Lexical Summary nush: To flee, escape, take flight Original Word: נוּשׁ Strong's Exhaustive Concordance be full of heaviness A primitive root; to be sick, i.e. (figuratively) distressed -- be full of heaviness. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origina prim. root Definition to be sick NASB Translation sick (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs [נוּשׁ verb be sick, si vera lectio (= I.אנשׁ according to Thes who compare Syriac  ); — Qal Imperfect1singular וָָֽאָנוּשָׁה Psalm 69:21, but read perhaps [מַכַּת נַפְשִׁי] וַאֲנוּשָׁה ׅ "" (חֶרְמָּה שָׁ֑בְרָה לִבִּי, Bi Checritical note, compare ᵐ5, see I.אנשׁ or (< קַוֹּה) וְאָנוּשׁ הוּא קַוֵּה (with different word-division), WeirAcad. 1870, 257 (who compare Jeremiah 17:9; Jeremiah 8:15). Topical Lexicon Occurrence and Rendering Psalm 69:20 contains the sole appearance of נוּשׁ. The Berean Standard Bible translates it “helpless,” capturing the sense of being brought to a state of utter weakness from which self-recovery is impossible: “Scorn has broken my heart and left me helpless; I looked for sympathy, but there was none, for comforters, but I found none.” Literary Context in Psalm 69 Psalm 69 is one of David’s most intense laments. Surrounded by ridicule and betrayal, the king describes himself as sinking, exhausted, and deserted. נוּשׁ functions as the climactic word that sums up his condition: reproach has not merely wounded him; it has rendered him beyond human aid. The verse moves from external attack (“scorn”) to internal collapse (“broken my heart”), ending with the acknowledgment that he is now “helpless.” Theological Significance 1. Total Dependence on God נוּשׁ highlights humanity’s inability to mend the deepest wounds of the soul. David’s helplessness drives him to cry out to the Lord, illustrating the biblical pattern that genuine deliverance begins where self-sufficiency ends (compare 2 Corinthians 12:9). 2. The Reality of Spiritual Brokenness Scripture never minimizes suffering. By using a term that connotes incurability, the Psalm affirms that certain crises lie beyond the reach of human comforters. This honesty invites believers to bring their darkest moments to God rather than mask them with superficial piety. 3. Anticipation of the Suffering Messiah The New Testament repeatedly applies Psalm 69 to Jesus Christ (John 15:25; Romans 15:3). נוּשׁ therefore foreshadows the Servant’s anguish on the cross. When the Son of David experienced ultimate reproach and abandonment (Matthew 27:46), He entered fully into the helplessness voiced by David, yet without sin, opening the way for divine rescue on behalf of all who trust Him. Pastoral and Devotional Applications • Comfort for the Afflicted The word assures believers that feeling “helpless” is neither abnormal nor faithless; it is a setting in which God’s compassion shines. Ministries of compassion can point sufferers to a Savior who has known this depth of weakness.
נוּשׁ encourages congregational worship that makes room for lament. Singing or praying Psalm 69 gives voice to those who feel beyond help, reminding the assembly that God hears desperate cries. • Counseling and Soul-Care When no human comforter suffices, Psalm 69:20 authorizes counselors to direct stricken hearts toward the Man of Sorrows who empathizes perfectly (Hebrews 4:15) and toward a Father who “heals the brokenhearted” (Psalm 147:3). Historical Usage Early Christian writers saw in Psalm 69 a prophetic picture of Christ’s passion. Patristic homilies often lingered on the depth of suffering expressed by נוּשׁ to underscore the cost of redemption. Likewise, Reformation hymnody drew on this Psalm to teach believers that the Lord meets them in the valley of despair, not merely at its edge. Related Biblical Themes Weakness as the Sphere of Grace – 2 Corinthians 12:9 Divine Compassion for the Crushed – Isaiah 57:15 The Incurable Made Whole – Jeremiah 30:12-17; Mark 5:25-34 Summary Though נוּשׁ appears only once, its impact is profound. It distills the experience of utter helplessness, magnifies the necessity of divine intervention, and anticipates the redemptive suffering of Christ. For every generation of believers, it serves as an invitation to bring incurable wounds to the One whose power is perfected in weakness. Forms and Transliterations וָֽאָ֫נ֥וּשָׁה ואנושה vaANushah wā’ānūšāh wā·’ā·nū·šāhLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Psalm 69:20 HEB: שָֽׁבְרָ֥ה לִבִּ֗י וָֽאָ֫נ֥וּשָׁה וָאֲקַוֶּ֣ה לָנ֣וּד NAS: my heart and I am so sick. And I looked KJV: my heart; and I am full of heaviness: and I looked INT: has broken my heart sick looked sympathy 1 Occurrence |
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