Lexical Summary
taavah: desire, delight, favorite
Original Word:תַּאֲוָה
Part of Speech:Noun Feminine
Transliteration:ta'avah
Pronunciation:tah-av-AH
Phonetic Spelling:(tah-av-aw')
KJV: dainty, desire, X exceedingly, X greedily, lust(ing), pleasant See also H6914
NASB:desire, delight, favorite, greedy, intensely, what is desirable
Word Origin:[fromH183 (אָוָה - desire) (abbreviated)]
1. a longing
2. (by implication) a delight
3. (subjectively) satisfaction
4. (objectively) a charm
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
dainty, desire, exceedingly, greedily, lusting, pleasant
From'avah (abbreviated); a longing; by implication, a delight (subjectively, satisfaction, objectively, a charm) -- dainty, desire, X exceedingly, X greedily, lust(ing), pleasant. See alsoQibrowth hat-Ta'a-vah.
see HEBREW'avah
see HEBREWQibrowth hat-Ta'a-vah
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom the same as
avahDefinitiona desire
NASB Translationdelight (1), desire (14), desires* (1), favorite (1), greedy (1), intensely (1), what is desirable (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
— absolute
Genesis 3:6 +; construct
Psalm 10:3 + etc.; —
desire, wishProverbs 13:12,19;
Proverbs 18:1; of physical appetite, longing for dainty food
Job 33:20; distinctly good sense
Psalm 10:17;
Psalm 38:10;
Proverbs 11:23;
Proverbs 19:22 (? compare below)
Isaiah 26:8 (); bad sense,
lust, appetite, covetousnessPsalm 10:3 ( )
Psalm 112:10;
Proverbs 21:25,26 (as accusative of cognate meaning); particularly of longing for dainties of Egypt
Numbers 11:4;
Psalm 106:14 (both accusative of cognate meaning)
Psalm 78:30 & in
(q. v.)Numbers 11:34,35;Numbers 33:16,17;Deuteronomy 9:22.
thing desired, in good senseProverbs 10:24; bad sensePsalm 78:29 soPsalm 21:3;thing desirable (to senses)Genesis 3:6 ( ); perhaps alsoProverbs 19:22the ornament of a man is his kindness (Ra Ki, etc. but compare above)
Topical Lexicon
OverviewThe Hebrew noun תַּאֲוָה appears twenty-one times in the Old Testament, functioning as a mirror that reflects the entire spectrum of human longing—from holy yearning for the LORD’s name (Isaiah 26:8) to destructive cravings that bring judgment (Numbers 11:4). Scripture therefore employs the word to expose the moral quality of desire and to reveal how the covenant God responds to the heart’s pursuits.
First Appearance and the Fall Narrative
Genesis 3:6 introduces תַּאֲוָה at the fountainhead of sin: “When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and pleasing to the eyes, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took the fruit and ate it.” The craving for wisdom apart from God’s command moves human desire from innocent delight to autonomous rebellion. All subsequent usages echo this foundational scene, either repeating its tragedy or offering redemptive contrast.
Desire in the Wilderness Experience
Numbers 11:4-34 records Israel’s “strong craving” for Egyptian fare. The word frames the episode inPsalm 78:29-30 andPsalm 106:14, where the LORD grants their lusts yet sends leanness to their souls, underscoring that unbridled appetite invites divine discipline. The naming of Kibroth-hattaavah (“graves of craving”) etches the lesson in Israel’s geography: uncontrolled desire can dig literal graves.
Contrasting Paths in Wisdom Literature
Proverbs sets תַּאֲוָה at the crossroads of righteousness and wickedness.
• Positive: “What the wicked man dreads will overtake him, but the desire of the righteous will be granted” (Proverbs 10:24; cf. 11:23; 13:12, 19). Here longing becomes a conduit of divine favor, fulfilled like “a tree of life.”
• Negative: “He who isolates himself pursues selfish desires” (Proverbs 18:1); “The craving of the sluggard kills him” (Proverbs 21:25-26). Self-focused or lazy desires implode, harming both the individual and the community.
The polarity teaches that desire itself is not evil; its moral value depends on orientation—toward God and neighbor or toward self.
