H5848c H5848c
To grow faint, swoon, or become feeble — of physical exhaustion, emotional overwhelm, or spiritual despair.
A verb that gives voice to the experience of being overwhelmed to the point of collapse. The psalmists reach for it when the spirit fails — 'when my heart is faint, lead me to the rock' (Ps 61:2). It appears in Lamentations when nursing infants faint in the streets and in Genesis for the feeble sheep of Laban's flock. Spanish translations consistently use 'desmayar' (to faint) and 'desfallecer' (to grow weak), while French uses 'defaillir' — all pointing to the same bodily experience of strength draining away. The Hitpael reflexive stem, which dominates usage, intensifies the inward, personal quality of the fainting.
Senses
1. to feel faint, swoon (Hitpael) — Hitpael reflexive: to feel faint upon oneself, to swoon or be overwhelmed internally. This is the most frequent form, used of spiritual and emotional collapse — the soul growing faint along the way (Ps 107:5), the spirit overwhelmed within (Ps 142:3, 143:4), and children fainting in city squares (Lam 2:12). Spanish 'desfallecer' and 'desmayarse' consistently render the reflexive, inward quality of this fainting. 6×
AR["بِـ-اغْتِمَامِ","تَغشى","حِينَ-غُشِيَ-عَلَيَّ","عِنْدَ-إِغْمَائِهِمْ","وَاغْتَمَّتْ","وَتَغْشَى"]·ben["আচ্ছন্ন-হলে","এবং-আচ্ছন্ন-হল","এবং-ক্ষীণ-হয়","ক্ষীণ-হয়েছিল","মূর্ছা-যাওয়ার-সময়ে","যখন-অজ্ঞান-হয়-তারা"]·DE["[בהתעטף]","[בהתעטפם]","grew-faint","und-wächst-faint","wann-wächst-faint"]·EN["and-grows-faint","grew-faint","when-fainted","when-grows-faint","when-they-faint"]·FR["[בהתעטפם]","dans-défaillir","défaillir","et-défaillir"]·heb["ב-התעטף","ב-התעטפם","ו-תתעטף","תתעטף"]·HI["और-मूर्छित-होती-है","जब-मूर्छित-हुई","जब-मूर्छित-होती-है","बेहोश-होते-हुए","मूर्छित-हो-गई","वे-तित्अत्तेफ"]·ID["Ketika-pudar","dan-melemah","dan-menjadi-lesu","ketika-melemah","ketika-mereka-pingsan","lemah-lesu"]·IT["[בהתעטף]","[בהתעטפם]","e-si-indeboli'","si-indeboli'"]·jav["Lan-lesu","Nalika-lesu","lemes","nalika-lesah","nalika-piyambakipun-sami-lemes","saha-lesu"]·KO["그리고-기력-이-쇠하였나이다","기운-이-꺾일-때","기절함-에서-그들-의","소진되다","쇠약하였도다","에서-기절함"]·PT["Ao-desfalecer","E-desfaleceu","Quando-desfalece","ao-desmaiar-eles","desfalecia","e-desfalece"]·RU["Когда-изнемогала","и-изнемогает","изнемогала","изнемогая","когда-изнемогает"]·ES["Al-desmayarse","Cuando-desfallecía","Y-desfalleció","al-desmayar","desfallecía","y-desmaya"]·SW["inapozimia","na-ikazimia","na-itazimia","nafsi-yangu-ilipozirai","wanapozimia","zilidhoofika"]·TR["bayıldı","bayıldığında","bayılırken","sarfesirken-","ve-sarf-oldu","ve-zayıflıyor"]·urd["اور-بےبس-ہوئی","اور-نڈھال-ہے","بیهوش-ہوتی-تھی","بے-ہوش-ہوتے","جب-بیہوش-ہو-رہی-تھی","جب-بےبس-ہوتی-ہے"]
2. to faint, grow weak (Qal) — Qal intransitive: to grow faint, become weak. Used in psalm superscriptions (Ps 61:2, 102:1) for the state of the overwhelmed heart, and in Isaiah 57:16 where God restrains judgment lest 'the spirit would faint before me.' The basic stem presents fainting as a simple state rather than the intensified reflexive experience of the Hitpael. 3×
