H1669 H1669
to languish, become faint—growing weak from grief, weariness, or deprivation
This verb describes the state of languishing or growing faint, whether physically or emotionally. Psalm 88:9 uses it of eyes growing dim from affliction. Jeremiah 31:12 promises that redeemed Israel will 'no more languish,' and 31:25 speaks of satisfying the languishing soul (though some read this as an adjective). The verb appears in contexts of distress, hunger, and sorrow. It may relate to Arabic roots for weariness and toil. The word captures the experience of vital strength draining away under the weight of suffering.
Senses
1. sense 1 — To languish, become faint, or grow dim from affliction, hunger, or sorrow. Psalm 88:9 describes the eye growing dim (da'abah) from affliction. Jeremiah 31:12 promises they shall 'not languish anymore' (lo yosifu leda'abah, literally 'not add to languish'). Jeremiah 31:25 uses 'languishing soul' (nefesh da'abah), though scholars debate whether this is verbal or adjectival. Cross-linguistic glosses: English 'grows dim/languishing/to languish,' Spanish 'desfalleciendo/afligida/languideció,' French uses brackets, German 'wächst dim.' The contexts show physical and emotional depletion—eyes failing, souls fainting, life ebbing—with the promise of restoration. 3×
AR["حَزِينَةٍ", "ذَبُلَتْ", "لِلْحُزْنِ"]·ben["দুঃখ-করতে", "দুঃখিত-সেই", "দুর্বল-হয়েছে"]·DE["[דאבה]", "[לדאבה]", "wächst-dim"]·EN["grows-dim", "languishing", "to-languish"]·FR["[דאבה]", "[לדאבה]", "s'affliger"]·heb["דאבה", "ל-דאבה"]·HI["उदास", "को-शोक", "धुंधली-हो-गई"]·ID["merana", "untuk-merana", "yang-merana"]·IT["[דאבה]", "[לדאבה]"]·jav["kangge-sedhih", "ringkih", "sedhih"]·KO["쇠하였나이다", "슬퍼하기-위해", "슬퍼하는"]·PT["a-entristecer-se", "aflita", "desfalece"]·RU["изнемог", "скорбящую", "тосковать"]·ES["afligida", "desfalleciendo", "languideció"]·SW["kuhuzunika", "limedhoofika", "yenye-huzuni"]·TR["elem-çekmeye", "kederlinin", "zayıfladı"]·urd["غم", "غمزدہ", "مرجھا-گئی"]
Related Senses
H7200 1. Qal: to see, perceive (1257×)G4771 2. you (singular address) (1077×)H8085 1. Qal: hear, perceive aurally (921×)H0859a 1. you (2nd person masculine singular pronoun) (743×)H0398 1. eat (consume food) (697×)H4191 1. die (Qal: natural/general death) (645×)G3708 1. see, perceive visually (419×)G0191 1. hear, perceive sound (360×)H???? 3. (352×)G3708 2. behold, look (exclamatory) (256×)H7272 1. foot (body part) (236×)H8354 1. drink, consume liquid (209×)H3205 1. Qal active: bear/give birth (female subject) (204×)H3205 2. Qal active: beget/father (male subject) (198×)H2421 1. Qal: live, be alive (177×)H8085 2. Qal: listen, heed, pay attention (172×)H2416a 1. alive, living (state/attribute) (146×)H2416e 1. life, lifespan, lifetime (145×)G2198 1. be alive, have life (133×)H8193 1. lip, lips (body part) (123×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† [דָּאֵב] vb. become faint, languish (NH id. Hiph.; cf. Arabic دَأَبَ toil, weary oneself; v. also דְּאָבָה, דְּאָבוֹן & cf. דוב)— Qal Pf. 3 fs. דָּֽאֲבָה ψ 88:10 (subj. עַיִן); Inf. לְדַאֲבָה Je 31:12 לֹא יוֹסִיפוּ לְד׳ (subj. ransomed Israel);—Je 31:25 has נֶפֶשׁ דָּֽאֲבָה, of hunger (‖ נֶפֶשׁ עֲיֵפָ֑ה), where adj. or pt. seems needed; Hi Gf דְּאֵבָה or דֹּאֲבָה (the punctuators had, according to them, the Aramaic participle in mind); Thes makes relative clause.