H2532a H2532a
Desire, delight, or preciousness; something longed for, delightful, or treasured as valuable.
Chemdah captures the magnetic pull of something that draws the heart -- whether the feeling of desire itself or the quality that makes an object desirable. When Samuel tells Saul that 'all the desire of Israel' rests on him (1 Sam 9:20), the word hovers between the people's longing and Saul's desirability as king. Haggai's famous prophecy that 'the chemdah of all nations shall come' (Hag 2:7) has been read as treasure, as desire, or messianically. Jeremiah mourns his 'pleasant portion' trampled (Jer 12:10), and Hosea warns that Ephraim's 'precious vessels' will be plundered (Hos 13:15). Across its range, the word insists that true worth and true longing are two sides of the same coin.
Senses
1. delight or pleasantness — Delight or pleasantness -- the quality of being delightful, beautiful, or desirable in itself. Jeremiah calls his vineyard-land 'my pleasant portion' (chemdati, Jer 12:10), the psalmist speaks of a 'desirable land' rejected by Israel (Ps 106:24), and Ezekiel lists Tyre's 'pleasant things' among her doomed treasures (Ezek 26:12). Spanish 'delicia' and 'deseable' track the quality-of-delight nuance. Six occurrences emphasize the objective attractiveness of what is described. 6×
AR["الجَمِيلَةِ", "الشَّهوَة", "الْبَهْجَةِ", "بَهْجَتِي", "شَهِيَّةً", "شَهْوَتِكِ"]·ben["-মনোরম", "কাঙ্ক্ষিত", "কামনার", "কাম্য", "তোমার-বাঞ্ছনীয়ের", "প্রিয়-আমার"]·DE["[החמדה]", "[חמדה]", "[חמדתי]", "[חמדתך]", "der-lieblich-Land"]·EN["My-delight", "desirable", "desire", "the-pleasant-land", "your-delight"]·FR["[החמדה]", "[חמדה]", "[חמדתי]", "désir"]·heb["ה-חמדה", "חמדה", "חמדתי", "חמדתך"]·HI["मनभावने", "मनोहर", "मेरी-खुशी-का", "वांछनीय"]·ID["indah", "kesukaan-Ku", "kesukaanmu", "yang-berharga", "yang-diinginkan", "yang-indah"]·IT["[החמדה]", "[חמדה]", "[חמדתי]", "desiderio"]·jav["ingkang-dados-klangenan-Kula", "ingkang-dipun-kasihi-panjenengan", "ingkang-endah", "ingkang-éndah", "éndah"]·KO["기뻐하는", "기쁜", "기쁨의-너의", "내-기뻔의", "좋은"]·PT["Meu-desejo", "desejável", "o-desejo", "teu-deleite"]·RU["вожделенные", "желанную", "желанный-Мой", "роскошные-твои"]·ES["delicia", "delicia-mi", "deseable", "preciadas", "tu-deleite"]·SW["kupendeza-kwako", "nzuri", "ya-kupendeza", "yangu-tamu", "yenye-kupendeza", "za-kupendeza"]·TR["arzulanan", "değerli-olanın", "hoş-", "sevdiceimin"]·urd["خواہش-تیری-کے", "خوبصورت", "خوشگوار", "میرے-پیارے-کا", "پسندیدہ-کو"]
2. desire or longing — Desire or longing -- the subjective emotion of wanting or setting one's heart on something. Samuel asks about 'all the desire of Israel' (1 Sam 9:20); King Jehoram died 'without desire,' meaning unmourned (2 Chr 21:20); Daniel's antagonist disregards 'the desire of women' (Dan 11:37). Spanish 'deseo' and French 'desir' mark this abstract-emotion reading. Six occurrences center on the act of desiring. 6×
