אָוָה

Numbers 11:4 הִתְאַוּ֖וּ they craved

Meanwhile, the rabble among them had a strong craving for other food, and again the Israelites wept and said, “Who will feed us meat?

Here: The verb is in a reflexive-intensive form: they worked up a desire in themselves, they gave in to appetite. Here the desire is for food, not sex.

Numbers 11:34 הַמִּתְאַוִּֽים׃ who craved

So they called that place Kibroth-hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had craved other food.

Deuteronomy 5:21 תִתְאַוֶּ֜ה you must desire

You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house or field, or his manservant or maidservant, or his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

Here: 'You shall crave for yourself.' A different verb from the one in the first clause. It is the word for appetite and inner craving, used of Israel's hunger for meat in the wilderness, and its form points the craving back at oneself.

Deuteronomy 12:20 תְאַוֶּ֥ה it will desire

When the LORD your God expands your territory as He has promised, and you crave meat and say, “I want to eat meat,” you may eat it whenever you want.

Here: "It craves." The form is feminine because its subject is nephesh (appetite), which is a feminine noun. The appetite is pictured as itself reaching out for meat. The verb carries no moral judgment here.

Deuteronomy 14:26 תְּאַוֶּ֨ה it will desire

Then you may spend the money on anything you desire: cattle, sheep, wine, strong drink, or anything you wish. You are to feast there in the presence of the LORD your God and rejoice with your household.

Here: "Craves." A strong word for appetite and longing. Here it is fully approved: the law tells the worshipper to buy what he really wants to eat and drink.

1 Samuel 2:16 תְּאַוֶּ֖ה it desires

And if any man said to him, “The fat must be burned first; then you may take whatever you want,” the servant would reply, “No, you must give it to me right now. If you refuse, I will take it by force!”

2 Samuel 3:21 תְּאַוֶּ֖ה it desires

Then Abner said to David, “Let me go at once, and I will gather all Israel to my lord the king, that they may make a covenant with you, and that you may rule over all that your heart desires.” So David dismissed Abner, and he went in peace.

2 Samuel 23:15 וַיִּתְאַוֶּ֥ה and he desired

David longed for water and said, “Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!”

1 Kings 11:37 תְּאַוֶּ֖ה it will desire

But as for you, I will take you, and you shall reign over all that your heart desires, and you will be king over Israel.

1 Chronicles 11:17 וַיִּתְאָ֥יו and he craved

David longed for water and said, “Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!”

Job 23:13 אִוְּתָ֣ה it has desired

But He is unchangeable, and who can oppose Him? He does what He desires.

Here: 'Has craved'. This is a strong word for longing, often used of appetite. God's will is pictured as a desire he feels and acts on.

Psalm 45:11 וְיִתְאָ֣ו so may he desire

and the king will desire your beauty; bow to him, for he is your lord.

Here: A strong verb of craving or longing, in a form that turns the desire back on the subject, so it means wanting something intensely. It is the short 'let it be' form, and coming straight after the commands of v.10 (listen, forget your people) it gives the result: do this, and so the king will long for you.

Psalm 106:14 וַיִּתְאַוּ֣וּ and they craved

They craved intensely in the wilderness and tested God in the desert.

Here: The verb form describes desire turned inward and worked up, a longing people feed in themselves ("they gave themselves over to craving"). The opening 'and' links it to v.13: they forgot God's works, would not wait for his plan, and then they craved.

Psalm 132:13 אִ֝וָּ֗הּ he has desired it

For the LORD has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His home:

Here: A word for strong desire, often used of appetite and craving. The ending "her/it" refers to Zion, since cities are grammatically feminine in Hebrew. It adds feeling to the cooler verb "chose": God did not just select Zion, he wanted it.

Psalm 132:14 אִוִּתִֽיהָ׃ I have desired it

“This is My resting place forever and ever; here I will dwell, for I have desired this home.

Here: 'I have desired her.' The ending is feminine and refers to Zion. The verb is a strong word for wanting, also used of craving food. It repeats v. 13 ('He has desired it'), but now in God's own voice.

