H8379 H8379
desire, boundary — either desirable things or a boundary mark; scholarly debate on meaning in Genesis 49:26
This construct noun in Genesis 49:26 has sparked interpretive debate. The phrase 'desire of the everlasting hills' (traditional) or 'boundary of the everlasting hills' (alternative) both make contextual sense. If 'desire,' it means the desirable things the hills offer (blessing, abundance). If 'boundary,' it refers to geographical extent. Most versions favor 'desire,' fitting the blessing context where Joseph receives the fullness of natural bounty. The root connection to 'mark' or 'desire' allows both readings.
Senses
1. sense 1 — The construct form in Genesis 49:26 is disputed: either 'desire/desirable things of the everlasting hills' or 'boundary of the everlasting hills.' BDB notes both possibilities, with 'desire' favored by most translations, fitting the accumulation of blessings in Jacob's benediction of Joseph. The multilingual evidence strongly supports 'desire' (Spanish 'deseo,' French 'désirer,' German 'Sehnsucht'), though the semantic ambiguity in the Hebrew root (connecting to both marking and desiring) remains. 1×
AR["شَهْوَةِ"]·ben["কামনা"]·DE["Sehnsucht"]·EN["desire-of"]·FR["désirer-de"]·heb["תאות"]·HI["इच्छा"]·ID["keinginan"]·IT["desiderare-di"]·jav["kapenginan"]·KO["소원"]·PT["desejo-de"]·RU["вершины"]·ES["deseo-de"]·SW["homa"]·TR["arzusuna"]·urd["خواہشوں"]
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
† II. [תַּאֲוָה] n.f. boundary (as described by a mark?);—cstr. תַּאֲוַת גִּבְעֹת עוֹלָם Gn 49:26 (this meaning AV RV Ew§ 186b [√ תָּאָה] De Gn √ אוה, תאה, תוה), but desire = desirable things, so most.