TO PANT, long for — a rare verb occurring only THREE times in the Hebrew Bible. Twice in Psalm 42:2, in one of the best-known lines in scripture: 'as the deer PANTS for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, God.' ⚠ The third is Joel 1:20, where it is given to real animals at a dry streambed: 'even the beasts of the field pant for you, for the channels of water have dried up.' The most famous image of spiritual longing in the Bible turns out, in its other occurrence, to be a literally thirsty animal. → first discussed at Joel 1:20