H4531a H4531a
Despair or melting away, the collapse of hope experienced by innocent sufferers
This term denotes despair in its rawest form—the melting away or dissolution of hope. Job 9:23 uses it to describe God's response to the despair of the innocent when calamity strikes suddenly. The image is of complete collapse, when strength and hope dissolve. Some interpreters have suggested 'trial' as an alternative, but the context of Job's complaint about divine indifference to suffering favors the sense of desperation and failing hope.
Senses
1. sense 1 — The despair or collapse of hope experienced by innocent sufferers, described through melting or failing imagery. Job 9:23 speaks of God mocking 'at the despair of innocent ones' when sudden disaster strikes. This captures Job's protest about divine indifference to the suffering of the righteous. The Spanish 'prueba' (trial/test) represents an alternative interpretation, though despair fits Job's complaint. 1×
AR["لِمِحْنَةِ"]·ben["-পরীক্ষায়-"]·DE["[למסת]"]·EN["at-despair-of"]·FR["à-למסת"]·heb["ל-מסת"]·HI["परीक्षा-पर"]·ID["atas-keputusasaan"]·IT["per-at-despair-of"]·jav["dhumateng-pacoban"]·KO["시련-에"]·PT["de-provação-de"]·RU["над-испытанием"]·ES["de-la-prueba-de"]·SW["majaribu-ya"]·TR["sınavına"]·urd["آزمائش-پر"]
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)H3541 1. thus, so, in this manner (569×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† I. [מַסָּה] n.f. despair (lit. melting, failing);—only לְמַסַּת נְקִיִּים יִלִעָ֑ג Jb 9:23 at the despair of innocent ones he mocketh; so 𝔗 Ew Di Bu Du > Ges Hi al. trial (by calamity), √ נסה.