'Desire' in the Bible

To the woman He said,“I will greatly multiplyYour pain in childbirth;In pain you will give birth to children;Yet your desire and longing will be for your husband,And he will rule [with authority] over you and be responsible for you.”

If you do well [believing Me and doing what is acceptable and pleasing to Me], will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well [but ignore My instruction], sin crouches at your door; its desire is for you [to overpower you], but you must master it.”

The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma [a soothing, satisfying scent] and the Lord said to Himself, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intent (strong inclination, desire) of man’s heart is wicked from his youth; and I will never again destroy every living thing, as I have done.

And they said, “We will call the girl and ask her what she prefers.”

“The enemy said, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil;My desire shall be satisfied against them;I will draw my sword, my hand shall dispossess them and drive them out.’

For I will drive out and dispossess nations before you and enlarge your borders; nor shall any man covet (actively seek for himself) your land when you go up to appear before the Lord your God three times a year.

So that place was named Kibroth-hattaavah (the graves of greediness), because there they buried the people who had been greedy [for more than the manna that God provided them].

‘You shall not covet [that is, desire and seek to acquire] your neighbor’s wife, nor desire your neighbor’s house, his field, his male servant or his female servant, his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.’

You shall burn the carved and sculpted images of their gods in the fire. You shall not covet the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it for yourselves, so that you will not be ensnared by it [in a deadly trap], for it is an abomination (repulsive) to the Lord your God.

“However, you may slaughter and eat meat within any of your [city] gates, whatever you wish, according to the blessing of the Lord your God which He has given you [as His generous provision for daily life]. The [ceremonially] unclean and the clean may eat it, such as the gazelle and the deer.

“When the Lord your God extends your territory, as He promised you, and you say, ‘I will eat meat,’ because you want to eat meat, then you may eat meat, whatever you wish.

If the place which the Lord your God chooses to put His Name (Presence) is too far away from you, then you may slaughter [animals] from your herd or flock which the Lord has given you, just as I have commanded you; and you may eat within your [city] gates whatever you wish.

You may spend the money for anything your heart desires: for oxen, or sheep, or wine, or [other] strong drink, or anything else you want. You shall eat there in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice, you and your household.

and you see a beautiful woman among the captives, and desire her and would take her as your wife,

Then it shall come about, when many evils and troubles have come on them, that this [sacred] song will confront them as a witness; for it will not be forgotten from the mouth of their descendants. For I know their inclination which is developing even now, before I bring them into the land which I have sworn to give them.”

Then Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you say, I will do for you.”

Now then, O king, come down [to Ziph] in accordance with all your heart’s desire to do so [and capture him]; and our part shall be to hand him over to the king.”

“Truly is not my house so [blessed] with God?For He has made an everlasting covenant with me,Ordered in all things, and secured.For will He not cause to grow and prosperAll my salvation and my every wish?Will He not make it grow and prosper?

My servants will bring the logs down from Lebanon to the [Mediterranean] sea, and I will have them made into rafts to go by sea to the place (port) that you direct me; then I will have them broken up there, and you shall carry them away. Then you shall return the favor by providing food for my household.”

but about this time tomorrow I will send my servants to you, and they will search your house and the houses of your servants; and they will take with their hands (confiscate) whatever is desirable in your eyes and carry it away.’”

Then she said, “Did I ask for a son from my lord? Did I not say, ‘Do not give me false hope’?”

King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all [the things] she desired, whatever she asked, besides a return for what she had brought to the king. So she returned to her own land with her servants.

He did evil because he did not set his heart to seek and worship and honor the Lord.

So he said to Judah, “Let us build these cities and surround them with walls, towers, gates and bars [to secure the doors]. The land is still ours because we have sought the Lord our God; we have sought Him [longing for Him with all our heart] and He has given us peace on every side.” So they built and prospered.

They entered into a covenant (solemn agreement) to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and soul;

All Judah rejoiced over the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and had sought Him with their whole heart, and He let them find Him. So the Lord gave them rest on every side.

but sought the God of his father, and walked in (obeyed) His commandments, and did not act as Israel did.

But there are some good things found in you, for you have removed the Asherim (idols) from the land and you have set your heart to seek God [with all your soul’s desire].”

So [the people of] Judah gathered together to seek help from the Lord; indeed they came from all the cities of Judah to seek the Lord [longing for Him with all their heart].

