Hebrew word · H6185

עֲרִירִי

'ariri

childless

“Childless,” “without offspring.” It is probably related to a root meaning “to strip, lay bare,” so it has the feel of being left bare with no line to follow you. It occurs only four times: Gen 15:2; Lev 20:20, 21; Jer 22:30.

Appears 4 times in 4 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

stripped, childless, bare of children

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 15:2

Range of meaning

“Childless,” “without offspring.” It is probably related to a root meaning “to strip, lay bare,” so it has the feel of being left bare with no line to follow you. It occurs only four times: Gen 15:2; Lev 20:20, 21; Jer 22:30.

Against the English

“Childless” is accurate but sounds clinical, like a family-status label. The Hebrew word comes from curse and penalty settings and carries the sense of a line being cut off.

Used elsewhere in the period

Lev 20:20–21: illicit unions are punished with “they shall die childless.” Jer 22:30: “Write this man down childless” over King Jehoiachin, meaning no descendant of his will reign. In both places the word means the end of a man's name and inheritance. Ancient Near Eastern curse formulas likewise threaten an enemy with having no heir or no “name.”

From the study of Jeremiah 22:30

Range of meaning

From a root meaning 'to strip, lay bare' (compare ʿarʿar, a bare shrub in the desert, Jeremiah 17:6). It describes a person 'stripped' of descendants: childless, without an heir. It occurs only four times: Genesis 15:2, Leviticus 20:20–21, and here.

Against the English

'Childless' (KJV, BSB, WEB, ESV) is the right word, but a modern reader takes it as a medical fact, someone with no children. The NIV's 'as if childless' shows the actual sense: he is to be recorded as having no heir.

How it drifted

There is no real drift in the word itself. The confusion comes from reading it as a statement about biology instead of a legal and dynastic verdict.

Used elsewhere in the period

In Genesis 15:2 Abram 'goes ʿărîrî,' and his concern is inheritance: Eliezer of Damascus will be his heir. In Leviticus 20:20–21 the penalty for certain forbidden unions is that the couple 'will die ʿărîrî.' Many interpreters think this means children from such a union would not be counted as their legal heirs, not that no children would be born. So in every use the word is about legal heirs, not just about having children. Babylonian ration tablets from Nebuchadnezzar's palace (published by Weidner, 1939; see ANET 308) list oil rations for 'Yaukin, king of the land of Yahud' and his five sons. Coniah had sons, which matches 1 Chronicles 3:17–18.

Where it appears

Genesis · 1

  1. Genesis 15:2 עֲרִירִ֑י childless

    But Abram replied, “O Lord GOD, what can You give me, since I remain childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”

    Here: “Childless,” probably from a root meaning “stripped, bare.” It is a heavy word. Elsewhere it names a curse that cuts off a man's line (Lev 20:20–21; Jer 22:30).

Leviticus · 2

  1. Leviticus 20:20 עֲרִירִ֥ים childless

    If a man lies with his uncle’s wife, he has uncovered the nakedness of his uncle. They will bear their sin; they shall die childless.

  2. Leviticus 20:21 עֲרִירִ֥ים childless

    If a man marries his brother’s wife, it is an act of impurity. He has uncovered the nakedness of his brother; they shall be childless.

Jeremiah · 1

  1. Jeremiah 22:30 עֲרִירִ֔י childless

    This is what the LORD says: “Enroll this man as childless, a man who will not prosper in his lifetime. None of his descendants will prosper to sit on the throne of David or to rule again in Judah.”

    Here: 'Childless,' or more exactly 'stripped bare, without an heir.' In a register this would mean he has no one to inherit from him. The point is succession: no son of his will inherit the throne, even though he did father sons (1 Chronicles 3:17–18).

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