צִמְאָה
thirst (figuratively, of libidinousnes)
Definition
The Hebrew noun צִמְאָה (tsimʼâh) literally means 'thirst' or 'a thirsting.' It is the feminine form of the more common masculine noun צָמָא (tsāmāʼ, H6772). In its single biblical occurrence in Jeremiah 2:25, the word is used figuratively to describe an intense, unquenchable desire. The context is not for water, but for idolatry and illicit relationships, portraying spiritual adultery as a compulsive, self-destructive craving that one refuses to restrain.
Biblical Usage
This word appears only once in the Old Testament, in Jeremiah 2:25. It is used in a prophetic rebuke, where God, through Jeremiah, tells Judah, 'Withhold your foot from being unshod and your throat from thirst (צִמְאָה).' Here, 'thirst' is a metaphor for Judah's passionate pursuit of foreign gods and alliances, depicted as an addiction they cannot and will not stop. The usage is entirely figurative and charged with moral and spiritual condemnation.
Etymology
Derived from the root צמא (ts-m-ʼ), meaning 'to be thirsty.' צִמְאָה is the feminine noun form of the masculine צָמָא (tsāmāʼ, H6772). The root conveys a strong physical need for drink, which naturally extended to metaphors for intense desire or longing. The feminine form here may subtly emphasize the nature of the desire as an abstract condition or state.
Semantic Range
This word is theologically significant as it powerfully illustrates the nature of sin. It portrays idolatry and spiritual unfaithfulness not merely as wrong choices, but as a deep, addictive craving that distorts natural desires and leads to ruin (Jeremiah 2:25). Understanding this Hebrew term enriches the reading of Jeremiah by showing that Judah's problem was a corrupted 'thirst'—a misdirected longing that should have been directed toward God (cf. Psalm 42:2, Isaiah 55:1). It connects to the biblical theme that humanity is wired to worship, and when that thirst is not satisfied in God, it manifests in destructive idolatries.
In the ancient Near East, thirst was a dire and ever-present physical reality, making it a potent metaphor for any uncontrollable need. Jeremiah's audience would have immediately understood the desperation and life-or-death urgency conveyed by the term. The specific application to pursuing foreign gods ('lovers') taps into the cultural context of Canaanite fertility cults and political alliances, which often involved ritual prostitution and were seen by the prophets as spiritual adultery.
צָמָא (tsāmāʼ, H6772) — The masculine form of the same word, used more frequently for both literal thirst (e.g., Exodus 17:3) and metaphorical longing (e.g., Amos 8:11). תַּאֲוָה (taʼăvâ, H8378) — 'desire, craving'; a broader term for longing, which can be positive or negative, whereas צִמְאָה in Jeremiah is specifically a negative, compulsive craving. נֶפֶשׁ (nephesh, H5315) — 'soul, appetite'; can mean 'throat' or 'desire' in the context of hunger or thirst (e.g., Proverbs 25:25).
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.
Full methodology & sources →