Hebrew word · H5209

נִין

nin

offspring

Offspring and descendants. The two words appear only together, and only three times in the Hebrew Bible, so their exact difference cannot be fixed. Lexicons such as BDB give 'offspring' and 'posterity'. The origin of neked is unclear.

Appears 3 times in 3 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

offspring, posterity

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 Isaiah 14:22

Range of meaning

Offspring and descendants. The two words appear only together, and only three times in the Hebrew Bible, so their exact difference cannot be fixed. Lexicons such as BDB give 'offspring' and 'posterity'. Nin may be related to a verb meaning to sprout or increase, possibly the verb in Psalm 72:17 ('may his name increase'), but this is uncertain. The origin of neked is unclear.

Against the English

KJV: 'son and nephew'. WEB: 'son and son's son'. BSB: 'offspring and posterity'. ESV: 'descendants and posterity'. YLT: 'continuator and successor'. The first two pick specific relatives, while the others keep it general, which better reflects the evidence.

How it drifted

KJV's 'nephew' was accurate in 1611, when it could mean a grandson or descendant (from Latin nepos). English later narrowed it to a brother's or sister's son.

Used elsewhere in the period

Genesis 21:23: King Abimelech asks Abraham to swear not to deal falsely with him or his nin and neked. Job 18:19: the wicked man has no nin or neked among his people, nor any survivor where he lived. Outside the Hebrew Bible, the surviving Hebrew of Sirach 47:22 appears to use the same pair with this very verb and the same le- construction, saying God will not cut off nin and neked from his chosen. It is a striking opposite of this verse, though that Hebrew text survives in damaged, late copies.

Where it appears

Genesis · 1

  1. Genesis 21:23 וּלְנִינִ֖י and to posterity my

    Now, therefore, swear to me here before God that you will not deal falsely with me or my children or descendants. Show to me and to the country in which you reside the same kindness that I have shown to you.”

Job · 1

  1. Job 18:19 נִ֤ין posterity

    He has no offspring or posterity among his people, no survivor where he once lived.

Isaiah · 1

  1. Isaiah 14:22 וְנִ֥ין and posterity

    “I will rise up against them,” declares the LORD of Hosts. “I will cut off from Babylon her name and her remnant, her offspring and her posterity,” declares the LORD.

    Here: A rare word for descendants, used in the Hebrew Bible only here, in Genesis 21:23 and in Job 18:19, always paired with the next word. It looks forward to the family's future generations.

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