(Note, in the Hebrew the superscription is verse 1)

Psalm 55:3 (BHS/WHM 4.2)

3          הַקְשִׁ֣יבָה לִּ֣י וַעֲנֵ֑נִי אָרִ֖יד בְּשִׂיחִ֣י וְאָהִֽימָה׃

הַקְשִׁ֣יבָה

Listen, give attention to. The paragogic H at end of the verb is explained as follows:

5. The imperative, in accordance with its other points of connexion with the imperfect in form and meaning, admits of a similar lengthening (by ־ ָה, Arab. imper. energicus, with the ending -ănnă or -ăn, in pause -ā) and shortening

Gesenius, Friedrich Wilhelm. Gesenius’ Hebrew Grammar. Edited by E. Kautzsch and Sir Arthur Ernest Cowley, 2d English ed., Clarendon Press, 1910, p. 131.

An interesting observation about the verb:

(The original idea I consider to be that of sharpening, so that קָשַׁב is almost the same as קָצַב, German die Ohren fpißen, to prick up the ears, an expression taken from animals; see the remarks under אֹזֶן p. 26, B)

Gesenius, Wilhelm, and Samuel Prideaux Tregelles. Gesenius’ Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament Scriptures, Logos Bible Software, 2003, p. 746.

לִּ֣י וַעֲנֵ֑נִי

To me (li) and answer me (ni).

אָרִ֖יד

1. LN 34.40–34.41 (qal) disassociate, formally, roam, be in a state of no longer being in an association, as a figurative extension of roaming or wandering about in linear motion (Jer 2:31; Hos 12:1[EB 11:12]+), see also domain LN 15; (hif) start to roam (Ge 27:40+); 2. LN 25.223–25.250 (hif) be troubled, formally, be caused to roam, i.e., have feelings of anxiety or distress as a figurative extension of being driven or caused to flee in linear motion (Ps 55:3[EB 2]+)

Swanson, James. Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament), Electronic ed., Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997. This image is striking: The Psalmist has come into such pain as to be unable to stay still.

The NJV has “I am tossed about”.

בְּשִׂיחִ֣י

In my pain

I think it is best to understand the Beth here as because of my pain. The pain keeps me from resting.

(iv) Cause—the so-called beth causa

וְשָׂמַחְתָּ בְכָל־הַטּוֹב אֲשֶׁר נָתַן־לְךָ

יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ

‍And you shall rejoice in (or: because of) all the ‍good which the Lord your God has given to you (Deut. 26:11).‍

כִּי כַפֵּיכֶם נְגֹאֲלוּ בַדָּם

‍For your hands are defiled with blood (Isa. 59:3).‍

Van der Merwe, Christo, et al. A Biblical Hebrew Reference Grammar. Electronic ed., Sheffield Academic Press, 1999, p. 282.

We could take the “pain” as the agent: My pain is throwing me around.

שׂיח

Is an interesting word.

(2) to speak, pr. to utter with the mouth, comp. אָמַר No. 1. Followed by לְ to speak to any one, Job 12:8; with suff. Prov. 6:22, תְּשִׂיחֶךָ “he shall speak with thee.” Followed by בְּ to speak of any one, Ps. 69:13.

(3) to sing, Jud. 5:10; Ps. 145:5. Followed by בְּ to celebrate anything in song, Ps. 105:2, and in a bad sense, to lament, to complain, Psa. 55:18; Job 7:11.

(4) to talk with oneself, i.e. to meditate, especially on divine things, Ps. 77:4, 7; followed by בְּ of the thing, Ps. 119:15, 23, 27, 48, 78, 148; 77:13. Compare syn. הָגָה.

PILEL שׂוֹחֵחַ to meditate, Psalm 143:5; to think upon anything, Isa. 53:8.

Gesenius, Wilhelm, and Samuel Prideaux Tregelles. Gesenius’ Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament Scriptures, Logos Bible Software, 2003, pp. 788–89.

There is some kind of communication which has the effect or is expressive of pain. That is understood from the broader context of the Psalm.

This last verb makes the scene even more striking:

וְאָהִֽימָה

And I am/I have become, in a confusion, murmuring, distracted.

