νήπῐος G3516
Infant, young child; figuratively, one who is spiritually immature or, rarely, gentle and tender.
Originally meaning a baby or small child, this adjective-noun spans from cradle to character. Jesus praises the Father for revealing truth to 'infants' rather than the wise (Matt 11:25; Luke 10:21), and the Psalms celebrate praise from the mouths of nursing babies (Matt 21:16). Paul repurposes the word to rebuke spiritual immaturity in Corinth and Galatia (1 Cor 3:1; Gal 4:1-3). A striking outlier appears in 1 Thessalonians 2:7, where several manuscripts read 'we became gentle (nepioi) among you,' evoking a nursing mother's tenderness. Spanish 'ninos/infantes', French 'enfant/petit-enfant', and German 'Unmundige' all track the age-based core, while the metaphorical extension to immaturity or gentleness requires context to surface.
Senses
1. infant, young child — A literal infant or very young child. Jesus thanks the Father for revealing truth to 'nepioi' (Matt 11:25; Luke 10:21), and Paul calls the Corinthians infants in Christ (1 Cor 3:1). Spanish 'infantes/ninos', French 'enfant', and German 'Unmundige' all converge on the image of one too young to reason. Romans 2:20 uses it of the spiritually untaught who still need a guide. 12×
AR["أَطفالًا","أَطْفالٍ","الأَطفالِ","الطِّفلِ","طِفلًا","طِفلٍ","طِفْلٌ","لِأَطفالٍ","لِأَطْفالٍ","لِلْأَطفالِ"]·ben["শিশু","শিশু,","শিশু;","শিশুদের","শিশুদের,","শিশুর।"]·DE["Unmundige","νηπίοις","νηπίων"]·EN["an-infant","infant","infants","of-infants","to-infants"]·FR["enfant","petit-enfant"]·heb["יְלָדִים","לְ-יוֹנְקִים","לְעוֹלְלִים","עוֹלְלִים","עוֹלֵל","פְּעוֹטִים","תִּינוֹק","תִּנוֹקוֹת"]·HI["बअलकोन-को","बचचे","बालक","बालकों","बालकों-का","बालकों-पर","शिशु"]·ID["anak-anak,","anak-anak-kecil","bayi","bayi-bayi","kanak-kanak"]·IT["bambino","infante","nepiois","nepion"]·jav["bayi","dhateng-bayi.","jabang-bayi","lare-alit","lare-alit,","laré-alit"]·KO["아기들-에게","어린아이","어린아이-의","어린아이들,","어린아이들에게","유아들-의","유아들과","유아이니"]·PT["a-crianças","criança","criança,","criança.","criança;","crianças,","de-crianças"]·RU["младенец","младенцам","младенцами,","младенцев","младенцем","младенческое"]·ES["a-infantes","a-niños","de-niños","niño","niños"]·SW["kwa-watoto-wachanga","mtoto","mtoto-mchanga","utoto","wa-watoto","wanaonyonya","watoto","watoto-wachanga","watoto-wadogo."]·TR["bebek","bebekler","bebeklere","bebeklerin","bebeklerin,","gibi-","çocuk","şeyleri"]·urd["بچوں","بچوں-پر","بچوں-کا","بچوں-کے","بچّوں-پر","بچپن","بچہ","بچے"]
2. immature, childish — Spiritual or intellectual immaturity. In Galatians 4:1-3, Paul compares the heir who is still a minor ('nepios') to believers under the old covenant's guardianship. Spanish 'nino' and French 'petit-enfant' retain the child image, but the context clearly shifts from physical age to developmental stage in understanding. The contrast with mature heirs makes the metaphor pointed. 2×
AR["قاصِرينَ","قاصِرٌ"]·ben["শিশু","শিশুরা,"]·DE["Unmundige"]·EN["child","children"]·FR["petit-enfant"]·heb["קְטַנִּים","קָטָן"]·HI["बचच","बचचे,"]·ID["anak-anak-kecil","anak-kecil"]·IT["infante"]·jav["alit","alit,"]·KO["어린아이","어린아이들,"]·PT["menino","meninos"]·RU["младенец","младенцами"]·ES["niño","niños"]·SW["mtoto","watoto"]·TR["çocuk","çocuklar"]·urd["نابالغ"]
3. gentle, tender — Gentle and tender, like a nursing mother. In 1 Thessalonians 2:7, a textual variant yields 'we were gentle (nepioi) among you, like a nursing mother.' This sense is rare and debated, but Spanish 'tiernos' (tender) uniquely captures the nurturing warmth. Here the infant image flips: Paul becomes the baby-soft caretaker rather than the baby. Only one occurrence supports this reading. 1×
AR["لُطَفاءَ"]·ben["কোমল"]·DE["Unmundige"]·EN["gentle"]·FR["petit-enfant"]·heb["עֲדִינִים"]·HI["कोमल"]·ID["lemah-lembut"]·IT["infante"]·jav["lembut"]·KO["온유한-자들로"]·PT["gentis"]·RU["кроткими"]·ES["tiernos"]·SW["wapole"]·TR["yumuşak"]·urd["نرم"]
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×)G2309 1. want, desire (166×)H0001 2. ancestor, forefather (146×)G0025 1. to love actively (133×)H0157 1. love (verb, active Qal) (129×)H8055 1. Qal: rejoice, be glad (123×)H5288 1. Youth, young man (122×)H7453 1. neighbor, fellow man (120×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
νήπῐος, α Refs 2nd c.AD+, Ionic dialect η, ον, also ος, ον Refs 3rd c.BC+:— infant, child, frequently in Refs 8th c.BC+; ἐκ νηπίου from a child, from infancy, [τὸ ἡδὺ] ἐκ ν. ἡμῖν συντέθραπται Refs 2nd c.BC+; infant in law, minor, ἐφ᾽ ὅσον ὁ κληρονόμος ν. ἐστιν NT; of children up to puberty, αἱ τῶν ν. ἐκλάμψιες Refs 5th c.BC+; but of the foetus in its early stage, Refs 5th c.BC+ __2 less…