H3700 H3700
To long for, yearn deeply; expressing intense desire or pining, often directed toward God or home.
A verb of intense emotional longing, used in both Qal and Niphal stems with no clear difference in meaning between them. Its most memorable occurrence is the Niphal infinitive absolute construction in Genesis 31:30, where Laban accuses Jacob: 'you longed sorely for your father's house.' The Psalms employ it for spiritual yearning -- the soul that 'longs, even faints' for God's courts (Ps 84:2). German Sehnsucht ('longing') and Spanish anhelar ('to yearn') both capture the ache of desire this word conveys. The Arabic cognate kasafa ('to be eclipsed, dimmed') suggests an original association with pallor or fading -- the physical appearance of someone consumed by longing.
Senses
1. long for, yearn — Deep yearning or longing directed toward a person, place, or God. The Niphal infinitive absolute in Genesis 31:30 ('you longed sorely for your father's house') emphasizes the intensity through doubling. In Job 14:15, God is imagined as longing for the work of his hands, and in Psalm 17:12, it describes a lion's fierce desire to tear prey. Psalm 84:2 transforms the word into spiritual devotion: 'My soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts of the LORD.' German Sehnsucht and Spanish anhelar perfectly mirror this word's emotional depth. The Arabic root's association with eclipse and pallor hints that the original image was of someone visibly wasting away with desire. 6×
AR["اشْتَاقَتْ", "اشْتَقْتَ", "اشْتِياقًا", "تَشْتَاقُ", "تُشْتَاقُ", "يَشْتَاقُ"]·ben["আকাঙ্ক্ষা", "আকাঙ্ক্ষা-করেছ", "আপনি-আকাঙ্ক্ষা-করবেন", "কামনা-করেছে", "যে-ছিঁড়ে-ফেলতে-চায়", "লজ্জিত"]·DE["Sehnsucht", "[נכסף]", "[תכסף]", "hast-du-dich-gesehnt", "longs", "sehnend"]·EN["longed-for", "longing", "longs", "you-long", "you-longed"]·FR["désirer", "longing", "tu-longed", "תכסף"]·heb["יכסוף", "נכסף", "נכספה", "נכספתה", "תכסוף"]·HI["जो-लालायित-है", "तरस-रहा-था-तू", "तरसना-ही", "तू-चाहेगा", "लज्जित।", "लालायित-है"]·ID["Engkau-rindu", "Rindu", "engkau-rindu", "punya-malu", "sangat-rindu", "yang-merindukan"]·IT["[נכסף]", "bramo'", "longing", "tu-longed", "you-long"]·jav["Karep-sanget", "Panjenengan-kangen", "isin", "kangen-sanget", "kepengin", "panjenengan-kangen"]·KO["갈망하나이다", "그리워하기를", "그리워했다-너는", "사모하시리이다", "사모하였다", "수치스러운"]·PT["Ansiou", "anseia", "ansiando", "ansiaste", "envergonhada", "terás-saudade"]·RU["жаждущий", "томится", "тосковал-ты", "тосковать", "тосковать-будешь", "устыжающийся"]·ES["Anheló", "anhelar", "anhelarás", "anhelaste", "ansia", "deseada"]·SW["Imetamani", "aibu", "anayetamani", "kutamani", "ulitamani", "utatamani"]·TR["utanan", "çok", "özledi", "özledin", "özler", "özlersin"]·urd["آرزو-کرتی-ہے", "ترستا", "ترستا-تھا-تُو", "ترسی", "شرمندہ", "چاہے-گا-تُو"]
Related Senses
G2309 1. want, desire (166×)G0025 1. to love actively (133×)H0157 1. love (verb, active Qal) (129×)H8055 1. Qal: rejoice, be glad (123×)H7453 1. neighbor, fellow man (120×)G0026 1. of love (115×)H1058 1. Qal: to weep, cry (112×)H0954 1. to be ashamed, feel shame (Qal) (95×)H8057 1. joy, gladness, delight (90×)H2781 1. disgrace, shame, dishonor (68×)G2307 1. will, desire, purpose (63×)G5463 1. rejoice, be glad (63×)G0027 1. beloved (61×)H8130 1. Qal: to hate, detest (60×)G5479 1. (59×)G1680 1. (53×)H8130 2. Qal ptcp: hater, enemy (53×)H0014 1. be willing, want (51×)H0157 2. lover, friend (Qal participle substantive) (51×)H1945 1. woe (50×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† [כָּסַף] vb. long (for) (Arabic كَسَفَ be colourless, obscure, be eclipsed (of sun or moon); also be depressed in appearance BaES 61; mod. Arabic disappoint; refl. conjj. be disappointed, ashamed, v. SpiroVocab.; NH כסף Hiph. shew pallor, be pale, white; Qal be ashamed, long for, cf. Aramaic כְּסַף)— Qal Impf. 2 ms. לְמַעֲשֵׂה יָדֶיךָ תִּכְסֹ֑ף Jb 14:15 for the work of thy hands thou wouldest…