Lexical Summary pug: To grow faint, to be exhausted, to become weak Original Word: פוּג Strong's Exhaustive Concordance cease, be feeble, faint, be slacked A primitive root; to be sluggish -- cease, be feeble, faint, be slacked. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origina prim. root Definition to grow numb NASB Translation benumbed (1), ignored (1), stunned (1), weariness (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs [מּוּג] verb grow numb (Arabic  grow cool; **Syriac  become cold (Mt 24:12), fail, become weak, inefficient; ᵑ7 מּוּג become cold, fail, be or (Pa`el) make ineffectual; Late Hebrew id., fail, vanish. Syriac  be cold; ᵑ7 מּוּג cease, be helpless; Late Hebrew id. vanish); — Qal Imperfect3masculine singular וַיָּפָג לִבּוֺ Genesis 45:26; 3feminine singular תָּפוּג Psalm 77:3 of hand (si vera lectio, see נגר), i.e. drop helpless; Habakkuk 1:4 of תּוֺרָה, i.e. be ineffective. Niph`al Perfect1singular נְפוּגֹתִי וְנִדְכֵּיתִי Psalm 38:9 I am benumbed and crushed (figurative); read probably also אֶמּוֺגָה Psalm 88:16 (for ᵑ0 ἅπ. λεγ. אָפוּנָה), Ol Hup Dy Gr Che אָפוּגָה. Topical Lexicon Scope of the Termפוג portrays a sudden loss of strength that renders either the body, the soul, or society incapable of normal function. It describes shock that robs the heart of vitality, anguish that deadens feeling, weariness that repels comfort, and moral paralysis that suspends justice. Each use pictures a failure of the faculties that ought to respond vigorously to truth, pain, or righteousness. Genesis 45:26 – Shock That Stuns the Heart “His heart fainted, for he did not believe them.” Jacob’s aged heart momentarily ceases to respond when confronted with the report that Joseph lives. The word draws the reader into the patriarch’s physical reaction to overwhelming good news: the years of assumed bereavement collide with hope so great that his heart slows instead of leaps. The narrative shows how even joyful revelation can overwhelm fallen flesh, highlighting the need for gradual assurance (verses 27–28) before vitality returns. Pastoral application: sudden spiritual surprises—whether conviction of sin or the gospel itself—may initially stun rather than thrill; gentleness and repeated testimony help faith revive. Psalm 38:8 – The Body and Soul Overwhelmed “I am numb and badly crushed; I groan in anguish of heart.” David, conscious of sin’s weight and God’s discipline, describes a condition where sensation itself seems blunted. פוג conveys not ordinary fatigue but a debilitating torpor in which the sufferer feels both crushed and insensible. Confession eventually restores fellowship (Psalm 38:18, 22), teaching that moral failure produces more than guilt; it can stupefy. Believers may therefore pray for renewed sensitivity to God’s presence when sin or sickness deadens their affections. Psalm 77:2 – Weariness That Refuses Comfort “My soul refuses to be comforted.” Asaph recounts a night when memory of God’s former deeds does not yet console him. פוג here expresses a will that has slackened; the soul does not grasp offered comfort. The lament validates seasons when believers know God’s promises yet cannot feel their sweetness. Verse 10 marks the turning point—“Then I said, ‘I will appeal to this…’”—showing that deliberate meditation on God’s historic faithfulness can re-energize a fatigued spirit. Habakkuk 1:4 – The Paralyzed Law “Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth.” In the prophetic arena פוג moves from personal to societal scope. Torah, the covenant’s life-giving standard, lies inert while wickedness encircles the righteous. The term underscores that when God’s people tolerate evil, the very mechanisms meant to protect the vulnerable become numb. Habakkuk’s dialogue anticipates the need for divine intervention: “The righteous will live by his faith” (Habakkuk 2:4). The prophet’s wrestling and watchfulness model intercession when culture appears unresponsive to God’s word. Themes Woven Through the Uses 1. Physical, emotional, and moral dimensions of faintness belong to a unified biblical anthropology; what touches one sphere reverberates in the others. Ministry Significance • Counseling: Recognize that disbelief, guilt, grief, or injustice can produce literal bodily symptoms. Expect that hearing the gospel may initially shock; repeated witness and tangible evidence can help hearts “revive.” New Testament Resonance Though פוג itself does not occur in Greek, its motifs reappear. The disciples’ hearts “burned” when the risen Lord opened the Scriptures (Luke 24:32), reversing the numbness of despair. Paul exhorts believers, “Do not lose heart” (2 Corinthians 4:1, 16), echoing Jacob’s revived spirit. Ultimately, the gospel answers every form of paralysis: “Strengthen the weak hands and make firm the feeble knees” (Hebrews 12:12, citing Isaiah 35:3). Summary פוג charts the journey from stunned inactivity to restored responsiveness—whether in an individual startled by grace, a psalmist crushed by sin, or a nation whose justice system has stalled. The term invites readers to bring every form of faintness to the Lord who revives, comforts, forgives, and empowers righteous action. Forms and Transliterations וַיָּ֣פָג ויפג נְפוּג֣וֹתִי נפוגותי תָּפ֣וּג תָפ֑וּג תפוג nə·p̄ū·ḡō·w·ṯî nefuGoti nəp̄ūḡōwṯî tā·p̄ūḡ ṯā·p̄ūḡ taFug tāp̄ūḡ ṯāp̄ūḡ vaiYafog way·yā·p̄āḡ wayyāp̄āḡLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Genesis 45:26 HEB: אֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם וַיָּ֣פָג לִבּ֔וֹ כִּ֥י NAS: of Egypt. But he was stunned, for he did not believe KJV: And Jacob's heart fainted, for he believed INT: the land of Egypt was stunned heart and indeed Psalm 38:8 Psalm 77:2 Habakkuk 1:4 4 Occurrences |
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