The term "faintest" is not directly found in the Bible; however, the concept of faintness, often associated with weakness, weariness, or lack of strength, is a recurring theme throughout the Scriptures. This entry explores the biblical understanding of faintness, its causes, and the divine provision for those who are faint.

Old Testament Context

In the Old Testament, faintness is frequently depicted as a physical or spiritual condition resulting from exhaustion, fear, or lack of sustenance. For instance, in Isaiah 40:29-31 , the prophet Isaiah speaks of God's provision for the weary: "He gives power to the faint, and increases the strength of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not faint."

The Israelites experienced faintness during their wilderness journey, as seen in Deuteronomy 25:18 , where Amalek attacked them when they were "faint and weary." This highlights the vulnerability that comes with physical exhaustion and the need for divine protection and sustenance.

New Testament Context

In the New Testament, faintness is often addressed in the context of spiritual perseverance and endurance. The Apostle Paul, in Galatians 6:9 , encourages believers not to grow weary in doing good: "Let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due time we will reap a harvest, if we do not give up." This exhortation underscores the importance of steadfastness in the Christian life, even when one feels faint.

Jesus Himself, in the parable of the persistent widow (Luke 18:1), teaches the necessity of persistent prayer, "that they should always pray and not lose heart." Here, faintness is equated with losing heart or giving up, and the remedy is found in continual reliance on God through prayer.

Spiritual Implications

Faintness, whether physical or spiritual, serves as a reminder of human frailty and the need for divine strength. The Bible consistently points to God as the source of renewal and strength for the faint-hearted. In Psalm 73:26 , the psalmist declares, "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."

Believers are encouraged to find their strength in the Lord, as seen in Ephesians 6:10 : "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power." This strength is not self-derived but is a gift from God, enabling believers to endure trials and continue in faithful service.

Practical Application

In practical terms, the biblical response to faintness involves seeking God's presence, relying on His promises, and engaging in spiritual disciplines such as prayer, worship, and the study of Scripture. Isaiah 40:31 offers a profound promise for those who feel faint: "but those who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength."

In summary, while the term "faintest" may not appear explicitly in the Bible, the concept of faintness is addressed throughout Scripture, offering believers assurance of God's sustaining power and encouragement to persevere in faith.

The Doctrine of the Resurrection of the Body Brought to Light by ...
... the Gospel. The Faintest Glimpses of Something Like It Occasionally Met
with in Heathenism. Inconsistencies of Pagan Teaching. The ...
/.../tertullian/on the resurrection of the flesh/chapter i the doctrine of the.htm

Bring to the Christ Your Fears,
... And tell your sorrows there,. The faintest cry he hears,. And every faltering
prayer; ... And tell your sorrows there,. The faintest cry He hears,. ...
/.../brownlie/hymns from the morningland/bring to the christ your.htm

Jesus Born the Son of God.
... If, then, the Saviour had retained in His soul the faintest shadow of sin, how could
we hope that the words in which He declares to us the will of His and our ...
/.../schleiermacher/selected sermons of schleiermacher/xvi jesus born the son.htm

All Mankind Guilty; Or, Every Man Knows More than He Practises.
... we will remind him that small as it is, he has not lived up to it; that he too has
"come short"; that he too, knowing God in the dimmest, faintest degree, has ...
/.../shedd/sermons to the natural man/all mankind guilty or every.htm

Hope Perfectly
... nebulous glories, which can only be resolved into their separate stars, when we
are millions of leagues nearer to its lustre, is like the faintest glimmer of a ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture ephesians peter/hope perfectly.htm

Foreword
... In all his writing about the Christian faith he sought to be Biblical, real, whole,
and clear, and he often declared that he had not the faintest interest in a ...
//christianbookshelf.org/denney/the death of christ/foreword.htm

Synopsis. --A Clearer Conception of Miracle Approached. --Works of ...
... The historic reality of at least some such acts performed by Jesus is acknowledged
by critics as free from the faintest trace of orthodox bias as Keim: "The ...
/.../miracles and supernatural religion/iv synopsis a clearer conception of.htm

The Earlier Hebrew Histories.
... of the Lord which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses." This last is
the only place in all these books where there is the faintest allusion to any ...
/.../gladden/who wrote the bible/chapter iv the earlier hebrew.htm

2 Kings iv. 25, 26.
... of Eliphaz to Job[c], Thou hast strengthen'd the weak Hands, and upheld him that
was ready to fall; but now it is come upon thee, and thou faintest; it touches ...
/.../submission to divine providence in the death of children/2 kings iv 25 26.htm

A Knowledge of God
... brightest imagination can portray. In the varied gifts of God in nature we
see but the faintest gleaming of His glory. It is written ...
//christianbookshelf.org/white/steps to christ/chapter 10 a knowledge of.htm

Faintest (2 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Faintest (2 Occurrences). Job 4:5 But now it is come upon
thee, and thou faintest; it toucheth thee, and thou art troubled. ...
/f/faintest.htm - 6k

Fainted (12 Occurrences)

/f/fainted.htm - 10k

Fainteth (11 Occurrences)

/f/fainteth.htm - 9k

Affrighted (60 Occurrences)
... of Jehovah. (YLT). Job 4:5 But now it is come unto thee, and thou faintest;
It toucheth thee, and thou art troubled. (See JPS). Job ...
/a/affrighted.htm - 23k

Weary (77 Occurrences)
... speaking? (See JPS YLT). Job 4:5 But now it is come unto thee, and thou faintest;
It toucheth thee, and thou art troubled. (See JPS YLT). ...
/w/weary.htm - 29k

Jehoiakim (37 Occurrences)
... 4:1-3). 2. The King's Perverse Character: Of all these prophetic meanings, however,
neither the king nor the ruling classes had the faintest realization; they ...
/j/jehoiakim.htm - 33k

Toucheth (45 Occurrences)
... sceptre. (YLT). Job 4:5 But now it is come upon thee, and thou faintest; it
toucheth thee, and thou art troubled. (KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS). ...
/t/toucheth.htm - 20k

Astronomy
... And this simplicity is marred by no myth; there is not the faintest trace of the
deification of sun or moon or stars; there is no anthropomorphic treatment, no ...
/a/astronomy.htm - 40k

Election (6 Occurrences)
... to teach a corresponding rejection ruthless and terrible, as if the Eternal Love
could ever by any possibility reject or crush even the faintest aspiration of ...
/e/election.htm - 26k

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