STRONGS NUMBER H4325


Word Summary
mayim: waters, water
Original Word: מַיִם
Transliteration: mayim
Phonetic Spelling: (mah'-yim)
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Short Definition: waters, water
Meaning: water, juice, urine, semen
Strong's Concordance
waste, wasting, watering, course,

Dual of a primitive noun (but used in a singular sense); water; figuratively, juice; by euphemism, urine, semen -- + piss, wasting, water(-ing, (-course, -flood, -spring)).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

H4325. mayim

II. [מוֺ‎] = מַיwater.

[מַי‎]580 noun masculine2 Samuel 14:14 only plural מַ֫יִםwaters, water (Late Hebrew id.; MI23 [ין‎]מ‎; SI5 המים‎; Aramaic מַיִּין מַיָּא,‎, Assyrian , plural , also mâmu DlHWB 394; Arabic Ethiopic , plural ; Sabean [מו‎], מום‎ plural מון‎, Minaean [מה‎], plural מהן‎ DHM6th Or. Congr. (Leiden) ii. 1, 451 f. (see on these forms BaZMG xiii.1888, 341 ff.)); — מַ֫יִם‎ (מָ֑יִם‎) Genesis 1:2 +; הַמַּ֫יְמָהExodus 7:15; 8:16; construct מֵיGenesis 7:7 71t.; מֵימֵיExodus 4:9-10t. + Qr 2 Kings 18:27 = Isaiah 36:12; suffix מֵימַיHosea 2:7 + 1 Samuel 25:11 (but read here ᵐ5 יֵינִי‎ Ew Th We Klo Dr Kit Bu); מֵימֶ֫יךָExodus 23:25 3t.; מֵימָיוNumbers 20:8 6t.; מֵימֶיהָJeremiah 6:7; 50:38; מֵימֵינוּLamentations 5:4; מֵימֵיהֶםExodus 7:19 4t.; — waters, water (c. adjective plural Genesis 26:19; Exodus 15:10; Leviticus 14:5-6, 50 + often, so always with adjective; also with plural participle Numbers 5:18-19, 24; 2 Kings 3:20 +; with plural pronoun Numbers 20:13; 27:14; 2 Kings 2:21 +; compare suffix Joshua 4:18; before plural verb Genesis 1:9, 20, 21; 7:17 + often; after plural verb Joshua 3:13; Isaiah 28:17; Proverbs 9:17; Ezekiel 31:4 +; rarely with singular verb; before, Genesis 9:15; Leviticus 11:34; Numbers 20:2; 24:7; 33:14; 2 Kings 3:9; after, Numbers 19:13, 20); —

1. a. water of a spring or well (בְּאֵר עַיִן,‎) Genesis 16:7; 24:11, 13 (twice in verse); 24:43; Exodus 15:27 (twice in verse) (J), Genesis 21:19, 25; Numbers 20:17; 21:16 (E), etc.; for drinking, also Amos 4:8; 8:11; Jonah 3:7 + often; out of rock Exodus 17:6 (E), Numbers 20:8 (twice in verse); 20:10-11, (P), Deuteronomy 8:15 etc.; מְרִיבָה מֵי‎ (RSSemitic i. 165; 2nd ed. 181) Numbers 20:13, 24; 27:14 (P), Deuteronomy 33:8; Psalm 81:8; 106:32; compare Deuteronomy 32:51; Ezekiel 47:19; 48:28; for washing (hands, feet, person) Genesis 18:4; 24:32; 43:24 (J), 2 Kings 3:11; Exodus 29:4; 30:20; Leviticus 15:5-6, + (P); (victims) 1:9, 13; 8:21 (P); (vessels) 6:21; Leviticus 12:32; Leviticus 12:34 (P); (garments) 15:17; Numbers 19:8 (P); for cooking Exodus 12:9 (P), compare Isaiah 64:1; Ezekiel 24:3 (symbolic); for purification Numbers 8:7 (חַטָּאת מֵי‎) 19:9 (נִדָּה מֵי‎), compare 19:13; 19:18; 19:20; 19:21; Numbers 19:31; 31:23 (twice in verse) (all P), Ezekiel 36:25 (figurative).

b. of a river, Nile Exodus 2:10; 4:9 (twice in verse) (J), Jeremiah 2:18 etc.; Jordan Joshua 3:8 (D), 3:15; 3:16 (JE), etc.; Euphrates Isaiah 8:7 (figurative), Jeremiah 2:18; Ezekiel's river Ezekiel 47:1 (twice in verse); 47:2 +, etc.; of streams, canals, etc., especially, as condition of fertility Deuteronomy 8:7; 10:7; Isaiah 1:30; Proverbs 30:16; 2 Kings 3:17 +, etc.

c. of sea Amos 5:8; 9:6; Red Sea Exodus 15:8, 10, 19 (song), 14:21-22, 26 + (P), Joshua 2:10 (D), etc.

d. of flood Genesis 7:7, 10; 8:3, 7, 8, 9, 11 (J), 6:17; 7:6, 17, 18 (twice in verse); 7:19; 8:5; 9:11, 15 (P); so מֵינֹֿחַIsaiah 54:9 (twice in verse) waters of Noah.

e. subterranean Exodus 20:4 (E), Deuteronomy 4:18; 5:8, compare Job 26:5; Psalm 136:6.

f. in clouds Jeremiah 10:13; Job 26:8; Psalm 29:3 (twice in verse); 104:3; 148:4, etc.

g. of rain Judges 5:4; 2 Samuel 21:10; Deuteronomy 11:11; Psalm 65:10; Job 5:10 ("" מָטָר‎), etc.

h. of dew Judges 6:38.

i. primÊval deep Genesis 1:2, 6 (P).

2 with proper names, of location (q. v.), to denote springs, streams, or seas belonging to, near, such places: מִצְרַיִם מֵימֵיExodus 7:19; 8:2; מְרִיבָה מֵי‎ (see above 1a); מֵרוֺם מֵיJoshua 11:5, 7; עֵיןשֶֿׁמֶשׁ מֵי15:7; נֶפְתּוֺחַ מֵי15:9; 18:15; יְרִיחוֺ מֵי16:1; מְגִּדּוֺ מֵיJudges 5:19; נִמְרִ(י)ם מֵיIsaiah 15:6; Jeremiah 48:34; דִימוֺן מֵיIsaiah 15:9; compare הַשִּׁלֹּחַ מֵי8:6; הָעֶלְיוֺן גִּיחוֺן מֵימֵי2 Chronicles 32:30; compare also proper name, of a location מַיִם מִשְׂרְפוֺתJoshua 11:8; 13:6.

3 special uses are: רַגְלַיִם מֵיwater of the feet = urine 2 Kings 18:27 = Isaiah 36:12; compare בְּמֵי מַדְמֵנָה25:10 Kt in water of a dunghill (> Qr בְּמוֺ‎); לַחַץ מַיִםwater (which is) distress, because drunk in imprisonment 1 Kings 22:27 ("" לַחַץ לֶחֶם‎) = 2 Chronicles 18:26; בְּמֵישָֿׁ֑לֶגin snow-water Job 9:30 Qr (Kt במו‎; Me Hoffm Siegf כְּמוֺ‎), שֶׁלֶג מֵימֵי24:19; קְדשִׁים מַיִםNumbers 5:17 holy water (compare RSSem.165, 2nd ed.181, but text dubious, see Di); הַמָּרִים מֵיbitter water 5:18-19, 23, 24; compare Exodus 15:23 (הֵם מָרִים כִּי‎), opposed to הַמַּיִם וַיִּמְתְּקוּ15:25 and the waters were sweetened; נִדָּה מֵי חַטָּאת, מֵי‎ see above 1a; חַיִּים מַיִםliving (i.e. running) water Leviticus 14:5-6, 50, 51, 52; Numbers 19:17, also (figurative) Zechariah 14:8 (compare Ezekiel 47), and (figurative) Jeremiah 2:13; 17:13. See also below (compare Numbers 21:17-18, see RSSem.i.127.157; 2nd ed.135, 176).

4 among figurative uses are:

a. of distress Isaiah 43:2; Psalm 66:12 ("" אֵשׁ‎), 69:2; Lamentations 3:54; usually many waters 2 Samuel 22:17 = Psalm 18:17, compare Job 22:11; Psalm 32:6; 144:7, or deep waters 69:3; 69:15, compare 69:16; also מֵירֿאֹשׁwater of gall Jeremiah 8:14; 9:14; 23:15.

b. מַיִם מֶּרֶץ2 Samuel 5:20 = 1 Chronicles 14:11 of outbursting force.

c. שְׁאוֺן מַיִםIsaiah 17:12-13, of rushing nations.

d. of what is impetuous, violent, overwhelming Isaiah 28:2, 17; Hosea 10:7; Job 27:20; Psalm 124:4; 124:5; 88:18; simileof impetuousness ם כַּמַּיִ מַּחַזGenesis 49:4.

e. (as running away) of heart in timidity Joshua 7:5, compare Psalm 22:16, of knees Ezekiel 7:17; 21:12.

f. of transitoriness Job 11:16; 24:18; Psalm 58:8.

g. of refreshment Isaiah 32:2; 49:10; spiritual 12:3.

h. מְנֻחוֺת מֵיPsalm 23:2 in figure of rest and peace, compare Jeremiah 31:9.

i. of reckless bloodshed (poured out like water) Psalm 79:3; compare pouring away (and not eating) blood Deuteronomy 12:16, 24; 15:23.

j. חַיִּים מַיִם בְּאֵרSong of Solomon 4:15 figurative of bride; מִבּוֺרֶ֑ךָ מַיִםProverbs 5:15 of enjoyment of one's own wife; of harlotry גְּנוּבִים מַיִם9:17 stolen waters.

k. of outpoured wrath of ׳יHosea 5:10.

1 of abundant justice Amos 5:24 masculine of outpoured feelings Job 3:24; לִבֵךְ כַמַּיִם שִׁפְכִיLamentations 2:19. — Isaiah 48:1 read probably מִמְּעֵי‎ for מִמֵּי ᵑ0‎, so Secker Du CheHpt Skinner, compare Di.