3206. yeled

Lexical Summary

yeled: Child, boy, youth

Original Word: יֶלֶד
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: yeled
Pronunciation: yeh'-led
Phonetic Spelling: (yeh'-led)
KJV: boy, child, fruit, son, young man (one)
NASB: child, children, boy, young men, youths, boys, young
Word Origin: [from H3205 (יָלַד - became the father)]

1. something born, i.e. a lad or offspring

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

boy, child, fruit, son, young man one

From yalad; something born, i.e. A lad or offspring -- boy, child, fruit, son, young man (one).

see HEBREW yalad

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from yalad
Definition
child, son, boy, youth
NASB Translation
boy (7), boys (3), child (32), child's (2), children (27), lad (2), lads (1), young (3), young men (6), youths (5).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

יֶ֫לֶד₈₉ noun masculine^{Genesis 21:8} child, son, boy, youth; — יֶּ֫לֶד absolute Genesis 4:23 +; construct Jeremiah 31:20; יָ֫לֶד Genesis 21:16 +; plural יְלָדִים Genesis 33:1 +; construct יַלְדֵי Exodus 2:6 2t.; יִלְדֵיֿ Isaiah 57:4; suffix יְלָדַי Genesis 30:26; 2 Kings 4:1; יַלְדֵיהֶם Job 21:11; יַלְדֵיהֶן Genesis 33:2 4t., etc.; —

a. child = son, boy, Genesis 21:8,14,15,16; Genesis 37:30; Genesis 42:32 (all E), Genesis 32:23 (Dinah not included), compare Genesis 30:26; Genesis 33:1,2(twice in verse); Genesis 33:5 (twice in verse); Genesis 33:6,7,13; Genesis 37:14; Genesis 44:20 (all J); Exodus 1:17,18 ("" בֵּן Exodus 1:16), Exodus 2:3,6 (twice in verse); Exodus 2:7,8,9 (twice in verse); Exodus 2:10 (all E), Exodus 21:4 (E; app. = sons + daughters, but "" בָּנָי֫ Exodus 21:5); plural = offspring Exodus 21:24 (E; Hexateuch, only Genesis & Exodus, J E); also Ruth 1:5; Ruth 4:16; 2 Samuel 12:15,18 (4 t. in verse); 2 Samuel 12:19 (twice in verse); 2 Samuel 12:21 (twice in verse); 2 Samuel 12:22 (twice in verse); 1 Kings 3:25 (compare 1 Kings 3:20), 1 Kings 14:12; 1 Kings 17:21 (twice in verse); 1 Kings 17:22,23; 2 Kings 4:1 (compare 2 Kings 4:5) 2 Kings 4:18; 2 Kings 4:26; 2 Kings 4:34; 2 Kings 4:34; Isaiah 8:18; Isaiah 9:5 ("" בֵּן), Joel 4:3(opposed to יַלְדָּה), Zechariah 8:5 (id.); of young of raven Job 38:41; of wild goats and hinds Job 39:3; of cow and bear Isaiah 11:7.

b. (little) child, children 1 Samuel 1:2 (twice in verse); 2 Samuel 6:23; Ezra 10:1; Nehemiah 12:43; Job 21:11 ("" עֲוִילִים), Hosea 1:2; Lamentations 4:10; Isaiah 57:5.

c. descendants Isaiah 29:23, יַלְדֵי נכרים (compare בֵּן) Isaiah 2:6.

d. youth Genesis 4:23 (J), 1 Kings 12:8,10,14 2Chron 10:8; 10:10; 10:14; Daniel 1:4; Daniel 1:10; Daniel 1:13; Daniel 1:15; Daniel 1:17 compare 2 Kings 2:24 ("" נְעָרִים קְטַנִּים 2 Kings 2:23), Ecclesiastes 4:13,15.

e. figurative of apostate Israelites יִלְדֵיפֶֿשַׁע Isaiah 57:4 ("" זֶרַע שָׁ֑קֶר); compare, in good sense, ילד שַׁעֲשׁוּעִים Jeremiah 31:20 of Ephraim ("" בֵּן יַקִּיר).

