The word peinigen is a transitive verb which requires an object. It is not just 'causes pain'. But that is really a detail.

(7 hours ago)JoJo_Jost Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.However, I did not mean that it is a complete sentence with a subject, predicate, and object, but rather a list in the form of alliteration.

The reason I pointed it out is because this is how essentially all "good old"/old-fashioned Voynich text translations worked. A series of (very) loosely related words, which are turned into a sentence by arbtrarily adding words. While that sort of makes sense in the 'decryption' step, it is usually not sensible when one thinks of the 'encryption' step. The missing words should have been there.

That also applies here.

Just chiming in to make another plug for my Old Occitan/Old French-like Romance translation of the first line, which has the advantage of being a full, grammatical sentence.

(7 hours ago)ReneZ Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.The reason I pointed it out is because this is how essentially all "good old"/old-fashioned Voynich text translations worked. 

I completely agree with you regarding translations of the VMS, and I am very aware that one must be extremely careful here. I am absolutely not a fan of eisegesis.
However, in the case of a three-word marginal note, I assume a different register: abbreviated, alliterative, and process-oriented.
In such marginal notes or keyword lists, verbs are often elliptical and can function as shorthand for effects (“has the effect of X”) without an explicit object.

With a three-word alliteration, this kind of ellipsis is almost inevitable and entirely typical. (Especially since only a single letter is actually in question and the resulting reading is coherent.) But of course, it's just a theory, too

As far as I can tell though, MHG "pine" had a limited application. Something like intense suffering in a religious context? Eschatological suffering

In modern Dutch, "pijn" can be any kind of pain, just like the English word. But German has other words for that.

(5 hours ago)Koen G Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.
As far as I can tell though, MHG "pine" had a limited application. Something like intense suffering in a religious context? Eschatological suffering

No, that ist not correct:

Middle High German Dictionary by Benecke, Müller, Zarncke

pîne swv. ahd.  You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.  pinôn Graff 3, 340.
1. nöthige, zwinge, quäle. dû kanst mich sêre pînen Geo. 35. a. manger sêle die er wolde pînen Servat. 177. gelemt gepînet Ludw. kreuzf. 6312. er dâchte mit den pilgerînen die dît freislîchen pînen Jerosch. Pf. 157. d. di gepînten kristen das. 147. b. den gelouben pînen Pass. K. 344,18.
2. reflexiv, ich pîne mich. Gr. 1,956. bemühe mich, quäle mich ab. ich begunde mich des pînen, daʒ ich etc. Trist. 160. und sô er sichs ie mêre pînete unde nôte Trist. 19347. swem man aller beste sprach, dâ pînten sich die jungen nâch Mai 1,28. daʒ er sich kunde pînen nâch tugenden und nâch êren das. 81,12. vgl. das. 86, 30. die kristen kunden sich pînen nâch êren an dem strîte das. 121,6. nâch êren ir iuch pînet warnung 2637. sô sich der süeʒe jâmer nâch dir pînet myst. 375,20. sô kan er sich ûf hôhe milte pînen MS. 2,207. b. er begunde sich pînen ûf ritterlich geverte Mai 107,10. sîn herze sich doch pînet ûf triuwe und ûf güete Wigal. 2848. sus hæte er sich gepînet ûf tugent Engelh. 240. diu pînde sich vil sêre ûf hôher künste lêre Barl. 258,31. daʒ sich mîn zunge pînet sêre ûf ir lop troj. 20162. mîn vater hât gepînet dar ûf mit hôher koste sich das. 21104.
3. zuweilen hat das wort, auch ohne reflexiv zu sein, die bedeutung: sich um etwas bemühen. swer umme grôʒe gewalt pînet Wernh. v. Elmend. 1157.

[url=https://woerterbuchnetz.de/?sigle=BMZ&lemid=P00559#][/url] pînege swv.
1. peinige (pînegôn?). pungo peinigen Diefenb. gl. 228. infligere peynigen das. 154. affligere peinygen das. 15. afficere punire peynigen ebenda. crucio peinjgen das. 84. cruciatus gepeiniget ebenda. extorquere aus peynigen das. 117. — an kelden und an hitzen gepîneget in der hœhsten klage Theophil. 135. daʒ si den menschen pînegeten ûf der tôdes vart Pass. 70,1. si wurden gepîneget in manigen weg Clos. chron. 31. daʒ wir nâch gevelle dich pînigen in der helle Pass. K. 34,90. er wolde si mit hungersnôt pînigen unde villen das. 36,3. sô man si pîniget unde slêt das. 104,71. daʒ in des kuniges grimmer slac pînigen wolde manigerhant das. 463,27. — daʒ di lieben hailgen gepîngôt solten werden zürch. jahrb. 46,13. —
2. reflexiv. sich abquälen, abmühen. warumbe pînigestu dich sô Dioclet. 2785.

This supports the interpretation of peinigen as a process or effect term, not necessarily a fully spelled-out sentence with an explicit object.

I'm certainly no expert on the matter but my feeling is that 'pîne' seems a bit anachronistic (too ancient) compared to the rest of the text. This sounds like 12-13th century, not 15th. I'd rather expect 'peyn' here.

Not saying we should rule it out completely, the VM appears to draw from inspirations that significantly pre-date the 15th century. But it still feels odd.