שֶׁוַע

# Ševaʿ (H7773): A Cry of Distress The Hebrew word *ševaʿ* denotes the act of crying out, specifically an audible vocalization of distress or appeal. Based on the lexical data provided, this term carries the fundamental sense of vocal expression rather than silent emotion—it represents an outward, audible cry that communicates urgency or need to others. With only a single biblical occurrence, *ševaʿ* appears as a relatively rare term in the Hebrew scriptures. This limited attestation makes it difficult to establish a broad range of usage or contextual variation from the data alone. The word evidently belongs to a semantic field of expressions related to vocal distress or calling out, though without additional occurrences, we cannot determine whether it carried specific connotations or whether it was used in particular literary genres or situations. The rarity of *ševaʿ* in the biblical corpus suggests it may have been either a specialized or archaic term, or one that existed alongside more common synonyms for crying or calling out. Its presence in scripture indicates that Hebrew speakers recognized distinctions among various types of vocal expression, though the precise nuance that distinguished *ševaʿ* from other "cry" words remains beyond what the available data reveals.