חָמַד
cha.mad
to desire
Lexicon Entry
Lexicon data from STEPBible TIPNR, Tyndale House, Cambridge. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
What Original Readers Understood
ExploredThe Hebrew word "חָמַד" (cha.mad) is used 21 times in the Bible to describe the action of desiring. At its core, this verb means to have a strong affection or preference for something. It's often linked to emotions, attitudes, or a sense of longing. The usage of "חָמַד" spans various contexts in the Bible, from describing the Israelites' desire for food (Exodus 16:3) to Moses' affection for his Midianite father-in-law (Numbers 10:29, Numbers 25:11). In some cases, it's used to describe a person's preference for a specific location, such as a desire to return to a homeland (2 Samuel 2:15, 1 Kings 9:2). The Bible also uses this verb to express spiritual desires, like the longing for a deeper connection with God (Psalm 42:1, 1 Chronicles 28:9). The significance of "חָמַד" lies in its role in highlighting human emotions and the complexities of human relationships. It suggests that people have deep-seated longings and preferences that drive their actions and decisions. By examining how "חָמַד" is used in various contexts, readers can gain insight into the complexities of the human experience and the ways in which emotions shape our interactions with the world around us.
Source data & methodology
Occurrences in Scripture
21 total occurrences across the text
“Because he knew no quietness within him, he will not save anything of that in which he delights.
Psalms 19:10They are more to be desired than gold, yes, than much fine gold, sweeter also than honey and the extract of the honeycomb.
Psalms 39:11When you rebuke and correct man for iniquity, you consume his wealth like a moth. Surely every man is but a breath.”
Proverbs 1:22“How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity? How long will mockers delight themselves in mockery, and fools hate knowledge?
Proverbs 6:25Don’t lust after her beauty in your heart, neither let her captivate you with her eyelids.
Proverbs 12:12The wicked desires the plunder of evil men, but the root of the righteous flourishes.
Proverbs 21:20There is precious treasure and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man swallows it up.
Song of Solomon 2:3As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, his fruit was sweet to my taste.
Isaiah 1:29For they shall be ashamed of the oaks which you have desired, and you shall be confounded for the gardens that you have chosen.
Isaiah 53:2For he grew up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He has no good looks or majesty. When we see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
Isaiah 44:9Everyone who makes a carved image is vain. The things that they delight in will not profit. Their own witnesses don’t see, nor know, that they may be disappointed.
Micah 2:2They covet fields, and seize them; and houses, and take them away: and they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage.
Psalms 68:16Why do you look in envy, you rugged mountains, at the mountain where God chooses to reign? Yes, Yahweh will dwell there forever.
Genesis 2:9Out of the ground Yahweh God made every tree to grow that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food, including the tree of life in the middle of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Genesis 3:6When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took some of its fruit, and ate. Then she gave some to her husband with her, and he ate it, too.
Exodus 20:17“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”
Exodus 20:17“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”
Exodus 34:24For I will drive out nations before you and enlarge your borders; neither shall any man desire your land when you go up to appear before Yahweh, your God, three times in the year.
Deuteronomy 5:21“You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. Neither shall you desire your neighbor’s house, his field, or his male servant, or his female servant, his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.”
Deuteronomy 7:25You shall burn the engraved images of their gods with fire. You shall not covet the silver or the gold that is on them, nor take it for yourself, lest you be snared in it; for it is an abomination to Yahweh your God.
Joshua 7:21When I saw among the plunder a beautiful Babylonian robe, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, then I coveted them and took them. Behold, they are hidden in the ground in the middle of my tent, with the silver under it.”