Psalm 109 24

Psalm 109:24 kjv

My knees are weak through fasting; and my flesh faileth of fatness.

Psalm 109:24 nkjv

My knees are weak through fasting, And my flesh is feeble from lack of fatness.

Psalm 109:24 niv

My knees give way from fasting; my body is thin and gaunt.

Psalm 109:24 esv

My knees are weak through fasting; my body has become gaunt, with no fat.

Psalm 109:24 nlt

My knees are weak from fasting,
and I am skin and bones.

Psalm 109 verses

Psalm 109 24 Meaning

Psalm 109:24 vividly portrays the psalmist's extreme physical suffering and weakness, indicating profound distress and earnest spiritual devotion. His "knees are weak through fasting," signifying a debilitating physical collapse, a loss of strength to stand or move, often stemming from deep grief, affliction, or a dedicated spiritual discipline involving abstinence from food. Simultaneously, "his flesh fails of fatness," indicating severe emaciation and a wasting away of the body, a clear visual sign of prolonged hardship, lack of nourishment, or intense internal turmoil. The verse highlights a state of severe bodily depletion, mirroring the intensity of the psalmist's sorrow and fervent reliance upon God.

Psalm 109 24 Context

Psalm 109 is a deeply impassioned lament and an imprecatory psalm of David, expressing his intense suffering and fervent plea for divine justice against treacherous and malicious enemies. The surrounding verses (Psa 109:21-29) describe the psalmist's profound affliction: he feels like a mere shadow (Psa 109:23), is an object of scorn and ridicule (Psa 109:25), and desperately needs God's intervention (Psa 109:26-29). Verse 24 is central to this portrayal of personal misery, illustrating the physical manifestation of his emotional and spiritual agony. This extreme physical weakness, possibly induced by involuntary loss of appetite due to sorrow or a deliberate spiritual fast, is presented to God as evidence of his dire need for rescue, standing in stark contrast to the strength and malevolence of his adversaries. The psalm as a whole petitions God to vindicate the righteous sufferer by punishing the wicked.

Psalm 109 24 Word analysis

• My knees (בִּרְכַּי - birkay): Literally "my knees." In biblical thought, knees are symbolic of strength, stability, and the capacity for action (e.g., standing, walking, fighting). Weak or feeble knees thus denote a complete loss of physical vigor, an inability to support oneself, or to stand firm. It implies profound physical and emotional depletion.
• are weak (כָּשְׁלוּ - kashlu): From the Hebrew verb כָּשַׁל (kashal), meaning "to stumble, totter, fail, collapse." This verb in the perfect tense signifies a state of sustained weakness or collapse. It conveys that the psalmist's knees are not merely tired but have given way, highlighting a severe level of debility and powerlessness.
• through fasting (מִצּוֹם - mitzom): "From fasting." The Hebrew word צּוֹם (tzom) refers to abstaining from food. This phrase can imply either a deliberate act of spiritual discipline undertaken in deep mourning or desperate prayer, or it could describe an involuntary loss of appetite resulting from intense sorrow and distress, leading to starvation. Both interpretations point to a state of profound anguish and dedication in seeking God.
• and my flesh (וּבְשָׂרִי - uv'sari): "And my flesh." The Hebrew בָּשָׂר (basar) broadly refers to the physical body, the human person, often in contrast to God's Spirit, emphasizing human frailty or mortality. Here, it refers to the entirety of his bodily substance.
• fails (כָּחַשׁ - kachash): From the Hebrew root כָּחַשׁ (kachash), meaning "to grow lean, waste away, become thin, shrink." It denotes a process of physical depletion. This is more than just being thin; it suggests a state of emaciation or deterioration.
• of fatness (מִשֶּׁמֶן - mishshemen): "From fatness." The Hebrew שֶׁמֶן (shemen) means "oil, fat." In this context, it signifies not literal fat but the healthy, robust plumpness and vigor of a well-nourished body. To "fail of fatness" therefore means a severe loss of bodily substance, vitality, and strength, leaving one gaunt and wasted.

Words-group analysis:

• "My knees are weak through fasting": This phrase directly links physical incapacitation and debilitating weakness to the severe consequence or practice of abstaining from food. It underscores a total bodily collapse brought about by profound internal suffering or an intense spiritual act of self-humiliation before God.
• "and my flesh fails of fatness": This parallel clause reinforces the imagery of extreme physical wasting. It paints a vivid picture of a body consumed by distress or deprivation, losing all healthy substance and becoming gaunt. Together, the phrases convey the totality of the psalmist's physical deterioration mirroring his overwhelming emotional and spiritual anguish.

Psalm 109 24 Bonus section

• The imagery of weakness and emaciation serves to invoke divine pity, appealing to God's compassion for the afflicted and downtrodden. It is a common literary motif in the laments within the Psalms to describe the depth of suffering to elicit God's intervention.
• The phrase "my flesh fails of fatness" suggests not just thinness, but a body consumed by its own struggles, a picture of vital resources being utterly drained, indicative of a body close to the brink of collapse or death.
• This physical condition stands in stark contrast to the perceived prosperity and well-being of his enemies mentioned elsewhere in the Psalm, further emphasizing the injustice of his situation and strengthening his appeal for God to execute righteous judgment.
• The experience described is profoundly personal yet echoes universal themes of human frailty, the impact of grief, and the physical cost of deep spiritual wrestling and distress.

Psalm 109 24 Commentary

Psalm 109:24 powerfully encapsulates the profound physical effects of the psalmist's dire situation. The weakening of his knees and the emaciation of his body are not mere descriptive details but potent symbols of his comprehensive affliction and vulnerability. This physical decay highlights the severity of the attacks against him, as well as the depth of his lament and desperate appeal to God. Whether from prolonged grief leading to involuntary anorexia or from fervent spiritual fasting as an act of prayer and humility, this verse demonstrates the intimate connection between spiritual agony and its physical manifestation. It positions the psalmist as one who is physically at his limit, entirely reliant on God for strength and deliverance, contrasting his weakness with the robust maliciousness of his enemies and strengthening his plea for divine intervention. It serves as a reminder that devotion and suffering can extract a significant bodily toll, revealing the sincerity and depth of a supplicant's heart before God.