H3173 H3173
Only, unique, solitary; describing an only child, one's precious irreplaceable life, or a person alone and lonely.
Yachid carries an ache of singularity. Its primary force is 'only one'—Abraham's 'only son' Isaac (Gen 22:2, 12, 16), where the weight of the word intensifies the sacrifice beyond measure. Arabic wahid and Aramaic yechidai share this same root sense. In the Psalms, the feminine yechidati becomes a poetic name for the psalmist's own life—'my only one,' the singular, irreplaceable self threatened by enemies (Ps 22:20, 35:17). And in Psalm 25:16 and 68:6, yachid shifts to describe the lonely and isolated, those whom God draws into community.
Senses
1. only (child/son), unique — An only child or only son, emphasizing uniqueness and irreplaceability. Arabic wahid and Aramaic yechidai converge on this meaning. Genesis 22:2 layers the word with devastating pathos—'your son, your only one.' Judges 11:34 echoes this with Jephthah's daughter, 'she was his only child.' Proverbs 4:3 recalls a tender childhood as 'the only one before my mother.' The sense is not mere singularity but preciousness born of singularity. 8×
AR["الْوَحِيدِ", "وَ-وَحِيدًا", "وَحيدَةٌ", "وَحِيدٍ", "وَحِيدَكَ"]·ben["একমাত্র", "একমাত্র-তোমার", "একমাত্র-সন্তানের", "একমাত্রের", "ও-একমাত্র"]·DE["[היחיד]", "[ויחיד]", "[יחיד]", "deinen-einzigen", "nur-Kind"]·EN["an-only-child", "and-only", "only-child", "the-only-one", "your-only-one"]·FR["[יחיד]", "et-unique", "seulement-enfant", "ton-seulement-un", "unique"]·heb["ה-יחיד", "ו-יחיד", "יחיד", "יחידה", "יחידך-ך"]·HI["अपने-एकलौते-को", "इकलौती", "इकलौते", "इकलौते-का", "एकलौता", "और-इकलौता"]·ID["anak-tunggal", "dan-satu-satunya", "satu-satumu", "satu-satunya"]·IT["[היחיד]", "[יחיד]", "e-e-solo", "solo-bambino", "tuo-solo-uno"]·jav["ingkang-tunggal", "kados-dinten", "lan-mung-siji", "putra-ontang-anting-panjenengan", "putra-tunggal", "tunggal"]·KO["그-외아들", "그리고-외아들-이였다", "너의-유일한-아들", "너의-유일한-아들을", "독자의", "외아들의", "유일한자"]·PT["e-único", "filho-único", "o-unigênito", "teu-único", "única", "único"]·RU["единственная", "единственного", "единственного-твоего", "единственном", "и-единственным", "об-единственном"]·ES["el-unigénito", "hijo-único", "tu-único", "unigénito", "y-único", "única"]·SW["kama-ya-mtoto-wa-pekee", "mwana-wa-pekee", "na-pekee", "peke-yake", "pekee-wako", "wa-pekee"]·TR["biricik-çocuk", "tek", "tek-oğlun", "tek-oğlunu", "tek-çocuğunun", "ve-biricik"]·urd["اور-اکیلا", "اکلوتے", "اکلوتے-اپنے", "اکلوتے-کا", "اکیلی"]
2. precious life, only life (metaphorical) — A poetic epithet for one's own life or soul, 'my only one' (yechidati), used in parallel with naphshi ('my soul'). Psalm 22:20 cries 'deliver my precious life from the sword' and Psalm 35:17 pleads 'rescue my only one from the lions.' French 'précieux' captures the affective weight. The feminine form marks this as a distinct metaphorical usage—the self as the one thing that cannot be replaced. 2×
AR["وَحيدَتي", "وَحِيدَتِي"]·ben["আমার-একমাত্র", "আমার-একমাত্রকে"]·DE["mein-nur-Leben", "mein-precious-Leben"]·EN["my-only-life", "my-precious-life"]·FR["précieux"]·heb["יחידת-י", "יחידתי"]·HI["अकेला-मेरा", "अकेले-प्राण-मेरे-को"]·IT["prezioso"]·jav["ingkang-tunggal-kula", "siji-sijine-kula"]·KO["나-의-유일한-것을", "유일한-것-을"]·PT["minha-única"]·RU["единственную-мою"]·ES["mi-única"]·SW["nafsi-yangu-pekee", "peke-yangu"]·TR["biricikimi", "tek-canımı"]·urd["میری-اکلوتی"]
3. lonely, solitary — Lonely, solitary, describing a person who is isolated and without companions. Psalm 25:16 confesses 'I am lonely and afflicted,' while Psalm 68:6 celebrates God as the one who 'settles the lonely in families.' Spanish 'solo/solitarios' and Arabic al-munfaridin ('the isolated ones') confirm the shift from uniqueness to social isolation—a semantic move from being the only one to being alone. 2×
AR["المُنْفَرِدينَ-", "وَحِيدٌ"]·ben["একাকী", "একাকীদের"]·DE["der-lonely", "lonely"]·EN["lonely", "the-lonely"]·FR["précieux"]·heb["יחיד", "יחידים"]·HI["अकेला"]·ID["orang-orang-yang-kesepian"]·IT["prezioso"]·jav["piyambakan", "tiyang-ingkang-kijénan"]·KO["외로운", "외로운-자-들-을"]·PT["solitário", "solitários"]·RU["одинокий", "одиноких"]·ES["a-solitarios", "solo"]·SW["mpweke", "walio-peke-yao"]·TR["yalnız", "yalnızları"]·urd["تنہا", "تنہاؤں-کو"]
Related Senses
H3605 1. all, every, whole (5352×)H0259 1. one (cardinal numeral) (940×)H8147 1. cardinal number two (666×)G3956 1. all (collective plural) (616×)H3967 1. cardinal numeral hundred (550×)H1419a 1. great, large (general quality) (486×)H7969 1. cardinal number three (431×)H0505 1. cardinal number thousand (427×)H7651 1. seven (cardinal number) (393×)G1520 1. cardinal number one (339×)H6240 1. ten (cardinal number) (334×)H6242 1. twenty (cardinal number) (315×)H2568 1. cardinal number five (309×)H0702 1. four (cardinal number) (277×)G3956 2. every, each (distributive) (227×)H8337 1. six (cardinal number) (215×)G3956 3. all things, everything (substantive) (211×)G3956 4. (187×)H6235 1. ten (177×)G3173 1. great in size or extent (176×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† יָחִיד adj. and subst. only, only one, solitary (NH id.; Aramaic יָחִיד, יְחִידַי, ܝܺܚܺܝܕܳܐ, ܝܺܚܺܝܕܳܝܳܐ id.; Arabic وَحِيدٌ solitary)— 1. only one, especially of an only son, Gn 22:2, 12, 16 את בנך את יְחִידְךָ thy son, thine only one, אֵבֶל יָחִיד Am 8:10 Je 6:26 mourning for an only son, כמספד על היחיד Zc 12:10, Pr 4:3 רַךְ וְיָחִיד לפני אמי; so fem. יְחִידָה Ju 11:34. 2. fem. יְחִידָה as…