Topical Encyclopedia
Pining sickness, as referenced in biblical literature, is a condition characterized by a gradual wasting away or languishing of the body and spirit. This term is often associated with deep sorrow, longing, or unfulfilled desire that leads to physical and emotional decline. The concept of pining sickness is not explicitly named in the Bible, but it is inferred through various passages that describe similar states of affliction.
Biblical References and ContextThe idea of pining sickness can be linked to several passages in the Bible where individuals experience profound grief or longing that affects their physical well-being. One such example is found in
Proverbs 13:12 : "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but desire fulfilled is a tree of life." This verse highlights the impact of unfulfilled hope on the heart, suggesting a form of emotional and spiritual sickness that can manifest physically.
In the Old Testament, the Israelites' experiences in exile and their longing for their homeland can be seen as a form of pining sickness. Their deep yearning for restoration and return to Jerusalem is expressed in passages like
Psalm 137:1-4 , where the exiles lament by the rivers of Babylon, unable to sing the songs of Zion in a foreign land. This profound sense of loss and longing can lead to a state of spiritual and emotional decline.
Ezekiel 24:23 also provides insight into the concept of pining sickness: "Your turbans will be on your heads and your sandals on your feet. You will not mourn or weep, but you will waste away because of your sins and groan among yourselves." Here, the prophet Ezekiel speaks of a wasting away due to sin, which can be interpreted as a form of pining sickness resulting from spiritual separation from God.
Theological ImplicationsFrom a theological perspective, pining sickness can be understood as a consequence of living in a fallen world where sin and separation from God lead to various forms of suffering. The condition reflects the deep human need for reconciliation with God and the fulfillment that comes from a relationship with Him. The longing and sorrow associated with pining sickness point to the ultimate hope and healing found in Christ.
The New Testament offers a remedy for this condition through the promise of new life in Jesus Christ. In
Matthew 11:28-30 , Jesus invites those who are weary and burdened to come to Him for rest: "Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." This invitation speaks to the healing and restoration available through faith in Christ, addressing the root causes of pining sickness.
Practical ApplicationFor believers, understanding the concept of pining sickness encourages a reliance on God's promises and the hope found in Christ. It serves as a reminder of the importance of spiritual health and the need to address emotional and physical suffering through prayer, community support, and a deepening relationship with God. The church is called to be a place of healing and restoration, offering comfort and hope to those experiencing the effects of pining sickness.
In summary, while the term "pining sickness" may not be explicitly mentioned in the Bible, its essence is captured in the experiences of longing, sorrow, and spiritual decline found throughout Scripture. The biblical response to such affliction is found in the hope and healing offered through Jesus Christ, who provides rest for the weary soul.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
Pining SicknessPINING SICKNESS
pin'-ing, sik'-nes: In the account of the epileptic boy inMark 9:18 it is said that "he pineth away." The verb used here (xeraino) means "to dry up," and is the same which is used of the withering of plants, but seldom used in this metaphorical sense. The English word is from the Anglo-Saxon pinjan and is often found in the Elizabethan literature, occurring 13 times in Shakespeare. In the Old Testament it is found inLeviticus 26:39 (bis) and inEzekiel 24:23 and 33:10. In the Revised Version (British and American) it replaces "consume" inEzekiel 4:17. In all these passages it is the rendering of the Hebrew maqaq, and means expressly being wasted on account of sin. InLeviticus 26:16 "pine away" is used in the Revised Version (British and American) to replace "cause sorrow of heart," and is the translation of the Hebrew dubh; and inDeuteronomy 28:65 "sorrow of mind" is also replaced in the Revised Version (British and American) by "pining of soul," the word so rendered being de'abhon, which in these two passages is expressive of homesickness. InIsaiah 24:16 the reduplicated exclamation, "my leanness," of the King James Version is changed into "I pine away," the word being razi. The starving people inLamentations 4:9 are said to pine away, the word so translated being zubh. All these Hebrew words have a general meaning of to dry or to waste or wear away, or to be exhausted by morbid discharges.
Pining sickness inIsaiah 38:12 the King James Version is a mistranslation, the word so rendered, dallah, meaning here the thrum by which the web is tied to the loom. The figure in the verse is that Hezekiah's life is being removed from the earth by his sickness as the web is removed from the loom by having the thrums cut, and being then rolled up. Both the King James Version margin and the Revised Version margin have the correct reading, "from the thrum." Septuagint has erithou eggizouses ektemein, and Vulgate (Jerome's Latin Bible, 390-405 A.D.) dum adhuc ordirer, succidit me. The other reading is due to another interpretation of the word which in a few passages, asJeremiah 52:15, like its root dal, means something small, poor, and decaying or weak, such as the lean kine of Pharaoh's dream (Genesis 41:19).
Alexander Macalister
Strong's Hebrew
1803. dallah -- hair, thrum... 1802b, 1803. dallah. 1803a . hair, thrum. Transliteration: dallah Phonetic
Spelling: (dal-law') Short Definition: hair. hair,
pining sickness, poorest sort
...Library
PM Anonymous. Thy Will be Done.
... done! 5 Shouldpining sickness waste away My life in premature decay, In
life or death teach me to say, Thy will, my God, be done!...
On Worldly Folly
... are pinched with cold or hunger; none that have not raiment to put on, or a place
where to lay their head; none that are wasted withpining sickness; none that...
The Ambassadors from Babylon
... "I have cut off like a weaver my life: He will cut me off withpining sickness:
"From day even to night wilt Thou make an end of me....
The Saints' Rest is not to be Expected on Earth.
... And then when he lieth in Manasseh's fetters, or is fastened to his bed with
pining sickness, the world is nothing, and heaven is something....
The Introduction to the Work, with Some Account of the Nature of...
... is there such a thing as a pale face, a languid body, feeble joints, helpless infancy,
decrepid age, peccant humors, painful orpining sickness, griping fears...
Upon Our Lord's SermonOn the Mount
... from the little cot than from the "cloud-topt palaces." And during the time that
thy body is chastened with pain, or consumes away withpining sickness, how do...
The Witness of Our Own Spirit
... any joy, to be compared with that which then filled their soul, when the body was
well nigh worn out with pain, or consumed away withpining sickness....
When travelling lately through the Simplon
... of the day, and longing for grateful repose, he dare give no "sleep to his eyes,
nor slumber to his eye-lids." His child may be lyingpining insickness at his...
The Message.
... Many a Lazarus,pining in want, who can claim no heritage but poverty, no home but
cottage walls, or who, stretched on a bed of protractedsickness, is heard...
The Antitype of the Christian Home.
... mother, who feels that part of her household is in heaven and that soon she will
join them there, yearns with all thepining of home-sickness, for departure to...
Resources
What is the meaning of the Valley of Dry Bones in Ezekiel 37? | GotQuestions.orgHow do we honor an abusive parent? | GotQuestions.orgWhat is the “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” sermon? | GotQuestions.orgPining: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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