2056. valad
Lexical Summary
valad: Offspring, child, or young one

Original Word: וָלָד
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: valad
Pronunciation: vah-lahd
Phonetic Spelling: (vaw-lawd')
KJV: child
NASB: child
Word Origin: [for H3206 (יֶלֶד - child)]

1. a boy

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
child

For yeled; a boy -- child.

see HEBREW yeled

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from yalad
Definition
offspring, child
NASB Translation
child (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
וָלָד noun masculine offspring, child, only אֵין לָהּ וָלָ֑ד Genesis 11:30 (J); si vera lectio = Arabic ; Ethiopic (with original ו); — in 2 Samuel 6:23, where some editions have ולד Kt, יָ֑לֶד Qr, Baer and van d. H give יָ֑לֶד Kt.

Topical Lexicon
Definition and Occurrence

The Hebrew noun וָלָד (Strong 2056) denotes a “child” or “offspring.” It appears only once in the Old Testament, in Genesis 11:30, where the narrator states of Abram’s wife, “But Sarai was barren; she had no child”. Although rare, the word frames a pivotal biblical theme: God’s redemptive work amid human barrenness.

Context of Genesis 11:30

Genesis 11 closes the primeval history and introduces the patriarchal narratives. By noting Sarai’s lack of offspring, Scripture underscores the apparent impossibility of the promises that immediately follow: “I will make you into a great nation” (Genesis 12:2). The single occurrence of וָלָד therefore serves as a dramatic literary hinge—highlighting the gap between human inability and divine initiative.

Theological Themes of Barrenness and Promise

1. Dependence on Divine Grace

· Sarai’s empty womb pictures humanity’s incapacity to fulfill God’s purposes without His intervention (compare Genesis 15:4-6; Romans 4:18-21).
2. Covenant Faithfulness

· The promised offspring becomes the vehicle for the Abrahamic covenant (Genesis 17:7-8), linking the lone absence of a וָלָד to the eventual birth of Isaac, the child of promise (Genesis 21:1-3).
3. Reversal Motif

· Throughout Scripture, God repeatedly turns barrenness into fruitfulness—Rebekah (Genesis 25:21), Rachel (Genesis 30:22-24), Hannah (1 Samuel 1:19-20)—displaying His sovereignty over life.

Related Biblical Patterns of Miraculous Birth

The motif initiated by Sarai crescendos in the virgin conception of Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:20-23), where the true Seed (Galatians 3:16) arrives apart from human power. Thus the absence of a וָלָד in Genesis 11:30 foreshadows the ultimate intervention that brings salvation.

Ministry Implications

• Assurance in Apparent Impossibilities: Believers facing “barren” circumstances can trust God’s ability to create life where none exists (Ephesians 3:20).
• Patience in Promise: Abram waited twenty-five years for Isaac, modeling enduring faith for modern disciples (Hebrews 6:12-15).
• Value of Every Child: The biblical stress on God-given offspring elevates the sanctity of life and affirms ministry to children and families (Psalm 127:3).

Christological Foreshadowing

The solitary וָלָד points beyond Isaac to the Messiah. Isaiah foretells, “For unto us a child is born” (Isaiah 9:6), and the New Testament proclaims that Jesus is the child through whom all nations are blessed (Acts 3:25-26). The initial absence accentuates the eventual fullness found in Christ.

Reflection for Contemporary Faith

Sarai’s lack of a וָלָד invites the church to celebrate God’s power to bring spiritual and physical life. It encourages intercession for the barren, confidence in God’s promises, and a gospel-centered hope anchored in the Child who has come and will come again.

Forms and Transliterations
וָלָֽד׃ ולד׃ vaLad wā·lāḏ wālāḏ
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Englishman's Concordance
Genesis 11:30
HEB: אֵ֥ין לָ֖הּ וָלָֽד׃
NAS: was barren; she had no child.
KJV: was barren; she [had] no child.
INT: was barren had child

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 2056
1 Occurrence


wā·lāḏ — 1 Occ.

2055
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