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…