H8378 — תַּאֲוָה (taʼăvâh)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: H8378
Original: תַּאֲוָה
Transliteration: taʼăvâh
Pronunciation: tah-av-aw'
Part of Speech: Feminine noun
Root: From H183 אָוָה (ʼâvâh) — primitive root "to wish for, long, desire, crave"
Occurrences: 21 unique verses (22 tokens) across 7 books
First Occurrence: Gen 3:6 — "a tree to be desired (taʼăvâh) to make one wise"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

From H183 (ʼâvâh, "to wish for"); a longing; by implication, a delight (subjectively, satisfaction; objectively, a charm): — dainty, desire, exceedingly, greedily, lust(ing), pleasant.

Noun form of the verb אָוָה (ʼâvâh). Whereas the verb denotes the act of craving/longing, taʼăvâh denotes either (a) the craving itself as a subjective state, (b) the object craved, or (c) the satisfaction/delight produced when the craving is met. Semantically neutral at the lexical level — evaluation is supplied by context and modifiers (e.g., "desire of the righteous" vs. "desire of the wicked").

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Count	%
desire (various phrasings: the desire / my desire / their own desire)	14	67%
lust / fell a lusting / from their lust	2	10%
dainty (meat)	1	5%
exceedingly (modifier with lust in Ps 106:14)	1	5%
greedily	1	5%
pleasant (Gen 3:6)	1	5%
Through desire / for desire (idiomatic)	1	5%

Desire-language dominates (>67%). Pejorative glosses ("lust," "greedily") cluster around Numbers 11 / Psalm 78 / Psalm 106 — all referring to the same wilderness craving narrative. Outside that cluster, the word is usually neutral or positive.

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Proverbs	8	0.9
Psalms	8	0.3
Genesis	1	0.1
Numbers	1	0.1
1 Samuel	1	0.1
Job	1	0.1
Isaiah	1	0.1

Wisdom-literature word: 76% of occurrences are in Proverbs and Psalms. Absent from the Pentateuch's legal corpus (Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy) despite the conceptually related verb H183 being prominent there (Deut 12:15, 20, 21; 14:26; 18:6). The noun does not appear in Deuteronomy at all — the permissive/cultic language for sanctioned "desire" in Deut 12 and 14:26 uses the verb H183 and the cognate noun H185 (ʼavvâh), not taʼăvâh.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Neutral / Aesthetic Desirability (Attractive Quality of an Object)¶

The object is "desirable" as a quality intrinsic to it. - Gen 3:6 — "a tree to be desired (taʼăvâh) to make one wise" (the fruit's appeal) - Prov 13:12 — "when the desire cometh, [it is] a tree of life"

2. Legitimate Human Longing (Answered by God)¶

The speaker's desire is heard or granted by YHWH; context treats the longing as proper. - Psa 10:17 — "thou hast heard the desire of the humble" - Psa 21:2 — "Thou hast given him his heart's desire" - Psa 38:9 — "Lord, all my desire [is] before thee" - Isa 26:8 — "the desire of [our] soul [is] to thy name"

3. Desire of the Righteous (Wisdom-Literature Antithesis)¶

Proverbs repeatedly contrasts "desire of the righteous" with "expectation/desire of the wicked." - Prov 10:24 — "the desire of the righteous shall be granted" - Prov 11:23 — "The desire of the righteous [is] only good" - Prov 13:19 — "The desire accomplished is sweet to the soul" - Prov 19:22 — "The desire of a man [is] his kindness"

4. Desire of the Wicked / Slothful (Destructive)¶

Same lexeme, opposite moral valence — derived from the subject, not the word. - Psa 10:3 — "the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire" - Psa 112:10 — "the desire of the wicked shall perish" - Prov 21:25 — "The desire of the slothful killeth him" - Prov 21:26 — "He coveteth greedily all the day long"

5. Wilderness Craving (Numbers 11 / Psalm 78 / Psalm 106)¶

A specific narrative complex: Israel's demand for meat at Kibroth-hattaavah ("graves of craving"). This is where KJV reaches for "lust." - Num 11:4 — "the mixt multitude… fell a lusting" - Psa 78:29–30 — "he gave them their own desire… they were not estranged from their lust" - Psa 106:14 — "But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness"

6. Physical Appetite (Food)¶

Concrete appetite — bread, meat, dainty food. - 1 Sam 2:16 — "as much as thy soul desireth" (priests' share of sacrifice) - Job 33:20 — "his soul [abhorreth] dainty meat" - Psa 78:29 — satiating the appetite for meat

7. Reflective / Introspective Reach¶

Prov 18:1 — "Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh [and] intermeddleth with all wisdom"

