H5291 H5291
young woman, girl; often marriageable or of service age; can denote maidservant or female attendant
This common Hebrew noun designates a young woman, typically one of marriageable age. The term appears most famously in the story of Rebekah at the well (Gen 24), where the 'young woman' who offers water to Abraham's servant becomes Isaac's wife. The word carries no inherent connotation of virginity (though it can be qualified as 'virgin young woman'), nor does it automatically imply servitude—context determines whether the speaker means an independent young woman, a potential bride, or a female servant in a household. The plural with possessive suffixes often indicates maidservants belonging to a mistress.
Senses
1. young woman, girl — The singular typically designates an individual young woman of marriageable status, as when Abraham's servant prayed that 'the young woman' who offers him water would be Isaac's bride (Gen 24:14, 16). The German jung Frau and French jeune-femme preserve the age-stage designation. This sense focuses on the woman's social standing and marriageability rather than subordinate status, appearing throughout the betrothal narrative in Genesis 24 and in Deuteronomy's laws about young women accused of unchastity (Deut 22:15-29). 58×
AR["[k]", "الفَتَاةِ", "الْ-فَتَاةِ", "الْفَتاةَ", "الْفَتاةِ", "الْفَتَاةَ", "الْفَتَاةُ"]·ben["-মেয়েটিকে", "-মেয়েটির", "[মেয়ে]", "[মেয়ের-জন্য]", "[মেয়ের]", "বালিকার", "মেয়ের", "সেই-যুবতী", "সেই-যুবতীকে"]·DE["[der-jung-Frau]", "[fuer-der-jung-Frau]", "[jung-Frau]", "das-Mädchen", "der-jung-Frau", "des-Mädchens"]·EN["[for-the-young-woman]", "[the-young-woman]", "[young-woman]", "the-young-woman"]·FR["[jeune-femme]", "[la-jeune-femme]", "[pour-le-jeune-femme]", "le-jeune-femme"]·heb["ה-נערה", "ל-ה-נערה", "ל-נערה", "נערה"]·HI["[लड़की]", "कन्या", "कन्या-के", "लड़की", "लड़की-के", "लड़की-को"]·ID["[gadis]", "gadis", "gadis-itu"]·IT["[giovane-donna]", "[il-giovane-donna]", "[per-il-giovane-donna]", "il-giovane-donna"]·jav["kanggé-lare-èstri", "lare-èstri", "laré-èstri", "laré-èstri-punika", "prawan"]·KO["[케티브]", "그-소녀가", "그-소녀를", "그-소녀의", "그-처녀를", "그-처녀의", "처녀의"]·PT["[a-moça]", "[moça]", "[para-a-moça]", "a-jovem", "a-moça"]·RU["-девушки", "-девушку", "девушка", "девушки", "девушку"]·ES["a-la-joven", "la-joven", "qere:en-la-joven", "qere:joven", "qere:la-joven"]·SW["[kwa-msichana]", "[msichana]", "[wa-msichana]", "[הַֽנַּעֲרָֽ׃]", "akamkozeana", "mke", "msichana", "wa-msichana"]·TR["-kız", "-kızı", "-kızın", "[kız]", "kızın"]·urd["-لڑکی", "-لڑکی-کو", "لڑکی", "لڑکی-کے"]
Gen 24:14, Gen 24:16, Gen 24:28, Gen 24:55, Gen 24:57, Gen 34:3, Gen 34:3, Gen 34:12, Deut 22:15, Deut 22:15, Deut 22:15, Deut 22:15 (+38 more)
2. female attendant, maidservant — The plural with possessive suffix designates female attendants or maidservants belonging to a household. Rebekah brought 'her young women' when she departed for Isaac (Gen 24:61), Pharaoh's daughter had 'her attendants' at the Nile when she found Moses (Exod 2:5), and Boaz told Ruth to stay close to 'my young women' gleaning in his fields (Ruth 2:8, 22, 23). Spanish criadas and French jeune-femmes in household contexts show the Romance languages tracking the servitude dimension that possessive marking activates. 15×
