a.ni describes people burdened by need or oppression, and at times persons marked by suffering or lowliness.

The term most often identifies people vulnerable through poverty, deprivation, or oppression, especially where justice, wages, pledges, food, or protection are at issue. It also describes those personally suffering or brought low, including individuals who cry for help, seek refuge, or are addressed in distress.

1. People burdened by poverty or oppression · dominant

   The adjective identifies people whose need exposes them to exploitation or calls for concrete provision. In Deuteronomy 24:15 the APB renders the clause about a worker who depends on same-day wages as "because he is poor and counts on it"; in Isaiah 10:2 it renders rulers depriving such people of justice and rights. Leviticus 19:10 places the singular form among those for whom vineyard produce is left, while Ezekiel 22:29 describes their oppression alongside robbery and injustice.

   Deuteronomy 24:15Isaiah 10:2Leviticus 19:10Ezekiel 22:29Proverbs 31:9Psalm 72:4
2. Persons in personal affliction or lowliness · occasional

   The adjective can mark a person or group in a condition of distress rather than a legal or economic setting. In Job 29:12 the APB renders the one whom Job delivered as "the afflicted who cried for help"; in Psalm 109:22 the speaker says, "For I am afflicted and needy." Isaiah 66:2 pairs the singular form with being "crippled in spirit and trembling at my word," and Isaiah 51:21 addresses an afflicted woman who is "drunk but not with wine."

   Job 29:12Psalm 109:22Isaiah 66:2Isaiah 51:21Isaiah 41:172 Samuel 22:28

In the Anselm Project Bible: Across these verses the APB variously uses "poor," "afflicted," "humble," and "lowly," often beside "needy." These renderings confirm the broader situations in the clauses rather than establish separate lexical definitions.