AR["عِندَما-يَغشى","يَخْفُتُ","يَضعُف"]·ben["অবসন্ন-হলে","মূর্ছিত-হবে","সে-দুর্বল"]·DE["[יעטוף]","er-ist-faint","wann-faints"]·EN["he-is-faint","when-faints","would-faint"]·FR["[יעטוף]","dans-défaillir","défaillir"]·heb["ב-עטוף","יעטוף"]·HI["कमज़ोर-होगी","जब-थका-जाता-है","वह-व्याकुल-हो"]·ID["akan-menjadi-lemah","ia-lemah","ketika-lemah"]·IT["[יעטוף]","si-indeboli'"]·jav["badhe-pepes","nalika-lésah","piyambakipun-lemes"]·KO["그-가-쇠약해지고","기절하리니","약해질-때-에"]·PT["desfalece","desfaleceria","quando-desmaiar"]·RU["-изнемогает","когда-изнемогает","ослабнет"]·ES["cuando-desmaye","desfallece","desfallecería"]·SW["anapozimia","ingeanguka","unapozimia"]·TR["baygın-olduğunda-","bayilur","zayıflayınca"]·urd["بَ-بیہوشی","بیهوش-ہو-جائے-گی","وہ-کمزور-ہوتا-ہے"]
3. the feeble ones (substantive) — Substantivized participle: 'the feeble ones,' used as a noun to classify a group by their weakness. In Genesis 30:42, Jacob separates the 'feeble' sheep from the 'strong' (qeshurim); in Lamentations 2:19, 'those fainting with hunger' become a named class of sufferers. Spanish 'las debiles' and 'los desfallecidos' show how the participle crystallizes into a label. 2×
AR["الضَّعِيفَةُ","الْمُغْشَى-عَلَيْهِمْ"]·ben["-দুর্বল","যারা-অজ্ঞান-হয়ে-পড়ছে"]·DE["[העטופים]","die-schwachen"]·EN["the-feeble","the-ones-fainting"]·FR["[העטופים]","le-feeble"]·heb["ה-עטופים","ה-עטפים"]·HI["कमज़ोर","जो-मूर्छित-हैं"]·ID["yang lemah-","yang-lemas"]·IT["[העטופים]","il-feeble"]·jav["ingkang-lemes"]·KO["그-약한-것들이","기절하는-자들-이라"]·PT["as-fracas","que-desmaiam"]·RU["изнемогающих","слабые"]·ES["las-débiles","los-desfallecidos"]·SW["dhaifu","wanaozimia"]·TR["-zayıflar","bayılanlar"]·urd["جو-بے-ہوش-ہوتے-ہیں","کمزور"]
4. to become feeble (Hifil) — Hifil causative-factitive: to become or be made feeble. Genesis 30:42 uses this in a temporal clause — 'when the flock showed feebleness' — to mark the onset of weakness as a condition that triggers Jacob's selective breeding strategy. The Hifil frames feebleness as an event with external observable onset. 1×
AR["وَحِينَ-تَضْعُفُ"]·ben["আর-দুর্বল-হওয়ার-সময়"]·DE["und-wenn-schwach-waren"]·EN["and-when-were-feeble"]·FR["et-quand-étaient-feeble"]·heb["ו-ב-העטיף"]·HI["और-कमज़ोर-होते"]·ID["dan-ketika lemah"]·IT["e-quando-furono-feeble"]·jav["Nanging-nalika-lemes"]·KO["그리고-약할-때에는"]·PT["E-quando-fracas"]·RU["И-при-слабости"]·ES["Y-al-debilitarse"]·SW["Na-wakati-dhaifu"]·TR["Ve-zayıf-olduğunda"]·urd["اور-کمزور-ہوتیں-جب"]
5. to be overcome with faintness (Nifal) — Nifal passive: to be overcome by faintness, to be seized by exhaustion. Lamentations 2:11 uses this for infants being overcome with faintness ('when the infant faints in the streets'). The passive framing presents the subject as acted upon by exhaustion rather than experiencing it reflexively, emphasizing helplessness. 1×
AR["عِنْدَ-إِغْمَاءِ"]·ben["যখন-অজ্ঞান-হয়"]·DE["[בעטף]"]·EN["when-faint"]·FR["[בעטף]"]·heb["ב-עטף"]·HI["मूर्छित-होने-में"]·ID["ketika-lemas"]·IT["[בעטף]"]·jav["nalika-lemes"]·KO["기절함-에서"]·PT["por-desmaiar"]·RU["когда-изнемогает"]·ES["al-desmayar"]·SW["wanapozimia"]·TR["bayılırken"]·urd["بے-ہوش-ہوتے"]
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
† III. [עָטַף] vb. be feeble, faint (BAES 27 cp. Arabic عَطِبَ perish, flag);— Qal Impf. 3 ms. יַעֲטֹף ψ 102:1, יַעֲטוֹף Is 57:16; Inf. cstr. עֲטֹף ψ 61:3; Pt. pass. (Ges§ 50 f) pl. עֲטֻפִים Gn 30:42, עֲטוּפִים La 2:19;—lit. be feeble Gn 30:42 (J; opp. קְשׁוּרִים); הָעֲטוּפִים בְּרָעָב La 2:19; fig. רוּחַ מִלְּפָנַי יַע׳ Is 57:16 the spirit would faint before me (י׳); בַּעֲטֹף לִבִּי ψ 61:3;…