Proverbs 13:4 מִתְאַוָּ֣ה [is] coveting

The slacker craves yet has nothing, but the soul of the diligent is fully satisfied.

Here: A participle in the intensive-reflexive form, feminine to agree with nefesh (appetite): 'is craving, keeps on craving'. The participle describes an ongoing state. The sluggard's appetite never stops wanting. Placed first for emphasis, the craving is the first thing you see about him.

Proverbs 21:10 אִוְּתָה־ it craves

The soul of the wicked man craves evil; his neighbor finds no favor in his eyes.

Here: An intensive verb form of 'desire', often used for physical appetite. Its feminine form agrees with nefesh: it is the appetite itself that craves. The past-tense form states a general truth: this is what such an appetite always does.

Proverbs 21:26 הִתְאַוָּ֣ה he craves

All day long he covets more, but the righteous give without restraint.

Here: This verb form often describes a self-driven, consuming appetite, the same verb used of Israel's craving for meat in the wilderness (Numbers 11:4). The past-tense form is used here for a timeless habit: 'he is forever craving'.

Proverbs 23:3 תִּ֭תְאָיו you crave

Do not crave his delicacies, for that food is deceptive.

Here: This form of the verb means to let yourself long for something, to work up a strong appetite for it. It is the same verb used of Israel 'craving' meat in the wilderness (Numbers 11:4) and of 'desiring' a neighbour's goods in Deuteronomy's tenth commandment (Deut 5:21). The target is the inner pull, not only the act of eating.

Proverbs 23:6 תִּ֝תְאָ֗יו you crave

Do not eat the bread of a stingy man, and do not crave his delicacies;

Here: The verb form that stresses wanting from within: letting yourself hunger after something. This is the same wording as 23:3, where the ruler's table is the danger, and it echoes the 'craving' of Israel in the wilderness (Num 11:4).

Proverbs 24:1 תִּ֝תְאָ֗יו you desire

Do not envy wicked men or desire their company;

Here: This is the reflexive, intensive form of the verb: 'work up a craving'. It is appetite language, used elsewhere for craving food or someone's delicacies. Here the craving is for membership in their circle.

Ecclesiastes 6:2 יִתְאַוֶּ֗ה he desires

God gives a man riches, wealth, and honor, so that he lacks nothing his heart desires; but God does not allow him to enjoy them. Instead, a stranger will enjoy them. This is futile and a grievous affliction.

Here: "He craves." This verb form is used for strong physical longing, as when Israel craved meat in Numbers 11:4. It ties in with nefesh as appetite.

Isaiah 26:9 אִוִּיתִ֙יךָ֙ I have desired you

My soul longs for You in the night; indeed, my spirit seeks You at dawn. For when Your judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness.

Here: 'I have craved you.' This is appetite-language, the word used for hunger for food or for a strong wish. The perfect form describes a longing that has gone on and still goes on: 'I have longed / I long.'

Jeremiah 17:16 הִתְאַוֵּ֖יתִי I have desired

But I have not run away from being Your shepherd; I have not desired the day of despair. You know that the utterance of my lips was spoken in Your presence.

Here: A strong, appetite-like desire (the craving in the wilderness, Num 11:4; 'you shall not covet', Deut 5:21). He denies that he hungered for the doom he announced.

Amos 5:18 הַמִּתְאַוִּ֖ים those [who] desire

Woe to you who long for the Day of the LORD! What will the Day of the LORD be for you? It will be darkness and not light.

Here: "The ones who keep craving." The verb form describes ongoing behaviour, and the stem is the one used for the wilderness generation's craving for meat (Num 11:4). It pictures eager, self-assured longing, not a calm hope. With the definite article it works as a label: "the cravers."

Micah 7:1 אִוְּתָ֥ה it craves

Woe is me! For I am like one gathering summer fruit at the gleaning of the vineyard; there is no cluster to eat, no early fig that I crave.

Here: 'Craves.' The verb form is an intensive one, and this verb often describes physical appetite. The tense describes an ongoing state: the craving is present and unsatisfied.