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beginning in the spring is similar to (if not derived from) the Babylonian calendar—the
names of the months are Babylonian derivatives. These 2 systems, therefore, appear side
by side at least from the time of Moses. An exact picture of the Old Testamem “year” is
difficult, if not impossible, to obtain.
YOUTH
(
, 5288), “youth; lad; young man.” This word is found in Ugaritic, and it
seems that the Egyptian word
/
(“armed retainers”) is also related to the West
Semitic usage. The root with the meaning of “youth” occurs only as a noun and occurs in
Hebrew in the feminine (
, “young girl”) as well as the masculine form (e.g., Gen.
24:14).
:
occurs 235 times in the Hebrew Old Testament. Its use is predominant in the
Pentateuch and in the historical books. The first occurrence is in Gen. 14:23-24: “… I
will not take any thing … save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion
of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.”
The basic meaning of
is “youth,” over against an older man. At times it may
signify a very young child: “For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose
the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings” (Isa. 7:16).
Generally
denotes a “young man” who is of marriageable age but is still a bachelor.
We must keep in mind the opposition of youth and old age, so that we can better
understand that Jeremiah, while claiming to be only a “youth,” was not necessarily a
youngster. In truth, he argued that he did not have the experience of the older men, when
he said: “Ah, Lord God! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child” (Jer. 1:6).
Absalom was considered a
, even though he was old enough to lead the troups in
rebellion against David: “And the king commanded Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying,
Deal gently for my sake with the young man, even with Absalom” (2 Sam. 18:5). A
derived meaning of
is “servant.” Jonathan used a “servant” as armorbearer: “Now it
came to pass upon a day, that Jonathan the son of Saul said unto the young man that bare
his armor, Come, and let us go over to the Philistines’ garrison, that is on the other side”
(1 Sam. 14:1). The
(“servant”) addressed his employer as “master”: “And when
they were by Jebus, the day was far spent; and the servant said unto his master, Come, I
pray thee, and let us turn into this city of the Jebusites, and lodge in it” (Judg. 19:11).
Kings and officials had “servants” who were referred to by the title
!
In this context
the word is better translated as “attendant,” as in the case of the attendants of King
Ahasuerus, who gave counsel to the king: “Then said the king’s servants [
NASB
,
“attendants”] that ministered unto him, Let there be fair young virgins sought for the
king” (Esth. 2:2). When a
is commissioned to carry messages, he is a “messenger.”
Thus, we see that the meaning of the word
as “servant” does not denote a “slave”
or a performer of low duties. He carried important documentswas trained in the art of
warfare, and even gave counsel to the king.