Topical Lexicon

Scope and Frequency in Canon

יֶלֶד appears about eighty-nine times, predominantly in Genesis, Exodus, Judges, Samuel, Kings, Chronicles, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Zechariah and Malachi. The term embraces male offspring from infancy through adolescence, sometimes stressing vulnerability (Exodus 2:6), sometimes potential (Ecclesiastes 4:13), and often covenant promise (Genesis 15:4).

Semantic Field and Nuances

Although יֶלֶד is commonly rendered “child,” “boy,” or “youth,” its nuance shifts with context:
• Lineal heir (Genesis 21:8).
• Collective children (Exodus 1:17).
• Contrasting maturity and immaturity (Proverbs 22:15).
• Symbol of renewal or restoration (Isaiah 11:6).

The term may emphasize either helplessness requiring protection or the latent destiny vested in Israel’s next generation.

Covenantal Significance of Offspring

From the outset God weds redemptive history to progeny: “Look now toward the heavens… so shall your offspring be” (Genesis 15:5). Every יֶלֶד born within the covenant line validates divine faithfulness. The birth narratives of Isaac (Genesis 21:1-8), Samson (Judges 13:24), Samuel (1 Samuel 1:20), and Solomon (2 Samuel 12:24) each highlight Yahweh’s sovereign intervention. Conversely, threatened extinction of Hebrew boys in Egypt (Exodus 1:16) dramatizes satanic opposition to the seed-promise (cf. Genesis 3:15).

Children in Israel’s Storyline

1. Deliverance: The floating יֶלֶד Moses (Exodus 2:3-10) sets the stage for national redemption.
2. Kingship: David is introduced as a יֶלֶד tending sheep (1 Samuel 17:33) and becomes prototype of the future Messiah.
3. Exile and Hope: Jeremiah laments that “the precious sons of Zion… are regarded as earthen pots” (Lamentations 4:2), yet Zechariah envisions “boys and girls playing in the streets of Jerusalem” (Zechariah 8:5), portraying eschatological peace.

Legal Protections and Social Ethics

The Torah places children under special divine guardianship:
• Capital punishment for child sacrifice to Molech (Leviticus 20:2-5).
• Prohibition of social oppression: “Do not mistreat any widow or fatherless child” (Exodus 22:22).
• Inheritance rights safeguarded for sons and, in extraordinary cases, daughters (Numbers 27:8).

Such statutes anticipate Jesus’ affirmation, “Let the little children come to Me” (Matthew 19:14), revealing an unbroken ethical trajectory.

Wisdom Literature: Moral Formation

Proverbs addresses יֶלֶד as moldable: “Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him” (Proverbs 22:15). Ecclesiastes warns against the vanity of misdirected youth (Ecclesiastes 11:9-10), urging early remembrance of the Creator (Ecclesiastes 12:1).

Prophetic and Eschatological Motifs

Isaiah transforms the image of יֶלֶד into a vision of shalom: “A little child will lead them” (Isaiah 11:6). The birth of a royal child secures hope for Zion: “For to us a child is born, to us a Son is given” (Isaiah 9:6). Jeremiah’s “Rachel weeping for her children” (Jeremiah 31:15) merges immediate exile anguish with Messianic typology fulfilled in Matthew 2:17-18.

Messianic Anticipation and Fulfilment

The righteous branch descends from David’s line, not abstract lineage but embodied in a child. The Advent accounts of Jesus draw on Hebrew child imagery:
• Luke references Jesus as “the Child” multiple times (Luke 2:27, 40).
• Matthew cites Hosea 11:1 (“Out of Egypt I called My Son”) as typological replay of Exodus deliverance.

Thus Hebrew יֶלֶד themes culminate in the incarnation, where the eternal Son becomes a literal child.

Pastoral and Educational Implications

1. Sanctity of Life: Scripture’s reverence for יֶלֶד mandates church advocacy for unborn and born alike.
2. Intergenerational Discipleship: Parents are charged to “teach them diligently to your children” (Deuteronomy 6:7), underscoring family worship and catechesis.
3. Childlike Faith: Jesus extols receptivity characteristic of a child (Matthew 18:3), encouraging humility among believers.
4. Church Safety and Nurture: Following the Shepherd who gathers lambs in His arms (Isaiah 40:11), congregations must cultivate environments where children flourish spiritually and physically.

