Topical Encyclopedia
In biblical literature, the term "pant" is often associated with a deep, earnest longing or desire, typically for God or spiritual fulfillment. This imagery is vividly captured in the Psalms, where the psalmist uses the metaphor of a deer panting for water to express a soul's deep thirst for God.
Biblical References:1.
Psalm 42:1-2 : "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul longs after You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, the living God. When shall I come and appear in God’s presence?" This passage is a poignant expression of spiritual longing and desire for communion with God. The imagery of a deer panting for water highlights the intensity and necessity of this spiritual thirst, suggesting that just as water is essential for physical survival, so is God's presence essential for spiritual vitality.
2.
Psalm 63:1 : "O God, You are my God; earnestly I seek You. My soul thirsts for You; my body longs for You, in a dry and weary land without water." Here, the psalmist again uses the metaphor of thirst to describe a deep yearning for God, emphasizing the barrenness of life without divine presence and the soul's urgent need for spiritual sustenance.
Theological Significance:The concept of panting in the Bible underscores the innate human need for a relationship with the Creator. It reflects the belief that true fulfillment and peace are found only in God. This longing is not merely an emotional or intellectual desire but a profound spiritual necessity. The imagery of panting conveys urgency and desperation, suggesting that the soul's need for God is as vital as the body's need for water.
Spiritual Application:For believers, the metaphor of panting serves as a reminder of the importance of seeking God earnestly and consistently. It encourages Christians to cultivate a deep, personal relationship with God, characterized by a sincere and persistent pursuit of His presence. This pursuit is often expressed through prayer, worship, and meditation on Scripture, as believers seek to satisfy their spiritual thirst and grow in their faith.
Historical Context:In the ancient Near Eastern context, water was a precious and often scarce resource, especially in arid regions. The imagery of a deer panting for water would have resonated deeply with the original audience, who understood the desperation and urgency of such a need. This cultural backdrop enhances the metaphor's power, illustrating the psalmist's intense longing for God in a way that was both relatable and profound.
Conclusion:The biblical use of "pant" as a metaphor for spiritual longing invites believers to examine their own desires and priorities. It challenges them to seek God with the same intensity and urgency as one would seek water in a dry land, recognizing that only in Him can true satisfaction and peace be found.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
v. i.) To breathe quickly or in a labored manner, as after exertion or from eagerness or excitement; to respire with heaving of the breast; to gasp.
2. (v. i.) Hence: To long eagerly; to desire earnestly.
3. (v. i.) To beat with unnatural violence or rapidity; to palpitate, or throb; -- said of the heart.
4. (v. i.) To sigh; to flutter; to languish.
5. (v. t.) To breathe forth quickly or in a labored manner; to gasp out.
6. (v. t.) To long for; to be eager after.
7. (n.) A quick breathing; a catching of the breath; a gasp.
8. (n.) A violent palpitation of the heart.
Strong's Hebrew
7602a. shaaph -- to gasp,pant,pant after, long for... 7602, 7602a. shaaph. 7602b . to gasp,
pant,
pant after, long for.
Transliteration: shaaph Short Definition:
pant. Word Origin a prim.
...7602. sha'aph -- to gasp,pant,pant after, long for
sha'aph. 7601, 7602. sha'aph. 7602a . to gasp,pant,pant after, long for.
Transliteration: sha'aph Phonetic Spelling: (shaw-af') Short Definition:pant....
5395. nasham -- topant
... nasham. 5396 . topant. Transliteration: nasham Phonetic Spelling: (naw-sham')
Short Definition: gasp.... root Definition topant NASB Word Usage gasp (1). destroy...
6165. arag -- to long for
... Word Origin a prim. root Definition to long for NASB Word Usagepant (1), pants
(2). cry,pant. A primitive root; to long for -- cry,pant. 6164, 6165....
5503. sachar -- to go around or about, travel about
... go about, merchantman, occupy with,pant, trade, traffic. A primitive root;
to travel round (specifically as a pedlar); intensively...
