2429. ikmas
Lexical Summary
ikmas: Moisture, dampness

Original Word: ἰκμάς
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: ikmas
Pronunciation: ik-mas'
Phonetic Spelling: (hik-mas')
KJV: moisture
NASB: moisture
Word Origin: [of uncertain affinity]

1. dampness

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
moisture.

Of uncertain affinity; dampness -- moisture.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
a prim. word
Definition
moisture
NASB Translation
moisture (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 2429: ἰκμάς

ἰκμάς, ἰκμαδος, , moisture: Luke 8:6. (the Sept. Jeremiah 17:8; Homer, Iliad 17, 392; Josephus, Antiquities 3, 1, 3, and often in other authors.)

Topical Lexicon
Reference Overview

Strong’s Greek 2429 appears once in the New Testament, in Luke 8:6, where Jesus employs it in the Parable of the Sower to describe the “moisture” that the rocky soil lacks. Although a single occurrence, the word opens a rich doorway into biblical themes of life-giving refreshment versus deadly aridity.

Context in Luke 8:6

“Other seed fell on rock, and when it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture.” (Luke 8:6)

In the interpretation that follows (Luke 8:13), the Lord explains that this soil pictures hearers who “receive the word with joy, but they have no root. They believe for a season, but in the time of testing, they fall away.” The absence of moisture thus symbolizes the absence of sustaining depth. Initial enthusiasm cannot compensate for the lack of inward resources that alone sustain true, lasting faith.

Agricultural Background

First-century Galilean agriculture rested on the cyclical rains of autumn and spring (Deuteronomy 11:14; Joel 2:23). Scant rainfall left the thin, limestone-covered topsoil sun-baked by late spring. Seed germinated during the first warm days but, without penetrating moisture, quickly withered. Dew, another crucial source of moisture (Job 29:19; Hosea 14:5), likewise failed to reach roots hindered by stone. Jesus’ audience—farmers, fishermen, and villagers—knew from experience how vital sustained moisture was for any harvest.

Theological Significance

1. Dependence upon God’s ongoing provision. As rain and dew keep crops alive, so divine grace nourishes believers (Psalm 65:9-10; Isaiah 44:3).
2. Superficial response versus persevering faith. The rocky-soil hearer shows emotional excitement but no persistent reliance on the Lord. True discipleship requires abiding in Christ so that spiritual “roots” continually draw on His life (John 15:4-5).
3. Testing as revealer. Trials expose whether the word has penetrated deeply enough to access “moisture.” Authentic faith endures precisely because it is rooted in resources beyond itself (1 Peter 1:6-7).

Connections with Old Testament Imagery

Psalm 1:3 contrasts the blessed man, “like a tree planted by streams of water,” with the chaff blown away—echoing Luke 8:6’s withering.
Isaiah 55:10-11 links falling rain and snow with the effective word of God, underscoring that life comes as the word is allowed to permeate the heart.
Deuteronomy 32:2 presents Moses’ teaching as “rain… like gentle showers on tender grass,” portraying doctrine as moisture that sustains covenant life.
Jeremiah 17:8 describes the believer who “does not fear when heat comes… its leaves remain green,” a direct foil to the withered plant of Luke 8:6.

Collectively, these passages frame moisture as an emblem of the Spirit-empowered word supplying vitality to God’s people.

Practical Ministry Applications

• Discipleship: Cultivate depth, not momentary enthusiasm. Encourage meditation, prayer, and obedience that sink roots into the word.
• Preaching: Highlight the sufficiency of Scripture and the necessity of the Spirit to quicken it, avoiding reliance on emotional flair alone.
• Counseling: When believers struggle, probe for root issues—neglected Scripture intake, prayerlessness, unconfessed sin—that cut off “moisture.”
• Missions: Evangelistic appeals should invite hearers to ongoing commitment, not merely an initial response.

Homiletical Insights

• Illustration: A seed sprouting in a crack of sun-beaten concrete—green for a day, brown the next—captures the parable’s warning.
• Exhortation: “Do not measure spiritual health by early foliage but by lasting fruit.”
• Promise: God never leaves His word without the moisture of His Spirit; those who hide the word deeply will flourish despite heat.

Christological Perspective

Jesus embodies the very nourishment He describes. He is the “living water” (John 4:10-14) and the “rain” God sends “from heaven” (Psalm 72:6) to make righteousness sprout. The Parable of the Sower therefore calls hearers not merely to receive information but to receive Christ Himself, in whom alone true moisture is found.

Recommended Further Study

Psalm 65; Isaiah 44; Jeremiah 17 for Old Testament foundations.
John 4 and John 15 for Johannine development of life-giving sustenance.
Colossians 2:6-7 on being “rooted and built up in Him.”

Forms and Transliterations
ικμαδα ικμάδα ἰκμάδα ikmada ikmáda
Links
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Englishman's Concordance
Luke 8:6 N-AFS
GRK: μὴ ἔχειν ἰκμάδα
NAS: it had no moisture.
KJV: because it lacked moisture.
INT: no had mositure

Strong's Greek 2429
1 Occurrence


ἰκμάδα — 1 Occ.

2428
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