The Hebrew verb ya'ab (H2968) means to long for, to crave, to desire earnestly. It appears only once in the Old Testament (Job 3:21), describing those who long for death more than for hidden treasure — a picture of desperate yearning that nothing in this world can satisfy.
Ya'ab captures the intensity of unfulfilled desire. In Job's suffering, it describes a craving so powerful that death becomes the object of longing. Theologically, this word illuminates the human experience of suffering and the cry for release. The Psalms redirect this same depth of longing toward God — 'As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God' (Ps 42:1). When earthly desires are reoriented Godward, ya'ab becomes holy longing.
Ya'ab is a hapax legomenon — appearing only once in the OT. Its rarity makes it striking when encountered. The NT parallel is found in epithumia (G1939) and epipotheo (G1971) — intense spiritual desire. Augustine's famous line captures it: 'Our heart is restless until it rests in Thee.'