The combination ideas here are: I roam about, talking to myself, distracted, confused. This is describing someone in an extremely agitated state who cannot even think.  I KJV has here, “I … make a noise”.

The Ar. according to Walton probably reads כי before אריד, and some such word seems to be wanting, as Mudge and others think, “when I mourn in my complaint; and am vexed.” Or as Green with Ch. “and cry aloud.” Who thinks also that a word has been dropped after אריד. See Isai. 15:3.

Dimock, H. Notes Critical and Explanatory on the Books of Psalms and Proverbs. J. F. and C. Rivington; J. and J. Fletcher; J. Hough; R. Raikes, 1791, p. 88.

2. Rend. “Attend unto me and answer me, [when] I am troubled in my meditation and moan aloud.” I am troubled, H. אריד ârîd, lit. “I am uneasy:” as in Gen. 27:40 the word is used of physical roaming, so here it is used of mental perturbation. The Arab. רוד radâ in Voice 1. means “to wander,” but in 4 (as in the subst. taraddud “mental disturbance,” “doubt”), the psychological use of the word is evident. In my meditation, the signf. “In my complaint” is quite allowable but not so appropriate: H. בשיחי b’sîchî, cf. 104:34, 105:2. שיח sîach (1) means both “Meditation,” and the putting of meditation into articulate words (cf. the verb in ver. 17), “Prayer,” “Complaint:” cf. the union of these two signff. in the Rt. הגה hâgâh. Fuerst’s attempt to connect the word with Germ. “sagen” is absurd. There is an Arab. word shaych = Pers. pîr, “an old man” or “teacher,” but whether this word is derived from shâcha (fut. i.) “was old,” or whether we are to regard this verb as a denominative, and to suppose the shaych to be so called because he is one who is used to meditation, is open to doubt. שיח sîach (2) means “a shrub” (e.g. Gen. 2:5), cf. the Syr. shucho, Arab. shaych, but these latter are doubtless from a different root. And moan aloud: here the H. אהימה âhîmâh Hiph. of הום hoom is equivalent to אֶהֱמֶה eh’meh ver. 17 [18].

Jennings, A. C., and W. H. Lowe. The Psalms, with Introductions and Critical Notes. Second Edition, vol. 1, Macmillan and Co., 1884, pp. 252–53.

Psalm 54:3 (LXX)

³ πρόσχες μοι καὶ εἰσάκουσόν μου. ἐλυπήθην ἐν τῇ ἀδολεσχίᾳ μου καὶ ἐταράχθην

The LXX begins with an extra verb to flesh out the idea of the single verb in the Hebrew.

Πρόσχες pay attention to, give heed to, take hold of me

καὶ εἰσάκουσόν μου

And listen (carefully) to me. The verb can even carry the connotation of “obey”.

ἐλυπήθην

I am made sorrowful. I am grieved, vexed.

ἐν τῇ ἀδολεσχίᾳ μου

En which is roughly the equivalent of the Hebrew Beth. I would take this as a dative of cause. He is not grieving in some location of pain but rather the pain is driving his sorrow.

ἀδολεσχίᾳ is idle talk

The LSJ has:

ἀδο-λεσχία [α_], ἡ,

A.prating, garrulity, Ar.Nu.1480, Isoc.13.8, Pl.Tht.195c, Arist.Rh.1390a9, Thphr.Char.3: pl., Simp. in Ph.1141.8.

II. keenness, subtlety, Pl.Phdr.269e.

III. conversation, talk, LXX 4 Ki.9.11, Ps.54(55).2.

καὶ ἐταράχθην

And I am troubled, in turmoil.

The description of these symptoms matches the description of an anxiety disorder:

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/anxiety/symptoms-causes/syc-20350961

Symptoms

Common anxiety signs and symptoms include:

• Feeling nervous, restless or tense
• Having a sense of impending danger, panic or doom
• Having an increased heart rate
• Breathing rapidly (hyperventilation)
• Sweating
• Trembling
• Feeling weak or tired
• Trouble concentrating or thinking about anything other than the present worry
• Having trouble sleeping
• Experiencing gastrointestinal (GI) problems
• Having difficulty controlling worry
• Having the urge to avoid things that trigger anxiety