Hebrew word · H3211

יָלִיד

yelid

born

'Those born of his house': people born into a household as slaves or dependents. Genesis 17:12-13, 23, 27 sets them alongside 'those bought with money'. In Leviticus 22:11 they belong to a priest's household closely enough to eat the holy food.

Appears 13 times in 13 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

born

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Genesis 14:14

Range of meaning

'Those born of his house': people born into a household as slaves or dependents. Genesis 17:12-13, 23, 27 sets them alongside 'those bought with money'. In Leviticus 22:11 they belong to a priest's household closely enough to eat the holy food.

Against the English

Modern versions say 'born in his household/house', which is accurate. English readers, though, may hear 'family members' or picture modern domestic help. The phrase names a legal and social class: dependents born into the estate, below free kin but part of the household and under its protection.

Used elsewhere in the period

Akkadian legal texts have a similar category, wilid bītim, 'born of the house', for house-born slaves. In Genesis 15:3 Abram says 'a son of my house' (ben-bêtî) will be his heir, which shows how fully such people belonged to the household.

From the study of Joshua 15:14

Range of meaning

One born. In the phrase 'born of the house' it means a slave born into a household (Gen 14:14; 17:12). With a group name, as in 'those born of the Anak' or 'those born of the Rapha', it means a descendant or member by birth, and some argue a member of a warrior class.

Against the English

KJV/NASB/WEB 'the children of Anak', ESV 'descendants'. 'Children' can make modern readers think of young people. The word means people of that lineage, here grown warriors and clan heads.

How it drifted

The English word 'children' has narrowed toward 'young offspring'. In older English, as in Hebrew, it could mean descendants of any age.

Used elsewhere in the period

2 Sam 21:16, 18 ('born of the Rapha'), describing the Philistine giant-warriors; 1 Chr 20:4, 8. Some scholars (notably C. E. L'Heureux) have argued that the Rapha phrase names a warrior group devoted to a figure called Rapha, not a family tree. The idea is debated.

From the study of Genesis 17:12

Range of meaning

'One born of the house': a slave born to slaves within the household, owned from birth. It is a set legal-social term, contrasted with the slave 'bought with silver.'

Against the English

KJV/WEB 'born in the house' and BSB 'born in your household' are literal. Modern readers might take it to mean the family's own sons. In fact it refers to slaves born on the estate, since the family's sons were already covered by 'every male.'

Used elsewhere in the period

Abraham's 318 'trained men, born in his house' (Gen 14:14). A priest's slave 'born in his house' may eat holy food (Lev 22:11). Jeremiah 2:14: 'Is Israel a slave? Is he a home-born slave?' An Akkadian equivalent, wilid bītim ('born of the house'), is a standard term for house-born slaves in Old Babylonian records.

Where it appears

Genesis · 5

  1. Genesis 14:14 יְלִידֵ֣י those born of

    And when Abram heard that his relative had been captured, he mobilized the 318 trained men born in his household, and they set out in pursuit as far as Dan.

    Here: 'Ones born of', a technical term for slaves or dependents born inside a household, as opposed to those bought with money (Gen 17:12-13, 23, 27). People raised in the household were regarded as its most loyal members.

  2. Genesis 17:12 יְלִ֣יד one born of

    Generation after generation, every male must be circumcised when he is eight days old, including those born in your household and those purchased from a foreigner—even those who are not your offspring.

    Here: 'One born (in)': in the fixed phrase yelid bayit, a slave born in the household to slave parents, as opposed to one bought from outside.

  3. Genesis 17:13 יְלִ֥יד [the] one born of

    Whether they are born in your household or purchased, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh will be an everlasting covenant.

  4. Genesis 17:23 יְלִידֵ֤י those born of

    On that very day Abraham took his son Ishmael and all those born in his household or purchased with his money—every male among the members of Abraham’s household—and he circumcised them, just as God had told him.

  5. Genesis 17:27 יְלִ֣יד one born of

    And all the men of Abraham’s household—both servants born in his household and those purchased from foreigners—were circumcised with him.

Leviticus · 1

  1. Leviticus 22:11 וִילִ֣יד and [the] one born of

    But if a priest buys a slave with his own money, or if a slave is born in his household, that slave may eat his food.

Numbers · 2

  1. Numbers 13:22 יְלִידֵ֖י those born of

    They went up through the Negev and came to Hebron, where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak, dwelled. It had been built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.

    Here: 'Born ones of.' It means people belonging to the Anak line or group by birth: descendants or members, not small children. Similar wording in 2 Sam 21:16, 18 may refer to a warrior group as well as to family descent.

  2. Numbers 13:28 יְלִדֵ֥י those born of

    Nevertheless, the people living in the land are strong, and the cities are large and fortified. We even saw the descendants of Anak there.

Joshua · 1

  1. Joshua 15:14 יְלִידֵ֖י those born of

    And Caleb drove out from there the three sons of Anak—the descendants of Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai, the children of Anak.

    Here: 'Those born of'. The word marks people by their birth-group. The same pattern appears in 'those born of the Rapha' (2 Sam 21:16, 18), the Philistine champions of David's day. It names the three by their lineage or class: they belong to the Anak.

2 Samuel · 2

  1. 2 Samuel 21:16 בִּילִידֵ֣י [was] among those born of

    Then Ishbi-benob, a descendant of Rapha, whose bronze spear weighed three hundred shekels and who was bearing a new sword, resolved to kill David.

  2. 2 Samuel 21:18 בִּילִדֵ֥י [was] among those born of

    Some time later at Gob, there was another battle with the Philistines. At that time Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Saph, a descendant of Rapha.

1 Chronicles · 1

  1. 1 Chronicles 20:4 מִילִדֵ֥י one of those born of

    Some time later, war broke out with the Philistines at Gezer. At that time Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Sippai, a descendant of the Rephaim, and the Philistines were subdued.

Jeremiah · 1

  1. Jeremiah 2:14 יְלִ֥יד one born of

    Is Israel a slave? Was he born into slavery? Why then has he become prey?

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.