Hebrew word · H6770

צָמֵא

tzame'ah

to thirst

To be thirsty, physically (Exodus 17:3; Judges 4:19; 15:18). Figuratively, to long for (Psalm 42:2; 143:6).

Appears 10 times in 10 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

(Qal) to be thirsty

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 Psalm 63:1

Range of meaning

To be thirsty, physically (Exodus 17:3; Judges 4:19; 15:18). Figuratively, to long for (Psalm 42:2; 143:6).

Against the English

All versions say 'thirst'. That is accurate, but readers used to the metaphor can miss how harsh the image is in a desert setting.

Used elsewhere in the period

Exodus 17:3: Israel 'thirsted for water' in the wilderness and complained. Psalm 42:2 (Hebrew 42:3): 'my nefesh thirsts for God, for the living God.' Psalm 143:6: 'my nefesh like a weary land.' Amos 8:11 speaks of a famine and thirst for hearing YHWH's words.

From the study of Psalm 42:2

Range of meaning

To be thirsty, to suffer from lack of water. Used literally of people and animals in the wilderness (Exod 17:3; Judg 15:18) and of dry land. Used figuratively for intense desire, almost always for God or for what gives life (Ps 63:1; Isa 55:1).

Against the English

"Thirsts" is accurate. A modern Western reader, for whom water comes from a tap, may hear only mild wanting. In the Levant, thirst meant real danger: the dry season, dry wadis, death in the desert.

Used elsewhere in the period

Exod 17:3 (Israel thirsting at Rephidim); Judg 15:18 (Samson, "shall I now die of thirst?"); Ps 63:1 (Heb. 63:2), "in a dry and weary land without water"; Ps 143:6, "my nefesh is like a parched land for you"; Amos 8:11–13, a famine "of hearing the words of the LORD" in which young people faint from thirst.

Where it appears

Exodus · 1

  1. Exodus 17:3 וַיִּצְמָ֨א and it was thirsty

    But the people thirsted for water there, and they grumbled against Moses: “Why have you brought us out of Egypt—to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?”

Judges · 2

  1. Judges 4:19 צָמֵ֑אתִי I am thirsty

    Sisera said to her, “Please give me a little water to drink, for I am thirsty.” So she opened a container of milk, gave him a drink, and covered him again.

  2. Judges 15:18 וַיִּצְמָא֮ and he was thirsty

    And being very thirsty, Samson cried out to the LORD, “You have accomplished this great deliverance through Your servant. Must I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?”

Ruth · 1

  1. Ruth 2:9 וְצָמִ֗ת and you will be thirsty

    Let your eyes be on the field they are harvesting, and follow along after these girls. Indeed, I have ordered the young men not to touch you. And when you are thirsty, go and drink from the jars the young men have filled.”

Job · 1

  1. Job 24:11 וַיִּצְמָֽאוּ׃ and they were thirsty

    They crush olives within their walls; they tread the winepresses, but go thirsty.

Psalms · 2

  1. Psalm 42:2 צָמְאָ֬ה it thirsts

    My soul thirsts for God, the living God. When shall I come and appear in God’s presence?

    Here: The word for real, physical thirst. It is in the perfect form, but with a verb of state like this it describes how things are now: "is parched," not "was thirsty" (YLT's "thirsted" is too literal). It opens the line, so thirst is the first thing the hearer meets.

  2. Psalm 63:1 צָמְאָ֬ה it is thirsty

    A Psalm of David, when he was in the Wilderness of Judah. O God, You are my God. Earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You. My body yearns for You in a dry and weary land without water.

    Here: 'Is thirsty'. The verb describes a state already present, and its feminine form agrees with nefesh. It means real thirst, here turned toward God.

Isaiah · 3

  1. Isaiah 48:21 צָמְא֗וּ they were thirsty

    They did not thirst when He led them through the deserts; He made water flow for them from the rock; He split the rock, and water gushed out.

    Here: 'They thirsted', a completed action, here negated. It is the same verb Exodus 17:3 uses when the people 'thirsted there for water' and complained. Isaiah's retelling leaves out the complaint and keeps only the result: God's provision meant they never went without.

  2. Isaiah 49:10 יִצְמָ֔אוּ they will be thirsty

    They will not hunger or thirst, nor will scorching heat or sun beat down on them. For He who has compassion on them will guide them and lead them beside springs of water.

    Here: 'They will be thirsty.' It recalls the thirst of the first Exodus generation (Exod 17:3), and Isaiah 48:21 has just said 'they did not thirst when he led them through the deserts.'

  3. Isaiah 65:13 תִּצְמָ֑אוּ you will be thirsty

    Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: “My servants will eat, but you will go hungry; My servants will drink, but you will go thirsty; My servants will rejoice, but you will be put to shame.

    Here: 'Will thirst': in a dry land, thirst is about survival, not discomfort. Hunger and thirst together echo Deut 28:48.

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