מַיִם

“Water” in Hebrew is Mayim (מַיִם), pronounced “MA-yim.” Mayim is a dual-form noun, always appearing in plural in Hebrew. Some scholars connect it to ancient Semitic roots meaning 'substance' or 'what.' The dual ending (-ayim) may reflect the ancient understanding of waters above and waters below the firmament (Genesis 1:6-7).

Mayim (מַיִם) means “Water, waters” in Biblical Hebrew. Mayim appears over 580 times in the Hebrew Bible, making it one of the most common nouns in Scripture. It describes oceans, rivers, rain, wells, and is used metaphorically for chaos (Psalm 69:1), blessing (Isaiah 44:3), and the knowledge of God (Isaiah 11:9).

Mayim is pronounced “MA-yim.” The word comes from the Hebrew root מ-י-ם.

The phrase 'living water' (mayim chayyim) in Hebrew refers to flowing, spring-fed water as opposed to stagnant cistern water. When Jesus offered 'living water' (John 4:10), He was using a term that every Hebrew speaker would associate with the freshest, purest, most life-giving water available — directly from the source. He was claiming to be the ultimate source of spiritual life.

Water appears in nearly every major biblical event: creation (Genesis 1:2), the flood (Genesis 7), the Red Sea crossing (Exodus 14), water from the rock (Exodus 17), the Jordan crossing (Joshua 3), and Jesus' baptism (Matthew 3). In a Middle Eastern desert climate, water was the difference between life and death, making it the perfect metaphor for God's sustaining power.

During Sukkot, priests would draw water from the Pool of Siloam and pour it on the altar in a joyful ceremony called Simchat Beit HaShoavah. This ceremony celebrated God's provision of rain and anticipated the outpouring of the Holy Spirit prophesied in Joel 2:28. It was during this exact ceremony that Jesus made His declaration about living water in John 7:37-38.