לַ/מַּ֔יִם
𐤋/𐤌𐤉𐤌
mayim
for water
Primary meaning: water, the substance essential for life in liquid form. Used for natural bodies of water—such as rivers, springs, seas, rain—materials in or with water, or as an element in rituals. Secondarily, may serve as a metonym for abundance, chaos, or danger (e.g., 'waters' of the deep, flood, or destruction), and occasionally for bodily fluids in specific contexts (semen, urine). The term may stand for any potable or environmental water, from dew to ocean; its figurative usage points to aspects of fertility, life, and chaos.
mai "water" (Kikuyu) · omeya/omeva "water" (Oshiwambo) · Mayi "water" (Swahili) +4 moreExodus 17:3 · Word #4
Lexicon H4325
| Lemma | מַיִם |
| Lemma (Paleo) | 𐤌𐤉𐤌 |
| Transliteration | mayim |
| Strong's | H4325 |
| Definition | Primary meaning: water, the substance essential for life in liquid form. Used for natural bodies of water—such as rivers, springs, seas, rain—materials in or with water, or as an element in rituals. Secondarily, may serve as a metonym for abundance, chaos, or danger (e.g., 'waters' of the deep, flood, or destruction), and occasionally for bodily fluids in specific contexts (semen, urine). The term may stand for any potable or environmental water, from dew to ocean; its figurative usage points to aspects of fertility, life, and chaos. |
Morphology HRd/Ncmpa
All morphology codes
| Part of Speech | N — Noun — A person, place, thing, or idea |
| Subtype | c — Common — Common noun |
| Gender | m — Masculine — Masculine |
| Number | p — Plural — Plural |
| State | a — Absolute — The noun stands independently |
Common Translation
| Phrase | for water |
SIBI-P1 Translation H4325-09
to the waters
| Morphological Notes | Preposition לְ (to/for) prefixed to masculine plural (formally dual) absolute noun מַיִם; functions as a collective noun though morphologically plural. |
| Rendering Rationale | The noun מַיִם denotes water as a flowing, life-sustaining substance, formally plural in shape. The prefixed לְ indicates direction or relation, yielding "to the waters," preserving both the preposition and the plural morphology. |
View full lexicon entry for H4325 →
SILEX v2
SIBI-P2 (Context-Aware)
to water
| Same as P1 | No — adjusted for context |
| Rationale | Standardized from "for water". The Hebrew uses the same lamed construction as elsewhere; there is no contextual need to change the prepositional gloss here. For consistency with the chosen standard mapping of lamed+noun, change “for water” to the standard “to water.” The meaning is not altered and the standard rendering is grammatically acceptable in this verse. |
Bantu Hebrew
לַ/מַּ֔יִם (mayim) — Primary meaning: water, the substance essential for life in liquid form. Used for natural bodies of water—such as rivers, springs, seas, rain—materials in or with water, or as an element in rituals. Secondarily, may serve as a metonym for abundance, chaos, or danger (e.g., 'waters' of the deep, flood, or destruction), and occasionally for bodily fluids in specific contexts (semen, urine). The term may stand for any potable or environmental water, from dew to ocean; its figurative usage points to aspects of fertility, life, and chaos.