מַעֲמַקִּים (ma.a.maq)
ma.a.maq
deep
H:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 2 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun ma‘amāqîm refers to deep places, specifically the profound depths of the sea or abyss. It is a plural form that emphasizes vastness and intensity, pointing to waters that are not merely deep but overwhelmingly so. In the biblical text, this word appears only twice, both in poetic passages where the imagery of water carries significant emotional weight.
Its usage in Psalm 69:15 and Isaiah 51:10 links these depths with danger and rescue. In the Psalms, the psalmist asks not to be swallowed by them, while Isaiah recalls how God dried up the sea, referring to the Red Sea crossing as a triumph over these chaotic waters. The word captures a sense of overwhelming power that only divine intervention can overcome.
Translators typically render ma‘amāqîm as "depths" or "deep places," preserving the physical reality of the water while allowing the metaphorical weight to emerge naturally. The term does not appear in narrative history but exclusively in poetry, where it serves as a symbol for forces that threaten stability and require faith to navigate.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word ma‘amāqîm describes the profound, overwhelming depths of the sea. In Scripture, it often represents situations that feel inescapable or dangerous, like being swallowed by dark waters. When the psalmist cries out from these depths, he acknowledges his vulnerability but also his trust that God hears him even in the darkest places.
This imagery reminds us that no circumstance is too deep for divine rescue. Just as God dried up the sea to make a way for the redeemed, He can create paths through our most chaotic moments. We are invited to bring our fears and uncertainties to Him, knowing that His power surpasses any force that threatens to overwhelm us.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 2 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- from/ [the] depths1×
- [the] depths of1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- מַֽעֲמַקֵּי\־1×
- מִ/מַּעֲמַקִּ֖ים1×
Key Verses
-
Psalms 130:1
A Song of Ascents. Out of the depths I have cried to you, Yahweh.
The psalmist uses the concept of depth to describe his cry for help, showing that even in overwhelming distress, he reaches out to Yahweh.
-
Isaiah 51:10
Isn’t it you who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep; who made the depths of the sea a way for the redeemed to pass over?
God is remembered as the one who dried up the waters of the great deep, turning a place of danger into a way for the redeemed to pass over.