Strong's Hebrew: 5289. נַ֫עַר (naar) -- Boy, lad, youth, servant

◄ 5289. naar ►

Lexical Summary

naar: Boy, lad, youth, servant

Original Word: נַעַר
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: na`ar
Pronunciation: nah-AR
Phonetic Spelling: (nah'-ar)
KJV: young one
NASB: scattered
Word Origin: [from H5287 (נָעַר - overthrew) in its derivative sense of tossing about]

1. a wanderer

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

young one

From na'ar in its derivative sense of tossing about; a wanderer -- young one.

see HEBREW na'ar

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from naar
Definition
a shaking, scattering
NASB Translation
scattered (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

II. נַ֫עַר₂₃₉ noun masculine

1 boy, lad, youth.

2 retainer (not in P) (Late Hebrew as Biblical Hebrew; Phoenician נער Lzb³²⁴); — ׳נ absolute Genesis 37:2 +; construct 1 Samuel 2:13 +; suffix נַעֲרוֺ Judges 19:3 +, נַעֲרָהּ 2 Kings 4:24; plural נְעָרִים 1 Samuel 25:5 +, construct נַעֲרֵי Exodus 24:5 +; suffix נְעָרַי Nehemiah 4:10; Nehemiah 5:10, etc.; —

1 boy, lad, youth (c. 133 t.)

a. of infant Exodus 2:6 (E; 3 months old), to be born Judges 13:5,7,8,12, just born 1 Samuel 4:21, not weaned 1 Samuel 1:22; also Isaiah 8:4, compare Isaiah 7:16 +.

b. of lad just weaned 1 Samuel 1:24 (strike out 2nd נער, compare further Dr Bu HPS), 1 Samuel 1:25; 1 Samuel 1:27, etc.

c. = youth: of young Ishmael Genesis 21:12f. (E), Isaac Genesis 22:5,12 (E), Joseph Genesis 37:2 (E; 17 years old), Benjamin Genesis 43:8; Genesis 44:22 f. (J), sons of Samuel 1 Samuel 2:17, of Jesse 1 Samuel 16:11; קָטֹן ׳נ little lad 1 Samuel 20:35; 1 Kings 3:7; 2 Kings 5:14; Isaiah 11:6, קָטָן ׳נ 1 Kings 11:17, plural 2 Kings 2:23.

d. ׳נ with special stress on youthfulness Judges 8:20; 1 Samuel 17:33,42; Hosea 11:1; Isaiah 3:4 compare Ecclesiastes 10:16; Isaiah 3:5; Isaiah 10:19; Jeremiah 1:6,7; 1 Chronicles 22:5; 1 Chronicles 29:1; 2Chronicles 13:7; 34:3; so in phrase וְעַד זָקֵן ׳מִנּ Genesis 19:4 (J), Joshua 6:21 (J), Esther 3:13 compare Exodus 10:9 (E), Deuteronomy 28:50; Isaiah 20:4; Isaiah 65:20; Jeremiah 51:22; Lamentations 2:21; Psalm 37:25; Psalm 148:12; Proverbs 22:6.

e. of marriageable age Genesis 34:19 (J), warrior Absalom 2 Samuel 18:5,12 +, Zadok 1 Chronicles 12:28, etc.

2 servant, retainer (c. 105 t):

a. = personal attendant, household servant, Numbers 22:22 (J), Judges 7:10; Judges 7:11; Judges 19:3; 1 Samuel 9:3f.; 2 Kings 4:12; 2 Kings 4:25 #NAME?

b. = retainer, follower Genesis 14:24; 1 Samuel 25:5f.; 2 Samuel 2:14f.; 1 Kings 20:14f.; 2 Kings 19:6 = Isaiah 37:6; Job 1:15,16,17; Nehemiah 4:10; Nehemiah 4:17 #NAME? Zechariah 11:16 is corrupt, compare We Now. —

Note. נער occurs in Pentateuch as Kt with Qr perpet. נַעֲרָה q. v.

