meditation-of
H1901 הָגִיג in my murmuring meditation
H1902 הִגָּיוֹן murmuring meditation

Word Forms

3 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H1899-03 וְ֝/הֶ֗גֶה vehegeh HC/Ncmsa and the rumbling and a subdued murmur 1
H1899-01 הֶֽגֶה hegeh HNcmsa a sigh a subdued murmur 1
H1899-02 וָ/הֶ֖גֶה vahegeh HC/Ncmsa and-mourning and a low murmur 1

Occurrences in Scripture

3 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H1899-02 Ezekiel 2:10 וָ/הֶ֖גֶה vahegeh HC/Ncmsa and-mourning and a low murmur
H1899-01 Psalms 90:9 הֶֽגֶה hegeh HNcmsa a sigh a subdued murmur
H1899-03 Job 37:2 וְ֝/הֶ֗גֶה vehegeh HC/Ncmsa and the rumbling and a subdued murmur
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