Definition
verb
properly, to eye or (generally) to heed, i.e. pay attention; by implication, to respond; by extension to begin to speak; specifically to sing, shout, testify, announce
- to answer, respond, testify, speak, shout
- (Qal)
- to answer, respond to
- to testify, respond as a witness
- (Niphal)
- to make answer
- to be answered, receive answer
- (Qal) to sing, utter tunefully
- (Qal) to dwell
“To answer” is also used of beginning to speak where no question has been asked: “And Job spake, and said” (Job 3:2); “Jacob answered and said to Laban” (Gen 31:36).
Usually translated as
answer, hear, testify, speak, sing, witness, cry, give account, bring low, scholar, shout, utter, afflict, Leannoth, lift up, say
Occurrences
ʻânâh occurs 326 times in 314 verses of the King James.
Distribution of the word across the Bible: Genesis (18), Exodus (8), Numbers (7), Deuteronomy (12), Joshua (5), Judges (6), Ruth (3), 1 Samuel (37), 2 Samuel (11), 1 Kings (16), 2 Kings (9), 1 Chronicles (3), 2 Chronicles (3), Ezra (3), Nehemiah (1), Esther (2), Job (58), Psalms (38), Proverbs (7), Ecclesiastes (2), Song of Songs (1), Isaiah (17), Jeremiah (13), Ezekiel (2), Hosea (6), Joel (1), Amos (1), Jonah (1), Micah (3), Habakkuk (2), Haggai (3), Zechariah (14), Malachi (1)
- Genesis 18:27 — And Abraham answered (וַיַּ֥עַן) and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes:
- Genesis 23:5 — And the children of Heth answered (וַיַּעֲנ֧וּ) Abraham, saying unto him,
- Genesis 23:10 — And Ephron dwelt among the children of Heth: and Ephron the Hittite answered (וַיַּעַן֩) Abraham in the audience of the children of Heth, even of all that went in at the gate of his city, saying,
- Genesis 23:14 — And Ephron answered (וַיַּ֧עַן) Abraham, saying unto him,
- Genesis 24:50 — Then Laban and Bethuel answered (וַיַּ֨עַן) and said, The thing proceedeth from the LORD: we cannot speak unto thee bad or good.
- Genesis 27:37 — And Isaac answered (וַיַּ֨עַן) and said unto Esau, Behold, I have made him thy lord, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants; and with corn and wine have I sustained him: and what shall I do now unto thee, my son?
- Genesis 27:39 — And Isaac his father answered (וַיַּ֛עַן) and said unto him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above;
- Genesis 30:33 — So shall my righteousness answer (וְעָֽנְתָה) for me in time to come, when it shall come for my hire before thy face: every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown among the sheep, that shall be counted stolen with me.
- Genesis 31:14 — And Rachel and Leah answered (וַתַּ֤עַן) and said unto him, Is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father’s house?
- Genesis 31:31 — And Jacob answered (וַיַּ֥עַן) and said to Laban, Because I was afraid: for I said, Peradventure thou wouldest take by force thy daughters from me.
- Genesis 31:36 — And Jacob was wroth, and chode with Laban: and Jacob answered (וַיַּ֤עַן) and said to Laban, What is my trespass? what is my sin, that thou hast so hotly pursued after me?
- Genesis 31:43 — And Laban answered (וַיַּ֨עַן) and said unto Jacob, These daughters are my daughters, and these children are my children, and these cattle are my cattle, and all that thou seest is mine: and what can I do this day unto these my daughters, or unto their children which they have born?
- Genesis 34:13 — And the sons of Jacob answered (וַיַּעֲנ֨וּ) Shechem and Hamor his father deceitfully, and said, because he had defiled Dinah their sister:
- Genesis 35:3 — And let us arise, and go up to Beth-el; and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered (הָעֹנֶ֤ה) me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went.
- Genesis 40:18 — And Joseph answered (וַיַּ֤עַן) and said, This is the interpretation thereof: The three baskets are three days:
- Genesis 41:16 — And Joseph answered (וַיַּ֨עַן) Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace.
- Genesis 41:16 — And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer (יַעֲנֶ֖ה) of peace.
- Genesis 42:22 — And Reuben answered (וַיַּעַן֩) them, saying, Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? therefore, behold, also his blood is required.
- Genesis 45:3 — And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph; doth my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer (לַעֲנ֣וֹת) him; for they were troubled at his presence.
- Exodus 4:1 — And Moses answered (וַיַּ֤עַן) and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee.
- Exodus 15:21 — And Miriam answered (וַתַּ֥עַן) them, Sing ye to the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.
- Exodus 19:8 — And all the people answered (וַיַּעֲנ֨וּ) together, and said, All that the LORD hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the LORD.