“But I wish to speak to the Almighty,And I desire to argue with God.

“Because he knew no quietness or calm within him [because of his greed],He does not retain anything he desires.

“Yet they say to God, ‘Depart from us,For we do not desire the knowledge of Your ways.

So that his life makes him loathe food,And his soul [loathe] even his favorite dishes.

“If you have anything to say, answer me;Speak, for I desire to justify you.

“Do not long for the night,When people vanish from their places.

But his delight is in the law of the Lord,And on His law [His precepts and teachings] he [habitually] meditates day and night.

For the wicked boasts and sings the praises of his heart’s desire,And the greedy man curses and spurns [and even despises] the Lord.

O Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble and oppressed;You will strengthen their heart, You will incline Your ear to hear,

May He grant you your heart’s desireAnd fulfill all your plans.

You have given him his heart’s desire,And You have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah.

Lord, all my desire is before You;And my sighing is not hidden from You.

Sacrifice and meal offering You do not desire, nor do You delight in them;You have opened my ears and given me the capacity to hear [and obey Your word];Burnt offerings and sin offerings You do not require.

Then the King will desire your beauty;Because He is your Lord, bow down and honor Him.

Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being,And in the hidden part [of my heart] You will make me know wisdom.

Let those be ashamed and humiliatedWho seek my life;Let them be turned back and humiliatedWho delight in my hurt.

Whom have I in heaven [but You]?And besides You, I desire nothing on earth.

And in their hearts they put God to the testBy asking for food according to their [selfish] appetite.

Who satisfies your years with good things,So that your youth is renewed like the [soaring] eagle.

The wicked will see it and be angered,He will gnash his teeth and melt away [in despair and death];The desire of the wicked will perish and come to nothing.

I opened my mouth and panted [with anticipation],Because I longed for Your commandments.

“Those who surround me raise their heads;May the mischief of their own lips come upon them.

The Lord will not allow the righteous to hunger [God will meet all his needs],But He will reject and cast away the craving of the wicked.

What the wicked fears will come upon him,But the desire of the righteous [for the blessings of God] will be granted.

The righteousness of the upright will rescue them,But the treacherous will be caught by their own greed.

The desire of the righteous brings only good,But the expectation of the wicked brings wrath.

The wicked desire the plunder of evil men,But the root of the righteous yields richer fruit.

From the fruit of his mouth a [wise] man enjoys good,But the desire of the treacherous is for violence.

Hope deferred makes the heart sick,But when desire is fulfilled, it is a tree of life.

Desire realized is sweet to the soul;But it is detestable to fools to turn away from evil [which they have planned].

He who [willfully] separates himself [from God and man] seeks his own desire,He quarrels against all sound wisdom.

Also it is not good for a person to be without knowledge,And he who hurries with his feet [acting impulsively and proceeding without caution or analyzing the consequences] sins (misses the mark).

The desire of the lazy kills him,For his hands refuse to labor;

For you will put a knife to your throatIf you are a man of great appetite.

Do not eat the bread of a selfish man,Or desire his delicacies;

Do not be envious of evil men,Nor desire to be with them;

It is not for kings, O Lemuel,It is not for kings to drink wine,Or for rulers to desire strong drink,

a man to whom God has given riches and wealth and honor, so that he lacks nothing of all that he desires, yet God has not given him the power or capacity to enjoy them [all those things which are gifts from God], but a stranger [in whom he has no interest succeeds him and] enjoys them. This is vanity and it is a [cause of] great distress.

All the labor of man is for his mouth [for self-preservation and enjoyment], and yet the desire [of his soul] is not satisfied.

What the eyes see [enjoying what is available] is better than [craving] what the soul desires. This too is futility and chasing after the wind.

Furthermore, they are afraid of a high place and of dangers on the road; the almond tree (hair) blossoms [white], and the grasshopper (a little thing) is a burden, and the caperberry (desire, appetite) fails. For man goes to his eternal home and the mourners go about the streets and market places.

(The Chorus)“Catch the foxes for us,The little foxes that spoil and ruin the vineyards [of love],While our vineyards are in blossom.”

“Before I was aware [of what was happening], my desire had brought meInto the area of the princes of my people [the king’s retinue].”

(The Shulammite Bride)“It goes down smoothly and sweetly for my beloved,Gliding gently over his lips while he sleeps.“I am my beloved’s,And his desire is for me.

