185. avvah
Lexical Summary
avvah: Desire, Lust, Craving

Original Word: אַוָּה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: avvah
Pronunciation: ahv-VAH
Phonetic Spelling: (av-vaw')
KJV: desire, lust after, pleasure
NASB: desire, desires
Word Origin: [from H183 (אָוָה - desire)]

1. longing

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
desire, lust after, pleasure

From 'avah; longing -- desire, lust after, pleasure.

see HEBREW 'avah

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from the same as avah
Definition
desire
NASB Translation
desire (5), desires (1), passion* (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
[אַוָּה] noun feminine desire — construct אַוַּת Deuteronomy 12:15 5t.; suffix אַוָּתִי Hosea 10:10desire, will, usually followed by נֶפֶשׁ; of natural human desire (morally indifferent), for meat Deuteronomy 12:15,20,21; of longing for sanctuary Deuteronomy 18:6; of royal good pleasure 1 Samuel 23:20; without נֶפֶשׁ, of wild-ass Jeremiah 2:24; of divine will Hosea 10:10.

Topical Lexicon
Root Usage and Semantic Range

ʾawwâ conveys the inner pull of desire, longing, or personal will. It may point to a legitimate appetite (for meat or a place of worship) or to a selfish craving that defies divine order. The word’s versatility allows it to describe both holy permission and unholy impulse, so the immediate context determines whether the inclination is commended, tolerated, or condemned.

Covenant Life in Deuteronomy

Four of the seven occurrences stand in Moses’ exposition of covenant life (Deuteronomy 12:15, 20, 21; 18:6). Israel would soon leave the wilderness, and God acknowledged that the people would “desire to eat meat” (12:20). The legislation affirms that ordinary, commonsense desires are not inherently sinful when pursued within the boundaries of divine command—slaughtering at the central sanctuary in the wilderness, but freely within the gates once the nation is settled.

In Deuteronomy 18:6, ʾawwâ shifts from diet to ministry. A Levite “desires” to serve at the central sanctuary; his longing is honored, illustrating the God‐given impulse toward worshipful service. Thus early covenant usage frames desire as something that can harmonize with God’s revealed will.

Illustrations in Israel’s Historical Narrative

1 Samuel 23:20 records the Benjaminites of Ziph offering David to Saul: “Now, O king, come down whenever your soul desires to come down.” Human longing here is morally neutral on the surface, but in context it is enlisted for betrayal. The verse exposes how personal yearning, unmoored from divine instruction, can be co‐opted for unrighteous ends.

Prophetic Exposure of Wayward Craving

Jeremiah 2:24 depicts a wild donkey “in her desire, sniffing the wind.” The prophet likens Judah to an animal driven by heat—an uncontrolled passion that refuses correction. Hosea 10:10 similarly foresees judgment: “When it is My desire, I will chasten them.” God mirrors Israel’s stubborn craving with His own sovereign resolve to discipline. The prophets thus reveal a stark contrast: human desire distorted leads to covenant infidelity, whereas divine desire issues righteous judgment.

Theological Themes

1. Created Capacity: Desire is part of the imago Dei; it can seek fellowship with God (Deuteronomy 18:6).
2. Regulation by Revelation: The Torah channels desire toward obedience (Deuteronomy 12).
3. Corruption through Autonomy: Unchecked longing becomes idolatrous (Jeremiah 2:24).
4. Divine Counter‐Desire: The Lord’s holy will confronts and supersedes sinful craving (Hosea 10:10).

Typological and Redemptive Trajectory

By spotlighting lawful and unlawful desires, the term anticipates the New Covenant promise of a transformed heart. Where the flesh once distorted longing, the Spirit now implants new affections (Galatians 5:16–17). The Levite’s God‐honoring desire prefigures believers’ Spirit‐prompted yearning to draw near through the once-for-all sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 10:19–22).

Pastoral and Practical Application

• Discern Desires: Believers must test longings against Scripture, ensuring motives align with God’s glory.
• Cultivate Holy Appetites: Legitimate needs—food, vocation, worship—are sanctified when pursued gratefully within divine parameters.
• Guard Against Disordered Craving: Unchecked impulses can lead to betrayal (1 Samuel 23:20) or spiritual adultery (Jeremiah 2:24).
• Rest in God’s Desire: The same God who disciplines in Hosea 10:10 also “desires all men to be saved” (1 Timothy 2:4), grounding hope in His redemptive will.

Summary

ʾawwâ traces a moral arc: desire designed, desire disciplined, desire distorted, and finally, desire redeemed. Its seven appearances invite God’s people to submit every longing to the One who alone satisfies the soul.

Forms and Transliterations
אַוַּ֣ת אַוַּ֥ת אַוַּ֨ת אות בְּאַוַּ֤ת בְּאַוָּתִ֖י באות באותי ’aw·waṯ ’awwaṯ avVat bə’awwaṯ bə’awwāṯî bə·’aw·wā·ṯî bə·’aw·waṯ beavVat beavvaTi
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Deuteronomy 12:15
HEB: רַק֩ בְּכָל־ אַוַּ֨ת נַפְשְׁךָ֜ תִּזְבַּ֣ח ׀
NAS: whatever you desire, according to the blessing
KJV: whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, according to the blessing
INT: within any desire soul may slaughter

Deuteronomy 12:20
HEB: בָּשָׂ֑ר בְּכָל־ אַוַּ֥ת נַפְשְׁךָ֖ תֹּאכַ֥ל
NAS: meat, whatever you desire.
KJV: whatsoever thy soul lusteth after.
INT: meat whatever desire soul may eat

Deuteronomy 12:21
HEB: בִּשְׁעָרֶ֔יךָ בְּכֹ֖ל אַוַּ֥ת נַפְשֶֽׁךָ׃
NAS: within your gates whatever you desire.
KJV: whatsoever thy soul lusteth after.
INT: your gates whatever desire soul

Deuteronomy 18:6
HEB: וּבָא֙ בְּכָל־ אַוַּ֣ת נַפְשׁ֔וֹ אֶל־
NAS: whenever he desires to the place
KJV: and come with all the desire of his mind
INT: and comes whenever desires of his mind to

1 Samuel 23:20
HEB: וְ֠עַתָּה לְכָל־ אַוַּ֨ת נַפְשְׁךָ֥ הַמֶּ֛לֶךְ
NAS: according to all the desire of your soul
KJV: come down according to all the desire of thy soul
INT: Now to all the desire of your soul king

Jeremiah 2:24
HEB: לִמֻּ֣ד מִדְבָּ֗ר בְּאַוַּ֤ת [נַפשֹׁו כ]
NAS: the wind in her passion. In [the time of] her heat
INT: accustomed to the wilderness desire any sniffs

Hosea 10:10
HEB: בְּאַוָּתִ֖י וְאֶסֳּרֵ֑ם וְאֻסְּפ֤וּ
NAS: When it is My desire, I will chastise
KJV: [It is] in my desire that I should chastise
INT: is my desire will chastise will be gathered

7 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 185
7 Occurrences


’aw·waṯ — 5 Occ.
bə·’aw·waṯ — 1 Occ.
bə·’aw·wā·ṯî — 1 Occ.

184
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