---
title: מַיִם — hot springs · The Tanakh dictionary
description: מַיִם (4325), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 581 times: hot springs. BDB 1906: n.m. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# מַיִם

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«מַיִם» in the Tanakh dictionary: **hot springs** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers.

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**Used:** 581 times · **Key:** 4325 · **BDB:** מַי

### Glosses

water (247); waters (148); of.water (64)

### Meaning (OSHB)

hot springs [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1502/4325/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

n.m. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1502/4325/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** n.m. 2 S 14:14 only pl. מַ֫יִם waters, water (NH id.; MI 23 \[ין\]מ; SI 5 המים; Aramaic מַיָּא, מַיִּין, ܡܰܝܴ̈ܐ; Assyrian mû, pl. mê, also mâmu DlHWB 394; Arabic مَآءٌ; Ethiopic ማይ, pl. ማያት; Sab. \[מו\], מום, pl. מון, Min. \[מה\], pl. מהן DHM6th Or. Congr. (Leiden) ii. 1, 451 f. (v. on these forms BaZMG xiii, 1888, 341 ff.));—מַ֫יִם (מָ֑יִם) Gn 1:2 +; הַמַּ֫יְמָה Ex 7:15; 8:16; cstr. מֵי Gn 7:7 + 71 times; מֵימֵי Ex 4:9 + 10 times + Qr 2 K 18:27 = Is 36:12; sf. מֵימַי Ho 2:7 + 1 S 25:11 (but read here יֵינִי 𝔊 Ew Th We Klo Dr Kit Bu); מֵימֶ֫יךָ Ex 23:25 + 3 times; מֵימָיו Nu 20:8 + 6 times; מֵימֶיהָ Je 6:7; 50:38; מֵימֵינוּ La 5:4; מֵימֵיהֶם Ex 7:19 + 4 times;—waters, water (c. adj. pl. Gn 26:19 Ex 15:10 Lv 14:5, 6, 50 + often, so always c. adj.; also c. pt. pl. Nu 5:18, 19, 24 2 K 3:20 +; c. pron. pl. Nu 20:13; 27:14 2 K 2:21 +; cf. sf. Jos 4:18; before pl. vb. Gn 1:9, 20, 21; 7:17 + often; after pl. vb. Jos 3:13 Is 28:17 Pr 9:17 Ez 31:4 +; rarely c. sg. vb.; before, Gn 9:15 Lv 11:34 Nu 20:2; 24:7; 33:14 2 K 3:9; after, Nu 19:13, 20);— water, of a spring or well (עַיִן, בְּאֵר) Gn 16:7; 24:11, 13(×2), 43 Ex 15:27(×2) (J), Gn 21:19, 25 Nu 20:17; 21:16 (E), etc.; for drinking, also Am 4:8; 8:11 Jon 3:7 + often; out of rock Ex 17:6 (E), Nu 20:8(×2), 10, 11 (P), Dt 8:15 etc.; מֵי מְרִיבָה (RSSem. i. 165. 2nd ed. 181) Nu 20:13, 24; 27:14 (P), Dt 33:8 ψ 81:8 106:32; cf. Dt 32:51 Ez 47:19; 48:28; for washing (hands, feet, person) Gn 18:4; 24:32; 43:24 (J), 2 K 3:11, Ex 29:4; 30:20 Lv 15:5, 6 + (P); (victims) Lv 1:9, 13; 8:21 (P); (vessels) Lv 6:21; 11:32, 34 (P); (garments) Lv 15:17 Nu 19:8 (P); for cooking Ex 12:9 (P), cf. Is 64:1 Ez 24:3 (symbol.); for purification Nu 8:7 (מֵי חַטָּאת), 19:9 (מֵי נִדָּה), cf. v 13, 18, 20, 21, 20:13; 31:23(×2) (all P), Ez 36:25 (fig.). of a river, Nile Ex 2:10; 4:9(×2) (J), Je 2:18 etc.; Jordan Jos 3:8 (D), v 15, 16 (JE), etc.; Euphrates Is 8:7 (fig.), Je 2:18; Ezek.’s river Ez 47:1(×2), 2 +, etc.; of streams, canals, etc., especially as condition of fertility Dt 8:7; 10:7 Is 1:30 Pr 30:16 2 K 3:17 +, etc. of sea Am 5:8; 9:6; Red Sea Ex 15:8, 10, 19 (song), 14:21, 22, 26 + (P), Jos 2:10 (D), etc. of flood Gn 7:7, 10; 8:3, 7, 8, 9, 11 (J), 6:17; 7:6, 17, 18(×2) 19; 8:5; 9:11, 15 (P); so מֵי־נֹחַ Is 54:9(×2) waters of Noah. subterranean Ex 20:4 (E), Dt 4:18; 5:8, cf. Jb 26:5 ψ 136:6. in clouds Je 10:13 Jb 26:8 ψ 29:3(×2) 104:3; 148:4, etc. of rain Ju 5:4 2 S 21:10 Dt 11:11 ψ 65:10 Jb 5:10 (‖ מָטָר), etc. of dew Ju 6:38. primæval deep Gn 1:2, 6 (P). c. nomm. pr. loc. (q.v.), to denote springs, streams, or seas belonging to, near, such places: מֵימֵי מִצְרַיִם Ex 7:19; 8:2; מֵי מְרִיבָה (v. supr. 1 a); מֵי מֵרוֹם Jos 11:5, 7; מֵי עֵין־שֶׁמֶשׁ Jos 15:7; מֵי