H6375 H6375
Tottering, shaking; the trembling of knees in terror or weakness
This vivid term appears in Nahum 2:10 (or 2:11 in some versifications) in a prophecy of Nineveh's fall. The phrase 'tottering of knees' captures the physical manifestation of terror—legs that can no longer hold steady. It's part of a cascade of images: melting hearts, knocking knees, anguish in every body, faces drained of color. The word conveys that involuntary shaking when fear grips the body so thoroughly that even basic functions like standing become difficult. Nineveh's warriors, once terrifying, would themselves become paralyzed with dread.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Describes the trembling or tottering of knees in Nahum 2:10, part of the prophet's vivid depiction of terror overtaking Nineveh's inhabitants during the city's fall. The term captures involuntary shaking—knees that fail to support the body when extreme fear seizes a person. Used alongside images of melting hearts and pale faces, it portrays the complete physical breakdown that accompanies overwhelming dread, reducing mighty warriors to trembling invalids. 1×
AR["وَارْتِعَاشٌ"]·ben["এবং-কাঁপাকাঁপি"]·DE["[ופק]"]·EN["and-tottering-of"]·FR["et-trébucher"]·heb["ו-פיק"]·HI["और-काँपना"]·ID["dan-goyah"]·IT["[ופק]"]·jav["lan-gemeter"]·KO["그리고-훤리도다"]·PT["e-tremor"]·RU["и-дрожание"]·ES["y-temblor-de"]·SW["na-kutetemeka-kwa"]·TR["ve-titreşim"]·urd["اور-لرزش"]
Related Senses
G2309 1. want, desire (166×)G0025 1. to love actively (133×)H0157 1. love (verb, active Qal) (129×)H8055 1. Qal: rejoice, be glad (123×)H7453 1. neighbor, fellow man (120×)G0026 1. of love (115×)H1058 1. Qal: to weep, cry (112×)H0954 1. to be ashamed, feel shame (Qal) (95×)H8057 1. joy, gladness, delight (90×)H2781 1. disgrace, shame, dishonor (68×)G2307 1. will, desire, purpose (63×)G5463 1. rejoice, be glad (63×)G0027 1. beloved (61×)H8130 1. Qal: to hate, detest (60×)G5479 1. (59×)G1680 1. (53×)H8130 2. Qal ptcp: hater, enemy (53×)H0014 1. be willing, want (51×)H0157 2. lover, friend (Qal participle substantive) (51×)H1945 1. woe (50×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† פִּיק, פִּק n.[m.] id. lit.;—פִּק בִּרְכַּיִם Na 2:11 tottering of knees (so Baer Gi; פִּיק van d. H).