H0535 H0535
To languish, wither, grow feeble; of land, vegetation, or people losing vitality and strength under divine judgment or hardship.
This verb paints a vivid picture of life draining away — fields withering, vines fading, the earth itself growing feeble. Nearly all its biblical occurrences are in the Pual (intensive passive) stem, underscoring that the subject suffers the process rather than causing it. Isaiah uses it powerfully: 'The earth mourns and languishes, the world languishes and withers' (Isa 24:4), where the parallelism with 'mourn' (אָבַל) and 'wither' (נָבֵל) creates a portrait of cosmic grief. Spanish captures this well with both 'desfallecer' (to faint) and 'marchitar' (to wilt), revealing the dual human-botanical imagery the Hebrew carries.
Senses
1. languish, wither, fade — To languish, wither, or fade away — describing a process of losing vitality, fertility, or strength. Used predominantly in the Pual stem for land, crops, and personified nature under judgment: 'the fields of Heshbon languish' (Isa 16:8), the vine 'languishes' (Isa 24:7), and even Hannah's rivals 'languish' while she is blessed (1 Sam 2:5). Spanish distinguishes 'desfallecer' (human fading) from 'marchitar' (botanical wilting), reflecting the word's broad application across animate and inanimate subjects. Joel 1:10 and Hosea 4:3 pair it with mourning, suggesting languishing as grief made visible. 15×
AR["ذَبُلَ","ذَبُلَتِ","ذَبُلَتِ-","ذَبُلَتْ","ضَعُفَا","ضَعُفَتْ","ضَعُفُوا","وَيَضمَحِلُّ","يَذْبُلُونَ"]·ben["এবং-দুর্বল-হবে","দুর্বল","দুর্বল-হয়ে-গেছে","দুর্বল-হয়েছে","দুর্বল-হয়েছে-","দুর্বল-হল","শুকিয়ে-গেছে","শুকিয়ে-গেল"]·DE["languishes","schwach-sein","und-welkt","welkt"]·EN["She-languished","and-languishes","languish","languishes","languishing","they-languish","will-languish"]·FR["et-languir","languir","languishes"]·heb["אומלל","אומללה","אומללו","ו-אומלל"]·HI["और-मुरझाएगा","कमजोर-हो-गई","कमजोर-हो-गई-","कमजोर-हो-गए","कमजोर-होती-है","दुर्बल-हो-गईं","मुरझा-गई","मुरझा-गए","मुरझा-गया","मुरझा-जाएंगे","मुरझाई","मुरझाया"]·ID["dan-merana","layu","layu,","layu-","merana","merana."]·IT["e-languisce","languire","languisce","languishes"]·jav["Lesah","lan-lesu","layu","layu-","lemes","lesah","mlempem","ngalumpruk","ngenes","sami-lemes"]·KO["그것들-이-신음했네","그리고-쇠약해진다","쇠약해졌으니","쇠약해졌으니-","시들다","시들도다","시들리라","시들었다","시들었도다","시들었으며","신음하였다"]·PT["Languesceu","definha","definha-","definham","definham,","desfaleceram","e-definhará","enfraqueceu","murcha","murcharam","murcharão","murchou"]·RU["завяла","завяло","и-увядает","ослабела","ослабели","ослабеют","поникли","увядает","увядает-","увял","увяла","увяли","чахнет","чахнут"]·ES["Desfalleció","Marchitado","desfallecieron","languidecen","languidecieron","languideció","marchitada","se-debilitó","y-languidecerá"]·SW["Amedhoofika","amedhoofika","imedhoofika","inadhoofika","inadhoofu","na-atadhoofika","umedhoofika","wanadhoofika","watalegea","yamedhoofika","yanadhoofika","yanakauka","zimelegea"]·TR["bütün-","perisan-oldu","perisan-oldular","solacaklar","soldu","soldu-","söndü","zayıfladılar"]·urd["اور-کمزور-ہوگا","بے-حال-ہوں-گے","مرجھا-گئی","مرجھا-گئے","مرجھا-گیا","مرجھائی","مُرجھا-گیا","کمزور-ہو-گئی","کمزور-ہو-گئے","کمزور-ہوئی","کمزور-ہوئیں","کمزور-ہوئے","کمزور-ہے"]
2. be weak, feeble — To be in a state of weakness or feebleness, describing a settled condition rather than a progressive process. This appears in the Qal passive participle in Ezekiel 16:30: 'How weak is your heart!' — an exclamation about Jerusalem's enfeebled moral state. The shift from Pual (process) to Qal passive (state) is significant: where sense 1 depicts withering in motion, this sense captures the endpoint of debility. Spanish 'debilitada' (debilitated) precisely targets this static quality. 1×
AR["أَضْعَفَ"]·ben["দুর্বল"]·DE["[אמלה]"]·EN["weak"]·FR["languir"]·heb["אמולה"]·HI["कमज़ोर"]·ID["lemahnya"]·IT["languire"]·jav["lemes"]·KO["약하도다"]·PT["fraco"]·RU["изнемогает"]·ES["debilitada"]·SW["ulivyokuwa-dhaifu"]·TR["hasta"]·urd["کمزور-ہے"]
Related Senses
H5921a 1. upon, on, over (spatial) (5443×)H0413 1. directional: to, toward (5366×)H1121a 1. son, male offspring, descendant (4914×)H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)H4428 1. king, human ruler (2518×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)H6440 1. before, in front of (spatial) (1870×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H3027 1. physical hand (body part) (1596×)H7200 1. Qal: to see, perceive (1257×)H1697 1. word, speech, utterance (1235×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G4771 2. you (singular address) (1077×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)H8085 1. Qal: hear, perceive aurally (921×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† [אָמַל] vb. be weak, languish (cf. Arabic أَمَلَ hope, expect). Qal Pt. pass. f. מָה אֲמֻלָה לִבָּתֵךְ how weak is thy heart! Ez 16:30 (but מַה־לִּי וְלִבְרִיתֵךְ); Puʿl. Pf. אֻמְלַל Jo 1:10 +; אֻמְלְלָה Is 33:9 +; אֻמְלְלוּ Je 14:2 etc.;—be or grow feeble, languish; of loss of fertility (woman) 1 S 2:5 Je 15:9; of fisherman whose trade fails Is 19:8 (‖ אנה, אבל); in genl. in inhab. of smitten…