Summary

יֶלֶד is more than a demographic label; it is a theological signpost pointing to divine fidelity, human dependency, and eschatological hope realized in Christ and entrusted to coming generations.

Forms and Transliterations

בַיֶּ֖לֶד בילד הַיְלָדִ֔ים הַיְלָדִ֕ים הַיְלָדִ֗ים הַיְלָדִ֣ים הַיְלָדִֽים׃ הַיְלָדִים֙ הַיֶּ֔לֶד הַיֶּ֖לֶד הַיֶּ֗לֶד הַיֶּ֙לֶד֙ הַיֶּ֛לֶד הַיֶּ֜לֶד הַיֶּ֣לֶד הַיֶּ֤לֶד הַיֶּ֥לֶד הַיָּ֑לֶד הַיָּֽלֶד׃ הילד הילד׃ הילדים הילדים׃ וְ֝יַלְדֵיהֶ֗ם וְהַיְלָדִ֖ים וְהַיְלָדִ֤ים וְהַיְלָדִים֙ וְיֶ֖לֶד וְיֶ֥לֶד וְיַלְדֵ֣י וְיַלְדֵיהֶ֖ן וִֽילָדִ֔ים וִֽילָדֶ֙יהָ֙ וִילָדֶ֖יהָ וִילָדֶ֗יהָ וּבְיַלְדֵ֥י ובילדי והילדים וילד וילדי וילדיה וילדיהם וילדיהן וילדים יְ֭לָדָיו יְלָדִ֔ים יְלָדִ֖ים יְלָדִ֣ים יְלָדִֽים׃ יְלָדֶ֔יהָ יְלָדֶ֖יהָ יְלָדַ֗י יְלָדַ֛י יְלָדָ֑יו יְלָדָ֞יו יִלְדֵי־ יֶ֣לֶד יֶ֥לֶד יַלְדֵיהֶ֑ן יַלְדֵיהֶ֖ן יַלְדֵיהֶ֣ן יָ֑לֶד ילד ילדי ילדי־ ילדיה ילדיהן ילדיו ילדים ילדים׃ לַיָּ֑לֶד לילד מִיַּלְדֵ֥י מילדי ḇay·ye·leḏ ḇayyeleḏ haiYaled haiYeled hay·lā·ḏîm hay·yā·leḏ hay·ye·leḏ haylaDim haylāḏîm hayyāleḏ hayyeleḏ laiYaled lay·yā·leḏ layyāleḏ mî·yal·ḏê mîyalḏê miyalDei ū·ḇə·yal·ḏê ūḇəyalḏê uveyalDei vaiYeled vehaylaDim veyalDei veyaldeiHem veyaldeiHen veYeled vilaDeiha vilaDim wə·hay·lā·ḏîm wə·yal·ḏê wə·yal·ḏê·hem wə·yal·ḏê·hen wə·ye·leḏ wəhaylāḏîm wəyalḏê wəyalḏêhem wəyalḏêhen wəyeleḏ wî·lā·ḏe·hā wî·lā·ḏîm wîlāḏehā wîlāḏîm yā·leḏ yal·ḏê·hen yalḏêhen yaldeiHen Yaled yāleḏ yə·lā·ḏāw yə·lā·ḏay yə·lā·ḏe·hā yə·lā·ḏîm ye·leḏ yelaDai yelaDav yəlāḏāw yəlāḏay yəlāḏehā yelaDeiha yelaDim yəlāḏîm Yeled yeleḏ yil·ḏê- yilḏê- yildei

Englishman's Concordance

Genesis 4:23
HEB: הָרַ֙גְתִּי֙ לְפִצְעִ֔י וְיֶ֖לֶד לְחַבֻּרָתִֽי׃
NAS: for wounding me; And a boy for striking
KJV: to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt.
INT: have killed wounding boy striking

