1572. gama

Lexicon

gama: To swallow, to drink

Original Word: גָּמָא
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: gama'
Pronunciation: gah-MAH
Phonetic Spelling: (gaw-maw')
Definition: To swallow, to drink
Meaning: to absorb

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

swallow, drink

A primitive root (literally or figuratively) to absorb -- swallow, drink.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to swallow (liquids)
NASB Translation
drink (1), races (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

[גָּמָא] verb swallow (liquids), (Late Hebrew id.; compare Aramaic גְּמָא, גְּמַע, ; perhaps compare also Ethiopic jar, vessel see Di) —

Pi`el Imperfect יְגַמֶּאאֶֿרֶץ Job 39:24 figurative of horse in swift gallop; (this, however, possibly denominative from גּוּמָּא Late Hebrew, Aramaic גּוּמְּתָא, pit, hollow, i.e. he makes [paws or stamps] hollows in the earth).

Hiph`il Imperative feminine singular suffix הַגְמִיאִינִי נָא מְעַטמַֿיִם Genesis 24:17 let me drink a little water, pray.

Topical Lexicon

Word Origin: A primitive root

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: • G853 (aphanizō): To make unseen, to disappear, to destroy
• G4222 (potizō): To give to drink, to water, to furnish drink

These Greek entries, while not direct translations, share thematic elements with גָּמָא (gāmaʾ) in terms of consumption and absorption, whether it be through drinking or the act of making something disappear.

Usage: The verb גָּמָא (gāmaʾ) is used in the Hebrew Bible to describe the action of absorbing or swallowing, often in a metaphorical sense. It conveys the idea of consuming or engulfing something completely.

Context: The Hebrew verb גָּמָא (gāmaʾ) appears in the Old Testament with the primary meaning of "to absorb" or "to swallow." This term is used in various contexts to describe the act of consuming or engulfing, whether it be literal or figurative. For instance, in Job 39:24, the word is used to describe the eagerness and swiftness of a horse: "He devours the distance with fierceness and rage; he does not stand still at the sound of the trumpet." Here, גָּמָא (gāmaʾ) conveys the image of the horse swallowing up the ground in its rapid movement, emphasizing its speed and determination.

The verb is also used in a metaphorical sense to describe the overwhelming nature of certain experiences or actions. In Isaiah 42:14, the prophet uses the term to express God's long-held silence and the subsequent outpouring of His actions: "I have kept silent for a long time; I have been quiet and held myself back. But now, like a woman in childbirth, I will cry out, I will gasp and pant." The use of גָּמָא (gāmaʾ) here illustrates the intensity and inevitability of God's intervention.

גָּמָא (gāmaʾ) is a vivid term that captures the essence of complete consumption or absorption, whether it be in the context of physical movement, emotional expression, or divine action. Its usage in the Hebrew Bible underscores the totality and intensity of the actions it describes.

Forms and Transliterations

הַגְמִיאִ֥ינִי הגמיאיני יְגַמֶּא־ יגמא־ haḡ·mî·’î·nî haḡmî’înî hagmiIni yə·ḡam·me- yegamme yəḡamme-

Englishman's Concordance

Genesis 24:17
HEB: לִקְרָאתָ֑הּ וַיֹּ֕אמֶר הַגְמִיאִ֥ינִי נָ֛א מְעַט־
NAS: Please let me drink a little
KJV: and said, Let me, I pray thee, drink a little
INT: her her and said drink Please A little

Job 39:24
HEB: בְּרַ֣עַשׁ וְ֭רֹגֶז יְגַמֶּא־ אָ֑רֶץ וְלֹֽא־
NAS: and rage he races over the ground,
KJV: He swalloweth the ground
INT: shaking and rage races the ground does not

2 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 1572
2 Occurrences

haḡ·mî·’î·nî — 1 Occ.
yə·ḡam·me- — 1 Occ.