HEBREW WORD STUDY – O SPARE ME –   SHA’AH שׁעה   

Psalms 39:13: “O spare me, that I may recover strength, before I go hence, and be no more.”

This is a very curious verse.  What is the Psalmist saying when he asks God to spare him so he can recover strength before he is no more.  All commentators agree with the expression before I go hence and be no more is a reference to death.  The way this is worded in the English it is obvious he has accepted the fact that he is going to die so why is he asking to be spared to recover strength. 

The word in Hebrew for spare me or turn away is hasha’. Christian Hebrew scholars say the root word is hasha’  which means to turn away in our Christian lexicons.  However, when I go to Jewish literature I find that the Jewish scholars, contrary to our Christian scholars tell us that the root word is not hasa’ but sha’ah which means the opposite.  Sha’ah means to look at me, gaze at me.

I cannot imagine any believer when it comes time to die is going to ask God to look away from him so he can find some rest or peace.  I know I want God looking directly at me.  I want him to sha’ah and not hasa’  My apologies to the Christian scholars but I think I will side with the Jewish scholars on this one, not only because they have been at this Hebrew language longer than Christianity but I like their renderings better. 

Jewish scholars, however, just don’t quit there, they will mine this word for every gem they can find.  The go further by saying this means more specifically to turn in acceptance or approval. The writer is praying that God not only turns his gaze upon him but does with acceptance and approval.  They point out that this word is related to the word sha’a which means to give loving care.  The writer is asking to not only look upon him with acceptance but to give him loving care as he approaches his time to die.  These scholars also teach that this word is also related to the word shachah which is the word for worship and swimming.  When you swim you are surrounded by water. When you worship you are surrounded by the presence of God like you are surrounded by water. As the writer approaches death he just wants to be surrounded by the loving presence of God. 

He wants God to do all this, gaze upon him with acceptance and surround him with His presence so when he approaches death’s door he will recover strength. The word recover is not IN the Hebrew text,  it is only one-word balag which Christians scholars says means strength but the Jewish scholars says means to smile. If you can smile at death’s door, then you have all the strength you need.  Oh but the Jewish teachers do not quit there.  That word balag also means to support.  Thus the writer is saying that he when it is time for him to die he wants God to gaze upon him approvingly and surround him with His presence so he will have the support of his Creator and he can smile as he faces death’s door.

Now come on isn’t that a little more encouraging than rendering this as turn away from so I can I have some alone time when I die?  

I remember being called to the bedside of a dying woman when I was a pastor.  The woman’s husband and a neighbor were there.  The woman was rolling back and forth moaning, crying and sometimes yelling.  Her husband begged me to pray. As I went to the bedside I asked the neighbor woman: “She’s 94 years old, it is her time to pass, so I ask God to  heal her, take her?”  The neighbor woman smiled and said: “I know how to pray.”  This little Pentecostal lady began to pray in tongues. Suddenly the dying stopped ranting, rolled over with a peaceful smile and rested and remained that way until she passed.

The husband grabbed my hand and began to pump it thanking me for praying and said; “By golly, you preachers really know how to pray.”  I said: “But it wasn’t me, it was…huh?”  You know my little charismatic friend did not know Hebrew, but I will bet her spirit knew Hebrew and shared this verse with this dying woman as I really believe it is read in the Hebrew,  “Gaze with approval and surround me with your presence so that when I leave this body I will leave it with a smile.”