Indeed, in the path of Your judgments, O Lord,We have waited expectantly for You;Your name, even Your memory, is the desire and deep longing of our souls.

For He [the Servant of God] grew up before Him like a tender shoot (plant),And like a root out of dry ground;He has no stately form or majestic splendorThat we would look at Him,Nor [handsome] appearance that we would be attracted to Him.

Yet you backed out [of the covenant] and profaned My Name, and each man took back his servants, male and female, whom had been set free in accordance with their desire, and you brought them into servitude [again] to be your male servants and your female servants.”’

Now therefore know for certain that you will die by the sword, by famine, and by virulent disease in the land [of Egypt] where you wish to reside [temporarily].

so none of the survivors from the remnant of Judah who have entered the land of Egypt to live there will survive, even though they lift up their souls in longing to return to the land of Judah, [the place] to which they long to return to live; none will return except a few refugees.’”

She did not give up the acts of prostitution that originated during her time in Egypt; for in her youth men had lain with her, and they handled her virgin bosom and poured out their depravity on her.

The Babylonians came to her to the bed of love and they defiled her with their evil desire; and when she had been defiled by them, she (Jerusalem) broke the relationship and pushed them away from her in disgust.

“Son of man, listen carefully, I am about to take away from you the desire of your eyes [your wife] with a single stroke. Yet you shall not mourn and you shall not weep, and your tears shall not flow.

‘Speak to the house of Israel, “Thus says the Lord God, ‘Behold, I will profane My sanctuary, the pride of your strength, the desire of your eyes, and the delight of your soul; and your sons and your daughters whom you have left behind [in Jerusalem] will fall by the sword.

‘As for you, son of man, on the day when I take their strength and their stronghold from them, their joy and their glory, the desire of their eyes and their heart’s [chief] delight (the temple), and I also take their sons and their daughters,

‘When your wares went out to the sea,You met the desire, and the demand, and the necessities of many people;You enriched the kings of the earthWith your abundant wealth and merchandise.

in order that they might seek compassion from the God of heaven regarding this secret, so that Daniel and his companions would not be executed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.

He will have no regard for the gods of his fathers or for the desire of women, nor will he have regard for any other god, for he shall magnify himself above them all.

For I desire and delight in [steadfast] loyalty [faithfulness in the covenant relationship], rather than sacrifice,And in the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

Woe (judgment is coming) to you who desire the day of the Lord [expecting rescue from the Gentiles]!Why would you want the day of the Lord?It is darkness (judgment) and not light [and rescue and prosperity];

Concerning evil, both of their hands pursue it and do it diligently and thoroughly;The prince asks, also the judge, for a bribe,And a great man speaks the [evil] desire of his soul.So they twist the course of justice between them.

Then my enemy [all the pagan nations] shall see it,And shame [for despising the Lord] will cover her who said to me,“Where is the Lord your God?”My eyes will look on her [with satisfaction at her judgment];Now she (unbelievers) will be trampled downLike mud of the streets.

I will shake all the nations; and they will come with the desirable and precious things of all nations, and I will fill this house with glory and splendor,’ says the Lord of hosts.

“but I scattered them with a storm wind among all the nations whom they have not known. Thus the land was desolate after they had gone, so that no one passed through or returned, for they [by their sins] had made the pleasant land desolate and deserted.”

“Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will prepare and clear the way before Me. And the Lord [the Messiah], whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says the Lord of hosts.

but I say to you that everyone who [so much as] looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

“So then, in everything treat others the same way you want them to treat you, for this is [the essence of] the Law and the [writings of the] Prophets.

Go and learn what this [Scripture] means: ‘I desire compassion [for those in distress], and not [animal] sacrifice,’ for I did not come to call [to repentance] the [self-proclaimed] righteous [who see no need to change], but sinners [those who recognize their sin and actively seek forgiveness].”

And if you had only known what this statement means, ‘I desire compassion [for those in distress], and not [animal] sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.

Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign (attesting miracle) from You [proving that You are what You claim to be].”

And after going a little farther, He fell face down and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible [that is, consistent with Your will], let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.”

but the worries and cares of the world [the distractions of this age with its worldly pleasures], and the deceitfulness [and the false security or glamour] of wealth [or fame], and the passionate desires for all the other things creep in and choke out the word, and it becomes unfruitful.