One or Two

I sought Your favor with all my heart; be gracious to me according to Your word.  Psalm 119:58  NASB

Sought – The Hebrew verb here is ḥālâ.  Fairly straightforward.  Except – except that ḥālâ has two different semantic domains.  ḥālâ I means “to become sick, weak, diseased,” while ḥālâ II means “to beseech, entreat, pray.”  How can we tell the difference (other than context, of course)? Well, it just so happens that ḥālâ II (which we have here) is always in the Pi’el and always used with the word pĕnê (“face”).  In this verse, you can see that arrangement here:

חִלִּ֣יתִי פָנֶ֣יךָ בְכָל־לֵ֑ב חָ֜נֵּ֗נִי כְּאִמְרָתֶֽךָ

“Thirteen of the sixteen usages refer to the favor being sought of the Lord. Usually this involves a prayer for mercy or help in the threat of danger.” ^[1]

What does it mean that this verb is always in the Pi’el stem?  The Pi’el is used to make a declaration or point to a state or quality of something.  You can think of it as a declarative sentence verb (“This is it!”).  So, the psalmist isn’t beating around the bush.  He’s not being subtle.  His claim is bold, direct, and unambiguous.  “I entreated Your face,” that is, “I implored You to look at me.”  This verb is a “perfect” form, that is, a completed action.

Is that all there is here?  No, not by a long shot.  The brilliance of this psalmist is his subtle connections to other stories that shape the envelope around his words.  The first thing we should ask is, “Why use a word that has two apparently disconnected semantic domains?”  Why not choose a word that is unambiguous?  We could ask this another way.  “Is there relationship between ḥālâ I and ḥālâ II?”  “Is there a connection between ‘being sick’ and ‘seeking’ God’s face?”

Where else do we find ḥālâ II?  Exodus 32:11 comes to mind.  “Then Moses pleaded* with the Lord his God, and said, ‘Lord, why does Your anger burn against Your people . . .’  The verb, “pleaded” is ḥālâ.  Perhaps the poet wants us to remember the intensity of Moses’ appeal.  What does Moses experience in this encounter?  I suspect he comes shaking and trembling before God.  ḥālâ is the verb of acute emotional involvement.  Moses pleads for God not to destroy the people.  This is gut-wrenching appeal.  If our poet wants us to remember Moses, then he’s saying that he seeks God with the same intensity, and, by the way, that kind of intensity feels like getting sick!  ḥālâ I expresses this precisely—ill, weak, frail, grieved—so overcome with emotion that my seeking is filled with bodily distress.  Perhaps Isaiah helps: “Woe to me, for I am ruined!” (Isaiah 6:5)  Have you sought the Lord with such intensity that you feel destroyed in your pursuit?  What do the rabbis say?  Oh, yes, “A man’s prayer is answered only when he stakes his life on it.”  Maybe ḥālâ II and ḥālâ I are closer than we think.

Topical Index: ḥālâ, seek, be ill, emotional intensity, Exodus 32:11, Isaiah 6:5, Psalm 119:58

*Targum Onkelos translated the verb as “prayed”—as intensely as you could imagine.

^[1] Harris, R. L., Archer, G. L., Jr., & Waltke, B. K., eds. (1999). In Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (electronic ed., p. 287). Moody Press.