Psalm 6/Notes/Lexical.v. 8.755332

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  • The verb has wasted away (עָשְׁשָׁה) occurs three times in the Bible, only in the Psalms and only in the qal stem.[1] It is a stative verb.[2] In each instance, the subject is either "my eye" (Pss 6:8; 31:10) or "my bones" (Ps 31:11). The precise meaning of the word is uncertain. HALOT gives the following options, “(a) to become dark, clouded is acceptable for Ps. 6:8 and 31:10, and (b) to be weak is not necessarily excluded; on the other hand (c) to decompose is only relevant for Ps. 31:11; in all instances (d) to swell up is possible and therefore to be preferred.”[3]
  1. ↑ Pss 6:8; 31:10, 11.
  2. ↑ Cf. the form עָשֵֽׁשׁוּ in Ps 31:11.
  3. ↑ In Ps 6:8, the first option is reflected in the Targum (חשׁך) and the Vulgate (caligavit), and the fourth option seems to have been taken by Symmachus (ἐφλεγμαίνω).