Lexical Definition

‎מַיִם‎ mayim (mah'-yim) water ^H:N-M
dual of a primitive noun (but used in a singular sense)

[phrase] piss, wasting, water(-ing, (-course, -flood, -spring)).

• water
• figuratively, juice
• by euphemism, urine, semen

1) water, waters
1a) water
1b) water of the feet, urine
1c) of danger, violence, transitory things, refreshment (fig.)

See Greek: ἔθνος · ἡμέρα · ὑδροποτέω · ὕδωρ · ὑετός

Brown-Driver-Briggs

II. [‎מוֺ‎] = ‎מַי‎ water.

[‎מַי‎]₅₈₀ noun masculine^{2Sam 14:14} only plural ‎מַ֫יִם‎ waters, water (Late Hebrew id.; MI²³ [‎ין‎]‎מ‎; SI⁵ ‎המים‎; Aramaic ‎מַיָּא‎, ‎מַיִּין‎, Assyrian mû, plural mê, also mâmu Dl^{HWB 394}; Arabic Ethiopic , plural ; Sabean [‎מו‎], ‎מום‎ plural ‎מון‎, Minaean [‎מה‎], plural ‎מהן‎ DHM^{6th Or. Congr. (Leiden) ii. 1, 451 f.} (see on these forms Ba^{ZMG xiii.1888, 341 ff.})); — ‎מַ֫יִם‎ (‎מָ֑יִם‎) Gen 1:2 +; ‎הַמַּ֫יְמָה‎ Exod 7:15; Exod 8:16* construct ‎מֵי‎ Gen 7:7 + 71 t.; ‎מֵימֵי‎ Exod 4:9 + 10 t. + Qr 2Kgs 18:27 = Isa 36:12 suffix ‎מֵימַי‎ Hos 2:7* + 1Sam 25:11 (but read here ‎יֵינִי‎ ᵐ5 Ew Th We Klo Dr Kit Bu); ‎מֵימֶ֫יךָ‎ Exod 23:25 + 3 t.; ‎מֵימָיו‎ Num 20:8 + 6 t.; ‎מֵימֶיהָ‎ Jer 6:7; Jer 50:38 ‎מֵימֵינוּ‎ Lam 5:4 ‎מֵימֵיהֶם‎ Exod 7:19 + 4 t.; — waters, water (c. adjective plural Gen 26:19; Exod 15:10; Lev 14:5; Lev 14:6; Lev 14:50 + often, so always with adjective; also with plural participle Num 5:18; Num 5:19; Num 5:24; 2Kgs 3:20 +; with plural pronoun Num 20:13; Num 27:14; 2Kgs 2:21 +; compare suffix Josh 4:18 before plural verb Gen 1:9; Gen 1:20; Gen 1:21; Gen 7:17 + often; after plural verb Josh 3:13; Isa 28:17; Prov 9:17; Ezek 31:4 +; rarely with singular verb; before, Gen 9:15; Lev 11:34; Num 20:2; Num 24:7; Num 33:14; 2Kgs 3:9 after, Num 19:13; Num 19:20); —

