Hebrew word · H5689

עָגַב

vata'gav

to lust

To desire passionately or sensually, to be infatuated with. The tone is erotic, giddy fascination.

Appears 7 times in 7 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) (Qal) to have inordinate affection or lust

1a) lust (participle)

1b) paramours (participle as subst)

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Ezekiel 23:5

Range of meaning

To desire passionately or sensually, to be infatuated with. The word is very rare: Jer 4:30 (participle 'lovers' who now despise Jerusalem), Ezek 23:5, 7, 9, 12, 16, 20; the noun 'agavah ('lustfulness') in Ezek 23:11; and 'agavim in Ezek 33:31–32, where a 'song of 'agavim' is a love song people enjoy without obeying. The tone is erotic, giddy fascination.

Against the English

KJV/WEB 'doted on' was a strong word in 1611 (to be foolishly infatuated) but sounds mild now. BSB/NIV/ESV/NASB 'lusted after' gets the sexual heat but can suggest only private bodily desire. 'Was infatuated with' or 'was besotted with' comes closest.

How it drifted

'Dote' has softened from 'be foolishly infatuated' to 'show fond affection'. 'Lust' in modern church use usually means individual sexual temptation, which narrows a picture that is really about a nation's fascination with power.

Used elsewhere in the period

Almost limited to Jeremiah and Ezekiel, the two prophets who saw the fall of Jerusalem. The Septuagint here uses epitithēmi ('set upon, be eager for'). Later Hebrew keeps the sense of sensual love.

From the study of Jeremiah 4:30

Range of meaning

To have strong sensual desire, to lust after or dote on. It describes erotic infatuation. Related nouns mean 'lustfulness' (Ezek 23:11) and 'sensual songs' (Ezek 33:31–32).

Against the English

'Lovers' (BSB, KJV, WEB, ESV, NASB) is accurate but soft. YLT 'doting ones' is closer. The word means lovers drawn by desire, not partners joined by faithfulness.

How it drifted

Modern English 'lovers' suggests mutual romantic attachment. The Hebrew points to appetite, and appetite turns into contempt once it is satisfied or no longer useful.

Used elsewhere in the period

Outside this verse the verb appears only in Ezekiel 23, where the sisters Oholah (Samaria) and Oholibah (Jerusalem) 'lusted after' Assyrian officers, Babylonians and Egyptians. These are plainly political alliances described as sexual infatuation (Ezek 23:5, 7, 9, 12, 16, 20). In Ezekiel 23:22–29 those same lovers are turned against her to strip and destroy her, the exact reversal found here.

Where it appears

Jeremiah · 1

  1. Jeremiah 4:30 עֹגְבִ֖ים lovers

    And you, O devastated one, what will you do, though you dress yourself in scarlet, though you adorn yourself with gold jewelry, though you enlarge your eyes with paint? You adorn yourself in vain; your lovers despise you; they want to take your life.

    Here: Participle of a verb for erotic infatuation or sensual desire. They are 'the ones who lusted after you' (YLT 'doting ones'), lovers drawn by desire, not loyal partners. In the metaphor they are the foreign powers Judah courted.

Ezekiel · 6

  1. Ezekiel 23:5 וַתַּעְגַּב֙ and she lusted

    Oholah prostituted herself while she was still Mine. She lusted after her lovers, the Assyrians—warriors

    Here: A rare word for intense, sensual craving, used almost only in this chapter. The second verb moves from the act to the appetite behind it: Samaria did not just make a deal with Assyria, she was besotted with it.

  2. Ezekiel 23:7 עָֽגְבָ֛ה she lusted after

    She offered sexual favors to all the elite of Assyria. She defiled herself with all the idols of those for whom she lusted.

  3. Ezekiel 23:9 עָגְבָ֖ה she had lusted

    Therefore I delivered her into the hands of her lovers, the Assyrians for whom she lusted.

  4. Ezekiel 23:12 עָגָ֜בָה she lusted

    She too lusted after the Assyrians—governors and commanders, warriors dressed in splendor, horsemen riding on steeds, all desirable young men.

  5. Ezekiel 23:16 וַתַּעְגְּבָ֥ה and she lusted !

    At the sight of them, she lusted for them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea.

  6. Ezekiel 23:20 וַֽתַּעְגְּבָ֔ה and she lusted !

    and lusted after their lovers, whose genitals were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of stallions.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.