Lexical Summary teshuqah: Desire, longing Original Word: תְּשׁוּקָה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance desire From shuwq in the original sense of stretching out after; a longing -- desire. see HEBREW shuwq NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom an unused word Definition a longing NASB Translation desire (3). Brown-Driver-Briggs [תְּשׁוּקָה] noun feminine longing; — of woman for man, אֶלאִֿישֵׁח תְּשׁוּקָתֵח Genesis 3:16 (J); of man for woman, אֲנִי לְדוֺדִי וְאֵלַי תְּשׁוּקָתוֺ Cant 7:11; of beast to devour, figurative אֵלֶיךָ תְּשׁוּקָתוֺ Genesis 4:7 (J). (ᵐ5 ἀποστροφή Genesis, ἐπιστροφή Canticles, whence NesMarg. 6 proposes תְּשׁוּבָתֵךְ Genesis 3:16, which BallHpt reads in all; but how explain the unusual and striking word in MT?). Topical Lexicon Semantic Scope The noun תְּשׁוּקָה (teshuqah) expresses an intense turning of the will toward another. It connotes ardent longing that may be either beneficent, as in marital affection, or malevolent, as in the predatory pull of sin. The context alone determines whether the impulse blesses or threatens. Canonical Occurrences 1. Genesis 3:16 – post-Fall woman to man These three placements cluster at decisive moments: the entrance of judgment, the earliest portrayal of murderous temptation, and the celebration of covenant love. Genesis 3:16 — Post-Fall Marital Dynamics “To the woman He said… ‘Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.’” The first marriage, originally equal partners in dominion (Genesis 1:26-28), is now marred by disordered craving and domination. Teshuqah speaks of a persistent, even anxious, turning toward the husband for fulfillment that only God ultimately supplies. The verse is descriptive, not prescriptive; it unveils consequences of sin, not Yahweh’s ideal. Yet it is also hopeful: the same woman through whom sin entered (1 Timothy 2:14) will bear the Offspring who crushes the serpent (Genesis 3:15), signaling that distorted desire can be redeemed. Genesis 4:7 — The Predatory Desire of Sin “If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you refuse to do what is right, sin is crouching at the door; it desires you, but you must master it.” Here teshuqah depicts sin personified as a beast poised to spring. The verb “crouching” suggests a lion (compare Genesis 49:9), reinforcing the image of hostile appetite. Cain is warned that yielding to this invasive desire will reverse God’s design: instead of humanity ruling over creation, sin will rule over humanity. The identical grammar (“it desires… you must rule”) purposely echoes 3:16, inviting the reader to trace the ripple effects of the Fall from marriage to murder. Song of Solomon 7:10 — Covenant Delight “I belong to my beloved and his desire is for me.” In the only positive occurrence, teshuqah crowns the Song’s climactic affirmation of mutual possession. The yearning is wholehearted, exclusive, and joyful. Whereas Genesis 3:16 shows desire and rule in tension, the Song recasts them in harmony: the beloved’s longing does not oppress but cherishes. Many interpreters see here a typological pointer to Christ’s love for the Church (Ephesians 5:25-32), in which holy desire restores what sin distorted. Thematic Interconnections • Desire and Dominion: The repeated pair “desire…rule” (Genesis 3:16; 4:7) reveals that what controls the heart directs the relationship. Only when desire is sanctified (Song of Solomon 7:10) does rule become loving leadership rather than tyranny. Historical Reception Early Jewish expositors linked Genesis 4:7 to Yom Kippur themes, urging repentance before sin’s appetite devours. Church Fathers such as Augustine distinguished between concupiscentia bona (righteous desire) and concupiscentia mala (disordered desire), using these verses to expound original sin and marital ethics. Reformers appealed to the word to defend the goodness of conjugal affection while warning against usurping God-given roles. Ministry and Discipleship Implications • Marriage Counseling: Address the heart’s cravings rather than merely external behavior; only Christ satisfies the deepest teshuqah. Teshuqah, traced through Scripture, moves from the tragedy of misplaced longing to the triumph of redeemed affection, inviting every reader to surrender unruly desires and to rest in the holy desire of the Beloved. Forms and Transliterations תְּשׁ֣וּקָת֔וֹ תְּשׁ֣וּקָתֵ֔ךְ תְּשׁוּקָתֽוֹ׃ תשוקתו תשוקתו׃ תשוקתך tə·šū·qā·ṯêḵ tə·šū·qā·ṯōw teShukaTech teShukaTo təšūqāṯêḵ təšūqāṯōwLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Genesis 3:16 HEB: וְאֶל־ אִישֵׁךְ֙ תְּשׁ֣וּקָתֵ֔ךְ וְה֖וּא יִמְשָׁל־ NAS: children; Yet your desire will be for your husband, KJV: children; and thy desire [shall be] to thy husband, INT: will be for your husband your desire and he will rule Genesis 4:7 Songs 7:10 3 Occurrences |
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