Lexical Summary
mayan or mayeno or mayanah: Spring, fountain, source
Original Word:מַעְיָן
Part of Speech:Noun Masculine
Transliteration:ma`yan
Pronunciation:mah-yahn, mah-yeh-no, mah-yah-nah
Phonetic Spelling:(mah-yawn')
KJV: fountain, spring, well
NASB:springs, spring, fountain, fountains
Word Origin:[fromH5869 (עַיִן - eyes) (as a denominative in the sense of a spring)]
1. a fountain (also collectively), figuratively, a source (of satisfaction)
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
fountain, spring, well
Or ma ynow (Psa. 114:8) {mah-yen-o'}; or (feminine) ma yanah {mah-yaw-naw'}; fromayin (as a denominative in the sense of a spring); a fountain (also collectively), figuratively, a source (of satisfaction) -- fountain, spring, well.
see HEBREWayin
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
ayinDefinitiona spring
NASB Translationfountain (2), fountains (2), spring (8), springs (11).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
Proverbs 8:24 ; — absolute
Psalm 74:15 +; construct
2 Kings 3:25 +,
Psalm 114:8 (Ges
§ 90n); suffix
Hosea 13:15; plural
Isaiah 41:18 +,
Psalm 104:10; construct
Genesis 7:11 +,
1 Kings 18:5;
2 Kings 3:19,
Isaiah 12:3; suffix
Psalm 87:7 (but see below),
Proverbs 5:16; —
spring, construct before
1 Kings 18:5;
2 Kings 3:19,25;
Joshua 15:9;
Joshua 18:15 (both P),
Psalm 114:8, compare
Proverbs 8:24; alone
Isaiah 41:18;
Leviticus 11:36 (P),
Psalm 74:15;
Psalm 104:10; 2Chronicles 32:4, compare Joel 4:18 (in eschatological picture); in simile
Proverbs 25:26;
Genesis 7:11;
Genesis 8:2 (compare
Proverbs 8:28); figurative of source of happiness, enjoyment
Hosea 13:15 (""
Psalm 84:7;
Proverbs 5:16 (of wife, see Toy), compare
Songs 4:12, ;
Songs 4:15; also
Psalm 87:7 (si vera lectio; so De Che Du; Hup Bae We read form of
dwelling;
Isaiah 12:3.
[] = II. q. v. for , etc.
Topical Lexicon
Overview of the Motifמַעְיָן (maʿyān) denotes a spring, fountain, or source of flowing water. Across its twenty-three appearances the word consistently conveys the idea of a life-giving outflow that originates underground and rises to the surface. Scripture employs the term in literal, poetic, wisdom, and prophetic contexts, weaving together themes of provision, purity, joy, judgment, and eschatological hope.
Essential Water for Life and Land
1. Survival in Arid Climates
•1 Kings 18:5 records Ahab’s desperate search for “springs and valleys” during the long drought in Elijah’s day, underscoring how springs meant life or death in the land of Israel.
•2 Chronicles 32:4 describes Hezekiah’s engineers stopping “all the springs and the brook that flowed through the land” to deprive the Assyrian army of water—illustrating military strategy built around this precious resource.
2. Boundary Markers and Settlement Identity
•Joshua 15:9 andJoshua 18:15 cite maʿyān in defining Judah’s and Benjamin’s borders. Natural springs fixed tribal inheritance, reminding later generations that God’s apportionment of the land was both practical and providential.
Purity and Ritual Significance
Leviticus 11:36 distinguishes a “spring or cistern, a gathering of water” as inherently clean even when a carcass falls nearby. Flowing water thus symbolized continual cleansing, prefiguring spiritual purification later fulfilled in the Messiah’s work and the Holy Spirit’s outpouring.
Poetic Celebrations of God’s Provision
1. Psalms
•Psalm 104:10 acknowledges the Creator who “sends forth springs in the valleys; they flow between the mountains,” linking the hidden work of God beneath the earth to the visible blessing on its surface.
•Psalm 114:8 exults that the One who brought Israel out of Egypt “turned the rock into a pool of water, the flint into a flowing spring,” commemorating miraculous provision in the wilderness.
2. Proverbs
•Proverbs 5:16 cautions, “Should your springs overflow in the streets?” warning against moral indiscretion that squanders God-given vitality.
•Proverbs 25:26 likens a compromised righteous man to “a muddied spring,” calling believers to preserve integrity so their influence remains life-giving.
