H8669 H8669
desire, longing, the pull of one person or thing toward another
This rare noun denotes deep longing or desire that draws one being toward another. In Genesis 3:16, it describes the woman's desire for her husband despite the pain of childbearing—a complex pull in the aftermath of the fall. Genesis 4:7 uses it of sin's desire to master Cain, personifying sin's crouching hunger. The Song of Songs inverts the Genesis 3 language: 'I am my beloved's, and his desire is for me' (7:10)—mutual longing redeemed. The word captures magnetic pull, whether between persons in love, woman to man under curse, or evil toward its prey. It's desire that reaches, that wants to possess or be possessed.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Cross-linguistic glosses consistently emphasize desire—Spanish 'deseo,' French 'désir,' German 'Verlangen.' The three biblical occurrences span a remarkable theological arc: curse (Gen 3:16), threat of sin (Gen 4:7), and redeemed love (Song 7:10). French glosses even use infinitive forms 'désirer' (to desire), emphasizing the verbal force within the noun. The multilingual evidence supports this as passionate longing that pulls one toward another, whether in love, subjugation, or predatory threat. The word's rarity and concentrated use in Genesis and Song of Songs suggests specialized theological vocabulary. 3×
AR["اشْتِيَاقُهُ", "شَوْقُكِ", "شَوْقُهَا"]·ben["তাঁর-আকাঙ্ক্ষা।", "তার-বাসনা", "তোমার-লালসা"]·DE["[תשוקתו]", "dein-Verlangen", "ist-sein-Verlangen"]·EN["desire-its", "desire-your", "his-desire"]·FR["désirer-son", "désirer-ton", "son-désir."]·heb["תשוקתו", "תשוקתו-ו", "תשוקתך-ך"]·HI["उसकी-ललक", "उसकी-लालसा", "तेरी-ललक"]·ID["keinginanmu", "keinginannya", "kerinduannya"]·IT["desiderare-suo", "desiderare-tuo", "suo-desiderio-suo"]·jav["kekajenganipun", "pepenginan-panjenengan", "pepenginanipun"]·KO["그-열망-이라", "그것의-갈망", "너의-갈망"]·PT["o-seu-desejo", "o-teu-desejo", "seu-desejo"]·RU["влечение-его", "влечение-твоё", "желание-его."]·ES["su-deseo", "tu-deseo"]·SW["tamaa-yake", "tamaa-yako"]·TR["arzun", "arzusu"]·urd["اس-کی-خواہش", "خواہش-اُس-کی", "خواہش-تیری"]
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
† [תְּשׁוּקָה] n.f. longing;—of woman for man, אֶל־אִישֵׁךְ תְּשׁוּקָתֵךְ Gn 3:16 (J); of man for woman, אֲנִי לְדוֹדִי וְאֵלַי תְּשׁוּקָתוֹ Ct 7:11; of beast to devour, fig. אֵלֶיךָ תְּשׁוּקָתוֹ Gn 4:7 (J). (𝔊 ἀποστροφή Gn, ἐπιστροφή Ct, whence NesMarg. 6 proposes תְּשׁוּבָתֵךְ Gn 3:16, which Ball Hpt reads in all; but how explain the unusual and striking word in MT?).