To desire
אָוָהStrong’s H0183avah (a-vah)
Appears in 26 verses of the Old Testament
In short
Avah is the Hebrew word usually translated “it will desire”, “it desires” and “it craves”. It appears in 26 verses of the Old Testament.
“And the mixt multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat?”
Meaning
- Desire, incline, covet, wait longingly, wish, sigh, want, be greedy, prefer(Piel) to desire, crave (food and drink) · (Hithpael) to desire, long for, lust after (of bodily appetites)
How it's translated
- it will desire 3
- it desires 2
- it craves 2
- you crave 2
- they craved 1
- who craved 1
- you must desire 1
- and he desired 1
Word-by-word English from the STEPBible tagged text.
Where it's used most
- Proverbs 6
- Psalms 4
- Deuteronomy 3
- Numbers 2
- 2 Samuel 2
- 1 Samuel 1
14 books in all.
Explore in Scripture
- Numbers 11:34And he called the name of that place Kibrothhattaavah: because there they buried the people that lusted.
- Deuteronomy 5:21Neither shalt thou desire thy neighbour’s wife, neither shalt thou covet thy neighbour’s house, his field, or his manservant, or his maidservant, his ox, or his ass, or any thing that is thy neighbour’s.
- Deuteronomy 12:20When the LORD thy God shall enlarge thy border, as he hath promised thee, and thou shalt say, I will eat flesh, because thy soul longeth to eat flesh; thou mayest eat flesh, whatsoever thy soul lusteth after.
- Deuteronomy 14:26And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the LORD thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household,
- 1 Samuel 2:16And if any man said unto him, Let them not fail to burn the fat presently, and then take as much as thy soul desireth; then he would answer him, Nay; but thou shalt give it me now: and if not, I will take it by force.
- 2 Samuel 3:21And Abner said unto David, I will arise and go, and will gather all Israel unto my lord the king, that they may make a league with thee, and that thou mayest reign over all that thine heart desireth. And David sent Abner away; and he went in peace.
Hebrew dictionary
אָוָה avah · to desire
1) desire, incline, covet, wait longingly, wish, sigh, want, be greedy, prefer 1a) (Piel) to desire, crave (food and drink) 1b) (Hithpael) to desire, long for, lust after (of bodily appetites)
From STEPBible’s Hebrew lexicon (based on Brown-Driver-Briggs).
Webster's 1828 Dictionary
How the English word “desire” was understood when the King James Version was still the common Bible of English readers.
DESIRE, noun
- An emotion or excitement of the mind, directed to the attainment or possession of an object from which pleasure, sensual, intellectual or spiritual, is expected; a passion excited by the love of an object, or uneasiness at the want of it, and directed to its attainment or possession. desire is a wish to possess some gratification or source of happiness which is supposed to be obtainable.“We endeavored-to see your face with great desire” 1 Thessalonians 2:17“Thou satisfiest the desires of every living thing” Psalms 145:16
- A prayer or request to obtain:“He will fulfill the desire of them that fear him” Psalms 145:19
- The object of desire; that which is desired.“The desire of all nations shall come” Haggai 2:7
- Love; affection.“His desire is toward me” Song of Solomon 7:10
All definitions and other forms of “desire”
- Appetite; lust.“Fulfilling the desires of the flesh” Ephesians 2:3
DESIRE, verb transitive
- To wish for the possession or enjoyment of, with a greater or less degree of earnestness; to covet.“Neither shall any man desire thy land” Exodus 34:24“Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts” 1 Corinthians 14:1
- To express a wish to obtain; to ask; to request; to petition.“Then she said, did I desire a son of my Lord?” 2 Kings 4:28
- To require.
Noah Webster, An American Dictionary of the English Language (1828). Verse references are checked against the KJV. Read the full entry.
Verses are from the King James Version. Word meanings come from the original Hebrew, not from any one translation.