'Sighing' in the Bible

Now it happened after a long time [about forty years] that the king of Egypt died. And the children of Israel (Jacob) groaned and sighed because of the bondage, and they cried out. And their cry for help because of their bondage ascended to God.

So God heard their groaning and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel).

“For my groaning comes at the sight of my food,And my cries [of despair] are poured out like water.

Listen to my words, O Lord,Consider my groaning and sighing.

For my life is spent with sorrowAnd my years with sighing;My strength has failed because of my iniquity,And even my body has wasted away.

Lord, all my desire is before You;And my sighing is not hidden from You.

Let the groaning and sighing of the prisoner come before You;According to the greatness of Your power keep safe those who are doomed to die.

To hear the sighing of the prisoner,To set free those who were doomed to death,

A harsh vision has been shown to me;The treacherous one deals treacherously, and the destroyer destroys.Go up, Elam! Lay siege, Media!All the groaning [caused by Babylon’s ruthless oppressions] I [the Lord] have brought to an end.

And the ransomed of the Lord will returnAnd come to Zion with shouts of jubilation,And everlasting joy will be upon their heads;They will find joy and gladness,And sorrow and sighing will flee away.

So the redeemed of the Lord will returnAnd come with joyful shouting to Zion;Everlasting joy will be on their heads.They will obtain gladness and joy,And sorrow and sighing will flee away.

‘You said, “Woe is me! For the Lord has added sorrow to my pain; I am weary with my groaning and sighing and I find no rest.”’

“Therefore I will wail over Moab,And I will cry out for all Moab.I will sigh and mourn over the men of Kir-heres (Kir-hareseth).