Ail
The Meaning and Usage of "Ail"
The word "ail" comes from Old English and means to trouble, afflict, or cause pain. In the King James Version and other older English translations, it typically renders a Hebrew interrogative phrase that literally translates as "What is to you?" or "What is wrong with you?" While modern translations replace this archaic language with clearer expressions like "What is the matter?" or "What troubles you?", understanding the original usage helps readers appreciate the force of these biblical questions.
God's Question to Hagar
The most moving use of this expression occurs in Genesis 21:17, when the angel of God calls to Hagar from heaven as she weeps in the wilderness. After Abraham sent her away with their son Ishmael, she placed the boy under a bush because she could not bear to watch him die of thirst. God's question, "What aileth thee, Hagar?", is not a request for information but an expression of divine compassion. God then opens her eyes to see a well of water, saving both her and her son.
The Question in Times of Crisis
The phrase appears in several other Old Testament narratives during moments of distress or conflict. When the men of Dan confronted Micah about his stolen idols, they asked him, "What aileth thee?" (Judges 18:23). When the people of Jabesh-gilead met Saul, they asked the same question to understand the cause of their weeping (1 Samuel 11:5). The widow of Tekoah uses the phrase in her encounter with King David (2 Samuel 14:5), and the woman of Shunem is asked this question by Elisha's servant Gehazi (2 Kings 4:26).
Poetic and Figurative Uses
Psalm 114 provides the most striking figurative use of this language. The psalmist personifies the natural world and asks: "What ailed thee, O thou sea, that thou fled? Thou Jordan, that thou was driven back? Ye mountains, that ye skipped like rams?" (Psalm 114:5-6). This powerful poetry recalls the Exodus and the crossing of the Jordan, attributing emotional responses to inanimate creation as it reacted to God's presence. The question implies that even nature recognizes and responds to the power of God.
Prophetic Application
Isaiah uses a similar construction when addressing Jerusalem: "What aileth thee now, that thou art wholly gone up to the housetops?" (Isaiah 22:1). The prophet challenges the city's response to approaching danger, questioning why its inhabitants have climbed to their rooftops, whether in panic or in misguided celebration. This prophetic use of the ailing question carries a tone of rebuke, suggesting that the people's behavior reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of their spiritual condition.
Biblical Context
The expression "What aileth thee?" appears across multiple Old Testament books and genres. It occurs in narrative contexts in Genesis 21:17, Judges 18:23, 1 Samuel 11:5, 2 Samuel 14:5, and 2 Kings 6:28. It appears in poetry in Psalm 114:5 and in prophetic literature in Isaiah 22:1. In each case, the question probes the cause of distress, fear, or unusual behavior.
Theological Significance
The recurring question 'What aileth thee?' reveals a God who is attentive to human suffering and who invites His people to articulate their pain. In Hagar's story, it demonstrates that God hears the cries of the marginalized. In Psalm 114, it affirms God's absolute sovereignty over creation. The question itself models a pastoral approach to suffering: meeting people in their distress and inviting them to express what troubles them.
Historical Background
The verb 'ail' was common in Middle English and Early Modern English but fell out of everyday use by the 18th century. The King James Bible translators (1611) used it because it was natural English at the time. The underlying Hebrew expression is a standard interrogative construction found throughout Semitic languages, used in both casual and formal speech to inquire about someone's condition or the cause of their behavior.