Desire in the Psalms
The Psalter alternates between warnings and worship:
•Psalm 10:3 diagnoses the wicked: “The wicked man boasts in the cravings of his heart.”
•Psalm 112:10 promises their end: “The desires of the wicked will perish.”
• Yet the faithful pray, “You have given him his heart’s desire” (Psalm 21:2) and confess, “O Lord, my every desire is before You” (Psalm 38:9).
The Psalms therefore validate godly longing while exposing its counterfeit. The psalmists invite believers to pour out every aspiration before the sovereign King, confident He sifts and sanctifies the heart.
Prophetic Vision
Isaiah 26:8 gathers redeemed longing into a single aim: “Our desire is for Your name and renown.” In the midst of national upheaval the prophet models a sanctified craving that anchors hope in God’s character, anticipating the ultimate vindication of His glory.
Theological Reflections
1. Desire reveals worship. One’s תַּאֲוָה marks the true object of devotion—whether the Creator or created things.
2. God both satisfies and judges desire. He grants righteous requests (Psalm 21:2) and gives over disordered cravings to their bitter fruit (Psalm 78:29-31).
3. Desire shapes destiny. Fulfilled righteous longing becomes life-giving; unchecked lust corrodes and destroys.
Historical and Ministry Significance
• Israel’s wilderness failure warns congregations against nostalgia for a former life of bondage (Numbers 11).
• Wisdom texts equip pastoral counseling, exposing sloth, greed, and selfish isolation (Proverbs 18:1; 21:25).
• The Psalms provide liturgy for examining motives and directing desire Godward, vital for spiritual formation.
• Isaiah’s vision challenges missions and worship ministries to align corporate longing with the fame of God’s name.
Practical Application
1. Preach the twofold path of desire—righteous vs. unrighteous—to cultivate godly appetites.
2. Employ Psalmic prayers in counseling, teaching believers to articulate and surrender their תַּאֲוָה before the Lord.
3. Encourage disciplines (fasting, generosity, service) that retrain the heart, echoing Proverbs’ call to diligent, outward-focused desire.
4. Tie fulfilled desire to Christ, the Bread of Life, who alone satisfies (contrast with Israel’s meat craving) and who empowers believers to “walk by the Spirit” so they will “not gratify the desires of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16).
Eschatological Horizon
All righteous desire converges on the consummation, when “the desire of all nations” (Haggai 2:7, conceptually related) is revealed. The final state answersIsaiah 26:8 as the redeemed eternally delight in God’s name. Thus תַּאֲוָה ultimately finds its fulfillment not in temporal gifts but in the face of the Lord Himself.
Forms and Transliterations
וְ֝תַֽאֲוָתָ֗ם וְתַאֲוַ֖ת ותאות ותאותם לְֽ֭תַאֲוָה לתאוה מִתַּאֲוָתָ֑ם מתאותם תְּאַוֶּ֖ה תַ֭אֲוָה תַּאֲוַ֖ת תַּאֲוַ֣ת תַּאֲוַ֬ת תַּאֲוַת־ תַּאֲוָ֑ה תַּאֲוָ֣ה תַּאֲוָ֥ה תַּאֲוָֽה׃ תַּאֲוָתִ֑י תַֽאֲוָה־ תַאֲוָ֑ה תאוה תאוה־ תאוה׃ תאות תאות־ תאותי lə·ṯa·’ă·wāh ləṯa’ăwāh Letaavah mit·ta·’ă·wā·ṯām mitta’ăwāṯām mittaavaTam ta’ăwāh ṯa’ăwāh ṯa’ăwāh- ta’ăwaṯ ta’ăwaṯ- ta’ăwāṯî ta·’ă·wā·ṯî ta·’ă·wāh ṯa·’ă·wāh ṯa·’ă·wāh- ta·’ă·waṯ ta·’ă·waṯ- taavah taaVat taavaTi tə’awweh tə·’aw·weh teavVeh vetaaVat vetaavaTam wə·ṯa·’ă·wā·ṯām wə·ṯa·’ă·waṯ wəṯa’ăwaṯ wəṯa’ăwāṯām
Links
Interlinear Greek •
Interlinear Hebrew •
Strong's Numbers •
Englishman's Greek Concordance •
Englishman's Hebrew Concordance •
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