Hebrew word · H6314
פּוּגַת
fugat
cessation
A let-up, respite or pause. It is related to the verb pug, 'to grow numb, go slack, faint' (Gen 45:26, Jacob's heart 'went numb'; Ps 77:3 [2], a hand that does not 'grow slack'; Hab 1:4).
Appears once in the Hebrew Old Testament. ·
What it means
benumbing, cessation, rest, relief
Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).
In depth
From the study of Lamentations 2:18
- Range of meaning
A let-up, respite or pause. It is related to the verb pug, 'to grow numb, go slack, faint' (Gen 45:26, Jacob's heart 'went numb'; Ps 77:3 [2], a hand that does not 'grow slack'; Hab 1:4).
- Against the English
'Rest' (KJV) and 'relief' (BSB, WEB) are reasonable. But 'rest' can sound like sleep or relaxation. The root suggests going slack or numb: grief that stops because it is worn out.
- Used elsewhere in the period
The word is very rare. A close relative appears in Lam 3:49: 'my eye flows and does not cease, without respite (meʾen hafugot)'.
Where it appears
Lamentations · 1
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Lamentations 2:18 פוּגַת֙ rest
The hearts of the people cry out to the Lord. O wall of the Daughter of Zion, let your tears run down like a river day and night. Give yourself no relief, and your eyes no rest.
Here: A rare word for a let-up or pause. It is related to a verb for going numb or growing slack. Zion must not let her grief go slack or numb.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.