This adjective describes a crushed or broken condition, used exclusively in Proverbs for a 'broken spirit' or 'crushed spirit.' The term appears in wisdom sayings contrasting the effects of joy and sorrow on the inner person. A joyful heart makes the face cheerful, but 'a crushed spirit dries up the bones.' A cheerful heart is good medicine, but 'a crushed spirit dries up the bones.' Proverbs asks, 'a crushed spirit who can bear?'—recognizing the unbearable weight of inner devastation. The imagery is of being beaten down, shattered internally.