Hebrew Word Study – Wax Old – ‘Athaq – Ayin Taw Qop Hei

Psalms 6:7: “Mine eye is consumed because of grief; it waxeth old because of all mine enemies.”

The Psalmist seems to be lamenting some sin he has committed but then in this verse talks about being waxed old because of his enemies. Commentators are at a loss as to who these enemies are.  Perhaps his enemies are his afflictions that he labors under or the knowledge of his sin that was within him or through the sins of others who were religious or just profane sinners who were commenting on his grief of heart and weeping. 

I believe these enemies are those who are gloating over this sinful condition. The Psalmist is believed to be David who as a king had many enemies and was just waiting for him to fail. We have the account in II Samuel 16 where David is at the lowest time of his life. His beloved son turned traitor to him, stole David’s throne, and forced him into exile. David is fleeing from Jerusalem with just a few faithful followers and a price on his head when, if things were not bad enough, in verse 13 we find: “And as David and his men went by the way, Shimei went along on the hill’s side over against him, and cursed as he went, and threw stones at him, and cast dust.” Some Benjamites hated David for political reasons.  King Saul was from the tribe of Benjamin and Shimei felt that the House of Saul should rule Israel and not the House of David and therefore rejoiced at David’s downfall.  It is noteworthy that when a servant of David said; “Why should this dead dog insult the king, David, just say the word and I will go lop his head off.”  But David said: “No, Let him alone, and let him curse; for so the Lord has ordered him. It may be that the Lord will look on my affliction and that the Lord will repay me with good for his cursing this day.” We can’t be sure this was the cause of David’s affliction but this does reveal what David’s feelings would have been if it was. 

I believe Psalms 6:7 reveals who and what this enemy of David really was.  We learn that his eye is consumed with grief.  What does that mean?  The word eye is Ayin in Hebrew and could mean a physical eye or it could be a metaphor for mental qualities or capacities.  His mental state is consumed with grief. The word consumed in the Masoretic text is spelled Ayin, Shin, Shin, and is ashash which means to waste away. His mental state is wasting away from grief.  However, in the Sefer Torah it could be spelled as Ayin, Sine, or Sine as there was no dot over the Shin to determine if it was really a Shin or a Sine. The word could, therefore, also be asas which means to pet, caress, or fondle. David could be saying that his grief was caressing or fondling his mental state. The word grief is masah which means to disintegrate or melt away.  Either way, his mental state was deteriorating. 

Then David says that his mental state grows old because of his enemies. That word for grow old is athaq which is a forced march, a progression, and/or domination. It is like slaves who are dominated by a master with a whip and cracking the whip to force the slaves to move toward their labor camp.  The word for the enemy is tsarar which is a word used for a taskmaster that causes one to experience distress, worry, and vexation. That is a person who is annoying you, frustrating you, and causing you worry and despair.

So who or what is this enemy of David? I believe it is none other than the true spiritual enemy himself, satan, and his demonic minions who want to cause you to sin for no other reason than to taunt you and harass you, cause you to experience distress, worry, and vexation. It is the enemy of pure evil that delights in your suffering and is empowered through the more he can make you suffer. 

We learn in further verses that the Lord hears the cry of David and forgives him (verse 6).  Once his sins are forgiven the workers of ‘aven, that is, all those who are causing his sorrow and grief are removed and he is walking again in the goodness or in harmony with God. 

You see, the enemy knows that if we sin, God cannot protect us from the attacks of the enemy, but if we confess those sins, take them to the foot of the cross, and let the blood of Jesus cover those sins, the enemy cannot work his ‘aven on us.  

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