תהלים, פרק כ״ב, פסוק ט״ז

A profound sense of despair and total physical collapse takes hold when a person is pushed to the edge of death by immense suffering and fear. In this state, the body simply gives out. The primary approach among commentators is that the speaker experiences a complete loss of natural bodily moisture, the essential fluids that sustain human life. Overwhelmed by sorrow and terror, this vital moisture completely dries up. The individual is left fragile, crumbling from within, and as lifeless as a piece of dry clay or a frail, elderly person [אבן עזרא, המאירי, מלבי״ם, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

This physical withering extends specifically to the mouth, where extreme anxiety causes severe dryness. Some explain that the loss of strength directly refers to a lack of saliva, leaving the palate entirely parched [רד״ק, אבן עזרא]. The tongue sticks tightly, rendering the speaker completely unable to cry out for help or respond to those who torment him [מצודת דוד, מלבי״ם, המאירי]. Commentators offer different perspectives on exactly where the tongue is stuck. One view suggests it clings to the gums, jaws, or palate, which are the parts of the mouth responsible for taking in food during chewing [רש״י, רד״ק, מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ, המאירי]. Another perspective compares the sensation to a blacksmith's tool, describing the teeth as clamped shut like tongs, or the tongue itself feeling as though it is trapped in a tight grip and impossible to move [רש״י, אבן עזרא, המאירי].

Beyond the physical paralysis of the mouth, this inability to speak carries a deeper allegorical meaning. It represents a state of spiritual paralysis, specifically the forced halt of studying the Written and Oral Torah due to the harsh decrees of exile [רד״ק]. Furthermore, this condition reflects a total loss of the senses, reducing the person to a state resembling actual death. This mirrors the profound numbness experienced by Queen Esther when she was taken against her will to the palace of King Ahasuerus [אלשיך].

Stripped of all power, the speaker realizes that every ounce of hope for rescue has vanished. He feels entirely prepared to descend into the grave and return to the dust [רש״י, רד״ק, מצודת דוד, המאירי, מלבי״ם]. The imagery used to describe this final descent is drawn from the kitchen, specifically the act of placing a pot onto a fire. In his final moments, the speaker feels that God is actively preparing and positioning him for death, just as a person carefully arranges and sets a cooking pot onto a stove [רש״י, רד״ק, אבן עזרא, מצודת ציון, מלבי״ם].