H5271a H5271a
youth, early life — the period of immaturity or formative years, used of persons and nations alike
Ne'urim (always plural in form) designates the time of youth or early life, the formative season before maturity. Across its 46 occurrences, the word appears most often in the recurring phrase min-ne'uray ('from my youth'), a formula of lifelong fidelity or habitual sin stretching from Genesis 8:21 ('the inclination of the human heart is evil from youth') through Jeremiah's indictment of Judah (Jer 3:24-25) and into the psalmist's testimony of lifelong trust (Ps 71:5, 17). The word extends figuratively to nations — Babylon's youth of sorcery (Isa 47:12), Moab's undisturbed youth (Jer 48:11), and Israel as the young bride of the wilderness covenant (Jer 2:2). Every translation converges on a single concept: Spanish 'juventud,' French 'jeunesse,' German 'Jugend.'
Senses
1. youth, youthful period — The period of being young, encompassing childhood through early adulthood, denoting immaturity, formative development, or the earliest stage of one's life. Frequently governs the prepositional phrase min-ne'urim ('from youth onward'), which serves as a biographical formula — whether confessing lifelong sin (Gen 8:21; 1 Sam 12:2), professing lifelong devotion (Ps 71:5, 17), or characterizing a nation's earliest history (Jer 2:2; Ezek 23:3). The figurative extension to nations treats their founding era as a 'youth' subject to the same moral evaluation as a human life. All 46 occurrences share this single temporal-biographical sense. 46×
AR["شَبَابِكَ", "شَبَابِكِ", "شَبَابِي", "صِبَاكِ", "صِبَايَ", "مُنْذُ-شَبابي", "مُنْذُ-شَبَابِي", "مِنْ-صِباي", "مِنْ-صِبايَ", "مِنْ-صِبَايَ"]·ben["আমার-যৌবন-থেকে", "আমার-যৌবন-থেকে।", "আমার-যৌবনের", "তোমার-যৌবন", "তোমার-যৌবনের", "যৌবন-এর-আমার", "যৌবন-থেকে-আমার,", "যৌবন-থেকে-আমার;", "যৌবনের-তোমার"]·DE["Jugend", "deine-Jugend", "mein-youth", "von-mein-youth"]·EN["from-my-youth", "from-youth-of-me", "my-youth", "of-my-youth", "of-your-youth", "your-youth", "youth-my", "youth-your"]·FR["de-mon-jeune-homme", "dès-ma-jeunesse", "jeunesse", "ma-jeunesse", "mon-נעורי-moi", "ton-נעורך-toi"]·heb["מ-נעורי", "נעורי", "נעורייך", "נעוריך"]·HI["अपनी-जवानी", "जवानी-तेरी-की", "जवानी-तेरी-के", "जवानी-मेरी-के", "तेरी-जवानी-की", "मेरी-जवानी-की", "मेरी-जवानी-के", "मेरी-जवानी-से", "यौवन-तेरे-की", "यौवन-मेरे-का", "से-जवानी-मेरी", "से-मेरी-जवानी"]·ID["-masa-mudamu,", "dari-masa-mudaku", "masa-muda-kamu", "masa-mudaku", "masa-mudamu", "sejak-masa-mudaku", "sejak-mudaku"]·IT["da-mio-giovinezza", "giovinezza", "la-tua-giovinezza", "tuo-youth-tuo", "youth-my-mio"]·jav["anem-panjenengan", "enem-kawula", "enem-panjenengan", "nem-Kawula", "nem-neman-kula", "nom-nom-panjenengan", "nom-noman-panjenengan", "saking-alit-kula", "saking-awit-kawula", "saking-nem-kawula", "wanci-nem-panjenengan", "wanci-nem-panjenengan.", "wiwit-anom-kula", "wiwit-nem", "wiwit-nem-kawula"]·KO["나-의-어린-시절-부터", "나-의-어릴-때부터", "나의-어릴-때부터", "나의-어림-때부터", "나의-젊음-의", "나의-젊음의", "나의-젖음-에서", "나의-젖음의", "내-어릴-때부터", "네-젊음-의", "네-젊음의", "젊음-너의-의", "젊음-의"]·PT["desde-juventude-minha", "desde-minha-juventude", "juventude-minha", "minha-juventude", "tua-juventude"]·RU["грудей", "от-юности-моей", "с-юности-моей", "своей", "юности-моей", "юности-твоей", "юности-твоей."]·ES["desde-juventud-de-mí", "desde-juventud-mía", "desde-mi-juventud", "juventud-de-ti", "juventud-tuya", "mi-juventud", "tu-juventud"]·SW["tangu-ujana-wangu", "ujana-wako", "ujana-wangu"]·TR["gençliğimden", "gençliğimden-beri", "gençliğimin", "gençliğimin-", "gençliğimin-benim", "gençliğinin", "gençliğinin-senin", "olmakla", "ve-kışkırttın"]·urd["اپنی-جوانی-سے", "اپنی-جوانی-کے", "تیری-جوانی-کی", "تیری-جوانی-کے", "جوانی-اپنی-سے", "جوانی-اپنی-کی", "جوانی-اپنی-کے", "جوانی-تیری-کی", "جوانی-تیری-کے", "جوانی-میری-کا", "جوانی-کی", "جوانی-کی-تیری", "مِن-جوانی-سے-میری", "میری-جوانی-سے", "میری-جوانی-کے"]
Gen 8:21, Gen 46:34, Lev 22:13, Num 30:3, Num 30:16, 1 Sam 12:2, 1 Sam 17:33, 2 Sam 19:7, 1 Kgs 18:12, Job 13:26, Job 31:18, Ps 25:7 (+34 more)
Related Senses
H3117 1. day, specific time (2231×)H5704 1. until, unto, as far as (1238×)H8141 1. year, unit of time (880×)H6258 1. and now (421×)G2250 1. day (388×)H5750 1. again, more, further (288×)H5769 1. forever, to eternity (280×)H6256 1. time, period (264×)H2320 1. month, calendar period (260×)H0310a 2. after (temporal) (258×)H3915 1. night, period of darkness (234×)H1242 1. morning (214×)H5750 2. still, yet (continuative) (166×)G5119 1. then (160×)G3568 1. now (147×)G2193 1. until (143×)G3825 1. (141×)G3752 1. (123×)H6153 1. evening, time of day (123×)H0227a 1. then (122×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† נְעוּרִים n.f. (ψ 103:5; Ges§ 145k) pl. youth, early life;—abs. נ׳ Is 54:6 ψ 127:4; elsewhere sf. נִעֻרַי 1 S 12:2, נְעוּרי Jb 31:18 +, נְעֻרֶיךָ 2 S 19:8, נִעוּרֶיךָ Pr 5:18 +, נְעוּרַיִךְ Je 2:2 +, נְעוּרָ֑יִכִי ψ 103:5, נִעוּרֵיהֶן Ez 23:3, etc.;—youth, early life, especially in phr. מִנּ׳ from one’s youth up Gn 8:21 (J), 1 S 17:33; 1 K 18:12; Je 3:24; Zc 13:5; Jb 31:18 (extreme youth; ‖…