H3207 H3207
girl, young woman, damsel of marriageable age
A feminine noun denoting a young girl or damsel, particularly of marriageable age. The word appears three times: describing Dinah in the aftermath of her violation (Genesis 34:4), and paired with 'boy' (יֶלֶד) in Joel 3:3 where enemies trade boys for prostitutes and girls for wine, and in Zechariah 8:5 in a vision of restored Jerusalem where boys and girls play safely in the streets. The term captures the poignancy of youth—whether in tragedy (Dinah, the enslaved children of Joel) or hope (Zechariah's peaceful future). Unlike נַעֲרָה which can imply servitude, יַלְדָּה emphasizes youth and potential.
Senses
1. sense 1 — A young female, typically at or approaching marriageable age. The contexts span from the traumatic (Dinah called 'the girl' in the Shechem narrative) to the prophetic-eschatological (children playing in Jerusalem's squares as a sign of divine blessing). The cross-linguistic glosses consistently render the age and gender ('girl', 'niña', 'fille'), with Zechariah's vision of girls and boys together forming an iconic biblical image of shalom. 3×
AR["الْفَتاةَ", "وَ-الصَّبِيَّةَ", "وَبَنَاتٍ"]·ben["-মেয়েটিকে", "এবং-বালিকাকে", "এবং-বালিকাদের"]·DE["[והילדה]", "[וילדות]", "das-Mädchen"]·EN["and-girls", "and-the-girl", "the-girl"]·FR["et-fille", "le-girl"]·heb["ה-ילדה", "ו-ה-ילדה", "ו-ילדות"]·HI["और-लड़कियों-से", "और-लड़की", "लड़की"]·ID["dan-anak-perempuan", "gadis"]·IT["[והילדה]", "[וילדות]", "il-girl"]·jav["lan-laré-estri", "lan-laré-èstri", "prawan-alit"]·KO["그리고-그-소녀-를", "그리고-소녀들로", "이-소녀를"]·PT["a-menina", "e-a-menina", "e-meninas"]·RU["-девушку", "и-девочками", "и-девочку"]·ES["la-niña", "y-la-niña", "y-niñas"]·SW["[הַיַּלְדָּ֥ה]", "na-msichana", "na-wasichana"]·TR["-kızı", "ve-kız-çocuklar-", "ve-kızı"]·urd["اور-لڑکی-کو", "اور-لڑکیوں-سے", "لڑکی"]
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×)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×)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×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† יַלְדָּה n.f. girl damsel;—abs. יַלְדָּה Gn 34:4 Jo 4:3; וִילָדוֹת Zc 8:5;—marriageable girl: of Dinah, daughter of Jacob Gn 34:4; opp. יֶלֶד Zc 8:5 Jo 4:3.