1. a. water of a spring or well (‎עַיִן‎, ‎בְּאֵר‎) Gen 16:7; Gen 24:11; Gen 24:13 (twice in verse); Gen 24:43; Exod 15:27 (twice in verse) (J), Gen 21:19; Gen 21:25; Num 20:17; Num 21:16 (E), etc.; for drinking, also Amos 4:8; Amos 8:11; Jonah 3:7 + often; out of rock Exod 17:6 (E), Num 20:8 (twice in verse); Num 20:10; Num 20:11 (P), Deut 8:15 etc.; ‎מֵי מְרִיבָה‎ (RS^{Semitic i. 165; 2nd ed. 181}) Num 20:13; Num 20:24; Num 27:14 (P), Deut 33:8; Ps 81:8*; Ps 106:32 compare Deut 32:51; Ezek 47:19; Ezek 48:28 for washing (hands, feet, person) Gen 18:4; Gen 24:32; Gen 43:24 (J), 2Kgs 3:11; Exod 29:4; Exod 30:20; Lev 15:5; Lev 15:6 + (P); (victims) Lev 1:9; Lev 1:13; Lev 8:21 (P); (vessels) Lev 6:21*; Lev 12:32; Lev 12:34 (P); (garments) Lev 15:17; Num 19:8 (P); for cooking Exod 12:9 (P), compare Isa 64:1*; Ezek 24:3 (symbolic); for purification Num 8:7 (‎מֵי חַטָּאת‎) Num 19:9 (‎מֵי נִדָּה‎), compare vNum 19:13 vNum 19:18 vNum 19:20 vNum 19:21 vNum 19:31; Num 31:23 (twice in verse) (all P), Ezek 36:25 (figurative).
b. of a river, Nile Exod 2:10; Exod 4:9 (twice in verse) (J), Jer 2:18 etc.; Jordan Josh 3:8 (D), vJosh 3:15 vJosh 3:16 (JE), etc.; Euphrates Isa 8:7 (figurative), Jer 2:18 Ezekiel's river Ezek 47:1 (twice in verse); Ezek 47:2 +, etc.; of streams, canals, etc., especially, as condition of fertility Deut 8:7; Deut 10:7; Isa 1:30; Prov 30:16; 2Kgs 3:17 +, etc.
c. of sea Amos 5:8; Amos 9:6 Red Sea Exod 15:8; Exod 15:10; Exod 15:19 (song), Exod 14:21; Exod 14:22; Exod 14:26 + (P), Josh 2:10 (D), etc.
d. of flood Gen 7:7; Gen 7:10; Gen 8:3; Gen 8:7; Gen 8:8; Gen 8:9; Gen 8:11 (J), Gen 6:17; Gen 7:6; Gen 7:17; Gen 7:18 (twice in verse); Gen 7:19; Gen 8:5; Gen 9:11; Gen 9:15 (P); so ‎מֵינֹֿחַ‎ Isa 54:9 (twice in verse) waters of Noah.
e. subterranean Exod 20:4 (E), Deut 4:18; Deut 5:8, compare Job 26:5; Ps 136:6. feminine in clouds Jer 10:13; Job 26:8; Ps 29:3 (twice in verse); Ps 104:3; Ps 148:4, etc.
g. of rain Judg 5:4; 2Sam 21:10; Deut 11:11; Ps 65:10*; Job 5:10 (|| ‎מָטָר‎), etc.
h. of dew Judg 6:38.
i. primÊval deep Gen 1:2; Gen 1:6 (P).

2. with proper names, of location (q. v.), to denote springs, streams, or seas belonging to, near, such places: ‎מֵימֵי מִצְרַיִם‎ Exod 7:19; Exod 8:2* ‎מֵי מְרִיבָה‎ (see above 1 a); ‎מֵי מֵרוֺם‎ Josh 11:5; Josh 11:7 ‎מֵי עֵיןשֶֿׁמֶשׁ‎ Josh 15:7 ‎מֵי נֶפְתּוֺחַ‎ Josh 15:9; Josh 18:15 ‎מֵי יְרִיחוֺ‎ Josh 16:1 ‎מֵי מְגִּדּוֺ‎ Judg 5:19 ‎מֵי נִמְרִ(י)ם‎ Isa 15:6; Jer 48:34 ‎מֵי דִימוֺן‎ Isa 15:9 compare ‎מֵי הַשִּׁלֹּחַ‎ Isa 8:6 ‎מֵימֵי גִּיחוֺן הָעֶלְיוֺן‎ 2Chr 32:30 compare also proper name, of a location ‎מִשְׂרְפוֺת מַיִם‎ Josh 11:8; Josh 13:6.