205. aven -- trouble, sorrow, wickedness
... From an unused root perhaps meaning properly, topant (hence, to exert oneself,
usually in vain; to come to naught); strictly nothingness; also trouble....
7602b. shaaph -- to crush, trample upon
... Word Origin a prim. root Definition to crush, trample upon NASB Word Usage crushed
(1),pant (1), trample (1), trampled (2), tramples (1). 7602a, 7602b....
8582. taah -- to err
... ie Reel or stray (literally or figuratively); also causative of both -- (cause to)
go astray, deceive, dissemble, (cause to, make to) err,pant, seduce, (make...
Library
Do You Know Him?
... Well, but" they would say, "is it not enough for you that you are delivered from
the lion?" "Nay," say you, "it is for that very reason that Ipant to know him...
The Bed and Its Covering
... I ask for immortality, I have it here. What do Ipant for? Ipant for ceaseless,
boundless bliss, I have it here. Ipant to be God's child, I have it here....
The Spiced Wine of My Pomegranate;
... Thirst makes the heartpant for the waterbrooks, and pain reminds man of the
physician....Pant after more of Jesus. Be covetous after Him....
Wesley's Hymns Reconsidered
... the last line of this verse and the first line of the next verse are tied together
by a treble repetition: a repetition of these three words: eager, ask,pant....
Micah's Message for To-Day
... Doth not the hartpant for the water-brooks? Do thoupant for them; they flow
in the valley of humiliation. The Lord bring us all there!...
Satan's Devices
... But here is another snare laid for our feet: While we earnestlypant for that part
of the promise which is to be accomplished here, "for the glorious liberty...
Christ Lifted Up
... accomplished. "But," he said, "now Ipant for my cross, for it is the topstone
of my labor.... unity! there are some of us who trulypant after it....
The Doctrines of Salvation A. Repentance. B. Faith. C....
... The Hebrew equivalent is even stronger, and means topant, to sigh, to moan. So
the publican "beat upon his breast," indicating sorrow of heart....
On Mr. Mccabe and a Divine Frivolity
... Will it lose itself in quagmires of sensuality down this new path, andpant and
toil through years of civic and industrial anarchy, only to learn it had lost...
The Battle of Life
... Yet British soldiers pressed forward then to the conflict nor did theypant for
fortune, what they did seek was a career, with some opportunity of...
Thesaurus
Pant (8 Occurrences)... Multi-Version Concordance
Pant (8 Occurrences).
... Now I will cry out like a travailing
woman. I will both gasp and
pant. (WEB JPS ASV DBY NAS RSV NIV).
...Gasp (5 Occurrences)
... 1. (vi) To open the mouth wide in catching the breath, or in laborious respiration;
to labor for breath; to respire convulsively; topant violently....
Repentance (28 Occurrences)
... Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. REPENTANCE. re-pen'-tans: I. OLD TESTAMENT TERMS
1. To Repent-"toPant," "to Sigh" 2. To Repent-"to Turn" or "Return" II....
Panting (5 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (p. pr. & vb. n.) ofPant. Multi-Version Concordance
Panting (5 Occurrences). Psalms 38:10 My heart 'is...
Pans (19 Occurrences)
Vegetation (18 Occurrences)
... (See NAS). Jeremiah 14:6 The wild donkeys stand on the bare heights, theypant for
air like jackals; their eyes fail, because there is no herbage. (See NAS)....
Jackals (20 Occurrences)
... Jeremiah 14:6 The wild donkeys stand on the bare heights, theypant for air
like jackals; their eyes fail, because there is no herbage....
Gasping (2 Occurrences)
... 42:14 I have long time holden my peace; I have been still, and refrained myself:
now will I cry out like a travailing woman; I will gasp andpant together....
Travailing (16 Occurrences)
... I have been quiet and restrained myself. Now I will cry out like a travailing
woman. I will both gasp andpant. (WEB KJV JPS ASV WBS YLT)....
Travaileth (9 Occurrences)
... 42:14 Long time have I holden my peace; I have been still, I have restrained myself:
I will cry like a woman that travaileth; I will blow andpant at once....
Resources
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