Lexical Summary
machmad: Desire, precious, beloved, desirable thing
Original Word:מַחְמָד
Part of Speech:Noun Masculine
Transliteration:machmad
Pronunciation:makh-MAD
Phonetic Spelling:(makh-mawd')
KJV: beloved, desire, goodly, lovely, pleasant (thing)
NASB:desire, desirable, precious things, pleasant, precious ones, precious treasures, treasures
Word Origin:[fromH2530 (חָמַד - covet)]
1. delightful
2. (hence) a delight, i.e. object of affection or desire
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
beloved, desire, goodly, lovely, pleasant thing
Fromchamad; delightful; hence, a delight, i.e. Object of affection or desire -- beloved, desire, goodly, lovely, pleasant (thing).
see HEBREWchamad
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
chamadDefinitiondesire, desirable thing
NASB Translationdesirable (2), desire (3), pleasant (1), precious ones (1), precious things (2), precious treasures (1), treasures (1), valuable (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
— absolute
Hosea 9:6; construct
id.1 Kings 20:6 3t. Ezekiel; plural
Songs 5:16; construct
Lamentations 2:4;
Hosea 9:16; suffix Joel 4:5;
Isaiah 64:10; 2Chronicles 36:19;
Lamentations 1:10;
Lamentations 1:11Qr (see also ); —
desirable, precious things 2Chronicles 36:19; singular collective
Hosea 9:6; plural Joel 4:5;
Isaiah 64:10;
Lamentations 1:10,11 (Qr),
Hosea 9:16; see especially plural intensive
Songs 5:16all of him is delightfulness ("" ); elsewhere
desire of the eyes, i.e. that in which the eyes take delight
1 Kings 20:6;
Ezekiel 24:16 (of prophet's wife),
Ezekiel 24:21;
Ezekiel 24:25; plural
Lamentations 2:4.
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Topical Lexicon
OverviewThe noun מַחְמָד (mah·mad) denotes that which is cherished, delightful, desirable, or precious, whether an object, a person, or an experience. Its occurrences trace a movement from material treasure to relational affection and, ultimately, to the glory of God’s dwelling among His people.
Core Themes
• Precious possessions and wealth
• Beloved persons and intimate affection
• The sanctuary as the supreme “desire” of Israel
• Judgment: loss of what is most prized
• Hope: restoration of ultimate delight in the Lord
Usage in Historical Narrative
1 Kings 20:6 records Ben-hadad’s threat to seize “all that you consider precious,” exposing Israel’s vulnerability when covenant loyalty is lacking. The word underscores the heart-level attachment people can have to material goods; when God’s protection is withdrawn, even the most guarded treasures are easily plundered.
Poetic and Wisdom Literature
In Song of Songs 5:16 the Shulammite exclaims, “He is altogether lovely,” expressing personal adoration in marital imagery. The term moves beyond objects to celebrate the beloved himself—a picture that later biblical writers will use to portray the covenant love between the Lord and His people (compareEphesians 5:25-27).
Prophetic Literature: Judgment and Mourning
Temple and treasures
•2 Chronicles 36:19;Isaiah 64:11;Joel 3:5;Lamentations 1:10 portray invading armies looting “precious” items from the sanctuary and from Jerusalem’s homes. These texts lament that what was dedicated to God has become spoil, highlighting the depth of covenant breach.
•Ezekiel 24:21 calls the sanctuary “the desire of your eyes, and the delight of your soul,” intensifying the grief Israel will feel when the temple is defiled.
Personal loss as prophetic sign
•Ezekiel 24:16 announces the death of the prophet’s wife, “the desire of your eyes.” Her sudden removal, without public mourning, dramatizes Jerusalem’s impending loss of the temple. The passage links personal affection with corporate worship—both gifts can be withdrawn when sin persists.
National fertility and future
•Hosea 9:16 pronounces that God will slay “the darlings of their womb,” revealing that even children, normally counted among life’s sweetest gifts, can be lost when a nation resists God.
Military devastation
•Lamentations 2:4 pictures Yahweh as an enemy who “has slain all who were pleasing to the eye.” The term conveys the horror of seeing society’s best and brightest cut down because of unrepentant rebellion.
The Sanctuary as Ultimate Desire
Across the prophets, מַחְמָד becomes a title for the temple—the meeting place between God and His people. Its destruction is therefore the severest blow: the loss of wealth, beauty, security, and, symbolically, the presence of God Himself. Yet the very intensity of grief points to the magnitude of what will be restored when the Lord brings His people back (compareHaggai 2:7, where “the Desire of Nations” will fill the latter house with glory).
Messianic and Redemptive Foreshadowing
The movement from earthly treasure to relational delight anticipates the New Covenant revelation of the Messiah:
• He is “the beloved Son” (Matthew 3:17).
• Believers are “God’s treasured possession” (1 Peter 2:9).
• In Him “are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3).
Thus Jesus Christ embodies and surpasses every earlier instance of מַחְמָד, offering Himself as the imperishable delight of His people.
Theological and Ministry Implications
1. Stewardship and detachment: Earthly valuables are subject to loss when not subordinated to covenant faithfulness.
2. Affection for God’s house: Love for the gathered presence of the Lord should exceed all other loves, shaping worship and church life today.
3. Suffering as sign-act: Personal trials may serve wider redemptive purposes, calling believers to trust God beyond cherished gifts.
4. Gospel proclamation: Presenting Christ as the true and lasting “desire” addresses the human quest for worth and beauty, inviting sinners to trade perishable pleasures for eternal treasure.
Practical Application for Believers
• Evaluate what presently functions as your “desire of the eyes” and surrender it to Christ’s lordship.
• Cultivate longing for corporate worship, recognizing the local congregation as a foretaste of the restored sanctuary.
• Comfort the grieving with the assurance that, in Christ, no ultimate good is ever truly lost.
• Proclaim the gospel in terms of superior delight: “Come, taste and see that the LORD is good” (Psalm 34:8).
In Scripture, מַחְמָד charts the journey from fleeting earthly loveliness to the unfading beauty of fellowship with God. To cherish Him above all is both the duty and the delight of every redeemed heart.
Forms and Transliterations
וּמַֽחֲמַדַּי֙ ומחמדי מַחְמַ֣ד מַחְמַ֤ד מַחְמַ֥ד מַחֲמַדִּ֑ים מַחֲמַדֵּ֖ינוּ מַחֲמַדֵּ֥י מַחֲמַדֵּי־ מַחֲמַדֶּ֑יהָ מַחֲמַדֶּ֖יהָ מחמד מחמדי מחמדי־ מחמדיה מחמדים מחמדינו ma·ḥă·mad·dê ma·ḥă·mad·dê- ma·ḥă·mad·de·hā ma·ḥă·mad·dê·nū ma·ḥă·mad·dîm machamaddei machamadDeiha machamadDeinu machamadDim machMad maḥ·maḏ maḥămaddê maḥămaddê- maḥămaddehā maḥămaddênū maḥămaddîm maḥmaḏ ū·ma·ḥă·mad·day umachamadDai ūmaḥămadday
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