- Exodus 19:19 — And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered (יַעֲנֶ֥נּוּ) him by a voice.
- Exodus 20:16 — Thou shalt not bear (תַעֲנֶ֥ה) false witness against thy neighbour.
- Exodus 23:2 — Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak (תַעֲנֶ֣ה) in a cause to decline after many to wrest judgment:
- Exodus 24:3 — And Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD, and all the judgments: and all the people answered (וַיַּ֨עַן) with one voice, and said, All the words which the LORD hath said will we do.
- Exodus 32:18 — And he said, It is not the voice of them that shout (עֲנ֣וֹת) for mastery, neither is it the voice of them that cry for being overcome: but the noise of them that sing do I hear.
- Exodus 32:18 — And he said, It is not the voice of them that shout for mastery, neither is it the voice of them that cry (עֲנ֣וֹת) for being overcome: but the noise of them that sing do I hear.
- Numbers 11:28 — And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his young men, answered (וַיַּ֜עַן) and said, My lord Moses, forbid them.
- Numbers 21:17 — Then Israel sang this song, Spring up, O well; sing (עֱנוּ) ye unto it:
- Numbers 22:18 — And Balaam answered (וַיַּ֣עַן) and said unto the servants of Balak, If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the LORD my God, to do less or more.
- Numbers 23:12 — And he answered (וַיַּ֖עַן) and said, Must I not take heed to speak that which the LORD hath put in my mouth?
- Numbers 23:26 — But Balaam answered (וַיַּ֣עַן) and said unto Balak, Told not I thee, saying, All that the LORD speaketh, that I must do?
- Numbers 32:31 — And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben answered (וַיַּֽעֲנ֧וּ), saying, As the LORD hath said unto thy servants, so will we do.
- Numbers 35:30 — Whoso killeth any person, the murderer shall be put to death by the mouth of witnesses: but one witness shall not testify (יַעֲנֶ֥ה) against any person to cause him to die.
- Deuteronomy 1:14 — And ye answered (וַֽתַּעֲנ֖וּ) me, and said, The thing which thou hast spoken is good for us to do.
- Deuteronomy 1:41 — Then ye answered (וַֽתַּעֲנ֣וּ) and said unto me, We have sinned against the LORD, we will go up and fight, according to all that the LORD our God commanded us. And when ye had girded on every man his weapons of war, ye were ready to go up into the hill.
- Deuteronomy 5:20 — Neither shalt thou bear (תַעֲנֶ֥ה) false witness against thy neighbour.
- Deuteronomy 19:16 — If a false witness rise up against any man to testify (לַעֲנ֥וֹת) against him that which is wrong;
- Deuteronomy 19:18 — And the judges shall make diligent inquisition: and, behold, if the witness be a false witness, and hath testified (עָנָ֥ה) falsely against his brother;
- Deuteronomy 20:11 — And it shall be, if it make thee answer (תַּֽעַנְךָ֔) of peace, and open unto thee, then it shall be, that all the people that is found therein shall be tributaries unto thee, and they shall serve thee.
- Deuteronomy 21:7 — And they shall answer (וְעָנ֖וּ) and say, Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it.
- Deuteronomy 25:9 — Then shall his brother’s wife come unto him in the presence of the elders, and loose his shoe from off his foot, and spit in his face, and shall answer (וְעָֽנְתָה֙) and say, So shall it be done unto that man that will not build up his brother’s house.
- Deuteronomy 26:5 — And thou shalt speak (וְעָנִ֨יתָ) and say before the LORD thy God, A Syrian ready to perish was my father, and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there with a few, and became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous:
- Deuteronomy 27:14 — And the Levites shall speak (וְעָנ֣וּ), and say unto all the men of Israel with a loud voice,
- Deuteronomy 27:15 — Cursed be the man that maketh any graven or molten image, an abomination unto the LORD, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and putteth it in a secret place. And all the people shall answer (וְעָנ֧וּ) and say, Amen.
- Deuteronomy 31:21 — And it shall come to pass, when many evils and troubles are befallen them, that this song shall testify (וְ֠עָנְתָה) against them as a witness; for it shall not be forgotten out of the mouths of their seed: for I know their imagination which they go about, even now, before I have brought them into the land which I sware.
- Joshua 1:16 — And they answered (וַֽיַּעֲנ֔וּ) Joshua, saying, All that thou commandest us we will do, and whithersoever thou sendest us, we will go.
- Joshua 7:20 — And Achan answered (וַיַּ֧עַן) Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done:
- Joshua 9:24 — And they answered (וַיַּעֲנ֨וּ) Joshua, and said, Because it was certainly told thy servants, how that the LORD thy God commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you, therefore we were sore afraid of our lives because of you, and have done this thing.