The term "gaunt" is not directly found in the Bible; however, the concept of being gaunt, which refers to being lean, haggard, or emaciated, is depicted in various scriptural narratives and descriptions. This condition often symbolizes famine, suffering, or spiritual desolation.

Biblical Context and Symbolism

1. Famine and Suffering: The Bible frequently uses imagery of physical leanness to describe times of famine and hardship. In Genesis 41, Pharaoh's dream of the seven gaunt cows emerging from the Nile and devouring the seven healthy cows is a vivid portrayal of impending famine. Joseph interprets this dream as a divine warning of seven years of abundance followed by seven years of severe famine (Genesis 41:27).

2. Spiritual Desolation: Gauntness can also symbolize spiritual barrenness or desolation. In the prophetic literature, physical emaciation often parallels spiritual decline or judgment. For instance, in Isaiah 24:16, the prophet laments the desolation and spiritual emptiness that results from sin and divine judgment.

3. Human Suffering and Lamentation: The Book of Lamentations provides a poignant depiction of the suffering and gauntness experienced by the inhabitants of Jerusalem following its destruction. Lamentations 4:8 describes the once-healthy people as "blacker than soot," their skin shriveled on their bones, reflecting the dire conditions and extreme deprivation they faced.

4. Divine Judgment: Gauntness is sometimes used as a metaphor for divine judgment. In Ezekiel 24:23 , the prophet speaks of the people’s faces being gaunt as a result of God's judgment, indicating both physical and spiritual affliction.

Theological Implications

The imagery of gauntness in the Bible serves as a powerful reminder of the consequences of sin and the reality of divine judgment. It underscores the physical and spiritual toll that disobedience and separation from God can exact on individuals and communities. Moreover, it highlights the need for repentance and reliance on God's provision and mercy.

Practical Application

For believers, the concept of gauntness can serve as a call to spiritual vigilance and a reminder of the importance of maintaining a healthy spiritual life. Just as physical gauntness results from a lack of nourishment, spiritual gauntness can occur when one neglects the nourishment of God's Word and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. Christians are encouraged to seek spiritual sustenance through prayer, scripture, and community, ensuring that their spiritual lives remain vibrant and healthy.(a.) Attenuated, as with fasting or suffering; lean; meager; pinched and grim.1565. galmud -- hard, barren
... barren. Word Origin probably from galam Definition hard, barren NASB Word
Usage barren (3), gaunt (1). desolate, solitary. Probably ...
/hebrew/1565.htm - 6k

7534. raq -- thin, only, altogether, surely
... Word Origin from an unused word Definition thin, only, altogether, surely NASB Word
Usage alone* (4), except (4), except* (1), gaunt* (1), however (6), lean (2 ...
/hebrew/7534.htm - 6k

1851. daq -- thin, small, fine
... Word Origin from daqaq Definition thin, small, fine NASB Word Usage dwarf (1), fine
(3), fine dust (1), finely ground (1), gaunt* (2), gentle (1), thin (5). ...
/hebrew/1851.htm - 6k

1320. basar -- flesh
... Word Origin from basar Definition flesh NASB Word Usage anyone* (1), bodies (2),
body (39), fatter* (1), flesh (176), gaunt* (3), lustful* (1), man (1 ...
/hebrew/1320.htm - 6k

Edwin and Paulinus
... The Conversion of Northumbria. The black-hair'd gaunt Paulinus By ruddy Edwin
stood:" "Bow down, O king of Deira, Before the blessed Rood! ...
/.../wells/bible stories and religious classics/edwin and paulinus.htm

The Thunderbolt Averted
... Many of them had not washed far years. Their features were gaunt and grim,
their gestures uncouth, repellent, yet commanding. Their ...
/.../chapter viii the thunderbolt averted.htm

Juventus Mundi
... away, Till they stiffened into clay, And the ruffian rode away: Swooping o'er the
tainted ground, Carrion vultures gathered round, And the gaunt hyenas ran ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/andromeda and other poems/juventus mundi.htm

The Rash Builder
... Christian discipleship. III. Further, note the failures. The tower of the
rash builder stands a gaunt, staring ruin. Whosoever throws ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture e/the rash builder.htm

The Making of a Nation
... Mr. Lincoln, as I saw him every morning, in the carpet slippers he wore in the house
and the black clothes no tailor could make really fit his gaunt, bony frame ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kent/the making of a nation/title page.htm

Introduction.
... Contrast him, for example, with the stern majesty of Moses, austere and simple as
the tables of stone; or with the unvarying tone in the gaunt strength of ...
//christianbookshelf.org/maclaren/the life of david/i introduction.htm

John's Doubts of Jesus, and Jesus' Praise of John
... If the gaunt ascetic, with his girdle of camel's hair and his coarse fare, had been
a self-indulgent sybarite, his voice would never have shaken a nation. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture b/johns doubts of jesus and.htm

The Highway of Holiness
... your heart.". A Low Door. At the top of the hill, guarding the way to the
Highway, stands so gaunt and grim ... the Cross. There ...
//christianbookshelf.org/hession/the calvary road/chapter 4 the highway of.htm

The Children of the Poor.
... Temptation is a fierce legion; and death looks no more terrible under a Babylonian
helmet, than it does upon the gaunt faces of men who die upon the bare floor ...
/.../chapin/humanity in the city/discourse vii the children of.htm

The "Little Knife" Insurrection
... Let a government be unsuccessful; let a dynasty see the gaunt hand of famine, or
the poison hand of pestilence laid on the land, that is the mute voice of ...
/.../fagg/forty years in south china/vi the little knife insurrection.htm

Gaunt (7 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Gaunt (7 Occurrences). Genesis ... So I awoke. (See
RSV). Job 30:3 They are gaunt from lack and famine. They ...
/g/gaunt.htm - 8k

Gauls

/g/gauls.htm - 7k

Gloom (29 Occurrences)
... (See NAS RSV). Job 30:3 They are gaunt from lack and famine. They gnaw the dry
ground, in the gloom of waste and desolation. (WEB JPS ASV YLT). ...
/g/gloom.htm - 15k

Gauntness (1 Occurrence)

/g/gauntness.htm - 6k

Gnaw (4 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Gnaw (4 Occurrences). Job 30:3 They are gaunt from lack
and famine. They gnaw the dry ground, in the gloom of waste and desolation. ...
/g/gnaw.htm - 8k

Wasteness (4 Occurrences)
... Wasteness (4 Occurrences). Job 30:3 They are gaunt with want and famine; They gnaw
the dry ground, in the gloom of wasteness and desolation. (See JPS ASV). ...
/w/wasteness.htm - 7k

Wastelands (4 Occurrences)
... Wastelands (4 Occurrences). Job 30:3 They are gaunt with want and famine; they gnaw
the dry ground, in the gloom of wasteness and desolation. (See NIV). ...
/w/wastelands.htm - 7k

Thin (39 Occurrences)
... 4. (superl.) Not full or well grown; wanting in plumpness. 5. (superl.) Not stout;
slim; slender; lean; gaunt; as, a person becomes thin by disease. ...
/t/thin.htm - 19k

Rawboned (1 Occurrence)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (a.) Having little flesh on the bones; gaunt.
Multi-Version Concordance Rawboned (1 Occurrence). Genesis ...
/r/rawboned.htm - 6k

Roamed (2 Occurrences)
... (See RSV NIV). Job 30:3 They are gaunt from lack and famine. They gnaw the
dry ground, in the gloom of waste and desolation. (See NIV). ...
/r/roamed.htm - 7k

Gaunt: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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