Lexical Summary
yeled: Child, boy, youth
Original Word:יֶלֶד
Part of Speech:Noun Masculine
Transliteration:yeled
Pronunciation:yeh'-led
Phonetic Spelling:(yeh'-led)
KJV: boy, child, fruit, son, young man (one)
NASB:child, children, boy, young men, youths, boys, young
Word Origin:[fromH3205 (יָלַד - became the father)]
1. something born, i.e. a lad or offspring
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
boy, child, fruit, son, young man one
Fromyalad; something born, i.e. A lad or offspring -- boy, child, fruit, son, young man (one).
see HEBREWyalad
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
yaladDefinitionchild, son, boy, youth
NASB Translationboy (7), boys (3), child (32), child's (2), children (27), lad (2), lads (1), young (3), young men (6), youths (5).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
89Genesis 21:8 ; — absolute
Genesis 4:23 +; construct
Jeremiah 31:20;
Genesis 21:16 +; plural
Genesis 33:1 +; construct
Exodus 2:6 2t.;
Isaiah 57:4; suffix
Genesis 30:26;
2 Kings 4:1;
Job 21:11;
Genesis 33:2 4t., etc.; —
child = son, boy,Genesis 21:8,14,15,16;Genesis 37:30;Genesis 42:32 (all E),Genesis 32:23 (Dinah not included), compareGenesis 30:26;Genesis 33:1,2(twice in verse);Genesis 33:5 (twice in verse);Genesis 33:6,7,13;Genesis 37:14;Genesis 44:20 (all J);Exodus 1:17,18 (""Exodus 1:16),Exodus 2:3,6 (twice in verse);Exodus 2:7,8,9 (twice in verse);Exodus 2:10 (all E),Exodus 21:4 (E; app. = sons + daughters, but ""Exodus 21:5); plural = offspringExodus 21:24 (E; Hexateuch, only Genesis & Exodus, J E); alsoRuth 1:5;Ruth 4:16;2 Samuel 12:15,18 (4 t. in verse);2 Samuel 12:19 (twice in verse);2 Samuel 12:21 (twice in verse);2 Samuel 12:22 (twice in verse);1 Kings 3:25 (compare1 Kings 3:20),1 Kings 14:12;1 Kings 17:21 (twice in verse);1 Kings 17:22,23;2 Kings 4:1 (compare2 Kings 4:5)2 Kings 4:18;2 Kings 4:26;2 Kings 4:34;2 Kings 4:34;Isaiah 8:18;Isaiah 9:5 ("" ), Joel 4:3(opposed to ),Zechariah 8:5 (id.); ofyoung of ravenJob 38:41; of wild goats and hindsJob 39:3; of cow and bearIsaiah 11:7.
(little)child, children1 Samuel 1:2 (twice in verse);2 Samuel 6:23;Ezra 10:1;Nehemiah 12:43;Job 21:11 ("" ),Hosea 1:2;Lamentations 4:10;Isaiah 57:5.
descendantsIsaiah 29:23, (compare )Isaiah 2:6.
youthGenesis 4:23 (J),1 Kings 12:8,10,14 2Chron 10:8; 10:10; 10:14;Daniel 1:4;Daniel 1:10;Daniel 1:13;Daniel 1:15;Daniel 1:17 compare2 Kings 2:24 (""2 Kings 2:23),Ecclesiastes 4:13,15.
figurative of apostate IsraelitesIsaiah 57:4 ("" ); compare, in good sense,Jeremiah 31:20 of Ephraim ("" ).
Topical Lexicon
Scope and Frequency in Canonיֶלֶד appears about eighty-nine times, predominantly in Genesis, Exodus, Judges, Samuel, Kings, Chronicles, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Zechariah and Malachi. The term embraces male offspring from infancy through adolescence, sometimes stressing vulnerability (Exodus 2:6), sometimes potential (Ecclesiastes 4:13), and often covenant promise (Genesis 15:4).
Semantic Field and Nuances
Although יֶלֶד is commonly rendered “child,” “boy,” or “youth,” its nuance shifts with context:
• Lineal heir (Genesis 21:8).
• Collective children (Exodus 1:17).
• Contrasting maturity and immaturity (Proverbs 22:15).
• Symbol of renewal or restoration (Isaiah 11:6).
The term may emphasize either helplessness requiring protection or the latent destiny vested in Israel’s next generation.
Covenantal Significance of Offspring
From the outset God weds redemptive history to progeny: “Look now toward the heavens… so shall your offspring be” (Genesis 15:5). Every יֶלֶד born within the covenant line validates divine faithfulness. The birth narratives of Isaac (Genesis 21:1-8), Samson (Judges 13:24), Samuel (1 Samuel 1:20), and Solomon (2 Samuel 12:24) each highlight Yahweh’s sovereign intervention. Conversely, threatened extinction of Hebrew boys in Egypt (Exodus 1:16) dramatizes satanic opposition to the seed-promise (cf.Genesis 3:15).
Children in Israel’s Storyline
1. Deliverance: The floating יֶלֶד Moses (Exodus 2:3-10) sets the stage for national redemption.
2. Kingship: David is introduced as a יֶלֶד tending sheep (1 Samuel 17:33) and becomes prototype of the future Messiah.
3. Exile and Hope: Jeremiah laments that “the precious sons of Zion… are regarded as earthen pots” (Lamentations 4:2), yet Zechariah envisions “boys and girls playing in the streets of Jerusalem” (Zechariah 8:5), portraying eschatological peace.
Legal Protections and Social Ethics
The Torah places children under special divine guardianship:
• Capital punishment for child sacrifice to Molech (Leviticus 20:2-5).
• Prohibition of social oppression: “Do not mistreat any widow or fatherless child” (Exodus 22:22).
• Inheritance rights safeguarded for sons and, in extraordinary cases, daughters (Numbers 27:8).
Such statutes anticipate Jesus’ affirmation, “Let the little children come to Me” (Matthew 19:14), revealing an unbroken ethical trajectory.
Wisdom Literature: Moral Formation
Proverbs addresses יֶלֶד as moldable: “Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him” (Proverbs 22:15). Ecclesiastes warns against the vanity of misdirected youth (Ecclesiastes 11:9-10), urging early remembrance of the Creator (Ecclesiastes 12:1).
Prophetic and Eschatological Motifs
Isaiah transforms the image of יֶלֶד into a vision of shalom: “A little child will lead them” (Isaiah 11:6). The birth of a royal child secures hope for Zion: “For to us a child is born, to us a Son is given” (Isaiah 9:6). Jeremiah’s “Rachel weeping for her children” (Jeremiah 31:15) merges immediate exile anguish with Messianic typology fulfilled inMatthew 2:17-18.
Messianic Anticipation and Fulfilment
The righteous branch descends from David’s line, not abstract lineage but embodied in a child. The Advent accounts of Jesus draw on Hebrew child imagery:
• Luke references Jesus as “the Child” multiple times (Luke 2:27, 40).
• Matthew citesHosea 11:1 (“Out of Egypt I called My Son”) as typological replay of Exodus deliverance.
Thus Hebrew יֶלֶד themes culminate in the incarnation, where the eternal Son becomes a literal child.
Pastoral and Educational Implications
1. Sanctity of Life: Scripture’s reverence for יֶלֶד mandates church advocacy for unborn and born alike.
2. Intergenerational Discipleship: Parents are charged to “teach them diligently to your children” (Deuteronomy 6:7), underscoring family worship and catechesis.
3. Childlike Faith: Jesus extols receptivity characteristic of a child (Matthew 18:3), encouraging humility among believers.
4. Church Safety and Nurture: Following the Shepherd who gathers lambs in His arms (Isaiah 40:11), congregations must cultivate environments where children flourish spiritually and physically.
Summary
יֶלֶד is more than a demographic label; it is a theological signpost pointing to divine fidelity, human dependency, and eschatological hope realized in Christ and entrusted to coming generations.
Forms and Transliterations
בַיֶּ֖לֶד בילד הַיְלָדִ֔ים הַיְלָדִ֕ים הַיְלָדִ֗ים הַיְלָדִ֣ים הַיְלָדִֽים׃ הַיְלָדִים֙ הַיֶּ֔לֶד הַיֶּ֖לֶד הַיֶּ֗לֶד הַיֶּ֙לֶד֙ הַיֶּ֛לֶד הַיֶּ֜לֶד הַיֶּ֣לֶד הַיֶּ֤לֶד הַיֶּ֥לֶד הַיָּ֑לֶד הַיָּֽלֶד׃ הילד הילד׃ הילדים הילדים׃ וְ֝יַלְדֵיהֶ֗ם וְהַיְלָדִ֖ים וְהַיְלָדִ֤ים וְהַיְלָדִים֙ וְיֶ֖לֶד וְיֶ֥לֶד וְיַלְדֵ֣י וְיַלְדֵיהֶ֖ן וִֽילָדִ֔ים וִֽילָדֶ֙יהָ֙ וִילָדֶ֖יהָ וִילָדֶ֗יהָ וּבְיַלְדֵ֥י ובילדי והילדים וילד וילדי וילדיה וילדיהם וילדיהן וילדים יְ֭לָדָיו יְלָדִ֔ים יְלָדִ֖ים יְלָדִ֣ים יְלָדִֽים׃ יְלָדֶ֔יהָ יְלָדֶ֖יהָ יְלָדַ֗י יְלָדַ֛י יְלָדָ֑יו יְלָדָ֞יו יִלְדֵי־ יֶ֣לֶד יֶ֥לֶד יַלְדֵיהֶ֑ן יַלְדֵיהֶ֖ן יַלְדֵיהֶ֣ן יָ֑לֶד ילד ילדי ילדי־ ילדיה ילדיהן ילדיו ילדים ילדים׃ לַיָּ֑לֶד לילד מִיַּלְדֵ֥י מילדי ḇay·ye·leḏ ḇayyeleḏ haiYaled haiYeled hay·lā·ḏîm hay·yā·leḏ hay·ye·leḏ haylaDim haylāḏîm hayyāleḏ hayyeleḏ laiYaled lay·yā·leḏ layyāleḏ mî·yal·ḏê mîyalḏê miyalDei ū·ḇə·yal·ḏê ūḇəyalḏê uveyalDei vaiYeled vehaylaDim veyalDei veyaldeiHem veyaldeiHen veYeled vilaDeiha vilaDim wə·hay·lā·ḏîm wə·yal·ḏê wə·yal·ḏê·hem wə·yal·ḏê·hen wə·ye·leḏ wəhaylāḏîm wəyalḏê wəyalḏêhem wəyalḏêhen wəyeleḏ wî·lā·ḏe·hā wî·lā·ḏîm wîlāḏehā wîlāḏîm yā·leḏ yal·ḏê·hen yalḏêhen yaldeiHen Yaled yāleḏ yə·lā·ḏāw yə·lā·ḏay yə·lā·ḏe·hā yə·lā·ḏîm ye·leḏ yelaDai yelaDav yəlāḏāw yəlāḏay yəlāḏehā yelaDeiha yelaDim yəlāḏîm Yeled yeleḏ yil·ḏê- yilḏê- yildei
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