Basic HTML Version
(
, 7453), “friend; companion.” This noun is also represented in Akkadian,
Ugaritic, and Aramaic.
appears 187 times in the Hebrew Old Testament, and it has
an extensive range of meaning.
The basic meaning of
is in the narrow usage of the word. A
is a “personal
friend” with whom one shares confidences and to whom one feels very close: “And the
Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend” (Exod. 33:11).
The closeness of relationship is best expressed by those texts where the
is like a
brother or son, a part of the family: “For my brethren and companions’ sakes …” (Ps.
122:8, cf. Deut. 13:6). For this reason, when Zimri became king over Israel he killed not
only all relatives of Baasha, but also his “friends” (1 Kings 16:11). In this sense, the word
is a synonym of
(“brother”) and of
%
(“kin”): “… Go in and out from gate to gate
throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his
and
every man his neighbor” (Exod. 32:27).
Similar to the above is the sense of “marriage partner”: “His mouth is most sweet:
yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my
7
O daughters of
Jerusalem” (Song of Sol. 5:16). However,
may also signify “illegitimate partners”:
“… If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man’s, shall he
return unto her again? shall not that land be greatly polluted? but thou has played the
harlot with many lovers ( ); yet return again to me, saith the Lord” (Jer. 3:1). The
prophet Hosea was commanded to take back his wife from her “friend” (lover), as she
had played the adulteress long enough.
The wider usage of
resembles the English word
the person with whom
one associates regularly or casually without establishing close relations. One may borrow
from his “neighbor” (Exod. 22:14), but not bear false witness (Exod. 20:16) nor covet his
neighbor’s possessions (Exod. 20:17-18). The laws regulate how one must not take
advantage of one’s “neighbors.” The second greatest commandment, which Jesus
reiterated—“Love thy neighbor as thyself” (Lev. 19:18)—receives reinforcement in the
laws of the Pentateuch. The prophets charged Israel with breaking the commandment:
They oppressed each other (Isa. 3:5) and desired their neighbors’ wives (Jer. 5:8); they
committed adultery with these women (Ezek. 18:6); they did not pay wages to the worker
(Jer. 22:13); and they improperly took advantage of their “neighbors” (Ezek. 22:12).
According to Proverbs, not loving one’s neighbor is a sign of foolishness (Prov. 11:12).
The wider meaning comes to expression in the proverb of the rich man and his
“friends”: “Wealth maketh many friends; but the poor is separated from his neighbor”
(Prov. 19:4). Here the “friend” is a person whose association is not long-lasting, whose
friendship is superficial.
The Septuagint gives the following translations:
(“near; close by”),
(“friend”). The
KJV
gives these senses: “neighbor; friend; fellow; companion.”
also means “friend.” This noun appears in 1 Kings 4:5: “… Zabud the son of
Nathan was principal officer, and the king’s
7
.…”
refers to a “female friend.”
See Judg. 11:37 for this usage: “And she said unto her father … let me alone two months,