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
נֶפֶשׁ (nephesh)	H5315	5 (24%)	"desire of the soul" — seat of longing (Isa 26:8; Prov 13:19)
נָתַן (nâthan)	H5414	5 (24%)	God "gives/grants" the desire (Psa 21:2; 78:29; Prov 10:24)
רָשָׁע (râshâʻ)	H7563	4 (19%)	"desire of the wicked" antithesis (Psa 10:3; 112:10; Prov 10:24; 11:23)
אָוָה (ʼâvâh)	H183	3 (14%)	cognate verb reinforces noun in same verse (Num 11:4; Psa 78:29–30)
אָכַל (ʼâkal)	H398	3 (14%)	"eat" — appetite/food context (1Sa 2:16; Psa 78:29; Num 11:4)
צַדִּיק (tsaddîyq)	H6662	3 (14%)	"desire of the righteous" (Prov 10:24; 11:23; 13:19)
טוֹב (ṭôwb)	H2896	3 (14%)	desire qualified as "good" (Prov 11:23; also Gen 3:6, Prov 13:12)
לֵב (lêb)	H3820	3 (14%)	"heart's desire" (Psa 10:3; 21:2; Prov 13:12)
יְהֹוָה (YHWH)	H3068	3 (14%)	YHWH as hearer/granter/object (Psa 10:17; 21:2; Isa 26:8)
בּוֹא (bôwʼ)	H935	3 (14%)	desire "comes" / is fulfilled (Prov 10:24; 13:12; Psa 78:29)
חַי (chay)	H2416	2 (10%)	"tree of life" when desire cometh (Prov 13:12); life/living

The cluster of NATHAN + YHWH + NEPHESH + LEB around this word is striking: the dominant pattern is "the LORD gives the desire of the heart/soul." Wicked and slothful subjects produce the inverse pattern.

Word Family / Cognates (from root H183 ʼâvâh)¶

H183 אָוָה (ʼâvâh) — primitive root verb: "to wish for, crave, long, desire, lust after." 26 occurrences. Used in Deut 12:15, 20, 21; 14:26; 18:6 for permissive sanctuary/food desire. Paired with taʼăvâh in Num 11:4 and Psa 78:29–30.
H185 אַוָּה (ʼavvâh) — feminine noun from same root: "longing, desire, lust, pleasure." 7 occurrences; heavily clustered in Deut 12:15, 20, 21; 18:6. This is the noun used in the Deuteronomic permissive formula, not H8378.
H8377 תְּאוֹ / תוֹא (tᵉʼôw) — homograph/near-spelling in Strong's sequence; "wild ox/antelope" — unrelated semantically despite adjacent number.

Synonyms¶

אֲנָחָה (H585)
אֲרֶשֶׁת (H782)
תֹּוחֶלֶת (H8431)
תִּקְוָה (H8615)
בְּרָכָה (H1293)

Antonyms¶

מְגֹורָה (H4034) — fear, dread; the opposite pole to desired expectation.

Easily Confused Words (KJV "desire" overlap)¶

Word	Strong's	Shared KJV	Key Difference
חֵפֶץ (chêphets)	H2656	"desire, pleasure, delight"	chephets = volitional "pleasure/will/purpose"; taʼăvâh = craving/longing that seeks an object
חֶמְדָּה (chemdâh)	H2532	"desire, goodly, pleasant"	chemdah = object's desirability (something precious/lovely); taʼăvâh = subject's longing
מַחְמָד (machmâd)	H4261	"desire, pleasant thing"	machmad = concrete "delight/treasure" (a possession); taʼăvâh = the craving itself
רָצוֹן (râtsôwn)	H7522	"desire, favor, will, pleasure"	ratsown = goodwill/acceptance (often divine); taʼăvâh = human longing toward an object
אַוָּה (ʼavvâh)	H185	"desire, lust, pleasure"	Sister-noun from same root; used in Deuteronomy's permissive clauses ("whatsoever thy soul lusteth after," Deut 12:15)
חָמַד (châmad)	H2530	"desire, covet, delight"	Verb; covet/take-delight-in (appears in the Decalogue "thou shalt not covet"); taʼăvâh is neutral-by-default
נֶפֶשׁ (nephesh)	H5315	"desire" (when nephesh = appetite/soul)	nephesh is the seat of desire, not the desire itself; often object of taʼăvâh ("desire of the soul")

LXX Overlap (words routed through ἐπιθυμία)¶

The Greek ἐπιθυμία (G1939) is the primary LXX rendering of taʼăvâh (14 co-occurrences). It also renders H185 (ʼavvâh), H2530 (châmad), and H185 more broadly — meaning all of these get flattened to a single Greek word in the LXX and thus in NT citation.

LXX Mapping¶

Greek Equivalent	Co-occ	PMI	Notes
ἐπιθυμία (epithymia) G1939	14	8.67	Primary equivalent — "longing, desire, lust"
ἐπιθυμέω (epithymeō) G1937	4	7.10	Cognate verb — "to long for, set heart upon"
βρῶσις (brōsis) G1035	3	6.56	"Eating, food" — appetite contexts (Num 11 / Psa 78)
ἀσεβής (asebēs) G765	4	4.62	"Ungodly" — renders the "wicked" of wicked's-desire contexts
δίκαιος (dikaios) G1342	4	4.01	"Righteous" — renders the "righteous" of righteous's-desire contexts
ψυχή (psychē) G5590	5	3.10	Renders the collocated nephesh

Dominant bridge: ἐπιθυμία. This is the same Greek word the NT uses in Rom 7:7 ("I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet") and repeatedly in pejorative moral lists (Gal 5:16; 1 John 2:16). The Greek word carries a heavier negative default than the Hebrew lexeme — an important translation-skewing note.

Semantic Domains¶

[002004001001002] Hunger — appetite/craving vocabulary. Other words returned by search_relationships.py: יֶשַׁח (H3445), כָּפָן (H3720), נִקָּיֹון (H5356), ריק (H7324), רֵיק (H7386), רעב (H7456).
[002004002001001] Wish — desire/longing vocabulary. Other words returned: אוה (H183/H184), אַוָּה (H185), אֲרֶשֶׁת (H782), בצע (H1214), בקשׁ (H1245).