Hebrew word · H979

בְּחוּרִים

mibechurav

youth

Youth, specifically the time of being a baḥûr: a young man in his prime, of marriageable and fighting age, strong and vigorous. Used only three times: Num 11:28 ('Joshua … from his youth'), Eccl 11:9, and here.

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

What it means

youth

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 Ecclesiastes 12:1

Range of meaning

Youth, specifically the time of being a baḥûr: a young man in his prime, of marriageable and fighting age, strong and vigorous. Used only three times: Num 11:28 ('Joshua … from his youth'), Eccl 11:9, and here.

Against the English

English 'youth' can suggest childhood or the teenage years. The Hebrew points to the full strength of young adulthood, the peak of one's powers.

Used elsewhere in the period

The related noun baḥûr ('young man, choice young man') often appears alongside 'virgin' or 'old man' as a picture of strength (Prov 20:29: 'the glory of young men is their strength'). Ecclesiastes 11:9–10 uses three words for this season: yaldût ('youth'), šaḥărût ('the dawn of life' or 'black hair'), and bəḥûrôt.

From the study of Numbers 11:28

Range of meaning

An abstract plural meaning 'youth, young manhood'. It refers to the vigorous prime of a young adult, not childhood. It is related to bāḥûr, 'young man' (a man of fighting or marrying age). Both are often linked by folk etymology to bāḥar, 'to choose', and that link lies behind the 'chosen' readings.

Against the English

BSB, ESV, NASB, NIV and NLT: 'from/since his youth'. KJV and YLT: '[one] of his young men'. WEB: 'one of his chosen men'.

Used elsewhere in the period

The abstract noun occurs elsewhere only in Eccl 11:9 and 12:1 ('in the days of your youth'). The Septuagint has ho eklektos, 'the chosen one', and the Vulgate has electus, 'chosen'. This shows the ambiguity was felt very early.

Where it appears

Numbers · 1

  1. Numbers 11:28 מִבְּחֻרָ֖יו from youth<s> his

    Joshua son of Nun, the attendant to Moses since youth, spoke up and said, “Moses, my lord, stop them!”

    Here: As the Masoretes vowelled it, this means 'from his young manhood', so Joshua has served Moses since he was a young man. The same consonants could also be read 'from his young men' or 'the chosen one' (see textual notes).

Ecclesiastes · 2

  1. Ecclesiastes 11:9 בְחוּרוֹתֶ֔ךָ youth<s> your

    Rejoice, O young man, while you are young, and let your heart be glad in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and in the sight of your eyes, but know that for all these things God will bring you to judgment.

    Here: An abstract noun from the same root as bachur: 'your young-manhood.' The exact phrase comes back in 12:1, 'Remember your Creator in the days of your young-manhood,' which ties the two verses together.

  2. Ecclesiastes 12:1 בְּחוּרֹתֶ֑יךָ youth<s> your

    Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of adversity come and the years approach of which you will say, “I find no pleasure in them,”

    Here: The prime of young manhood, the years of full strength and vigour (related to baḥûr, 'young man'). A rare word, used just before this in 11:9, 'in the days of your youth.'

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