Lexical Summary tsimah: Horror, desolation, waste Original Word: צִמְאָה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance thirst Feminine of tsama'; thirst (figuratively, of libidinousnes) -- thirst. see HEBREW tsama' NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfem. of tsama Definition parched condition NASB Translation thirst (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs צִמְאָה noun feminine parched condition; — Jeremiah 2:25 spare thythroat ׳מִצ from being parched (in figurative). Topical Lexicon Root Imagery and Conceptual Background “Thirst” in Scripture is never a neutral biological fact. In the arid geography of Israel, the lack of water quickly becomes life-threatening, so the word carries emotional weight—urgency, vulnerability, dependence. Because water is indispensable and God alone ultimately “gives rain on the earth” (Job 5:10), physical thirst easily becomes a metaphor for spiritual need. The prophets, singers, and sages consistently pivot from literal dehydration to the deeper ache of an estranged soul. Jeremiah 2:25 – Thirst as Self-Inflicted Deprivation Only once does the particular term צִמְאָה surface, and the placement is strategic: “Keep your feet from going unshod and your throat from thirst. But you say, ‘It is hopeless! For I love foreign gods, and I must go after them.’” (Jeremiah 2:25) 1. Judicial Setting Jeremiah 2 is a covenant lawsuit. The Lord marshals evidence that Judah’s idolatry is irrational and self-destructive. “Thirst” functions here as an incriminating exhibit: the nation is parched, not because God has withheld water, but because she has abandoned the fountain (Jeremiah 2:13). The exhortation “keep … your throat from thirst” implies that relief is available; only stubborn pursuit of idols makes dehydration inevitable. Thus צִמְאָה highlights culpability. In the wilderness Yahweh quenched Israel’s thirst from the rock (Exodus 17:6). In Jeremiah, the redeemed community reverses that salvation history, returning itself to a lethal dryness. Thirst Motif across the Prophets Though H6773 itself appears only in Jeremiah 2:25, related terms intensify the same indictment: In every case, thirst is the consequence of forsaking revelation. Intercanonical Connections 1. Psalms – Longing Redirected toward God Psalm 63:1: “My soul thirsts for You … in a dry and weary land without water.” Legitimate thirst is satisfied when aimed God-ward, anticipating the fuller revelation of Christ. John 4:14: “Whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst.” The Samaritan woman represents nations once parched by idolatry now invited to drink. John 19:28: “Jesus, knowing that everything had now been accomplished, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, said, ‘I thirst.’” The One who offers living water enters our thirst to remove it. Revelation 21:6: “To the thirsty I will give freely from the spring of the water of life.” Eschatological hope is portrayed as everlasting hydration. Practical and Pastoral Applications • Diagnosis of Idolatry Modern idols—materialism, autonomy, technology—produce the same dehydration of soul. Jeremiah 2:25 urges believers to expose self-inflicted thirst. The imagery supplies a bridge for gospel proclamation: humans universally know thirst; the gospel offers living water. Encourages practices that keep the “throat” from dryness: Scripture intake (Psalm 1:2-3), prayerful dependence, corporate worship. Spiritual dryness often accompanies sin or neglect of means of grace; Jeremiah’s warning calls for repentance rather than resignation (“It is hopeless!”). Homiletical Outline Suggestion 1. The Reality of Thirst (Jeremiah 2:25a) Summary צִמְאָה captures the tragedy of a covenant people choosing dehydration over divine refreshment. Its lone occurrence intensifies Jeremiah’s contention that spiritual ruin is voluntary and unnecessary. By tracing the motif through Scripture, the preacher and teacher can unfold a consistent biblical theology: humanity thirsts, idols cannot satisfy, and God graciously invites the parched to drink freely in Christ. Forms and Transliterations מִצִּמְאָ֑ה מצמאה miṣ·ṣim·’āh miṣṣim’āh mitztzimAhLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Jeremiah 2:25 HEB: (וּגְרֹונֵ֖ךְ ק) מִצִּמְאָ֑ה וַתֹּאמְרִ֣י נוֹאָ֔שׁ NAS: And your throat from thirst; But you said, KJV: and thy throat from thirst: but thou saidst, INT: unshod barn thirst said is hopeless 1 Occurrence |
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