Bible Dictionary
COMPLAINING
Complaining is expressing dissatisfaction or an outcry. Scripture uses the term for the absence of public distress in a peaceful city and for the troubled speech of a drunkard.
Definition
Complaining is an expression of dissatisfaction, distress, or outcry. It may refer to a public cry in the streets or to troubled, confused speech.
Biblical Usage
The absence of complaining in the streets presents a picture of peace in the city. In Proverbs, the term describes the speech or babbling of a drunkard.
Historical Background
The streets mentioned were open places where people commonly gathered, especially near the city gate.
Historical Bible Dictionaries
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>kom-plan'-ing (tsewachah, "cry," "outcry," siach, "meditation," "complaint"): tsewachah is translated "complaining" (Ps 144:14, the Revised Version (British and American)) "outcry," "no complaining (outcry) in our streets," i.e. "open places" where the people commonly assembled near the gate of the city (compare 2Ch 32:6; Ne 8:1); a picture of peace in the city (compare Isa 24:11; Jer 14:2); some render "battlecry"; siach (the Revised Version (British and American) Pr 23:29, the King James Version "babbling"), of the drunkard.</p>