βρέφος G1025
A baby, infant, or unborn child; also the period of infancy or earliest childhood.
Denotes a very young child — whether still in the womb, newly born, or in earliest infancy. Luke uses it vividly for the unborn John leaping in Elizabeth's womb (Luke 1:41, 44) and for the newborn Jesus lying in a manger (Luke 2:12, 16). In Luke 18:15 people bring their infants to Jesus. A single occurrence in 2 Timothy 3:15 extends the word abstractly to mean 'from infancy,' pointing not to a child but to a stage of life — Timothy has known the sacred writings from his very earliest days.
Senses
1. baby, infant (person) — A baby, infant, or unborn child as a person. Covers the unborn child leaping in the womb (Luke 1:41, 44), the newborn wrapped in cloths (Luke 2:12, 16), and infants brought to Jesus (Luke 18:15). Spanish 'bebé/infantes,' French 'bébé/petit-enfant,' and German 'Säugling' all point to the concrete, personal referent — a very small, dependent human being, whether prenatal or just born. 7×
AR["أطفالٍ","أَطْفَالَ","الْجَنِينُ","رُضَّعَ","طِفْلًا","طِفْلَ"]·ben["শিশু","শিশুকে","শিশুদের","শিশুরা"]·DE["Saeugling","βρέφη","βρέφος"]·EN["a-baby","baby","infants"]·FR["bébé","petit-enfant"]·heb["עֻבָּר","עוֹלְלֵיהֶם","תִּינוֹק","תִּינוֹקוֹת","תִּנֹקוֹת"]·HI["बच्चे","बच्चों","बच्चों-को","बालक"]·ID["bayi","bayi-bayi"]·IT["bambino","brephē","neonato"]·jav["bayi,","bayi-bayi","jabang-bayi","jabang-bayi,","lare,"]·KO["아기-가","아기-를","아기들","아기들-을","아기들을"]·PT["bebê","bebês","crianças,"]·RU["Младенца","младенец","младенцев","младенцы,"]·ES["bebé","bebés","infantes","niños"]·SW["mtoto","watoto","watoto-wachanga"]·TR["bebek","bebekler","bebeği","yapmalarına"]·urd["بچوں","بچہ","بچے","بچے،"]
2. infancy (period of life) — The period or stage of infancy, used abstractly rather than as a reference to a particular child. In 2 Timothy 3:15 Paul writes that Timothy has known the holy Scriptures 'from infancy' (apo brephous), where the word denotes the earliest phase of life. Spanish 'infancia' captures this temporal, abstract usage in contrast to the concrete 'bebé' used elsewhere. 1×
AR["الطُّفولَةِ"]·ben["শিশু"]·DE["Saeugling"]·EN["infancy"]·FR["petit-enfant"]·heb["יַלְדוּת"]·HI["बचपन"]·ID["kanak-kanak"]·IT["brephous"]·jav["bayi"]·KO["유아기-때부터"]·RU["младенчества"]·ES["infancia"]·SW["utoto"]·TR["bebeklikten"]·urd["بچپن-سے"]
Related Senses
H0376 1. man, person, human male (2130×)H0001 1. father, immediate male parent (1031×)H0251 1. brother (blood sibling) (573×)H0120 1. man, human being (individual/generic) (527×)H0802 1. woman, female person (519×)G0444 1. human being, person (469×)G3962 1. father or divine Father (413×)G0080 1. brother, fellow believer (343×)H0802 2. wife, spouse (255×)H0517 1. mother, female parent (217×)G0435 1. man, male person (202×)G1135 1. woman, adult female (190×)H2233 1. offspring, descendants (172×)H0001 2. ancestor, forefather (146×)H5288 1. Youth, young man (122×)H0269 1. sister (female sibling) (113×)H1755 1. generation, contemporaries (96×)G5043 1. child, offspring (89×)G0444 2. people, humankind (86×)H3206 1. child, boy, youth (86×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
βρέφος, εος, τό, babe in the womb, foetus, β. ἡμίονον κυέουσαν, of a mare, Refs 8th c.BC+ __II new-born babe, LXX+5th c.BC+, etc.; of beasts, foal, whelp, cub, etc., Refs 5th c.BC+; nestling, Refs 4th c.AD+; ἐκ βρέφεος from babyhood, NT. (Cf. Slavonic žrèbę 'foal'.)