Topical Lexicon

Semantic Range and Related Expressions

The term commonly rendered “young man,” “boy,” or “youth” conveys more than biological age. In narrative settings it can refer to:
• an infant or small child (Exodus 2:6)
• an adolescent still under parental authority (Genesis 22:5)
• a late-teen or early-adult attendant, soldier, or apprentice (1 Samuel 17:33; 2 Samuel 2:14)
• a personal servant regardless of age, where status rather than years is in view (Genesis 18:7)

Youth in the Redemptive Narrative

1. Promise and testing: Abraham calls Isaac “the boy” when demonstrating faith on Moriah (Genesis 22:5). The scene links youthful vulnerability with covenant assurance: “We will worship and then we will return to you.”
2. Providential shaping: Joseph is introduced as “a young man of seventeen” (Genesis 37:2). His naïveté becomes the crucible in which God fashions a deliverer for Israel.
3. Deliverer in training: Moses is preserved as a helpless child (Exodus 2:6) and later served by Joshua, “a young man who did not leave the tent” (Exodus 33:11), underscoring generational succession in leadership.
4. Voice of Revelation: “The boy Samuel was ministering to the LORD before Eli” (1 Samuel 3:1). Youth is no barrier to prophetic calling when the heart is attentive: “Speak, for Your servant is listening” (1 Samuel 3:10).
5. Messianic pattern: David, dismissed as “only a boy” (1 Samuel 17:33), pre-figures the greater Shepherd-King whose apparent weakness conquers the giant of sin.

Roles and Responsibilities

• Household service: The term often denotes trusted aides who execute critical tasks (Genesis 18:7; 24:2–12).
• Military service: Young armor-bearers such as Jonathan’s companion (1 Samuel 14:6–14) illustrate courage beyond years.
• Cultic ministry: Levite assistants are labeled youths in Chronicles, showing that worship training begins early (1 Chronicles 23:24).
• Royal administration: Absalom’s revolt is driven by the charisma of “the young man Absalom” (2 Samuel 18:32), warning of unbridled ambition.

Moral and Spiritual Formation

Proverbs places the “youth” at the crossroads of wisdom and folly. “My son, give me your heart” (Proverbs 23:26) summarizes parental responsibility. Ecclesiastes urges, “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth” (Ecclesiastes 12:1), anchoring identity in worship before the storms of adulthood. Discipline, modeled in Proverbs 22:6, is formative, not punitive: it bends the twig while tender so the tree will grow straight.

Prophetic and Eschatological Imagery

Isaiah envisions renewed creation where “a little child will lead them” (Isaiah 11:6), portraying restored innocence and peace. Zechariah pictures city streets full of “boys and girls playing” (Zechariah 8:5), a tangible pledge of covenant blessing after exile.

Christological Echoes

The Gospel writers describe Jesus at twelve engaging teachers in the temple (Luke 2:42-52), embodying the ideal Hebrew “naʿar” whose delight is in His Father’s house. His readiness to submit to earthly parents while conscious of divine mission fulfills the balance of obedience and calling highlighted throughout the Old Testament.

Pastoral and Ministry Applications

1. Early engagement: Scripture’s pattern justifies involving children and teens in meaningful service.
2. Mentoring: Eli, Samuel, Elijah, and Elisha exemplify transfer of spiritual legacy through close, inter-generational relationships.
3. Guarding potential: Biblical narratives both celebrate and caution—Absalom and Rehoboam reveal the ruin that follows unformed character granted premature power.
4. Hopeful outlook: Even when Jeremiah laments, “I am only a youth” (Jeremiah 1:6), the LORD replies, “Do not say ‘I am only a youth’… for I am with you” (Jeremiah 1:7-8). God’s call transcends limitations imposed by self or society.

Summary

Although the specific lexical form at Strong’s 5289 does not surface in the canonical text, its wider family of usages weaves throughout the Old Testament a theology of youth that affirms dignity, responsibility, and destiny under God’s sovereign hand. From Isaac’s quiet trust to David’s courageous faith, from Samuel’s listening ear to Jeremiah’s prophetic fire, the Scriptures consistently portray the “young man” as a vessel through whom the LORD advances His redemptive purposes—an enduring summons for the Church to nurture, disciple, and deploy the next generation for the glory of God.

Links

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