דְּוַי (de.vay)
de.vay
illness
H:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun de.vay refers to a state of illness or languishing. It appears only once in the Hebrew Bible, in Job 30:20, where the patriarch cries out from his suffering. The word captures not just physical sickness, but a deeper sense of wasting away or decay that accompanies severe affliction.
Its root suggests a process of becoming weak or diminished over time. In Job’s context, it describes how his body and spirit have been worn down by pain and divine silence. Translators often render it as "illness" or "sickness," though the imagery is more about gradual decline than acute disease.
This rare usage highlights how ancient Hebrew speakers distinguished between sudden injury and prolonged suffering. De.vay points to a condition that persists, draining strength until one feels consumed by their own fragility.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word de.vay describes a slow, lingering illness that wears down both body and spirit. In Job 30:20, it captures the heavy reality of prolonged suffering where strength fades gradually rather than vanishing all at once. This rare Hebrew term reminds us that some pains are not sudden shocks but enduring burdens that test our endurance over time.
When you feel worn down by long-term struggles, this word validates your experience. It shows that Scripture acknowledges the reality of wasting away and deep affliction without offering quick fixes. Your pain is seen, even when it feels like a slow decline that drains your vitality day by day.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- [are] like/ [the] illness of1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- כִּ/דְוֵ֥י1×