In biblical literature, the term "pant" is often associated with a deep, earnest longing or desire, typically for God or spiritual fulfillment. This imagery is vividly captured in the Psalms, where the psalmist uses the metaphor of a deer panting for water to express a soul's deep thirst for God.

Biblical References:

1. Psalm 42:1-2 : "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul longs after You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, the living God. When shall I come and appear in God’s presence?" This passage is a poignant expression of spiritual longing and desire for communion with God. The imagery of a deer panting for water highlights the intensity and necessity of this spiritual thirst, suggesting that just as water is essential for physical survival, so is God's presence essential for spiritual vitality.

2. Psalm 63:1 : "O God, You are my God; earnestly I seek You. My soul thirsts for You; my body longs for You, in a dry and weary land without water." Here, the psalmist again uses the metaphor of thirst to describe a deep yearning for God, emphasizing the barrenness of life without divine presence and the soul's urgent need for spiritual sustenance.

Theological Significance:

The concept of panting in the Bible underscores the innate human need for a relationship with the Creator. It reflects the belief that true fulfillment and peace are found only in God. This longing is not merely an emotional or intellectual desire but a profound spiritual necessity. The imagery of panting conveys urgency and desperation, suggesting that the soul's need for God is as vital as the body's need for water.

Spiritual Application:

For believers, the metaphor of panting serves as a reminder of the importance of seeking God earnestly and consistently. It encourages Christians to cultivate a deep, personal relationship with God, characterized by a sincere and persistent pursuit of His presence. This pursuit is often expressed through prayer, worship, and meditation on Scripture, as believers seek to satisfy their spiritual thirst and grow in their faith.

Historical Context:

In the ancient Near Eastern context, water was a precious and often scarce resource, especially in arid regions. The imagery of a deer panting for water would have resonated deeply with the original audience, who understood the desperation and urgency of such a need. This cultural backdrop enhances the metaphor's power, illustrating the psalmist's intense longing for God in a way that was both relatable and profound.

Conclusion:

The biblical use of "pant" as a metaphor for spiritual longing invites believers to examine their own desires and priorities. It challenges them to seek God with the same intensity and urgency as one would seek water in a dry land, recognizing that only in Him can true satisfaction and peace be found.1. (v. i.) To breathe quickly or in a labored manner, as after exertion or from eagerness or excitement; to respire with heaving of the breast; to gasp.

2. (v. i.) Hence: To long eagerly; to desire earnestly.

3. (v. i.) To beat with unnatural violence or rapidity; to palpitate, or throb; -- said of the heart.

4. (v. i.) To sigh; to flutter; to languish.

5. (v. t.) To breathe forth quickly or in a labored manner; to gasp out.

6. (v. t.) To long for; to be eager after.

7. (n.) A quick breathing; a catching of the breath; a gasp.

8. (n.) A violent palpitation of the heart.

7602a. shaaph -- to gasp, pant, pant after, long for
... 7602, 7602a. shaaph. 7602b . to gasp, pant, pant after, long for.
Transliteration: shaaph Short Definition: pant. Word Origin a prim. ...
/hebrew/7602a.htm - 5k

7602. sha'aph -- to gasp, pant, pant after, long for
sha'aph. 7601, 7602. sha'aph. 7602a . to gasp, pant, pant after, long for.
Transliteration: sha'aph Phonetic Spelling: (shaw-af') Short Definition: pant. ...
/hebrew/7602.htm - 5k

5395. nasham -- to pant
... nasham. 5396 . to pant. Transliteration: nasham Phonetic Spelling: (naw-sham')
Short Definition: gasp. ... root Definition to pant NASB Word Usage gasp (1). destroy ...
/hebrew/5395.htm - 5k

6165. arag -- to long for
... Word Origin a prim. root Definition to long for NASB Word Usage pant (1), pants
(2). cry, pant. A primitive root; to long for -- cry, pant. 6164, 6165. ...
/hebrew/6165.htm - 5k

5503. sachar -- to go around or about, travel about
... go about, merchantman, occupy with, pant, trade, traffic. A primitive root;
to travel round (specifically as a pedlar); intensively ...
/hebrew/5503.htm - 6k

205. aven -- trouble, sorrow, wickedness
... From an unused root perhaps meaning properly, to pant (hence, to exert oneself,
usually in vain; to come to naught); strictly nothingness; also trouble. ...
/hebrew/205.htm - 6k

7602b. shaaph -- to crush, trample upon
... Word Origin a prim. root Definition to crush, trample upon NASB Word Usage crushed
(1), pant (1), trample (1), trampled (2), tramples (1). 7602a, 7602b. ...
/hebrew/7602b.htm - 5k

