H3490 H3490
orphan, fatherless child — one deprived of a father, paradigmatic figure of vulnerability in Israelite law
Yatom designates a child who has lost a father, and it appears 42 times almost always in the company of almanah ('widow') and ger ('sojourner') — the three forming the classic triad of vulnerable persons in Israelite covenant law. Deuteronomy alone accounts for a dozen occurrences, weaving the orphan into harvest gleaning rights (24:19-21), festival inclusion (16:11, 14), and tithe distribution (26:12-13). The prophets pick up the charge: Isaiah opens his ministry demanding Israel 'defend the fatherless' (1:17), and Malachi names exploitation of the orphan as covenant-breaking (3:5). The Psalms affirm that God himself is 'father of the fatherless' (68:6). Cognates across Semitic languages — Aramaic yatma, Arabic yatim — confirm the deep antiquity of this social category.
Senses
1. orphan, fatherless child — A fatherless child, paradigmatic figure of social vulnerability in covenant law. Participates in the formulaic triad yatom-almanah-ger ('orphan-widow-sojourner') across legal (Deut 10:18; 24:17), prophetic (Isa 1:17; Jer 7:6; Zech 7:10), and wisdom (Job 29:12; 31:17) literature. Lamentations 5:3 extends it metaphorically to exilic Israel. Arabic yatim and Aramaic yatma attest pan-Semitic antiquity. 42×
AR["اليَتيمُ", "اليَتِيمَ", "اليَتِيمُ", "الْيَتِيمَ", "الْيَتِيمِ", "لِ-اليَتِيمِ", "لِلْيَتِيمِ", "يَتيمٌ", "يَتيمٍ", "يَتِيمًا", "يَتِيمٍ", "يَتِيمِ"]·ben["অনাথ", "অনাথের", "এতিম", "এতিমকে", "এতিমের", "এতিমের-জন্য"]·DE["Waise", "[יתום]", "der-Waise", "fuer-der-Waise"]·EN["for-the-orphan", "orphan", "the-fatherless", "the-orphan"]·FR["orphelin", "pour-le-orphelin"]·heb["יתום", "ל-יתום"]·HI["अनाथ", "अनाथ-का", "अनाथ-की", "अनाथ-के", "अनाथ-को", "अनाथ-ने"]·ID["Anak-yatim", "anak yatim", "anak-yatim", "bagi-anak-yatim", "yatim"]·IT["[יתום]", "orfano", "orphan", "per-il-orphan"]·jav["Lare-yatim", "anak-yatim", "bocah-yatim", "kanggé-lare-yatim", "lare-lola", "lare-yatim", "para-lola", "tiyang-yatim"]·KO["고아", "고아-를", "고아-에게", "고아-와", "고아가", "고아를", "고아와", "고아의"]·PT["ao-órfão", "do-órfão", "o-órfão", "para-o-órfão", "Órfão", "órfão"]·RU["сирота", "сироте", "сироту", "сироты", "твоей"]·ES["Al-huérfano", "al-huérfano", "del-huérfano", "huérfano", "para-el-huérfano"]·SW["kwa-yatima", "la-yatima", "yatima"]·TR["yetim", "yetim-icin", "yetime", "yetimi", "yetimin", "yetomin", "öksüz", "öksüze"]·urd["یتیم", "یتیم نے", "یتیم-پر", "یتیم-کا", "یتیم-کو", "یتیم-کی", "یتیم-کے-لیے"]
Exod 22:22, Exod 22:24, Deut 10:18, Deut 14:29, Deut 16:11, Deut 16:14, Deut 24:17, Deut 24:19, Deut 24:20, Deut 24:21, Deut 26:12, Deut 26:13 (+30 more)
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
† יָתוֹם n.[m.] orphan (NH id.; Aramaic יַתְמָא, ܝܰܬܡܳܐ; Ph. יתם; Arabic يَتِيمٌ pupil, orphan)—יָתוֹם Ex 22:21 + 29 times; pl. יְתוֹמִים v 23 + 8 times; sf. יְתֹמֶיךָ Je 49:11; יְתֹמָיו Is 9:16; לִיתוֹמָי�� ψ 109:12;—orphan, i.e. fatherless (‖ אַלְמָנָה) Ex 22:23 ψ 109:9 La 5:3 (‖ אֵין אָב); Jb 24:9 ψ 109:12; prob. also Ex 22:21 Dt 10:18; 14:29; 16:11, 14; 24:17, 19, 20, 21; 26:12, 13; 27:19 ψ…