Nuptial Imagery in Song of Songs
Song of Songs 4:12 praises the bride as “a garden locked, a spring enclosed,” affirming the sanctity of marital intimacy. Verse 15 extends the picture: “You are a garden spring, a well of living water.” The protected spring depicts covenant fidelity and delight, foreshadowing Christ’s pure love for His Church.
Prophetic and Eschatological Hope
1. Salvation Joy
•Isaiah 12:3 promises, “With joy you will draw water from the springs of salvation.” The plural “springs” hints at abundant, repeated grace flowing from God’s deliverance.
2. Restoration after Judgment
•Hosea 13:15 foretells that sin will wither “his spring,” whileJoel 3:18 foresees the future Day of the Lord when “a spring will issue from the house of the Lord and will water the Valley of Acacias.” God controls both the withholding and the releasing of life-giving flow according to covenant faithfulness.
3. Comfort to the Poor
•Isaiah 41:18 pledges to open “springs in the valleys” for the afflicted, portraying divine compassion toward those in desert places—physically and spiritually.
Judgment Imagery
In the Moabite campaign narrative,2 Kings 3:19, 25 records Elisha’s prophecy that every “spring” of the enemy land would be stopped, rendering it barren. Springs thus become a barometer of blessing or curse depending on a nation’s stance toward the Lord.
Intertextual Echoes Toward the New Covenant
The Gospel of John repeatedly speaks of “living water” (John 4:10-14;John 7:37-39). Though Greek texts use different vocabulary, the conceptual backdrop is maʿyān: an ever-fresh, God-birthed source. Believers who receive the Holy Spirit become, in Jesus’ words, “springs of living water” overflowing to eternal life, fulfilling the prophetic vision of Isaiah and Joel.
Ministry and Devotional Applications
1. Reliance on the Hidden Source
Just as springs rise from unseen aquifers, Christian vitality flows from the indwelling Spirit rather than human effort. Leaders shepherd best when they draw continually from this subterranean grace.
2. Guarding Moral Purity
Believers are called to protect the “spring” of their heart (Proverbs 4:23) lest impurity pollute their witness. The imagery of a “muddied spring” warns that compromise diminishes gospel effectiveness.
3. Offering Refreshment to Others
Congregations can view themselves as local springs in a spiritually arid culture—centers of refreshment where Scripture, prayer, and sacrificial love flow freely.
4. Anticipating Final Renewal
Meditation onJoel 3:18 andRevelation 22:1 nurtures hope for the consummate kingdom in which the Lamb’s throne releases the river of life, saturating the new creation.
Summary
From the Flood narrative (Genesis 7:11) to prophetic vistas of cosmic renewal, maʿyān threads Scripture with a single storyline: the Lord alone is the inexhaustible source of life. Physical springs testify to His providence; moral springs test human character; spiritual springs proclaim His salvation. Those who come to Him in faith discover that “all my springs are in You” (Psalm 87:7).
Forms and Transliterations
הַמַּעְיָנ֔וֹת המעינות וּמַעְיָ֗ן ומעין לְמַעְיְנוֹ־ למעינו־ מִמַּעַיְנֵ֖י מַ֝עְיָנ֗וֹת מַ֭עְיָנִים מַעְיְנֵ֣י מַעְיְנֵי־ מַעְיְנֹ֣ת מַעְיְנֹת֙ מַעְיְנֹתֶ֣יךָ מַעְיַ֖ן מַעְיַ֣ן מַעְיַן֙ מַעְיַן־ מַעְיָ֣ן מַעְיָ֥ן מַעְיָנ֑וֹת מַעְיָנ֔וֹ מַעְיָנַ֥י ממעיני מעין מעין־ מעינו מעינות מעיני מעיני־ מעינים מעינת מעינתיך ham·ma‘·yā·nō·wṯ hamma‘yānōwṯ hammayaNot lə·ma‘·yə·nōw- ləma‘yənōw- lemayenov ma‘·yā·nay ma‘·yā·nîm ma‘·yā·nō·wṯ ma‘·yā·nōw ma‘·yan ma‘·yān ma‘·yan- ma‘·yə·nê ma‘·yə·nê- ma‘·yə·nō·ṯe·ḵā ma‘·yə·nōṯ ma‘yan ma‘yān ma‘yan- ma‘yānay ma‘yānîm ma‘yānōw ma‘yānōwṯ ma‘yənê ma‘yənê- ma‘yənōṯ ma‘yənōṯeḵā maYan mayaNai Mayanim mayaNo mayaNot mayeNei mayeNot mayenoTeicha mim·ma·‘ay·nê mimaayNei mimma‘aynê ū·ma‘·yān ūma‘yān umaYan
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