8582. taah -- to err
... ie Reel or stray (literally or figuratively); also causative of both -- (cause to)
go astray, deceive, dissemble, (cause to, make to) err, pant, seduce, (make ...
/hebrew/8582.htm - 6k

Do You Know Him?
... Well, but" they would say, "is it not enough for you that you are delivered from
the lion?" "Nay," say you, "it is for that very reason that I pant to know him ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 10 1864/do you know him.htm

The Bed and Its Covering
... I ask for immortality, I have it here. What do I pant for? I pant for ceaseless,
boundless bliss, I have it here. I pant to be God's child, I have it here. ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 5 1859/the bed and its covering.htm

The Spiced Wine of My Pomegranate;
... Thirst makes the heart pant for the waterbrooks, and pain reminds man of the
physician. ... Pant after more of Jesus. Be covetous after Him. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/spurgeon/till he come/the spiced wine of my.htm

Wesley's Hymns Reconsidered
... the last line of this verse and the first line of the next verse are tied together
by a treble repetition: a repetition of these three words: eager, ask, pant. ...
/.../the hymns of wesley and watts five papers/wesleys hymns reconsidered.htm

Micah's Message for To-Day
... Doth not the hart pant for the water-brooks? Do thou pant for them; they flow
in the valley of humiliation. The Lord bring us all there! ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 39 1893/micahs message for to-day.htm

Satan's Devices
... But here is another snare laid for our feet: While we earnestly pant for that part
of the promise which is to be accomplished here, "for the glorious liberty ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 42 satans devices.htm

Christ Lifted Up
... accomplished. "But," he said, "now I pant for my cross, for it is the topstone
of my labor. ... unity! there are some of us who truly pant after it. ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 3 1857/christ lifted up.htm

The Doctrines of Salvation A. Repentance. B. Faith. C. ...
... The Hebrew equivalent is even stronger, and means to pant, to sigh, to moan. So
the publican "beat upon his breast," indicating sorrow of heart. ...
/.../evans/the great doctrines of the bible/the doctrines of salvation a.htm

On Mr. Mccabe and a Divine Frivolity
... Will it lose itself in quagmires of sensuality down this new path, and pant and
toil through years of civic and industrial anarchy, only to learn it had lost ...
//christianbookshelf.org/chesterton/heretics/xvi on mr mccabe and.htm

The Battle of Life
... Yet British soldiers pressed forward then to the conflict nor did they pant for
fortune, what they did seek was a career, with some opportunity of ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 62 1916/the battle of life.htm

Pant (8 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Pant (8 Occurrences). ... Now I will cry out like a travailing
woman. I will both gasp and pant. (WEB JPS ASV DBY NAS RSV NIV). ...
/p/pant.htm - 9k

Gasp (5 Occurrences)
... 1. (vi) To open the mouth wide in catching the breath, or in laborious respiration;
to labor for breath; to respire convulsively; to pant violently. ...
/g/gasp.htm - 8k

Repentance (28 Occurrences)
... Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. REPENTANCE. re-pen'-tans: I. OLD TESTAMENT TERMS
1. To Repent-"to Pant," "to Sigh" 2. To Repent-"to Turn" or "Return" II. ...
/r/repentance.htm - 31k

Panting (5 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Pant. Multi-Version Concordance
Panting (5 Occurrences). Psalms 38:10 My heart 'is ...
/p/panting.htm - 7k

Pans (19 Occurrences)

/p/pans.htm - 12k

Vegetation (18 Occurrences)
... (See NAS). Jeremiah 14:6 The wild donkeys stand on the bare heights, they pant for
air like jackals; their eyes fail, because there is no herbage. (See NAS). ...
/v/vegetation.htm - 11k

Jackals (20 Occurrences)
... Jeremiah 14:6 The wild donkeys stand on the bare heights, they pant for air
like jackals; their eyes fail, because there is no herbage. ...
/j/jackals.htm - 12k

Gasping (2 Occurrences)
... 42:14 I have long time holden my peace; I have been still, and refrained myself:
now will I cry out like a travailing woman; I will gasp and pant together. ...
/g/gasping.htm - 7k

Travailing (16 Occurrences)
... I have been quiet and restrained myself. Now I will cry out like a travailing
woman. I will both gasp and pant. (WEB KJV JPS ASV WBS YLT). ...
/t/travailing.htm - 11k

Travaileth (9 Occurrences)
... 42:14 Long time have I holden my peace; I have been still, I have restrained myself:
I will cry like a woman that travaileth; I will blow and pant at once. ...
/t/travaileth.htm - 9k

Pant: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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