מַי (ma.yim)
ma.yim
water
H:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 448 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M
Word Overview
The Hebrew word mayim means water, appearing over four hundred times in the Old Testament. Although it is grammatically a plural noun, it functions as a singular concept when referring to the substance itself. This form reflects an ancient understanding of water as a dynamic force rather than a static object, capturing its movement and volume in a single term.
Its range extends beyond simple hydration. In poetic texts like Psalm 46:4, it represents life-giving refreshment and stability. Conversely, prophets often use it to symbolize chaos or danger, as when Isaiah describes the rising waters of Assyria threatening Jerusalem (Isaiah 8:7). The word also appears in euphemisms for bodily fluids, such as urine or semen, highlighting its connection to basic human functions and purity laws.
A notable feature is its frequent use in creation narratives. Genesis 1:2 describes the Spirit hovering over the surface of the deep waters, establishing water as the primordial element from which order emerges. This imagery persists throughout Scripture, where God’s power is demonstrated by dividing these chaotic waters to make dry land appear (Genesis 1:9).
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
Water appears throughout the Bible as more than just a physical resource; it carries deep spiritual weight. In Genesis, God speaks water into order, showing that He brings structure to chaos. This reminds us that even when our lives feel formless or overwhelming, the same Creator who calmed the primordial seas is present and active.
Water also symbolizes both danger and deliverance. The flood narrative shows how judgment can cleanse, but it also highlights God’s faithfulness in preserving life through the ark. Later, water becomes a sign of refreshment and new beginnings, as seen when the dove returns with an olive leaf after the waters recede. These images invite us to trust that God provides stability and hope in every season.
Understanding this word helps us see how Scripture uses nature to reveal God’s character. Whether representing life-giving power or testing trials, water points to our dependence on Him. We can find comfort in knowing that He guides us through turbulent times toward dry land and peace.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 448 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- water141×
- the/ waters53×
- waters38×
- with <the>/ water33×
- [the] waters of33×
- the/ water26×
- and/ water16×
- [the] waters14×
- like <the>/ water13×
- <the>/ water10×
- [the] water of8×
- water of6×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- מַ֖יִם34×
- מָֽיִם\׃28×
- מָ֑יִם26×
- מַ֥יִם21×
- הַ/מַּ֔יִם19×
- מַ֣יִם17×
- מַ֙יִם֙17×
- מַ֔יִם15×
- מֵ֣י15×
- הַ/מָּ֑יִם15×
- מֵ֥י13×
- הַ/מַּ֖יִם13×
Key Verses
-
Genesis 1:2
The earth was formless and empty. Darkness was on the surface of the deep and God’s Spirit was hovering over the surface of the waters.
This verse establishes water as the chaotic primordial state over which God’s Spirit hovers, setting the stage for creation.
-
Genesis 6:17
I, even I, will bring the flood of waters on this earth, to destroy all flesh having the breath of life from under the sky. Everything that is in the earth will die.
Here water is used as an instrument of divine judgment to cleanse the earth, demonstrating God’s sovereignty over life and death.
-
Genesis 8:11
The dove came back to him at evening and, behold, in her mouth was a freshly plucked olive leaf. So Noah knew that the waters were abated from the earth.
The receding waters signal a new beginning, showing that God’s judgment gives way to restoration and hope.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the Hebrew word for water always plural?
What does water symbolize in the Old Testament?
How does water relate to Christian faith today?
Every Occurrence (448 verses across 31 books)
Genesis 46 verses
The earth was formless and empty. Darkness was on the surface of the deep and God’s Spirit was hovering over the…
Genesis 1:6God said, “Let there be an expanse in the middle of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.”
Genesis 1:7God made the expanse, and divided the waters which were under the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse;…
Genesis 1:9God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered together to one place, and let the dry land appear;” and it was so.
Genesis 1:10God called the dry land “earth”, and the gathering together of the waters he called “seas”. God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:20God said, “Let the waters abound with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the…
Genesis 1:21God created the large sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed, after their…
Genesis 1:22God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the…
Genesis 6:17I, even I, will bring the flood of waters on this earth, to destroy all flesh having the breath of life from under the…
Genesis 7:6Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters came on the earth.
Genesis 7:7Noah went into the ship with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives, because of the floodwaters.
Genesis 7:10After the seven days, the floodwaters came on the earth.
Genesis 7:17The flood was forty days on the earth. The waters increased, and lifted up the ship, and it was lifted up above the…
Genesis 7:18The waters rose, and increased greatly on the earth; and the ship floated on the surface of the waters.
Genesis 7:19The waters rose very high on the earth. All the high mountains that were under the whole sky were covered.
Genesis 7:20The waters rose fifteen cubits higher, and the mountains were covered.
Genesis 7:24The waters flooded the earth one hundred fifty days.
Genesis 8:1God remembered Noah, all the animals, and all the livestock that were with him in the ship; and God made a wind to pass…
Genesis 8:3The waters continually receded from the earth. After the end of one hundred fifty days the waters receded.
Genesis 8:5The waters receded continually until the tenth month. In the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of…
Genesis 8:7and he sent out a raven. It went back and forth, until the waters were dried up from the earth.
Genesis 8:8He himself sent out a dove to see if the waters were abated from the surface of the ground,
Genesis 8:9but the dove found no place to rest her foot, and she returned into the ship to him, for the waters were on the surface…
Genesis 8:11The dove came back to him at evening and, behold, in her mouth was a freshly plucked olive leaf. So Noah knew that the…
Genesis 8:13In the six hundred first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from the earth.…
Genesis 9:11I will establish my covenant with you: All flesh will not be cut off any more by the waters of the flood. There will…
Genesis 9:15I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh, and the waters will no…
Genesis 16:7Yahweh’s angel found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain on the way to Shur.
Genesis 18:4Now let a little water be fetched, wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree.
Genesis 21:14Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread and a container of water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her…
Genesis 21:15The water in the container was spent, and she put the child under one of the shrubs.
Genesis 21:19God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. She went, filled the container with water, and gave the boy a drink.
Genesis 21:25Abraham complained to Abimelech because of a water well, which Abimelech’s servants had violently taken away.
Genesis 24:11He made the camels kneel down outside the city by the well of water at the time of evening, the time that women go out…
Genesis 24:13Behold, I am standing by the spring of water. The daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water.
Genesis 24:17The servant ran to meet her, and said, “Please give me a drink, a little water from your pitcher.”
Genesis 24:32The man came into the house, and he unloaded the camels. He gave straw and feed for the camels, and water to wash his…
Genesis 24:43behold, I am standing by this spring of water. Let it happen, that the maiden who comes out to draw, to whom I will…
Genesis 26:18Isaac dug again the wells of water, which they had dug in the days of Abraham his father, for the Philistines had…
Genesis 26:19Isaac’s servants dug in the valley, and found there a well of flowing water.
Genesis 26:20The herdsmen of Gerar argued with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying, “The water is ours.” So he called the name of the well…
Genesis 26:32The same day, Isaac’s servants came, and told him concerning the well which they had dug, and said to him, “We have…
Genesis 30:38He set the rods which he had peeled opposite the flocks in the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink. They…
Genesis 37:24and they took him, and threw him into the pit. The pit was empty. There was no water in it.
Genesis 43:24The man brought the men into Joseph’s house, and gave them water, and they washed their feet. He gave their donkeys…
Genesis 49:4Boiling over like water, you shall not excel, because you went up to your father’s bed, then defiled it. He went up to…