גָּמָא
to absorb
Definition
The Hebrew verb גָּמָא (gâmâʼ) means to absorb or swallow, specifically referring to the act of drinking up water. In its two biblical occurrences, it describes the eager consumption of water by a person and a horse. In Genesis 24:17, Rebekah offers to draw water for Abraham's servant and his camels, saying she will also 'draw' (the verb is used in a causative sense) for the camels until they have 'drunk their fill' (gâmâʼ). In Job 39:24, it depicts a warhorse so excited for battle that it 'swallows the ground' (gâmâʼ), a vivid metaphor for its rapid, devouring charge.
Biblical Usage
This verb is used only twice in the Old Testament, both times in poetic or narrative contexts describing the complete consumption of water or, metaphorically, ground. In Genesis 24:17, it is used literally for an animal finishing its drink. In Job 39:24, it is used figuratively in a powerful simile within God's speech to Job, illustrating the horse's fierce and impatient energy. There is no pattern across books, given its rarity.
Etymology
גָּמָא is a primitive root. Its core meaning relates to consuming or absorbing a liquid. Cognates exist in other Semitic languages, like Arabic (jamāʻa, 'to collect'), suggesting a conceptual link between gathering and swallowing up. The Hebrew meaning is specifically focused on the act of drinking to completion.
Semantic Range
While not a major theological term, its use in Job 39:24 is significant. In God's rhetorical tour of creation, the description of the warhorse 'swallowing the ground' underscores the raw, untamed power of an animal that humanity can harness but did not create. It highlights God's sovereign design in the natural world, contrasting human understanding with divine wisdom. Understanding this vivid Hebrew metaphor enriches the imagery of God's speech to Job.
In an arid climate, the act of an animal drinking its full from a well (Genesis 24) was a sign of hospitality and significant labor. The metaphor in Job reflects a Near Eastern understanding of the warhorse as a supreme symbol of power, speed, and martial fury. The image of 'swallowing the ground' poetically conveys a sensation of immense speed and thirst for battle that would be immediately recognizable.
שָׁתָה (shâthâh, H8354) — the common general verb 'to drink'. גָּמָא implies drinking to the full or swallowing up, while שָׁתָה is the simple act of drinking.
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
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