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Original Word:מִין
Part of Speech:Noun Masculine
Transliteration:miyn
Pronunciation:meen
Phonetic Spelling:(meen)
KJV: kind
NASB:kind, kinds
Word Origin:[from an unused root meaning to portion out]

1. a sort, i.e. species

kind

From an unused root meaning to portion out; a sort, i.e. Species -- kind. Comparemin.

see HEBREWmin

Word Origin
from an unused word
Definition
kind, species
NASB Translation
kind (21), kinds (10).

[] (Late Hebrewid. (Ecclus 43:25id.), alsoschismatic, heretic; Jewish-Aramaic ,species; Palestinian Syriac =nation PS²⁰⁹⁴ Schw^{Idioticon 50}; yet not Aramaic loan-word in Hebrew; see Lag^{BN 183 f.}); — always suffix + prepositionGenesis 1:12 (twice in verse) + 2t.;Genesis 1:11 (omitted by ) + 3 t.;Genesis 1:24 (twice in verse) + 9 t.;Ezekiel 47:10 (strike out Co);Genesis 1:21; —kind, species, of plantGenesis 1:11,12 (twice in verse); usually of animal (beast, bird, fish, insect)Genesis 1:21,22,24 (twice in verse);Genesis 1:25 (3 t. in verse);Genesis 6:20 (3 t. in verse);Genesis 7:14 (4 t. in verse);Leviticus 11:14,15,16,19,22 (4 t. in verse);Leviticus 11:29 (all P); alsoDeuteronomy 14:13,14,15,18 (compare Leviticus)Ezekiel 47:10 (on text, compare Co).

Overview

מִין (min) is the Hebrew term consistently rendered “kind,” “species,” or “sort.” Throughout the Old Testament it functions as a theological marker of God’s ordering of life, a legal category within Israel’s holiness code, and a prophetic witness to the coming restoration of all creation. Because Scripture never employs the word casually, every occurrence of מִין underscores both the diversity and the boundaries God established for His creatures.

Created kinds inGenesis 1

The first ten occurrences form the backbone of the creation narrative. Repeated five times on Day Three and Day Five (Genesis 1:11-12, 21) and twice on Day Six (Genesis 1:24-25), the phrase “according to its kind” declares that living organisms reproduce within divinely set limits. This rhythmic affirmation highlights at least four key truths:

1. Purposeful variety. God delights in multiplicity; life is not monochrome but manifold.
2. Ordered stability. Reproduction “according to its kind” guards against chaos.
3. Divine sovereignty. Boundaries are fixed by the Creator, not by chance or human artifice.
4. Stewardship mandate. Because kinds are God-given, humanity’s dominion (Genesis 1:28) must respect them.

Taxonomic boundaries in the Holiness Code

Leviticus 11 andDeuteronomy 14 use מִין as the organizing term for the dietary laws. Birds (Leviticus 11:14-19), insects (11:22), and land animals (11:29) are grouped “according to their kind,” distinguishing what is ritually clean or unclean. Several implications emerge:
• Moral pedagogy. The classifications teach Israel to discern, reinforcing the broader call to be holy (Leviticus 11:44-45).
• Separation motif. As Israel must remain distinct from surrounding nations, so clean and unclean kinds remain distinct from each other.
• Respect for created order. Even the food laws mirror Genesis by acknowledging divinely defined categories.

Eschatological abundance and restoration

The vision of Ezekiel’s renewed temple culminates in a river teeming “with many kinds of fish, like the fish of the Great Sea” (Ezekiel 47:10). Here מִין signals the fullness of life that will thrive when the curse is lifted. Variety is not merely preserved but multiplied. This anticipates Paul’s assertion that “the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay” (Romans 8:21).

Theological themes

1. Continuity of Scripture. The same word that frames the opening chapter of Genesis resurfaces in the closing chapters of Ezekiel, binding the canon together.
2. Holiness and identity. God’s people, like God’s creatures, are called to maintain distinctiveness while flourishing in diversity.
3. Faith and science. מִין does not offer a modern biological taxonomy, yet its insistence on stable reproductive boundaries provides a scriptural foundation for viewing life’s diversity as intentional rather than accidental.

Ministry significance

• Creation care. Respecting “kinds” reminds believers that extinction and genetic exploitation violate creation’s God-given integrity.
• Apologetics. Repetition of “according to its kind” strengthens a biblical worldview that opposes purely naturalistic origins.
• Teaching holiness. The dietary passages model how external categories can cultivate inward devotion, a principle still relevant for spiritual disciplines today.
• Gospel witness. The abundance of redeemed kinds in Ezekiel prefigures the multinational multitude ofRevelation 7:9, illustrating that God’s plan embraces every “tribe and tongue” without dissolving their God-created distinctives.

