Original Word: עֲגַב
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: `agab
Pronunciation: ah-gahv
Phonetic Spelling: (aw-gab')
KJV: dote, lover
NASB: lusted, lovers
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to breathe after, i.e. to love (sensually)

dote, lover

A primitive root; to breathe after, i.e. To love (sensually) -- dote, lover.

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to have inordinate affection, lust
NASB Translation
lovers (1), lusted (6).

[עָגַב] verb have inordinate affection, lust (compare Arabic wonder, admire, beloved; and (on sens. obsc. in Late Hebrew) Levy^{NHWB iii. 616}); —

Qal Perfect3feminine singular עָֽגְבָה Ezekiel 23:7,9,12; Imperfect3feminine singular וַתַּעְגַּב Ezekiel 23:5, + Ezekiel 23:16 Kt (Qr וַתַּעְגְּבָה), וַתַּעְגְּבָּה Ezekiel 23:20 (Ew^{§ 191 c} Ol^{§ 228 b}); Participle plural עֹגְבִים Jeremiah 4:30; — lust after (עַלֿ), only in figure of relations of Samaria and Jerusalem (personified) with foreigners Ezekiel 23:5,9,12,16,20, so with accusative Ezekiel 23:7; participle as substantive paramours Jeremiah 4:30.

The verb in the prophetic canon

Seven times the Hebrew verb עָגַב appears, each in prophetic literature. Once Jeremiah employs it when lamenting Judah’s collapse (Jeremiah 4:30), and six times Ezekiel applies it in the parable of Oholah and Oholibah (Ezekiel 23:5, 7, 9, 12, 16, 20). Every instance pictures a willful, sensual craving that violates covenant loyalty and accelerates judgment.

Imagery of illicit desire

Jeremiah portrays a devastated city attempting to entice foreign allies:

“And you, O devastated one, what will you do? Though you dress yourself in scarlet... your lovers despise you; they seek your life” (Jeremiah 4:30).

Here עָגַב identifies the foreign nations Judah once courted. The prophet’s irony is sharp: the very “lovers” pursued in desperate passion now turn on her.

Ezekiel expands the metaphor through the two adulterous sisters symbolizing Samaria and Jerusalem. “Oholah played the harlot while she was Mine; she lusted after her lovers, the Assyrians—warriors clothed in blue” (Ezekiel 23:5-6). Each subsequent verse reiterates the verb to emphasize progressive, escalating infidelity. The yearning is not passive but aggressive, an appetite that overruns moral restraint.

Historical backdrop

In the eighth and seventh centuries B.C. Israel and Judah oscillated between Egypt, Assyria, and Babylon for security. Diplomatic outreach was routinely couched in language of allegiance, but the prophets exposed the transactions as spiritual adultery. To trust in pagan powers was to despise the covenant with the LORD. Thus עָגַב evokes visceral revulsion; it is the passion of a spouse forsaking true marital bonds for strangers.

Theological significance

1. Covenant Exclusivity: Israel’s relationship with the LORD is described throughout Scripture as marriage (Isaiah 54:5; Hosea 2:16-20). The verb magnifies the seriousness of turning elsewhere for fulfillment.
2. Divine Jealousy: Repeated use of עָגַב underscores God’s right to exclusive devotion. The jealousy of God is not capricious but protective of the redemptive covenant.
3. Futility of Idolatrous Alliances: Every appearance of the verb ends in betrayal and ruin, reinforcing the prophetic theme that human schemes cannot replace divine security.

Pastoral and ministry applications

• Spiritual diagnostics: The term challenges believers to discern areas where affections drift toward modern equivalents of “foreign lovers”—materialism, political saviors, or personal autonomy.
• Preaching repentance: Jeremiah’s and Ezekiel’s oracles provide a template for confronting sin with vivid imagery, aiming at both mind and emotions.
• Counseling restoration: Even as עָגַב exposes deep unfaithfulness, the broader prophetic message moves toward renewal (e.g., Ezekiel 36:25-27). The same passion misdirected can be redirected toward covenant faithfulness through the Spirit’s work.

Intertextual echoes

While the specific verb is confined to Jeremiah and Ezekiel, its concept resonates with Hosea’s portrayal of Gomer and with James 4:4’s warning, “friendship with the world is hostility toward God.” New Testament writers inherit the prophetic vocabulary of adultery to warn the church against syncretism.

Christological reflection

The Gospels present Jesus Christ as the faithful Bridegroom who lays down His life for an unfaithful bride (Ephesians 5:25-27). The negative portrait sketched by עָגַב heightens the glory of the Savior’s steadfast love, offering the only cure for wandering hearts.

Summary

Strong’s Hebrew 5689 illustrates more than mere lust; it dramatizes covenant betrayal. By tracing its seven occurrences, the interpreter grasps the prophetic strategy of exposing sin’s allure, its false promises, and its catastrophic end. For the church today, the verb serves as both a mirror and a warning, calling God’s people to wholehearted, exclusive devotion to their Redeemer.

וַֽתַּעְגְּבָ֔ה וַתַּעְגַּב֙ וַתַּעְגְּבָ֥ה ותעגב ותעגבה עָֽגְבָ֛ה עָגְבָ֖ה עָגָ֜בָה עֹגְבִ֖ים עגבה עגבים ‘ā·ḡā·ḇāh ‘ā·ḡə·ḇāh ‘āḡāḇāh ‘āḡəḇāh ‘ō·ḡə·ḇîm ‘ōḡəḇîm aGavah ageVah ogeVim vattaGav vattageVah wat·ta‘·gaḇ wat·ta‘·gə·ḇāh watta‘gaḇ watta‘gəḇāhInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts