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B. Nouns.
( , 1121), “son.”
( , 1323), “daughter.” These nouns are derived from the
verb
!
They are actually different forms of the same noun, which occurs in nearly
every Semitic language (except Ethiopic and Akkadian). Biblical occurrences number
over 5,550 in the Hebrew and about 22 in Aramaic.
Basically, this noun represents one’s immediate physical male or female offspring.
For example, Adam “begat sons and daughters” (Gen. 5:4). The special emphasis here is
on the physical tie binding a man to his offspring. The noun can also be used of an
animal’s offspring: “Binding his
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unto the vine, and his ass’s colt unto the choice vine
…” (Gen. 49:11). Sometimes the word
which usually means “son,” can mean
“children” (both male and female). God told Eve that “in sorrow thou shalt bring forth
children” (Gen. 3:16—the first occurrence of this noun). The words
and
can
signify “descendants” in general—daughters, sons, granddaughters, and grandsons.
Laban complained to Jacob that he had not allowed him “to kiss my sons and my
daughters” (Gen. 31:28; cf. v. 43). The phrase, “my son,” may be used by a superior to a
subordinate as a term of familiar address. Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give, I pray
thee, glory to the Lord God of Israel …” (Josh. 7:19). A special use of “my son” is a
teacher’s speaking to a disciple, referring to intellectual or spiritual sonship: “My son, if
sinners entice thee, consent thou not” (Prov. 1:10). On the lips of the subordinate, “son”
signifies conscious submission. Ben-hadad’s servant Hazael took gifts to Elisha, saying,
“Thy son Benhadad king of Syria hath sent me to thee” (2 Kings 8:9).
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can also be
used in an adoption formula: “Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee” (Ps. 2:7).
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often is used in this sense of a king’s relationship to God (i.e., he is God’s adopted
son). Sometimes the same word expresses Israel’s relationship to God: “When Israel was
a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt” (Hos. 11:1).
The Bible also refers to the heavenly court as the “sons of God” (Job 1:6). God called
the elders of Israel the “sons [
KJV
, “children”] of the Most High” (Ps. 82:6). In Gen. 6:2,
the phrase “sons of God” is variously understood as members of the heavenly court, the
spiritual disciples of God (the sons of Seth), and the boastful among mankind.
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may signify “young men” in general, regardless of any physical relationship to
the speaker: “And [I] beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a
young man void of understanding” (Prov. 7:7). A city may be termed a “mother” and its
inhabitants its “sons”: “For he hath strengthened the bars of thy gates; he hath blessed thy
children within thee” (Ps. 147:13).
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is sometimes used to mean a single individual; thus Abraham ran to his flock and
picked out a “son of a cow” (Gen. 18:7). The phrase “son of man” is used in this sense—
God is asked to save the poor individuals, not the children of the poor (Ps. 72:4).
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may also denote a member of a group. An example is a prophet who followed
Elijah (1 Kings 20:35; cf. Amos 7:14).
This noun may also indicate someone worthy of a certain fate—e.g., “a stubborn and
rebellious son” (Deut. 21:18).