The Heart Grieves [Part 2]--XIX

There are FIVE words which describe the effect of grief on the heart.

1. The Hebrew noun yagon, "pain, grief," occurs once with the Hebrew noun lebhabh, "heart."
    The poet of Psalm13:2 [Heb. 13:3] says:
    "How long must I bear pain in my soul,
           AND HAVE SORROW IN MY HEART ALL DAY LONG?
      How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?"

2. The Hebrew verb chul, "to be in severe pain or in anguish" appears twice with heart.
     The composer of Psalm 55:4 [Heb. 55:5] says:
      "MY HEART IS IN ANGUISH WITHIN ME,
             the terrors of death have fallen upon me."
      Jeremiah 4:19 says:
      "MY ANGUISH, MY ANGUISH! I WRITHE IN PAIN!
              OH, THE WALLS OF MY HEART!
        MY HEART IS BEATING WILDLY;
              I cannot keep silent;
        for I heart the sound of the trumpet,
               the alarm of war."

3. The Hebrew verb ka'abh, "to be in pain," appears once with heart.
     Proverbs 14:13 says:
     "EVEN IN LAUGHTER THE HEART IS SAD,
              and the end of joy is grief."

4. The Hebrew noun ke'ebh, "pain," occurs once with the heart.
     Isaiah 65:14 says:
     "My [Yahweh's] servants shall sing for gladness of heart,
              BUT YOU [YAHWEH'S ENEMIES] SHALL CRY OUR FOR PAIN OF HEART,
              and shall wail for anguish of spirit."

5. The Hebrew noun `atsebheth, "hurt, injury, pain" occurs once with heart.
     Proverbs 15:13 says:
     "A glad heart makes a cheerful countenance,
             BUT BY SORROW OF HEART THE SPIRIT IS BROKEN."

The feeling of fainting is associated with sorrow in constructions in the Hebrew Bible connected with the heart. Three Hebrew words convey this idea.

1. The Hebrew verb chalah, "to be sick, faint away," appears once in the Hebrew Bible.
     Proverbs 13:12 says:
     "HOPE DEFERRED MAKES THE HEART SICK,
             but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life."

2. The Hebrew adjective dawway occurs three times with heart.
     Jeremiah 8:18 says:
     "My joy is gone, grief is upon me,
             MY HEART IS SICK."
     Lamentation 1:22 contains this imprecation against the enemies of God:
     "Let all their evil doing come before you;
             and deal with them
       as you have dealt with me
             because of all my transgressions;
       for my groans are many
             AND MY HEART IS FAINT."
     Addressing the sinful people of Judah, Isaiah says in Isaiah 1:5:
     "Why do you seek further beatings?
             Why do you continue to rebel?
        The whole head is sick
              AND THE WHOLE HEART FAINT."

3. The Hebrew noun daweh, "faint, unwell," appears once with heart.
     Referring to the fall of Judah and Jerusalem, Lamentations 5:17 says:
     "BECAUSE OF THIS OUR HEARTS ARE SICK,
              because of these things our eyes have grown dim."

[To be continued]

Share YOUR experiences and losses and reversals and anxieties and grieves with others. Let me hear from YOU.

John Willis