נֶפְתּוֹחַ 15:9; 18:15; מֵי יְרִיחוֹ 16:1; מֵי מְגִּדּוֹ Ju 5:19; מֵי נִמְרִ(יִ)ם Is 15:6 Je 48:34; מֵי דִימוֹן Is 15:9; cf. מֵי הַשִּׁלֹּחַ Is 8:6; מֵימֵי גִּיחוֹן הָעֶלְיוֹן 2 Ch 32:30; cf. also n. pr. loc. מִשְׂרְפוֹת מַיִם Jos 11:8; 13:6. special uses are: מֵי רַגְלַיִם water of the feet = urine 2 K 18:27 = Is 36:12; cf. בְּמֵי מַדְמֵנָה Is 25:10 Kt in water of a dunghill (\> Qr בְּמוֹ); מַיִם לַחַץ water (which is) distress, because drunk in imprisonment 1 K 22:27 (‖ לֶחֶם לַחַץ) = 2 Ch 18:26; בְּמֵי־שָׁ֑לֶג in snow-water Jb 9:30 Qr (Kt במו; Me Hoffm Siegfr כְּמוֹ), מֵימֵי שֶׁלֶג 24:19; מַיִם קְדשִׁים †Nu 5:17 holy water (cf. RSSem. 165, 2nd ed. 181, but text dubious, v. Di); מֵי הַמָּרִים bitter water †Nu 5:18, 19, 23, 24; cf. Ex 15:23 (בִּי מָרִים הֵם), opp. וַיִּמְתְּקוּ הַמַּיִם v 25 and the waters were sweetened; מֵי חַטָּאת, מֵי נִדָּה v. supr. 1 a; מַיִם חַיִּים living (i.e. running) water Lv 14:5, 6, 50, 51, 52 Nu 19:17, also (fig.) Zc 14:8 (cf. Ez 47), and (fig.) Je 2:13; 17:13. See also infr. (cf. Nu 21:17, 18; v. RSSem. i. 127, 157; 2nd ed. 135, 176). among fig. uses are: of danger or distress Is 43:2 ψ 66:12; 69:2 La 3:54; usually many waters 2 S 22:17 = ψ 18:17, cf. Jb 22:11 ψ 32:6; 144:7, or deep waters ψ 69:3, 15, cf. v 16; also מֵי־רֹאשׁ water of gall Je 8:14; 9:14; 23:15. פֶּרֶץ מַיִם 2 S 5:20 = 1 Ch 14:11 of outbursting force. שְׁאוֹן מַיִם Is 17:12, 13 or rushing nations. of what is impetuous, violent, overwhelming Is 28:2, 17 Ho 10:7 Jb 27:20 ψ 124:4, 5; 88:18; sim. of impetuousness פַּחַז כַּמַּיִם Gn 49:4. (as running away) of heart in timidity Jos 7:5, cf. ψ 22:15, of knees Ez 7:17; 21:12. of transitoriness Jb 11:16; 24:18 ψ 58:8. of refreshment Is 32:2; 49:10; spiritual 12:3. מֵי מְנֻחוֹת ψ 23:2 in fig. of rest and peace, cf. Je 31:9. of reckless bloodshed (poured out like water) ψ 79:3; cf. pouring away (and not eating) blood Dt 12:16, 24; 15:23. בְּאֵר מַיִם חַיִּים Ct 4:15 fig. of bride; מַיִם מִבּוֹרֶ֑ךָ Pr 5:15 of enjoyment of one’s own wife; of harlotry מַיִם גְּנוּבִים Pr 9:17 stolen waters. of outpoured wrath of י׳ Ho 5:10. of abundant justice Am 5:24. of outpoured feelings Jb 3:24; שִׁפְכִי כַמַּיִם לִבֵּךְ La 2:19.—Is 48:1 read prob. מִמְּעֵי for MT מִמֵּי, so Secker Du CheHpt Skinner, cf. Di.

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Why these entries: BDB: another headword, part of speech agrees, 217 of its verses cited, 0 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (7 candidates); OSHB: same consonants, part of speech agrees, 0 words shared with the BDB entry, 0 with the glosses (4 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «מַיִם» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1502/4325/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[Proverbs 9:17](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PRO.9.17/)

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מַֽיִם־גְּנוּבִ֥ים יִמְתָּ֑קוּ וְלֶ֖חֶם סְתָרִ֣ים יִנְעָֽם׃

*Word for word:* waters stolen they.are.sweet and bread of.secret.places it.is.pleasant

*JPS 1917:* 'Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.'

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[Lamentations 3:54](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/LAM.3.54/)

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צָֽפוּ־מַ֥יִם עַל־רֹאשִׁ֖י אָמַ֥רְתִּי נִגְזָֽרְתִּי׃ס

*Word for word:* they.overflowed waters over head my I.said I.have.been.cut.off

*JPS 1917:* Waters flowed over my head; I said: 'I am cut off.'

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