Genesis 21:8
HEB: וַיִּגְדַּ֥ל הַיֶּ֖לֶד וַיִּגָּמַ֑ל וַיַּ֤עַשׂ
NAS: The child grew and was weaned,
KJV: And the child grew, and was weaned:
INT: grew the child was weaned made

Genesis 21:14
HEB: שִׁכְמָ֛הּ וְאֶת־ הַיֶּ֖לֶד וַֽיְשַׁלְּחֶ֑הָ וַתֵּ֣לֶךְ
NAS: [them] on her shoulder, and [gave her] the boy, and sent her away.
KJV: [it] on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away:
INT: on her shoulder the boy and sent departed

Genesis 21:15
HEB: וַתַּשְׁלֵ֣ךְ אֶת־ הַיֶּ֔לֶד תַּ֖חַת אַחַ֥ד
NAS: up, she left the boy under
KJV: and she cast the child under one
INT: the skin left the boy under one

Genesis 21:16
HEB: אֶרְאֶ֖ה בְּמ֣וֹת הַיָּ֑לֶד וַתֵּ֣שֶׁב מִנֶּ֔גֶד
NAS: Do not let me see the boy die.
KJV: the death of the child. And she sat
INT: see die the boy down him

Genesis 30:26
HEB: נָשַׁ֣י וְאֶת־ יְלָדַ֗י אֲשֶׁ֨ר עָבַ֧דְתִּי
NAS: [me] my wives and my children for whom
KJV: [me] my wives and my children, for
INT: Give my wives and my children whom have served

Genesis 32:22
HEB: אַחַ֥ד עָשָׂ֖ר יְלָדָ֑יו וַֽיַּעֲבֹ֔ר אֵ֖ת
NAS: and his eleven children, and crossed
KJV: and his eleven sons, and passed over
INT: a ten children and crossed the ford

Genesis 33:1
HEB: וַיַּ֣חַץ אֶת־ הַיְלָדִ֗ים עַל־ לֵאָה֙
NAS: with him. So he divided the children among
KJV: And he divided the children unto Leah,
INT: men divided the children among Leah

Genesis 33:2
HEB: הַשְּׁפָח֛וֹת וְאֶת־ יַלְדֵיהֶ֖ן רִֽאשֹׁנָ֑ה וְאֶת־
NAS: the maids and their children in front,
KJV: the handmaids and their children foremost,
INT: put the maids and their children front and Leah

Genesis 33:2
HEB: וְאֶת־ לֵאָ֤ה וִֽילָדֶ֙יהָ֙ אַחֲרֹנִ֔ים וְאֶת־
NAS: and Leah and her children next,
KJV: and Leah and her children after,
INT: front and Leah children next and Rachel

Genesis 33:5
HEB: הַנָּשִׁים֙ וְאֶת־ הַיְלָדִ֔ים וַיֹּ֖אמֶר מִי־
NAS: the women and the children, and said,
KJV: the women and the children; and said,
INT: and saw the women and the children and said Who

Genesis 33:5
HEB: לָּ֑ךְ וַיֹּאמַ֕ר הַיְלָדִ֕ים אֲשֶׁר־ חָנַ֥ן
NAS: with you? So he said, The children whom
KJV: with thee? And he said, The children which God
INT: are these said the children whom has graciously

Genesis 33:6
HEB: הַשְּׁפָח֛וֹת הֵ֥נָּה וְיַלְדֵיהֶ֖ן וַתִּֽשְׁתַּחֲוֶֽיןָ׃
NAS: came near with their children, and they bowed down.
KJV: came near, they and their children, and they bowed themselves.
INT: the maids with their children bowed

Genesis 33:7
HEB: גַּם־ לֵאָ֛ה וִילָדֶ֖יהָ וַיִּֽשְׁתַּחֲו֑וּ וְאַחַ֗ר
NAS: near with her children, and they bowed
KJV: And Leah also with her children came near,
INT: likewise Leah her children bowed and afterward

Genesis 33:13
HEB: יֹדֵ֙עַ֙ כִּֽי־ הַיְלָדִ֣ים רַכִּ֔ים וְהַצֹּ֥אן
NAS: knows that the children are frail
KJV: knoweth that the children [are] tender,
INT: knows that the children are frail the flocks