AR["الْفَتَيَاتِ", "جواريها", "جَوَارِي", "جَوَارِيَهَا", "فَتَيَاتِ", "فَتَيَاتِهِ", "فَتَيَاتِي", "لِ-جَواريها", "لِجَوارِيكَ", "لِفَتَيَاتِكَ؟", "وَ-جَوَارِيهَا", "وَ-جَوَارِيَّ", "وَجَوَارِيهَا"]·ben["-দাসীরা", "আমার-দাসীদের", "এবং-তার-দাসীরা", "ও-আমার-দাসীরা", "ও-তার-দাসীরা", "তার-দাসীদের", "তার-দাসীদের-জন্য", "তার-যুবতীরা", "তোমার-দাসীদের-জন্য", "তোমার-মেয়েদের-জন্য", "দাসীদের-সঙ্গে", "দাসীরা"]·DE["Maedchen", "der-Maedchen", "ihr-jung-Frauen", "in-Maedchen", "und-Maedchen", "und-ihr-maidens", "und-ihre-Mägde"]·EN["and-her-maidens", "and-her-young-women", "and-my-young-women", "for-your-girls", "for-your-maidens", "her-maidens", "her-young-women", "his-young-women", "my-young-women", "the-young-women", "to-her-maidens", "to-young-women-of", "young-women-of"]·FR["der-jeunes-filles", "et-jeune-fille", "et-sa-jeune-femmes", "et-sa-maidens", "jeune-fille", "jeunes-filles", "mon-jeune-femmes", "sa-jeune-femmes", "sa-נערתיה-elle", "son-jeune-femmes", "à-jeune-femmes-de", "à-sa-לנערתיה-elle", "à-ton-לנערותיך-toi"]·heb["ב-נערות", "ה-נערה", "ו-נערה-ה", "ו-נערה-י", "ו-נערותיה", "ל-נערותיה", "ל-נערותיך", "נערה", "נערה-ה", "נערותי", "נערותי-ה", "נערותיה", "נערותיו"]·HI["अपनी-दासियों-के-लिए", "उसकी-दासियाँ", "उसकी-दासियों-को", "और-उसकी-दासियाँ", "और-दासिया̃-उस्की", "और-मेरी-दासियाँ", "दासियाँ", "दासियों-अपनी", "दासियों-अपनी-को।", "दासियों-के", "दासियों-तेरी-के-लिए।", "दासियों-मेरी", "दासियों-से"]·ID["bagi-pelayan-pelayan-perempuanmu", "bagi-pelayan-pelayan-perempuannya", "bujang-bujang-perempuannya", "dan-dayang-dayangnya", "dan-gadis-gadisku", "dan-gadis-gadisnya", "dengan-gadis-gadis", "gadis-gadis", "gadis-gadisku", "gadis-gadisnya", "pelayan-pelayannya", "untuk-gadis-gadismu"]·IT["a-giovane-donne-di", "e-giovane-donna", "e-suo-giovane-donne", "e-suo-maidens", "fanciulla-sua", "giovane-donna", "giovani-donne", "il-giovani-donne", "lei-giovane-donne", "mio-giovane-donne", "per-fanciulla-sua", "per-fanciulla-tuo", "suo-giovane-donne"]·jav["abdi-èstri-èstri-piyambakipun", "biyung-embanipun", "ing-prawan", "kangge-para-kenya-abdi-Panjenengan?", "kanggé-biyung-embanipun", "lan-abdènipun-èstri", "lan-para-kenya-kawula", "lan-réncang-èstri", "para-abdi-èstri", "para-kenya", "para-kenya-ipun", "prawan-kula", "prawan-ning"]·KO["걷고-있었다", "그-아가씨들을", "그녀-의-하녀-들-을", "그녀의-아가씨들을", "그녀의-여종들에게", "그녀의-여종들이", "그리고-그녀의-여종들이", "그리고-나의-소녀들도", "그의-소녀들과", "나의-소녀들과", "네-소녀들-을-위하여", "네-여종들의", "소녀들이", "에-소녀들에게"]·PT["as-jovens", "e-servas-minhas", "e-servas-suas", "e-suas-servas", "jovens-dela", "minhas-servas", "moças-dela", "para-servas-tuas", "para-suas-servas", "para-tuas-moças?", "servas-de", "servas-dela", "suas-servas", "às-servas-de"]·RU["девиц", "для-отроковиц-твоих", "для-служанок-твоих", "и-служанки-её", "и-служанки-мои", "служанкам-моим", "служанкам-своим", "служанками-его", "служанки", "служанок", "служанок-её"]·ES["a-las-siervas-de", "a-sus-criadas", "criadas-de-ella", "doncellas-de", "las-doncellas", "mis-siervas", "para-tus-criadas", "para-tus-doncellas", "sus-doncellas", "sus-siervas", "y-mis-doncellas", "y-sus-doncellas"]·SW["hivyo", "kwa-wajakazi-wake", "kwa-wajakazi-wako", "kwa-wasichana-wako", "na-wajakazi-wake", "na-wasichana-wa", "vijakazi-wake", "waliofaa", "wasichana-wa", "wasichana-wake", "wasichana-wangu", "watumishi-wake-wa-kike", "ya-wanawake"]·TR["-hizmetçilerime", "-hizmetçilerine", "hizmetkâr-kızlarına", "hizmetkârları", "hizmetkârlarını", "hizmetçileri", "hizmetçilerin", "hizmetçilerini-onun", "hizmetçileriyle", "kızları-", "kızların-için", "ve-hizmetkârları", "ve-hizmetkârlarım", "ve-hizmetçileri"]·urd["اس-کی-لونڈیوں", "اور-لونڈیاں-اُس-کی", "اور-میری-لونڈیاں", "اُس-کی-لونڈیاں", "اُس-کی-لڑکیوں", "اُس-کی-لڑکیوں-کے", "اپنی-لڑکیوں-کے-لیے", "لونڈیاں", "لونڈیاں-اپنی", "لڑکیوں-سے", "میری-لڑکیوں-کے", "کو-نوکرانیوں-اپنی", "کے-لیے-نوکرانیوں-تیری"]
3. young women (group) — In certain contexts the absolute plural designates young women as a collective group without implying servitude. When Saul's servants sought 'young women' going to draw water who could direct them to the seer Samuel (1Sam 9:11), or when Ahasuerus's servants proposed gathering beautiful 'young women' for the king to choose a queen (Esther 2:2, 8), the term functions as an age-gender category rather than a status marker. Spanish jóvenes and French jeunes-filles preserve this neutral collective sense across Romance languages. 3×
AR["فَتَيَاتٌ", "فَتَيَاتٍ"]·ben["তরুণীদের", "যুবতীরা"]·DE["Maedchen", "jung-Frauen"]·EN["young-women"]·FR["jeune-femmes", "jeunes-filles"]·heb["נערה", "נערות"]·HI["युवतियाँ", "लड़कियों"]·ID["gadis-gadis"]·IT["giovane-donne", "giovani-donne"]·jav["kenya-kenya", "para-kenya"]·KO["소녀들을", "아가씨들을"]·PT["jovens", "moças"]·RU["девиц", "девицы", "девушек"]·ES["jóvenes", "muchachas"]·SW["wasichana"]·TR["kızlar"]·urd["لڑکیاں"]
Related Senses
H0376 1. man, person, human male (2130×)G2962 1. Lord (divine title) (661×)H0251 1. brother (blood sibling) (573×)H0120 1. man, human being (individual/generic) (527×)H0802 1. woman, female person (519×)H0136 1. Lord (divine title) (440×)H0802 2. wife, spouse (255×)H0113 1. lord, human superior (249×)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×)G1849 1. authority, power (91×)G5043 1. child, offspring (89×)G0444 2. people, humankind (86×)H3206 1. child, boy, youth (86×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† I. נַעֲרָה n.f. girl, damsel;—abs. נ׳ Ju 19:3 + 22 times, also Qr Gn 24:14 + 20 times Gn Dt (נַעֲרָה Kt in Pent. only Dt 22:19, v. infr.); pl. abs. נְעָרוֹת 1 S 9:11 +, cstr. נַעֲרוֹת Est 4:4; sf. נַעֲרוֹתָיו Ru 2:22; 3:2, נַעֲרֹתֶיהָ Gn 24:61; Ex 2:5, etc.;— 1. girl, damsel; נ׳ קְטַנָּה little girl only 2 K 5:2, cf. v 4, perhaps = young daughters Jb 40:29; elsewhere = young woman 1 S 9:11;…