H0269 H0269
Sister, female sibling or close kinswoman; idiomatically, 'counterpart' or 'one to another' of paired objects.
At its heart a kinship term for a female sibling -- Sarah as Abraham's half-sister (Gen 20:12), Miriam as Aaron's sister (Exod 15:20), Tamar as Absalom's sister (2 Sam 13:1). Spanish hermana, French soeur, and German Schwester all track the literal blood-kinship reading. In a handful of passages, however, the word takes an idiomatic turn: tabernacle curtains are joined 'each to her sister' (Exod 26:3), and cherub wings touch 'each its sister' (Ezek 1:9) -- a pairing idiom where the 'sister' is not a person but a matching counterpart.
Senses
1. sister (female sibling) — A female sibling or close female relative by blood -- the dominant kinship sense across 113 occurrences. Sarah called Abraham's sister (Gen 12:13; 20:2), Dinah as Jacob's daughter and the brothers' sister (Gen 34:13-31), Tamar and Absalom (2 Sam 13). Spanish hermana mia, French ma soeur, and German meine Schwester uniformly confirm the literal familial relationship. 113×
AR["أَحُوتِي", "أُختي", "أُختي-", "أُخْتَ", "أُخْتِي", "يا أُختي", "يا أُختي-"]·ben["আমার-বোন", "বোন", "বোন-আমার", "হে-আমার-বোন"]·DE["die-Schwester", "mein-Schwester", "meine-Schwester"]·EN["my-sister", "sister-my", "sister-of", "the-sister-of"]·FR["le-soeur-de", "ma-sœur,", "mon-soeur", "mon-sœur", "mon-sœur-moi", "soeur-de", "soeur-mon"]·heb["אחות", "אחות-י", "אחותי"]·HI["बहन", "बहन-मेरी", "मेरि-बहिन", "मेरी-बहन"]·ID["Saudariku", "saudara-perempuan", "saudara-perempuanku", "saudariku"]·IT["il-sorella-di", "mio-sorella", "sorella-di", "sorella-mio"]·jav["dhimas-kula", "rayi-èstri-kula", "sadherek-kula", "sadherekipun-èstri", "sadherèk", "sadherèk-èstri-kula", "sadhèrèk-èstri-kula", "sadhèrèkipun"]·KO["나-의-자매-다", "나의-누이", "내-누이라고", "내-누이여", "누이", "누이-나의", "누이-나의야", "누이-인", "자매"]·PT["Minha-irmã", "irmã-de", "irmã-minha", "minha-irmã"]·RU["«Сестра-моя", "сестра-моя", "сестру"]·ES["hermana-de", "hermana-mía", "mi-hermana"]·SW["dada-wa", "dada-ya", "dada-yangu", "kaka"]·TR["Kız-kardeşim", "Lavan'ın", "kiz-kardesim", "kız-kardeşi", "kız-kardeşim"]·urd["بہن", "بہن-میری", "میری-بہن"]
2. counterpart, one to another — An idiomatic extension meaning 'counterpart, matching piece, one to another,' applied to non-personal objects paired together. Tabernacle curtains are coupled 'each to her sister' (Exod 26:3, 5-6), and paired wings or boards stand 'each facing its sister' (Ezek 1:9; 3:13). Spanish su hermana and French sa soeur preserve the feminine possessive form even when the referent is an inanimate object, marking this as a frozen idiom rather than a living kinship use. 6×
AR["أُختِها", "مِنْ-أُخْتِهَا"]·ben["তাঁর-বোনের-প্রতি", "তার-বোনের"]·DE["auf-ihre-Schwester", "ihr-Schwester"]·EN["her-sister", "of-sister-her"]·FR["de-soeur-sa", "sa-soeur"]·heb["אחותה", "ב-אחות-ה"]·HI["अपनी-बहन-से", "दूसरी", "दूसरे"]·ID["saudaranya", "terhadap-saudara perempuannya"]·IT["di-sorella-suo", "suo-sorella"]·jav["dhateng-sadhèrèkipun", "sadhèrèkipun", "sadhèrèkipun,", "sadhèrèkipun."]·KO["그녀의-언니에게", "그의-자매에"]·PT["de-irmã-dela", "irmã-dela"]·RU["другой-её", "другому-его", "к-сестре-своей"]·ES["a-hermana-suya", "su-hermana"]·SW["kingine", "kwa-dada-yake", "lingine", "nyingine"]·TR["kız-kardeşini", "kızkardeşine"]·urd["بہن-اپنی-سے", "دوسری", "دوسرے"]
Related Senses
H0376 1. man, person, human male (2130×)H0251 1. brother (blood sibling) (573×)H0120 1. man, human being (individual/generic) (527×)H0802 1. woman, female person (519×)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×)H1755 1. generation, contemporaries (96×)G5043 1. child, offspring (89×)G0444 2. people, humankind (86×)H3206 1. child, boy, youth (86×)H2145 1. male (human being) (79×)G3384 1. mother (77×)H6485a 1. Qal passive participle: numbered ones, enrollment (76×)H1397 1. man (strong/mighty) (65×)H5291 1. young woman, girl (58×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† אָחוֹת114 n.f. sister (Ph. אחת, Aramaic אֲחָת, ܚܳܬܳܐ, Arabic أُخْتٌ, Assyrian aḫâtu, DlW Ethiopic እኅት Sab. in n.pr. אחֿתאמהו OsZMG 1865, 273)—abs. אָ׳ 2 S 13:1 + (never with art.); cstr. אֲחוֹת Gn 4:22 +; sf. אֲחֹתִי (אֲחוֹתִי) Gn 12:13 +, etc.; pl. sf. אַחְוֹתַי (Qr אַחְיוֹתַי) Jos 2:13; אֲחוֹתַיִךְ Ez 16:51 (Qr; Kt אחותך) + 2 times (Co all אחיו׳); אַחֲיוֹתֵךְ Ez 16:52 (Co ־תיך); אֲחוֹתֵךְ Ez…