Genesis 33:14
HEB: לְפָנַי֙ וּלְרֶ֣גֶל הַיְלָדִ֔ים עַ֛ד אֲשֶׁר־
NAS: me and according to the pace of the children, until
KJV: that goeth before me and the children be able to endure,
INT: are before to the pace of the children against I

Genesis 37:30
HEB: אֶחָ֖יו וַיֹּאמַ֑ר הַיֶּ֣לֶד אֵינֶ֔נּוּ וַאֲנִ֖י
NAS: and said, The boy is not [there]; as for me, where
KJV: and said, The child [is] not; and I, whither
INT: brothers and said the boy else me

Genesis 42:22
HEB: אַל־ תֶּחֶטְא֥וּ בַיֶּ֖לֶד וְלֹ֣א שְׁמַעְתֶּ֑ם
NAS: you, 'Do not sin against the boy; and you would not listen?
KJV: Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear?
INT: not sin the child not hear

Genesis 44:20
HEB: אָ֣ב זָקֵ֔ן וְיֶ֥לֶד זְקֻנִ֖ים קָטָ֑ן
NAS: and a little child of [his] old age.
KJV: an old man, and a child of his old age,
INT: father an old child of old little

Exodus 1:17
HEB: וַתְּחַיֶּ֖יןָ אֶת־ הַיְלָדִֽים׃
NAS: had commanded them, but let the boys live.
KJV: them, but saved the men children alive.
INT: of Egypt live the boys

Exodus 1:18
HEB: וַתְּחַיֶּ֖יןָ אֶת־ הַיְלָדִֽים׃
NAS: this thing, and let the boys live?
KJV: and have saved the men children alive?
INT: this alive the boys

Exodus 2:3
HEB: בָּהּ֙ אֶת־ הַיֶּ֔לֶד וַתָּ֥שֶׂם בַּסּ֖וּף
NAS: Then she put the child into it and set
KJV: and put the child therein; and she laid
INT: and pitch put the child and set the reeds

Exodus 2:6
HEB: וַתִּרְאֵ֣הוּ אֶת־ הַיֶּ֔לֶד וְהִנֵּה־ נַ֖עַר
NAS: [it], she saw the child, and behold,
KJV: [it], she saw the child: and, behold, the babe
INT: opened saw the child and behold boy

Exodus 2:6
HEB: עָלָ֔יו וַתֹּ֕אמֶר מִיַּלְדֵ֥י הָֽעִבְרִ֖ים זֶֽה׃
NAS: is one of the Hebrews' children.
KJV: This [is one] of the Hebrews' children.
INT: on and said children of the Hebrews' This

Exodus 2:7
HEB: לָ֖ךְ אֶת־ הַיָּֽלֶד׃
NAS: that she may nurse the child for you?
KJV: that she may nurse the child for thee?
INT: the Hebrew may nurse the child

89 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 3206
89 Occurrences

hay·yā·leḏ — 9 Occ.
hay·ye·leḏ — 26 Occ.
hay·lā·ḏîm — 17 Occ.
lay·yā·leḏ — 1 Occ.
mî·yal·ḏê — 1 Occ.
ū·ḇə·yal·ḏê — 1 Occ.
ḇay·ye·leḏ — 1 Occ.
wə·hay·lā·ḏîm — 3 Occ.
wə·yal·ḏê — 1 Occ.
wə·yal·ḏê·hem — 1 Occ.
wə·yal·ḏê·hen — 1 Occ.
wə·ye·leḏ — 2 Occ.
wî·lā·ḏe·hā — 3 Occ.
wî·lā·ḏîm — 1 Occ.
yal·ḏê·hen — 4 Occ.
yā·leḏ — 1 Occ.
yə·lā·ḏay — 2 Occ.
yə·lā·ḏāw — 3 Occ.
yə·lā·ḏe·hā — 2 Occ.
yə·lā·ḏîm — 5 Occ.
ye·leḏ — 3 Occ.
yil·ḏê- — 1 Occ.