📖 Biblical Definition
Crying out is Scripture's category for urgent prayer — not the composed daily prayer but the shouted plea in crisis. Israel cried out to the LORD from Egypt and He heard them (Ex 2:23). The blood of Abel cried from the ground (Gen 4:10). Bartimaeus cried out by the Jericho road and Jesus stopped (Mark 10:47). The rich man in torment cried out to Abraham (Luke 16:24). The martyrs under the altar cry out, "How long?" (Rev 6:10). Crying out assumes a listening Ear; it is urgent prayer without polish.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
CRY, v.i.
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CRY, v.i. [Old Fr. crier.] (1.) To utter a loud voice; to call out in grief, pain, or supplication. (2.) To weep aloud. In Scripture, to cry out is to pray urgently — not the set prayer of liturgy but the shouted plea of the desperate: the Israelites in Egypt, the barren woman at the temple, the blind beggar by the roadside, the dying thief on the cross. God hears the cry of the oppressed; the blood of the righteous cries from the ground; the martyrs still cry from under the altar. The Christian's cry always assumes an ear that listens.
📖 Key Scripture
Exodus 2:23 — "The people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God."
Psalm 34:17 — "When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles."
Mark 10:47 — "And when He heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, He began to cry out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!""
Revelation 6:10 — "They cried out with a loud voice, "O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?""
⚠️ Modern Corruption
Modern Christians often regard loud prayer as embarrassing. Scripture assumes the desperate prayer is shouted, and the Father hears the volume.
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Western evangelical culture prizes composed prayer. Scripture honors the composed prayer too but makes abundant room for the cry — the loud, urgent, unpolished prayer of the desperate. Bartimaeus kept crying louder when the crowd tried to hush him. Hannah's lips moved in silent anguish but Eli accused her of drunkenness (1 Sam 1:13). The tax collector beat his breast and cried out (Luke 18:13). If the only prayers you know are polite, you have not yet been desperate enough. When the crisis comes, cry out loud. The Father is not embarrassed by the volume; He is moved by the trust.
🔗 Greek & Hebrew Roots
H2199 — zaaq — to cry out. G2896 — krazō.
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H2199 — zaaq (זָעַק) — to cry out, to call out for help urgently.
H7121 — qara (קָרָא) — to call, to cry, to read aloud.
G2896 — krazō (κράζω) — to cry out with a loud voice; Bartimaeus, the demoniacs, the crowd at the crucifixion.
G994 — boaō (βοάω) — to shout, to cry out; John the Baptist's "voice crying in the wilderness."
Usage
"Bartimaeus cried louder when the crowd tried to hush him. Make your prayer louder than whatever tries to silence you."
"The martyrs cry from under the altar: How long, O Lord? The cry of the righteous is always heard; often the answer takes time."