Sense: to be comforted
v. — to be alleviated of sorrow or distress; be given emotional strength.
In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord; in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying; my soul refuses to be comforted [נחם].
Psalm 77:2 (NRSV)
The Hebrew Bible is full of people who are not comforted (Isa. 54:11), as well as people who are (Gen. 24:67, 2 Sam. 13:39). In two instances, we find that comforted is actually refused (Jer. 31:15, Ps. 77:2). And in some cases, comfort will come in the future (Isa. 66:13). Grief and suffering are complex issues in the Bible, and there are no simple answers when it comes to finding comfort or comforting others. Sometimes we might suggest finding comfort in the works of God from the past, as the psalmist does in Psalm 77:10ff. Other times we might recognize that the refusal to be comforted is an appropriate response, or we might remember that comfort may come in the future. We don’t always need to urge people out of a state of grief at the present.
What is the Bible Sense Lexicon?
Sense of the Day is based on content from Logos’ Bible Sense Lexicon, which organizes biblical Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek words by meaning based on a variety of semantic relationships. Sense of the Day provides examples of senses in context, along with insight into their application for theology and interpretation.
The Bible Sense Lexicon is a Logos dataset available in Logos 5 Gold and higher base packages. If you’re enrolled in the Logos Academic Discount Program, you can also find the Bible Sense Lexicon in the Biblical Languages base package. Take your studies even further by exploring semantic domains, engaging the biblical text like never before.
Learn more about the Bible Sense Lexicon.
Konstantin says
June 23, 2014 at 8:55 pmThe positive outcome of grief — coming to know the God of all comfort and learning to point others in grief to Him. 2Co 1:3-4