צִמָּאוֹן
𐤑𐤌𐤀𐤅𐤍
tsimmâʼôwn
H6774 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A parched, dry place; land characterized by a lack of water or severe aridity. The term denotes not simply 'drought' in an abstract sense, but specifically a landscape or tract of ground devoid of moisture, subject to thirstiness or desiccation. It is often used to describe physical wasteland or wilderness, stressing an environment inhospitable to agriculture or habitation due to its extreme dryness.
Semantic Range
parched place, thirsty land, dry ground, drought (as condition of the land), arid region, wasteland lacking water
Root / Etymology
From the root צמא meaning 'to be thirsty' or 'to suffer thirst.' The formation צִמָּאוֹן takes the abstract concept of thirst and applies it concretely to a geographic area, signifying a place that is, figuratively, 'thirsty' (i.e., parched, dry, or desiccated).
Historical & Contextual Notes
צִמָּאוֹן occurs infrequently in the Hebrew Bible and is typically found in poetic or descriptive texts emphasizing the inhospitable or desperate conditions of a land. It is distinct from other terms for wilderness or desert, such as מִדְבָּר (midbar, a broad term for desert or steppe) and עֲרָבָה (aravah, dry steppe or plain), in that צִמָּאוֹן stresses the lack of water specifically, rather than general desolation or uncultivated status. No clear evidence exists of a significant semantic shift between earlier and later periods. Some English translations simply render it as 'dry land' or 'parched ground,' but this can obscure the metaphorical idea of the land as 'thirsty' (i.e., desperately in need of water), which is central to its Hebrew nuance. In later Jewish Hebrew and Rabbinic texts, the focus shifts almost entirely to aridity or drought conditions. The word is never used to refer to people, but only to the land. English translations occasionally render it as 'drought' (focusing on a time of dryness), but the term fundamentally refers to the enduring parched character of a place.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from צָמֵא; a thirsty place, i.e. desert; drought, dry ground, thirsty land.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
צמא (ts-m-ʾ) — to thirst, be thirsty, suffer lack of water
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H6770 | צָמֵא | you will thirst |
| H6771 | צָמֵא | the thirsty one |
| H6772 | צָמָא | in the thirst |
| H6773 | צִמְאָה | from thirst |
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6774-02 |
וְ/צִמָּא֖וֹן | vetsimaon | HC/Ncmsa |
and thirst | thirst-parched land | 2 |
H6774-01 |
לְ/צִמָּאֽוֹן | letsimaon | HR/Ncmsa |
into thirsty ground | to a thirsty wasteland | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
3 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H6774-02 |
Deuteronomy 8:15 | וְ/צִמָּא֖וֹן | vetsimaon | HC/Ncmsa |
and thirst | thirst-parched land |
H6774-02 |
Isaiah 35:7 | וְ/צִמָּא֖וֹן | vetsimaon | HC/Ncmsa |
and thirst | thirst-parched land |
H6774-01 |
Psalms 107:33 | לְ/צִמָּאֽוֹן | letsimaon | HR/Ncmsa |
into thirsty ground | to a thirsty wasteland |