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יַלְדָּה

𐤉𐤋𐤃𐤄

yaldâh

H3207 noun

SILEX Entry

Root י־ל־ד to bear (children), beget, bring forth

Definition

A female child, girl. The term denotes a young female, generally prior to puberty, emphasizing age and developmental stage rather than marital or social status. In most contexts, yaldâh refers to a girl's age, differentiating her from an older unmarried woman (e.g., בְּתוּלָה, 'virgin; young woman') or a mature woman (אִשָּׁה, 'woman; wife'). The word does not inherently carry implications regarding family status or sexual maturity; its focus is on youth.

Semantic Range

female child, girl, lass, young daughter

Root / Etymology

From the root י-ל-ד, meaning 'to bear, beget, bring forth (children)'. יַלְדָּה is the feminine noun form derived from this root, paralleling יֶלֶד (yeled, 'boy; child'). The form yaldâh literally means 'female child' or 'one who is born (female)'.

Historical & Contextual Notes

יַלְדָּה appears in biblical Hebrew primarily in narrative and legal contexts to distinguish a female child from a male child (יֶלֶד) or from older stages of female life. While yaldâh simply denotes 'girl', some English translations use terms like 'damsel' or 'maiden', which can introduce cultural or age-related nuances not present in the original. Unlike בְּתוּלָה ('virgin', which can indicate age and sexual status) or נַעֲרָה (which generally denotes a 'young woman', sometimes closer to puberty or marriageable age), יַלְדָּה emphasizes the age of the female child before adolescence. In the Second Temple and post-biblical periods, the term develops more specific social connotations but these are not present in the biblical usage. In later translations, particularly older English tradition, the term 'damsel' may obscure the simple sense of 'girl' or 'female child.'

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

feminine of יֶלֶד; a lass; damsel, girl.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

ילד (y-l-d) — to bear, beget, bring forth

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H2056 וָלָד male-born child
H3205 יָלַד in being born
H3206 יֶלֶד the boy
H3208 יַלְדוּת in your childhood-years
H3209 יִלּוֹד the one born

Word Forms

3 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H3207-01 הַ/יַּלְדָּ֥ה hayaledah HTd/Ncfsa the girl the female child 1
H3207-02 וְ/הַ/יַּלְדָּ֛ה vehayaledah HC/Td/Ncfsa and-the-girl and the female child 1
H3207-03 וִֽ/ילָד֑וֹת viladot HC/Ncfpa and girls and female children 1

Occurrences in Scripture

3 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H3207-01 Genesis 34:4 הַ/יַּלְדָּ֥ה hayaledah HTd/Ncfsa the girl the female child
H3207-02 Joel 4:3 וְ/הַ/יַּלְדָּ֛ה vehayaledah HC/Td/Ncfsa and-the-girl and the female child
H3207-03 Zechariah 8:5 וִֽ/ילָד֑וֹת viladot HC/Ncfpa and girls and female children
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