---
title: תַּאֲוָה — desire · The Tanakh dictionary
description: תַּאֲוָה (8378), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 20 times: desire. BDB 1906: n.f. desire n.pr. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# תַּאֲוָה

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«תַּאֲוָה» in the Tanakh dictionary: **desire** — 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:** 20 times · **Key:** 8378 · **BDB:** תַּאֲוָה

### Glosses

\[the\].desire (5); desire (5); a.craving (3)

### Meaning (OSHB)

desire [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1514/8378/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

n.f. desire n.pr. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1514/8378/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** n.f. desire—abs. Gn 3:6 +; cstr. תַּאֲוַת ψ 10:3 + etc.;— desire, wish Pr 13:12, 19; 18:1; of physical appetite, longing for dainty food מַאֲכַל ת׳ Jb 33:20; distinctly good sense ψ 10:17; 38:10 Pr 11:23, 19:22 (? cf. infr.) Is 26:8 (לְשִׁמְךָ וּלְזִכְרְךָ ת׳־נָ֑פֶשׁ); bad sense, lust, appetite, covetousness ψ 10:3 (ת׳ נַפְשׁוֹ) 112:10; Pr 21:25, 26 (as acc. cogn.); particularly of longing for dainties of Egypt Nu 11:4 ψ 106:14 (both acc. cogn.) 78:30 \& in n.pr. given to place where it occurred קִבְרוֹת הַתַּאֲוָה (q.v.) Nu 11:34, 35; 33:16, 17 Dt 9:22. thing desired, in good sense Pr 10:24 so ת׳ לִבּוֹ ψ 21:3; bad sense ψ 78:29; thing desirable (to senses) Gn 3:6 (ת׳ לְעֵינַיִם); perhaps also Pr 19:22 the ornament of a man is his kindness (Ra Ki, etc. but cf. supr.)\*

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 20 of its verses cited, 1 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (4 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 1 with the glosses (3 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «תַּאֲוָה» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1514/8378/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[Proverbs 11:23](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PRO.11.23/)

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תַּאֲוַ֣ת צַדִּיקִ֣ים אַךְ־ט֑וֹב תִּקְוַ֖ת רְשָׁעִ֣ים עֶבְרָֽה׃

*Word for word:* \[the\].desire of.righteous.\[people\] only \[is\].good \[the\].hope of.wicked.\[people\] \[is\].fury

*JPS 1917:* The desire of the righteous is only good; but the expectation of the wicked is wrath.

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[Proverbs 18:1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PRO.18.1/)

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לְֽ֭תַאֲוָה יְבַקֵּ֣שׁ נִפְרָ֑ד בְּכָל־תּ֝וּשִׁיָּ֗ה יִתְגַּלָּֽע׃

*Word for word:* (to) desire he.seeks \[one.who\].separates.himself on all sound.wisdom he.breaks.out

*JPS 1917:* He that separateth himself seeketh his own desire, and snarlest against all sound wisdom.

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