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Bible Dictionaries
Youth
Vine's Expository Dictionary of OT Words
or Na‛ar (נַעַר, Strong's #5288), “youth; lad; young man.” This word is found in Ugaritic, and it seems that the Egyptian word na-arma (“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 (na‛arah, “young girl”) as well as the masculine form (e.g., Gen. 24:14).
Na‛ar 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 na‛ar 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 na‛ar 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 na‛ar, 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 na‛ar 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 na‛ar (“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 na‛ar. 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 na‛ar is commissioned to carry messages, he is a “messenger.” Thus, we see that the meaning of the word na‛ar 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.
Another noun no‛ar means “youth.” This noun appears only 4 times in the Bible, once in Ps. 88:15: “I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up: while I suffer thy terrors I am distracted” (cf. Job 36:14).
The Septuagint gives the following translation(s): paidarion (“little boy; boy; child; young slave”); neos (“novice”); neaniskos (“youth; young man; servant”); paidion (“infant; child”); pais (“child”); and neanias (“youth; young man”).
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Vines, W. E., M. A. Entry for 'Youth'. Vine's Expository Dictionary of OT Words. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/vot/y/youth.html. 1940.
