### Core Meaning & Semantic Range
The Hebrew word **dâveh**, represented by `{{H1739}}`, is used to describe a state of being **sick** or **faint**. It appears **5 times** across **5 unique verses** in the Bible. The word's usage points to conditions of physical ailment, particularly menstruation, as well as ritual impurity and profound emotional or spiritual weakness.
### Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis
In the biblical narrative, `{{H1739}}` is used in both literal and figurative ways. In Leviticus, it specifically refers to the physical state of a woman "having her **sickness**" during menstruation, establishing rules of ritual purity [[Leviticus 20:18]] and identifying "her that is **sick** of her flowers" [[Leviticus 15:33]]. Figuratively, the word conveys extreme repulsion and defilement, as when Isaiah commands the people to cast away their idols like a "menstruous **cloth**" [[Isaiah 30:22]]. It also describes a state of profound weakness and suffering, where Jerusalem personified is made "**faint** all the day" [[Lamentations 1:13]] and the people's "heart is **faint**" from grief [[Lamentations 5:17]].
### Related Words & Concepts
Several related words clarify the meaning of `{{H1739}}` by appearing in parallel or similar contexts:
* `{{H2931}}` **ṭâmêʼ** (foul in a religious sense; defiled, polluted, unclean): This word is explicitly linked to `{{H1739}}` in contexts of ritual law. In Leviticus, the one who lies with "her that is sick" `{{H1739}}` also lies with "her that is **unclean**" `{{H2931}}` [[Leviticus 15:33]].
* `{{H8074}}` **shâmêm** (to stun... devastate... make desolate): This term is paired with `{{H1739}}` to describe the totality of Jerusalem's suffering. The city is made both "**desolate**" `{{H8074}}` and "**faint**" `{{H1739}}`, combining the ideas of ruin and physical weakness [[Lamentations 1:13]].
* `{{H2821}}` **châshak** (to be dark... darken, be dim, hide): This word illustrates the physical effect of the despair described by `{{H1739}}`. In Lamentations, a heart that is "**faint**" `{{H1739}}` results in eyes that are "**dim**" `{{H2821}}` [[Lamentations 5:17]].
### Theological Significance
The theological weight of `{{H1739}}` is tied to concepts of purity, defilement, and the consequences of sin.
* **Ritual Uncleanness:** In Leviticus, the word is central to laws defining states of being that are ritually unacceptable. "Having her **sickness**" `{{H1739}}` denotes a temporary condition requiring separation, highlighting the biblical emphasis on holiness and the distinction between the clean and the unclean [[Leviticus 20:18]].
* **Spiritual Defilement:** The term is used metaphorically to express absolute revulsion toward sin. By describing idols as a "menstruous **cloth**" `{{H1739}}`, Isaiah frames idolatry not just as a mistake, but as a profound spiritual contamination that must be utterly rejected [[Isaiah 30:22]].
* **The Effects of Judgment:** In Lamentations, being "**faint**" `{{H1739}}` is the direct result of divine judgment. It portrays the debilitating physical and emotional state of a people suffering under the weight of their disobedience, with a heart made weak and sick by grief ([[Lamentations 1:13]], [[Lamentations 5:17]]).
### Summary
In summary, `{{H1739}}` moves beyond a simple definition of sickness to describe conditions of profound separation and weakness. From its literal use in Levitical law to define ritual uncleanness [[Leviticus 15:33]] to its powerful metaphorical use for spiritual defilement in Isaiah [[Isaiah 30:22]], the word carries significant weight. It ultimately illustrates the debilitating physical and emotional state of being faint from suffering and judgment, as poignantly expressed in Lamentations [[Lamentations 1:13]].
TRV