תהלים, פרק ל״א, פסוק י״א

Deep physical and emotional distress can push a person to the point of total collapse, where the burdens of life overwhelm both body and soul. Some trace this profound sense of loss and destruction to the period when David was forced to flee from King Saul, living in constant sadness and always a step away from death [רד״ק]. These existential threats go beyond mere physical danger; they inflict deep sorrow upon the soul, threatening its very survival [מאירי]. This state is accompanied by a painful sense of missed opportunity, as precious years are wasted running from enemies rather than being spent in the service of God [אלשיך].

The suffering strikes on two fronts, attacking both the inside and the outside. The pain is felt as an internal sadness within the heart, but it also erupts outwardly through the physical act of sighing. Similarly, the damage targets the internal life force while also consuming the external, passing years of a person's life, emphasizing the complete takeover of this distress [מלבי״ם, מצודת דוד]. The act of sighing is not just an emotional release; it is a physical force that actively breaks and weakens the body [רד״ק]. This complete draining of strength can also be understood as a metaphor for intense hunger and starvation [אבן עזרא].

The root cause of this intense suffering and weakness is ultimately traced back to personal sin. It is human failing that brings about the sadness and sighing, draining a person's inner strength [רד״ק, אלשיך, מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ, מלבי״ם]. This total collapse reaches its peak deep within the body, affecting the bones themselves. As the foundation of the body and the core of its stability [רד״ק, אבן עזרא, מאירי, מלבי״ם], the bones become weak and worn out [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The physical toll is so severe that the bones are described as sticking together from sheer exhaustion [מצודת דוד]. The primary approach among commentators is to view this deterioration as a state of rotting, painting a harsh picture of the body's very foundations decaying as though eaten away by a moth [רש״י, רד״ק, מאירי].