3. special uses are: ‎מֵי רַגְלַיִם‎ water of the feet = urine 2Kgs 18:27 = Isa 36:12 compare ‎מַדְמֵנָה בְּמֵי‎ Isa 25:10 Kt in water of a dunghill (> Qr ‎בְּמוֺ‎); ‎מַיִם לַחַץ‎ water (which is) distress, because drunk in imprisonment 1Kgs 22:27 (|| ‎לֶחֶם לַחַץ‎) = 2Chr 18:26 ‎בְּמֵישָֿׁ֑לֶג‎ in snow-water Job 9:30 Qr (Kt ‎במו‎; Me Hoffm Siegf ‎כְּמוֺ‎), ‎מֵימֵי שֶׁלֶג‎ Job 24:19 ‎מַיִם קְדשִׁים‎ Num 5:17 holy water (compare RS^{Sem.165, 2nd ed.181}, but text dubious, see Di); ‎מֵי הַמָּרִים‎ bitter water Num 5:18; Num 5:19; Num 5:23; Num 5:24 compare Exod 15:23 (‎כִּי מָרִים הֵם‎), opposed to ‎וַיִּמְתְּקוּ הַמַּיִם‎ vExod 15:25 and the waters were sweetened; ‎מֵי חַטָּאת‎, ‎מֵי נִדָּה‎ see above 1 a; ‎מַיִם חַיִּים‎ living (i.e. running) water Lev 14:5; Lev 14:6; Lev 14:50; Lev 14:51; Lev 14:52; Num 19:17, also (figurative) Zech 14:8 (compare Ezek 47), and (figurative) Jer 2:13; Jer 17:13. See also below (compare Num 21:17; Num 21:18 see RS^{Sem.i.127.157; 2nd ed.135,176}).

4. among figurative uses are:
a. of distress Isa 43:2; Ps 66:12 (|| ‎אֵשׁ‎), Ps 69:2*; Lam 3:54 usually many waters 2Sam 22:17 = Ps 18:17*, compare Job 22:11; Ps 32:6; Ps 144:7, or deep waters Ps 69:3*; Ps 69:15*, compare vPs 69:16* also ‎מֵירֿאֹשׁ‎ water of gall Jer 8:14; Jer 9:14*; Jer 23:15.
b. ‎פֶּרֶץ מַיִם‎ 2Sam 5:20 = 1Chr 14:11 of outbursting force.
c. ‎מַיִם שְׁאוֺן‎ Isa 17:12; Isa 17:13 of rushing nations.
d. of what is impetuous, violent, overwhelming Isa 28:2; Isa 28:17; Hos 10:7; Job 27:20; Ps 124:4; Ps 124:5; Ps 88:18* simileof impetuousness ‎פַּחַז כַּמַּיִ ם‎ Gen 49:4.
e. (as running away) of heart in timidity Josh 7:5, compare Ps 22:16*, of knees Ezek 7:17; Ezek 21:12*. feminine of transitoriness Job 11:16; Job 24:18; Ps 58:8*.
g. of refreshment Isa 32:2; Isa 49:10 spiritual Isa 12:3.
h. ‎מֵי מְנֻחוֺת‎ Ps 23:2 in figure of rest and peace, compare Jer 31:9.
i. of reckless bloodshed (poured out like water) Ps 79:3 compare pouring away (and not eating) blood Deut 12:16; Deut 12:24; Deut 15:23.
j. ‎בְּאֵר מַיִם חַיִּים‎ Song 4:15 figurative of bride; ‎מַיִם מִבּוֺרֶ֑ךָ‎ Prov 5:15 of enjoyment of one's own wife; of harlotry ‎מַיִם גְּנוּבִים‎ Prov 9:17 stolen waters.
k. of outpoured wrath of ‎׳‎‎י‎ Hos 5:10.

1. of abundant justice Amos 5:24 masculine of outpoured feelings Job 3:24 ‎שִׁפְכִי כַמַּיִם לִבֵךְ‎ Lam 2:19. — Isa 48:1 read probably ‎מִמְּעֵי‎ for ᵑ0 ‎מִמֵּי‎, so Secker Du Che^{Hpt Skinner}, compare Di.

Brown-Driver-Briggs References