מַמְזֵר
𐤌𐤌𐤆𐤓
mamzêr
H4464 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
An individual of illegitimate birth, specifically one whose parentage does not conform to Israelite legal expectations regarding marriage and community membership. The term is used in legal and social contexts to denote a person excluded from full rights and privileges within the Israelite assembly. The semantic range encompasses both literal illegitimacy (by birth outside permitted unions) and figurative exclusion from communal belonging.
Semantic Range
illegitimate child; one excluded from the Israelite assembly; individual or group considered non-belonging by ancestry or origin; outsider (in later or metaphorical extension)
Root / Etymology
The word מַמְזֵר (mamzêr) has an uncertain etymology. Biblical tradition and early lexica associate it with the idea of alienation or exclusion but do not trace it to a securely attested Hebrew root. Later Jewish tradition attempts to derive it from mzr, but no such root is witnessed elsewhere in the language. Accordingly, etymology uncertain.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In the Hebrew Bible, מַמְזֵר appears only in Deuteronomy 23:3 (23:2 in Hebrew) and Zechariah 9:6. In Deuteronomy, it refers to someone barred from 'the assembly of YHWH,' indicating exclusion from full community participation for unspecified reasons of birth. In Zechariah, the term is used more broadly to describe a population considered illegitimate or alien within the city of Ashdod. Throughout the biblical period, traditional commentators often interpret the word as denoting a child born from prohibited sexual unions, especially those considered incestuous or involving adultery, but the precise scope is debated. Some later translations use 'bastard,' but this English term does not capture the full nuance, as מַמְזֵר is not concerned with all categories of illegitimacy as defined by modern or medieval law but rather those that disrupt Israelite covenanted boundaries. The association with a union between an Israelite father and a non-Israelite mother is not explicit in biblical usage but is reflected in later rabbinic discourse. English translations (e.g., 'bastard,' 'illegitimate') often fail to convey the specific social-legal exclusion intended in ancient Israelite society.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from an unused root meaning to alienate; a mongrel, i.e. born of aJewish father and aheathen mother; bastard.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
מזר (uncertain) (m-z-r (uncertain)) — alienation, exclusion (proposed)
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H4464-01 |
מַמְזֵ֖ר | mamezer | HNcmsa |
a mongrel | illegitimate-born man | 2 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H4464-01 |
Deuteronomy 23:3 | מַמְזֵ֖ר | mamezer | HNcmsa |
bastard | illegitimate-born man |
H4464-01 |
Zechariah 9:6 | מַמְזֵ֖ר | mamezer | HNcmsa |
a mongrel | illegitimate-born man |