Representative occurrences

Genesis 1:11-12, 21, 24-25;Leviticus 11:14-19, 22, 29;Deuteronomy 14:13-15, 18;Ezekiel 47:10.

The word מִין thus weaves a golden thread from the dawn of creation through Israel’s covenant life to the prophetic hope of a renewed earth, proclaiming a God who delights in both diversity and order.

לְמִֽינֵהֶ֗ם לְמִינ֔וֹ לְמִינֵ֑הוּ לְמִינֵ֔הוּ לְמִינֵ֗הוּ לְמִינֵֽהוּ׃ לְמִינָ֑הּ לְמִינָ֔הּ לְמִינָ֗הּ לְמִינָֽהּ׃ לְמִינָה֙ לְמִינֽוֹ׃ למינה למינה׃ למינהו למינהו׃ למינהם למינו למינו׃ lə·mî·nāh lə·mî·nê·hem lə·mî·nê·hū lə·mî·nōw lemiNah ləmînāh lemineHem ləmînêhem lemiNehu ləmînêhū lemiNo ləmînōwInterlinear Greek •Interlinear Hebrew •Strong's Numbers •Englishman's Greek Concordance •Englishman's Hebrew Concordance •Parallel Texts

Genesis 1:11
HEB:עֹ֤שֶׂה פְּרִי֙ לְמִינ֔וֹ אֲשֶׁ֥ר זַרְעוֹ־
NAS: fruitafter their kind with seed
KJV: fruitafter his kind, whose
INT: bearing fruittheir kind whose seed

Genesis 1:12
HEB:מַזְרִ֤יעַ זֶ֙רַע֙ לְמִינֵ֔הוּ וְעֵ֧ץ עֹֽשֶׂה־
NAS: seedafter their kind, and trees
KJV: seedafter his kind, and the tree
INT: yielding seedtheir kind and trees bearing

Genesis 1:12
HEB:זַרְעוֹ־ ב֖וֹ לְמִינֵ֑הוּ וַיַּ֥רְא אֱלֹהִ֖ים
NAS: with seedin them, after their kind; and God
KJV: whose seed[was] in itself, after his kind: and God
INT: with seedtheir kind saw and God

Genesis 1:21
HEB:שָׁרְצ֨וּ הַמַּ֜יִם לְמִֽינֵהֶ֗ם וְאֵ֨ת כָּל־
NAS: swarmedafter their kind, and every
KJV: brought forth abundantly,after their kind, and every winged
INT: swarmed the waterstheir kind and every bird

Genesis 1:21
HEB:ע֤וֹף כָּנָף֙ לְמִינֵ֔הוּ וַיַּ֥רְא אֱלֹהִ֖ים
NAS: birdafter its kind; and God
KJV: fowlafter his kind: and God
INT: bird wingedkind saw and God

Genesis 1:24
HEB:נֶ֤פֶשׁ חַיָּה֙ לְמִינָ֔הּ בְּהֵמָ֥ה וָרֶ֛מֶשׂ
NAS: creaturesafter their kind: cattle
KJV: creatureafter his kind, cattle,
INT: creatures livingtheir kind cattle and creeping

Genesis 1:24
HEB:וְחַֽיְתוֹ־ אֶ֖רֶץ לְמִינָ֑הּ וַֽיְהִי־ כֵֽן׃
NAS: of the earthafter their kind; and it was so.
KJV: of the earthafter his kind: and it was so.
INT: living of the earththeir kind and it was so

Genesis 1:25
HEB:חַיַּ֨ת הָאָ֜רֶץ לְמִינָ֗הּ וְאֶת־ הַבְּהֵמָה֙
NAS: of the earthafter their kind, and the cattle
KJV: of the earthafter his kind, and cattle
INT: the beast of the earththeir kind and the cattle their kind

Genesis 1:25
HEB:וְאֶת־ הַבְּהֵמָה֙ לְמִינָ֔הּ וְאֵ֛ת כָּל־
NAS: and the cattleafter their kind, and everything
KJV: and cattleafter their kind, and every thing that creepeth
INT: their kind and the cattletheir kind and everything creeps

Genesis 1:25
HEB:רֶ֥מֶשׂ הָֽאֲדָמָ֖ה לְמִינֵ֑הוּ וַיַּ֥רְא אֱלֹהִ֖ים
NAS: on the groundafter its kind; and God
KJV: upon the earthafter his kind: and God
INT: creeps the groundkind saw and God

Genesis 6:20
HEB: מֵהָע֣וֹף לְמִינֵ֗הוּ וּמִן־ הַבְּהֵמָה֙
NAS: Of the birdsafter their kind, and of the animals
KJV: Of fowlsafter their kind, and of cattle
INT: of the birdstheir kind and of the animals

Genesis 6:20
HEB:וּמִן־ הַבְּהֵמָה֙ לְמִינָ֔הּ מִכֹּ֛ל רֶ֥מֶשׂ
NAS: and of the animalsafter their kind, of every
KJV: and of cattleafter their kind, of every creeping thing
INT: and of the animalstheir kind of every creeping

Genesis 6:20
HEB:רֶ֥מֶשׂ הָֽאֲדָמָ֖ה לְמִינֵ֑הוּ שְׁנַ֧יִם מִכֹּ֛ל
NAS: of the groundafter its kind, two
KJV: of the earthafter his kind, two
INT: creeping of the groundkind two of every

Genesis 7:14
HEB:וְכָל־ הַֽחַיָּ֣ה לְמִינָ֗הּ וְכָל־ הַבְּהֵמָה֙
NAS: beastafter its kind, and all
KJV: and every beastafter his kind, and all the cattle
INT: and every beastkind and all the cattle

Genesis 7:14
HEB:וְכָל־ הַבְּהֵמָה֙ לְמִינָ֔הּ וְכָל־ הָרֶ֛מֶשׂ
NAS: the cattleafter their kind, and every
KJV: and all the cattleafter their kind, and every creeping thing
INT: and all the cattletheir kind and every creeping

Genesis 7:14
HEB:עַל־ הָאָ֖רֶץ לְמִינֵ֑הוּ וְכָל־ הָע֣וֹף
NAS: on the earthafter its kind, and every
KJV: upon the earthafter his kind, and every fowl
INT: on the earthkind and every bird

Genesis 7:14
HEB:וְכָל־ הָע֣וֹף לְמִינֵ֔הוּ כֹּ֖ל צִפּ֥וֹר
NAS: birdafter its kind, all
KJV: and every fowlafter his kind, every bird
INT: and every birdkind all of birds

Leviticus 11:14
HEB:וְאֶת־ הָאַיָּ֖ה לְמִינָֽהּ׃
NAS: and the falconin its kind,
KJV: and the kiteafter his kind;
INT: and the kite and the falconkind

Leviticus 11:15
HEB:כָּל־ עֹרֵ֖ב לְמִינֽוֹ׃
NAS: every ravenin its kind,
KJV: Every ravenafter his kind;
INT: every ravenkind

Leviticus 11:16
HEB:וְאֶת־ הַנֵּ֖ץ לְמִינֵֽהוּ׃
NAS: and the hawkin its kind,
KJV: and the hawkafter his kind,
INT: and the sea and the hawkkind

Leviticus 11:19
HEB:הַחֲסִידָ֔ה הָאֲנָפָ֖ה לְמִינָ֑הּ וְאֶת־ הַדּוּכִיפַ֖ת
NAS: the heronin its kinds, and the hoopoe,
KJV: the heronafter her kind, and the lapwing,
INT: and the stork the heronkinds and the hoopoe and the bat

Leviticus 11:22
HEB:אֶת־ הָֽאַרְבֶּ֣ה לְמִינ֔וֹ וְאֶת־ הַסָּלְעָ֖ם
NAS: the locustin its kinds, and the devastating locust
KJV: the locustafter his kind, and the bald locust
INT: may eat the locustkinds and the devastating kinds

Leviticus 11:22
HEB:וְאֶת־ הַסָּלְעָ֖ם לְמִינֵ֑הוּ וְאֶת־ הַחַרְגֹּ֣ל
NAS: and the devastating locustin its kinds, and the cricket
KJV: and the bald locustafter his kind, and the beetle
INT: kinds and the devastatingkinds and the cricket kinds

Leviticus 11:22
HEB:וְאֶת־ הַחַרְגֹּ֣ל לְמִינֵ֔הוּ וְאֶת־ הֶחָגָ֖ב
NAS: and the cricketin its kinds, and the grasshopper
KJV: and the beetleafter his kind, and the grasshopper
INT: kinds and the cricketkinds and the grasshopper kinds

Leviticus 11:22
HEB:וְאֶת־ הֶחָגָ֖ב לְמִינֵֽהוּ׃
NAS: and the grasshopperin its kinds.
KJV: and the grasshopperafter his kind.
INT: kinds and the grasshopperkinds

31 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 4327
31 Occurrences

lə·mî·nāh — 12 Occ.
lə·mî·nê·hem — 1 Occ.
lə·mî·nê·hū — 14 Occ.
lə·mî·nōw — 4 Occ.