Original Word: כָּסַף
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: kacaph
Pronunciation: kah-saf'
Phonetic Spelling: (kaw-saf')
KJV: (have) desire, be greedy, long, sore
NASB: eager, long, longed, longed greatly, shame
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. (properly) to become pale
2. (by implication) to pine after
3. also to fear

have desire, be greedy, long, sore

A primitive root; properly, to become pale, i.e. (by implication) to pine after; also to fear -- (have) desire, be greedy, long, sore.

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to long (for)
NASB Translation
eager (1), long (1), longed (1), longed greatly (1), shame (1).

[כָּסַף] verb long (for) (Arabic be colourless, obscure, be eclipsed (of sun or moon); also be depressed in appearance Ba^{ES 61}; modern Arabic disappoint; reflexive conjugations be disappointed, ashamed, see Spiro^Vocab; Late Hebrew כסף Hiph`il shew pallor, be pale, white; Qal be ashamed, long for, compare Aramaic כְּסַף) —

Qal Imperfect2masculine singular יָדֶיךָ תִּכְסֹ֑ףלְמַעֲשֵׂה Job 14:15 for the work of thy hands thou wouldest long; 3 masculine singular כְּאַרְיֵה יִכְסוֺף לִטְרֹ֑ף Psalm 17:12 like a lion that longeth to rend.

Niph`al Perfect2masculine singular + Infinitive absolute נִכְסֹף נִכְסַפְתָּה לְבֵית אָבִיךָ Genesis 31:30 thou didst long sorely for thy father's house; Perfect3feminine singular ׳נִכְסְפָה ֗֗֗ נַפְשִׁי לְחַצְרוֺת י Psalm 84:4 my soul longeth . . . . for the courts of ׳י; Perfect3masculine singular הַגּוֺי לֹא נִכְסָ֑ף Zephaniah 2:1 very dubious; but perhaps (Ges Ew Hi Ke and others), O nation not turning pale, = not ashamed, compare etymology above; We thinks whole see corrupt.

Spectrum of Desire Revealed

Strong’s 3700 כָּסַף consistently marks an intense pull of emotion—whether relational, spiritual, predatory, or covenantal. It frames both the creaturely ache that reaches upward and the Creator’s own yearning that bends down.

Narrative Portraits

Genesis 31:30 places the verb on Laban’s lips: “you longed for your father’s house.” The scene exposes competing loyalties—household gods versus the God who appeared to Jacob at Bethel. Longing becomes a diagnostic tool; what a person yearns for reveals the true object of worship. In patriarchal society, kinship bonds were strong, yet כָּסַף surfaces to expose that even legitimate homesickness can coexist with hidden idolatry. The narrative invites readers to examine desires that may justify questionable actions.

Wisdom and Poetry

Job 14:15 turns the word God-ward: “You will desire the work of Your hands.” The sufferer is confident that the Lord’s own longing guarantees resurrection hope. Here, divine desire is not fickle but covenantal, guaranteeing that God will not abandon His craftsmanship.

Psalm 84:2 elevates the same verb to liturgical passion: “My soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts of the LORD.” The psalmist’s desire for the sanctuary anticipates New-Covenant worship “in spirit and truth” and foreshadows the eschatological temple of Revelation 21.

Psalm 17:12 broadens the range: “Like a lion greedy for prey.” The predatory appetite warns that human longing, untethered from God, becomes destructive. The righteous cling to Yahweh; the wicked crave blood.

Prophetic Warning

Zephaniah 2:1 calls Israel to self-examination: “Gather yourselves, gather together, O shameful nation.” Behind “shameful” lies the passive form “not desired,” an indictment that the covenant people have become an object devoid of longing—neither yearning for God nor being yearned for by the nations. The prophetic voice declares that absence of holy desire results in impending judgment but simultaneously invites repentance before “the day of the LORD’s anger.”

Theological Trajectory

1. Desire is a God-given capacity designed to find fulfillment in Him (Psalm 84:2).
2. When redirected toward idols or violence, it leads to bondage and injustice (Genesis 31:30; Psalm 17:12).
3. God Himself models righteous desire, assuring the redeemed that He will complete His workmanship (Job 14:15; Philippians 1:6).
4. Eschatologically, redeemed longing will be satisfied in the marriage supper of the Lamb, when “the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’” (Revelation 22:17).

Ministry Application

• Preaching: Use the term to expose idols of the heart and to magnify God’s holy yearning for His people.
• Counseling: Help believers differentiate between disordered cravings and Spirit-formed desires.
• Worship: Encourage songs and prayers that echo Psalm 84, channeling emotional intensity toward God’s presence.
• Missions: Zephaniah’s warning urges the church to cultivate longing for the nations so they may become a “desired” people in Christ.

Christological Fulfillment

Jesus embodies the perfect alignment of desire: “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before My suffering” (Luke 22:15). His longing culminates at the cross, where divine yearning meets human need. Through the Spirit, believers participate in this sanctified desire, groaning with creation for final redemption (Romans 8:23). Thus כָּסַף points beyond itself to the One who both satisfies and stirs the deepest longings of the human soul.

יִכְס֣וֹף יכסוף נִכְסְפָ֬ה נִכְסַ֖פְתָּה נִכְסָֽף׃ נִכְסֹ֥ף נכסף נכסף׃ נכספה נכספתה תִכְסֹֽף׃ תכסף׃ nichSaf nichSaftah nichseFah nichSof niḵ·sāp̄ niḵ·sap̄·tāh niḵ·sə·p̄āh niḵ·sōp̄ niḵsāp̄ niḵsap̄tāh niḵsəp̄āh niḵsōp̄ tichSof ṯiḵ·sōp̄ ṯiḵsōp̄ yichSof yiḵ·sō·wp̄ yiḵsōwp̄Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts