H4325 — מַיִם (mayim)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: H4325
Original: מַיִם
Transliteration: mayim
Pronunciation: mah'-yim
Part of Speech: Masculine noun (plural in form, often singular in sense)
Root: Dual of a primitive noun used in a singular sense
Occurrences: 524 unique verses (631 tokens) across 33 OT books
First Occurrence: Gen 1:2 — "darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

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

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Combined across all article/preposition-inflected phrase variants:

Translation Family	Verses	%
water / the water / of water / in water / with water / for water / like water / as water (etc.)	~470	~90%
waters / the waters / of waters / in the waters (plural forms)	~320+ tokens	dominant usage for collective / cosmic / chaotic water
watercourse, watering, watersprings, waterflood	4	<1%
piss (euphemism) — 2 Kgs 18:27 ‖ Isa 36:12	2	<1%
untranslated (absorbed into prepositional phrase)	~30	~6%

Note: Mayim is morphologically dual/plural, so KJV renders the same lemma as both "water" (~264 tokens, mass-noun sense) and "waters" (collective/cosmic).

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Nahum	3	6.4
Habakkuk	3	5.4
Leviticus	40	4.7
Jonah	2	4.2
Isaiah	52	4.0
Amos	5	3.4
Lamentations	5	3.2
Exodus	38	3.1
Ezekiel	40	3.1
Genesis	46	3.0
Joshua	20	3.0
2 Kings	20	2.8
Numbers	36	2.8
Joel	2	2.7
Nehemiah	10	2.5
Job	25	2.3
Deuteronomy	20	2.1
1 Kings	17	2.1
Psalms	49	2.0
Jeremiah	26	1.9
Judges	11	1.8
Proverbs	14	1.5
Hosea	3	1.5
2 Samuel	10	1.4
1 Samuel	8	1.0
Micah	1	1.0
Ecclesiastes	2	0.9
Zechariah	2	0.9
Daniel	3	0.8
2 Chronicles	4	0.5
Ezra	1	0.4
1 Chronicles	3	0.3
Song of Songs	3	—

Pattern notes: Highest density in short prophetic books (Nahum, Habakkuk) where water figures as cosmic-judgment imagery. Leviticus density reflects ritual-washing legislation. Isaiah's high absolute count pairs prophetic water imagery (fountains, rivers, drought) with cosmic imagery. Genesis-Deuteronomy concentrated in creation/flood/wilderness narratives. Historical books dense around well/stream/siege narratives.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Drinking Water — Daily Sustenance, Pilgrim Logistics, Hospitality¶

Gen 24:13–20 — Rebekah at the well drawing water for Abraham's servant and his camels
Exod 17:1–6 — Israel murmurs for water at Rephidim; water from the rock
Num 20:1–13 — Meribah; Moses strikes the rock, water comes out
Deut 2:6, 28 — pilgrim provisioning: "buy water of them for money, that ye may drink"
Judg 4:19 — Sisera: "Give me, I pray thee, a little water to drink; for I am thirsty"
1 Sam 25:11 — David: "Shall I then take my bread, and my water, and my flesh…"
1 Kgs 13:8–9, 16–22 — man of God forbidden to eat bread or drink water
1 Kgs 17:10; 18:4, 13 — Elijah fed with bread and water; 100 prophets hidden with bread and water
Dan 1:12 — "give us pulse to eat, and water to drink"
Amos 4:8 — "two or three cities wandered unto one city, to drink water; but they were not satisfied"

2. Ritual Washing / Purification¶

Lev 1:9, 13 — burnt-offering entrails and legs washed in water
Lev 14:5–9, 50–52 — leper-cleansing with running ("living") water
Lev 15:5–27 — purification from bodily discharges: "bathe himself in water"
Num 5:17 — "holy water in an earthen vessel" for the jealousy ordeal
Num 19:7–21 — waters of separation (red-heifer ashes + water) for corpse defilement
Exod 29:4; 30:18–21; 40:7, 12, 30 — laver of water for priestly washing
Ezek 36:25 — "Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean"

3. Cosmic / Primordial Waters (Creation, Deep, Flood)¶

Gen 1:2, 6–10, 20 — Spirit upon the waters; firmament divides waters from waters
Gen 7:7–24; 8:1–11 — flood waters prevail on the earth
Exod 14:21–29; 15:8, 10 — Red Sea: "the waters were divided… the waters returned"
Josh 3:13–17 — Jordan waters cut off for the ark
Ps 29:3 — "The voice of the LORD is upon the waters"
Ps 77:16 — "The waters saw thee, O God, the waters saw thee; they were afraid"
Hab 3:10, 15 — "the overflowing of the water passed by… thou didst walk through the sea"

4. Springs, Wells, Rivers, Streams (Geographic Water Sources)¶

Gen 24:11–13; 29:2–10 — wells of water as meeting-places
Judg 1:15 — "springs of water" as dowry inheritance
2 Kgs 2:19–22 — Elisha heals the waters of Jericho
2 Chr 32:3–4 — Hezekiah stops the fountains / waters outside Jerusalem (siege)
Neh 3:26; 8:1, 3, 16; 12:37 — Water Gate of Jerusalem
Ps 1:3 — "a tree planted by the rivers of water"
Isa 8:6; 35:6–7 — "the waters of Shiloah that go softly"; "waters shall break out in the wilderness"
Ezek 47:1–12 — waters issuing from the temple threshold

5. Figurative — Abundance, Overflow, Dissolution¶

2 Sam 14:14 — "as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again"
Ps 22:14 — "I am poured out like water"
Prov 17:14 — "the beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water"
Isa 48:18 — "thy peace [would have been] as a river" / "thy righteousness as the waves of the sea" (cf. Amos 5:24 — "judgment run down as waters, righteousness as a mighty stream")
Hos 5:10 — "I will pour out my wrath upon them like water"
Lam 2:19; 3:48 — tears "poured out… like water" / "rivers of water"

6. Living Water / Divine Gift — Salvation Imagery¶

Isa 12:3 — "with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation"
Isa 44:3 — "I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground"
Isa 55:1 — "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters"
Jer 2:13 — "they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters"
Jer 17:13 — "fountain of living waters" (same phrase)
Zech 14:8 — "living waters shall go out from Jerusalem"
Ezek 47:9 — "every thing shall live whither the river cometh"

7. Judgment / Siege / Rationed Water¶

Ezek 4:11, 16–17 — "drink also water by measure… drink water with astonishment"
Isa 3:1 — "the LORD… doth take away… the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of water"
1 Kgs 22:27 ‖ 2 Chr 18:26 — prison diet: "bread of affliction and water of affliction"
Lam 5:4 — "we have drunken our water for money"
Nah 3:14 — "Draw thee waters for the siege"

8. Euphemistic / Physical Fluids¶

2 Kgs 18:27 ‖ Isa 36:12 — "drink their own piss (mayim raglayim, lit. 'water of their feet')"
Num 5:17–26 — "bitter water that causeth the curse" (jealousy ordeal)
Prov 5:15–16 — "drink waters out of thine own cistern" (marital-fidelity metaphor)

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
עַל (ʻal, "upon/over")	H5921	156x (30%)	"upon/over the waters" — water as surface
אֲשֶׁר (ʼăsher, relative)	H834	111x (21%)	"the water which…" (defining clause)
לֹא (lôʼ, "not")	H3808	104x (20%)	"no water" — scarcity, prohibition, drought
כֹּל (kôl, "all")	H3605	100x (19%)	"all the waters" — universal/cosmic scope
אֶרֶץ (ʼerets, "earth/land")	H776	80x (15%)	"waters of the earth / upon the land"
יְהֹוָה (YHWH)	H3068	80x (15%)	divine-agency water (gives, dries up, smites)
בּוֹא (bôwʼ, "come/bring")	H935	70x (13%)	"bring water / come to the waters"
שָׁתָה (shâthâh, "drink")	H8354	61x (12%)	"water to drink" — primary drinking-verb collocation
נָתַן (nâthan, "give")	H5414	50x (10%)	"give water" — hospitality, provision
יָם (yâm, "sea")	H3220	48x (9%)	"waters of the sea"
פָּנִים (pânîym, "face")	H6440	45x (9%)	"face of the waters"
אָכַל (ʼâkal, "eat")	H398	42x (8%)	eat/drink pairing (food + water)
יָצָא (yâtsâʼ, "go out")	H3318	42x (8%)	"waters issue / went out"
לֶחֶם (lechem, "bread")	H3899	41x (8%)	"bread and water" — subsistence pair
רָחַץ (râchats, "wash")	H7364	41x (8%)	"wash with water" — ritual purification
רַב (rab, "many/great")	H7227	36x (7%)	"many waters / great waters"

Key subsistence pattern: H3899 lechem (bread) + H4325 mayim (water) + H8354 shatah (drink) is the dominant Hebrew idiom for basic human sustenance (Deut 2:6, 28; 1 Sam 25:11; 1 Kgs 13:8–9, 16–22; 1 Kgs 18:4, 13; 1 Kgs 22:27; Isa 3:1; Isa 33:16; Ezek 4:16–17; 12:18–19; Amos 8:11).

Word Family / Cognates¶

No direct verbal root in the Strong's family (mayim is a primitive noun); adjectival form מֵימֵי (mêmê) is the construct plural of the same lemma
H2222 זַרְזִיף (zarziyph) — "dripping water" (Ps 72:6); rare poetic variant

Synonyms¶

No synonyms were returned by search_relationships.py for H4325.

Antonyms¶

No antonyms were returned by search_relationships.py for H4325.

H3384 יָרָה / H4306 מָטָר (matar) — rain (H4306, 38x)
H2230 זֶרֶם (zerem) — flood, downpour
H2975 יְאֹר (yeʼor) — river/Nile (65x)
H5104 נָהָר (nahar) — river (120x)
H5158 נַחַל (nachal) — wadi, torrent-valley (141x)
H875 בְּאֵר (beʼer) — well, cistern (38x)
H4726 מָקוֹר (maqor) — spring, fountain (18x)
H8415 תְּהוֹם (tehom) — deep, abyss (36x)
H3220 יָם (yam) — sea (396x)
H2416 חַי (chay) in phrase מַיִם חַיִּים — "living (running) water" (Lev 14:5–6, 50–52; 15:13; Num 19:17; Jer 2:13; 17:13; Zech 14:8)

Contrastive Beverages (shared "drink" collocation with H8354)¶

H3196 יַיִן (yayin) — wine (141x)
H8492 תִּירוֹשׁ (tirowsh) — new wine / must
H2561 חֶמֶר (chemer) — fermented wine (Deut 32:14)
H7941 שֵׁכָר (shekar) — strong drink
H2461 חָלָב (chalab) — milk
H1706 דְּבַשׁ (debash) — honey (Mayim is the default drink; the above are culturally marked alternatives.)

Easily Confused Words (KJV "water" translation overlap)¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
זַרְזִיף (zarziyph)	H2222	"water" (1v, Ps 72:6)	Specifically "dripping/distilling water"; rare poetic hapax-like
יָרָה / הוֹרָה (yarah) → מוֹרֶה	H4175	"rain" sometimes "early rain"	Precipitation verb; mayim is the substance
רָוָה (ravah)	H7302	"watered" (verb)	Action of watering; mayim is the noun

LXX Mapping¶

Greek Equivalent	Strong's	Co-occ	PMI	Notes
ὕδωρ (hudōr)	G5204	465	5.35	Primary equivalent — dominant rendering across all categories
λούω (louō)	G3068	30	4.94	"bathe/wash" — arises in ritual-washing contexts
πίνω (pinō)	G4095	64	3.75	"drink" — paired verb in drinking contexts
πηγή (pēgē)	G4077	33	4.34	"fountain/spring" — source-of-water contexts
πλύνω (plynō)	G4150	24	4.43	"wash (clothes)" — laundry/ritual washing
διψάω (dipsaō)	G1372	18	4.39	"thirst" — contexts of lacking water
ποταμός (potamos)	G4215	40	3.38	"river" — riverine water contexts
ποτίζω (potizō)	G4222	19	3.90	"give to drink / water"
ἄβυσσος (abyssos)	G12	13	4.08	"abyss/deep" — cosmic/primordial waters
ἀκάθαρτος (akathartos)	G169	26	3.22	"unclean" — co-occurs in purification contexts

Bridge strength: ὕδωρ (G5204, co-occ 465) is an overwhelmingly dominant bridge. Cross-testament trace is warranted.

Semantic Domains¶

UBS / Relationship Domains¶

[001002010007] Liquids — places mayim in the broader liquids field with neighbors such as H1818 דָּם, H1831 דֶּמַע, H2461 חָלָב, H2534 חֵמָה, H2558 חֹמֶץ, and A2562 חֲמַר.
[001002005] Waterbodies — the core topographic domain, with neighbors such as H98 אֲגַם, H108 אֵד, H180 אוּבָל, H650 אָפִיק, and H875/H876 בְּאֵר.
[003001003] Names of Constructions — a secondary relationship index that groups mayim with construction/place-name vocabulary such as A412/H410/H411/H415/H416 אֵל and H669 אֶפְרַיִם.
[001002008002] Body Products — reflects the lexicon's bodily-fluid usage, with neighbors such as H1000 בֵּיצָה, H1561 גֵּל, H1557/H1558/H1559 גָּלָל, and H1686 דִּבְיֹונִים.
[003001010] Names of Locations — a secondary onomastic index with neighbors such as H57 אָבֵל, H1038/H62 אָבֵל בֵּית מַעֲכָה, H63 אָבֵל הַשִּׁטִּים, H64 אָבֵל כְּרָמִים, and H65 אָבֵל מְחֹולָה.