a primitive root; to be sluggish; cease, be feeble, faint, be slacked.
Transliteration:pûwg
Pronunciation:poog
Detailed Word Study
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### Core Meaning & Semantic Range
The Hebrew verb פּוּג (pûwg), Strong's number `{{H6313}}`, is a primitive root whose core meaning revolves around the concept of becoming sluggish or losing vigor. Its semantic range extends to encompass cessation, feebleness, fainting, and slackening. At its heart, *pûwg* describes a diminishment or exhaustion of strength, activity, or intensity. It signifies a state where something that was active, strong, or intense begins to wane, slacken, or completely cease. This can apply to physical strength, emotional distress, or even divine attention.
### Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis
The verb פּוּג (pûwg) appears a limited number of times in the Hebrew Bible, yet each occurrence is rich with meaning, highlighting its nuanced application:
* In [[Job 9:27]], Job expresses a desire to "forget my complaint, I will change my countenance and be cheerful," but then immediately states, "I dread all my pains." Here, *pûwg* is used in the sense of letting go of or ceasing one's sorrow and complaint, indicating a yearning for emotional relief and a return to cheerfulness. The context underscores the difficulty of achieving such cessation in the face of overwhelming suffering.
* [[Psalm 39:13]] contains the plea, "Look away from me, that I may smile again, before I depart and am no more." The psalmist uses *pûwg* to ask for a cessation of divine scrutiny or affliction, desiring a moment of respite and recovery before death. It speaks to the human need for divine mercy to alleviate intense suffering.
* In [[Jeremiah 14:9]], the prophet laments, "Why are you like a man dismayed, like a mighty man who cannot save? Yet you are in our midst, O LORD, and we are called by your name; do not leave us!" Here, *pûwg* describes the state of being "dismayed" or "faint," depicting a profound sense of helplessness and weakness, particularly in the context of God's apparent inaction or withdrawal.
* [[Lamentations 2:18]] implores, "Their heart cried to the Lord; O wall of the daughter of Zion, let tears run down like a river day and night; give yourself no relief, give your eyes no rest." In this passage, *pûwg* is used in the negative ("give no rest/relief"), emphasizing the relentless and overwhelming nature of the people's grief and suffering, so intense that no cessation or alleviation is possible.
Across these contexts, *pûwg* consistently points to a state of weakening, ceasing, or failing. It describes the cessation of sorrow, the cessation of divine attention, the fainting of strength, or the absence of relief.
### Related Words & Concepts
The semantic field of פּוּג (pûwg) intersects with several other Hebrew terms related to strength, weakness, and cessation:
* **Antonyms/Opposites:** Words conveying strength, vigor, or persistence include `{{H2388}}` (chazaq), "to be strong, strengthen," and `{{H3581}}` (koach), "strength, power." The concept of not *pûwg*ing implies sustained effort or enduring strength.
* **Synonyms/Related Concepts:**
* `{{H7503}}` (raphah): "to sink, relax, grow slack." This word is very close in meaning to *pûwg*, often used for slackening of hands or efforts.
* `{{H2522}}` (chalash): "to be weak, prostrate." This term describes a state of physical weakness.
* `{{H3100}}` (yagal): "to grow weary, faint." This word also denotes exhaustion and loss of strength.
* The broader conceptual sphere includes weariness, exhaustion, cessation, rest, relief, and the general diminishing of vitality.
### Theological Significance
The occurrences of פּוּג (pûwg) carry significant theological weight, primarily highlighting the fragility of human existence and the profound need for divine intervention.
* **Human Frailty and Suffering:** The word often appears in contexts of intense human suffering, whether physical pain (Job), emotional distress (Job, Lamentations), or national calamity (Jeremiah, Lamentations). It underscores the limits of human endurance and the point at which human strength or spirit begins to wane or cease. This points to the created nature of humanity, dependent on a higher power.
* **Desire for Divine Relief:** In Job and Psalms, the desire for things to "pûwg" (cease, slacken) speaks to a deep longing for respite from affliction. This implicitly or explicitly turns to God as the ultimate source of comfort, relief, and renewal. It is God who can cause suffering to cease or grant the strength to endure.
* **Divine Presence and Absence:** In Jeremiah, the prophet's lament about God being "like a mighty man who cannot save" (using *pûwg* for "dismayed/faint") highlights the theological tension when God's saving power seems to be absent or diminished. Conversely, the psalmist's prayer for God to "look away" (so that he may *pûwg* and recover) acknowledges God's sovereign control over affliction.
* **The Depth of Despair:** In Lamentations, the inability of tears to "pûwg" (cease) vividly portrays the overwhelming and unrelenting nature of the people's grief, a consequence of divine judgment. This emphasizes the profound spiritual and emotional desolation that can result from separation from God or His discipline.
Theologically, *pûwg* serves as a powerful descriptor of human weakness and the yearning for divine grace to bring cessation to suffering or to restore what has become slack or faint.
### Summary
The Hebrew verb פּוּג (pûwg), `{{H6313}}`, fundamentally signifies "to be sluggish," extending to "cease," "be feeble," "faint," or "be slacked." Its limited but impactful occurrences in the biblical text consistently describe a diminishment of strength, activity, or intensity, whether in the context of human emotion (ceasing sorrow), physical endurance (fainting), or a plea for divine respite (ceasing affliction). Theologically, *pûwg* underscores the inherent frailty of humanity and the profound limits of human endurance, often appearing in contexts of deep suffering and the desperate longing for relief. It implicitly or explicitly points to the need for divine intervention to grant cessation to pain or to restore vigor where human strength has failed, thereby affirming God as the ultimate source of strength, comfort, and renewal.
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