AR["النَّفَائِسِ", "شَهْوَةُ", "شَهْوَةِ", "شَوْقٍ", "مَحْبُوبُ", "نَفَائِسِهِمْ"]·ben["আকাঙ্ক্ষা", "কাঙ্ক্ষিত-জিনিস", "কাঙ্ক্ষিত-বস্তু", "কামনা", "তাদের-বহুমূল্য", "মূল্যবানের"]·DE["[חמדה]", "[חמדת]", "[חמדתם]", "desire-von"]·EN["desire", "desire-of", "their-desire"]·FR["[חמדה]", "désir", "désir-de"]·heb["חמדה", "חמדת", "חמדתם"]·HI["अभिलाषा-के।", "इच्छाएं", "उनकी-लालसा-की", "कीमती", "चाह", "लालसा"]·ID["berharga", "berharga-mereka", "diinginkan", "harta-benda", "keinginan", "kesukaan"]·IT["[חמדה]", "desiderio", "desiderio-di"]·jav["aji-ipun-sedaya", "kaapikan", "kaendahaning", "katresnanan", "pepenginan-ipun", "èndi-èndi"]·KO["귀한-것들인", "귀한-것의", "바라는-것", "소원을", "소원이", "애도"]·PT["desejo", "desejo-das", "desejo-de", "os-tesouros-de", "seu-desejo"]·RU["вожделение", "вожделенными-их", "драгоценных", "желаемое", "сожаления", "сокровище"]·ES["deseo", "deseo-de", "deseo-suyo", "lo-deseable-de", "lo-deseado-de"]·SW["chemdaּh", "hazina", "kuombolezwa", "tamaa", "tamani", "vya-thamani-vyao"]·TR["arzusu-", "arzusuna", "değerli", "değerli-şeyleri", "özlem"]·urd["آرزوئے", "اُن-کی-قیمتی-چیزوں-کے", "بہترین", "خواہش", "رغبت-کے", "قیمتی-کے-لیے"]
3. precious valuable thing — A precious or valuable thing -- concrete objects treasured for their material or intrinsic worth. Nebuchadnezzar carries off 'precious vessels' from the temple (2 Chr 36:10), the shepherds of Israel lose their 'precious possessions' in judgment (Jer 25:34), and Nineveh's plunderers seize her 'precious things' (Nah 2:9). Spanish 'tesoro-de' and 'precioso' reveal the shift from abstract longing to tangible wealth. Four occurrences give chemdah this concrete, objectified sense. 4×
AR["ثَمينَةٍ", "شَهِيَّةٍ", "فَاخِرٍ", "نَفَائِسِ"]·ben["-মূল্যবানের", "কামনার", "বহুমূল্যের"]·DE["[חמדה]", "[חמדת]"]·EN["desire", "desire-of", "precious"]·FR["[חמדה]", "[חמדת]", "désir"]·heb["חמדה", "חמדת"]·HI["कीमती", "बहुमूल्य", "बहुमूल्य-की"]·ID["berharga", "yang-berharga.", "yang-indah"]·IT["[חמדה]", "[חמדת]", "desiderio"]·jav["aji", "ingkang-èndah", "kang-adi", "pangaji-"]·KO["귀한", "보물의-", "탐낼-의"]·PT["desejo", "desejo-de", "precioso", "preciosos"]·RU["драгоценностей", "драгоценный", "драгоценных"]·ES["deseo", "precioso", "tesoro-de"]·SW["chemdaּt", "thamani", "vya-thamani"]·TR["değerli", "değerli-o"]·urd["خواہش-کا", "قیمتی", "قیمتی-سامان-کا", "قیمتی-کے"]
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)H3541 1. thus, so, in this manner (569×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† חֶמְדָּה n.f. id.—ח׳ Ho 13:15 + 8 times; cstr. חֶמְדַּת 1 S 9:20 + 3 times; sf. חֶמְדָּתִי Je 12:10; חֶמְדָּתֵךְ Ez 26:12; חֶמְדָּתָם Dn 11:8;—desire of Israel 1 S 9:20 sq. לְ before obj. of desire; בְּלֹא ח׳ = without desire 2 Ch 21:20 (i.e. he lived as no one desired), v. Öt 𝔊 (not 𝔊L) 𝔙; concrete: כל־ח׳ ישׂראל 1 S 9:20 and for whom is all that is desirable in Isr.? so 𝔊 𝔙 RV Dr; (> AV…