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יָנַק

𐤉𐤍𐤒

yânaq

H3243 verb

SILEX Entry

Root ינק to suck, to draw out by sucking, to nurse

Definition

To draw or extract milk (or other nourishment) by suckling; primarily used of the action of an infant or young animal nursing at the breast or udder, and more generally of the act of breastfeeding or providing milk. By extension, it can refer to the provision of sustenance or nourishment, either physically (milk) or metaphorically (life-giving care).

Semantic Range

to suck (at the breast), to nurse, to draw milk, to suckle, to nourish or sustain (metaphoric), to give milk (as a mother), a nursing infant or young animal

Root / Etymology

The verb יָנַק derives from the root י-נ-ק, which at the root level means 'to suck' or 'to draw out (by suction)'. The form is a Qal verb with straightforward derivation. The root is well-attested both in Biblical Hebrew and in related Semitic languages (e.g., Akkadian enēqu/unuqu 'to suck', Arabic yanaqa), all carrying the idea of sucking or drawing liquid, especially milk.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, יָנַק is primarily employed for the act of a child (usually an infant) or an animal nursing at the breast of its mother. Its literal usage dominates: for example, it often describes human infants (e.g., Exodus 2:7, 2 Kings 11:2) or young animals (Isaiah 11:8). There are also plural forms (e.g., יֹנְקֵי) referring collectively to sucklings or those being nursed. Occasionally, the word may be used figuratively, as in Isaiah 66:11–12, where Jerusalem is anthropomorphized as a nursing mother from whom her inhabitants 'suck' satisfaction and comfort. This expresses the transfer of life or nurture, drawing on the secure relationship between infant and caregiver. The term is distinct from other terms related to motherhood (e.g., מֵינֶקֶת 'wet-nurse', הֵינִיק in the Hiphil 'to nurse a child'), and emphasizes the act of drawing nourishment itself. In most cases, English Bible translations render it as 'to suck,' 'to nurse,' or 'to be nursed,' though metaphorical uses are sometimes paraphrased according to context. No significant shift in meaning occurs across periods, but post-biblical Hebrew sometimes makes greater use of the derived noun form.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; to suck; causatively, to give milk; milch, nurse(-ing mother), (give, make to) suck(-ing child, -ling).

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

ינק (y-n-q) — to suck, to draw out by sucking, to nurse

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H3126 יוֹנֵק like a suckling shoot
H3127 יוֹנֶקֶת and his suckling shoot
H3242 יְנִיקָה his nourished shoots

Word Forms

24 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H3243-24 יוֹנֵ֖ק yoneq HVqrmsa infant suckling one 6
H3243-07 מֵינֶ֣קֶת meyneqet HNcfsc a nursing-woman nursing woman 2
H3243-08 מֵינִקְתּ֖/וֹ meyniqeto HNcfsc/Sp3ms his nurse his nursing-woman 2
H3243-18 וְ/יוֹנֵ֖ק veyoneq HC/Vqrmsa and nursing and a suckling one 2
H3243-19 וְ/יֹנְקֵ֖י veyoneqey HC/Vqrmpc and the nursing and suckling ones of 1
H3243-16 וְ/תֵינִ֥ק veteyniq HC/Vhi3fs that she may nurse and she will cause to suckle 1
H3243-22 יִינָ֑ק yinaq HVqi3ms he will suck he will suckle 1
H3243-12 תִּֽינְקוּ֙ tinequ HVqi2mp you may nurse you will suckle 1
H3243-17 וְ/יָנַקְתְּ֙ veyanaqete HC/Vqq2fs and-you-will-suck and you will suck (feminine singular) 1
H3243-09 מֵינִיק֛וֹת meyniqot HVhrfpa milch (nursing) milk-giving women 1

Occurrences in Scripture

32 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H3243-02 Genesis 21:7 הֵינִ֥יקָה heyniqah HVhp3fs would nurse she gave milk
H3243-06 Genesis 24:59 מֵנִקְתָּ֑/הּ meniqetah HVhrfsc/Sp3fs her nurse her nursing-woman
H3243-09 Genesis 32:16 מֵינִיק֛וֹת meyniqot HVhrfpa milch (nursing) milk-giving women
H3243-07 Genesis 35:8 מֵינֶ֣קֶת meyneqet HNcfsc nurse nursing woman
H3243-07 Exodus 2:7 מֵינֶ֔קֶת meyneqet HNcfsa a nursing-woman nursing woman
H3243-16 Exodus 2:7 וְ/תֵינִ֥ק veteyniq HC/Vhi3fs that she may nurse and she will cause to suckle
H3243-15 Exodus 2:9 וְ/הֵינִקִ֣/הוּ veheyniqihu HC/Vhv2fs/Sp3ms and nurse him and cause him to suckle
H3243-01 Numbers 11:12 הַ/יֹּנֵ֔ק hayoneq HTd/Vqrmsa the suckling the nursing one
H3243-14 Deuteronomy 32:13 וַ/יֵּנִקֵ֤/הֽוּ vayeniqehu HC/Vhw3ms/Sp3ms and He made him suck and he caused him to suckle
H3243-24 Deuteronomy 32:25 יוֹנֵ֖ק yoneq HVqrmsa suckling suckling one
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