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נָעוּר

𐤍𐤏𐤅𐤓

nâʻûwr

H5271 noun

SILEX Entry

Root נער to be young, to be youthful, to act as a young person

Definition

Youth, the period of early life following childhood and preceding maturity, often encompassing adolescence. The term denotes the state or condition of being young, especially in relation to physical development and societal standing. It can refer both to the period itself (youthfulness) and to those characterized as 'youths' or 'young people' collectively. Depending on context, it may highlight inexperience, vigor, or the formative condition of an individual or group.

Semantic Range

youth (the period of being young); youths (collective of young people); youthfulness; adolescence; early life stage; inexperience of youth; young womanhood (in feminine form)

Root / Etymology

Derived from the root נער ('to be young, lad, youth'). נָעוּר is a passive participle form, indicating 'having been made/being young.' The feminine נְעֻרָה follows Hebrew gender morphology. The form is denominative, built from the noun נער. Thus, while the root indicates youthfulness or being young, נָעוּר refers specifically to the state of being a youth or to youths as a class, especially in collective or emphatic plural forms.

Historical & Contextual Notes

נָעוּר is usually found in the plural (נְעוּרִים), emphasizing either the collective group of 'youths' or the abstract concept of 'youth.' It denotes the period of youth after childhood, preceding full adulthood and societal responsibility. The period marked by נָעוּר is often associated with strength, inexperience, and formative character in Israelite social life. Contrasted with זִקְנָה ('old age') or יַלְדוּת ('childhood'). In legal and narrative contexts in the Hebrew Bible, the term usually captures the formative, transitional age and is occasionally tied to rites of passage, eligibility for certain roles, or markers of accountability. Standard English translations ('youth,' 'childhood,' 'youths') sometimes miss the nuance that the term can refer both to the phase and the group collectively. Unlike the word נער ('boy, lad, servant'), which denotes a person, נָעוּר emphasizes the state or age. Its feminine counterpart, נְעֻרָה, can represent 'girlhood' or 'young women' in collective form. The word's usage remains consistent from early biblical texts through post-exilic writings, though in later periods it can appear in more abstract or metaphorical senses.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

or נָעֻר; and (feminine) נְעֻרָה; properly, passive participle from נַעַר as denominative; (only in plural collectively or emphatic form) youth, the state (juvenility) or the persons (young people); childhood, youth.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

נער (n-ʿ-r) — to be young, to be youthful, to act as a young person

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H5286 נָעַר they roared
H5287 נָעַר Shake yourself off
H5288 נַעַר in the young male
H5289 נַעַר the youth
H5290 נֹעַר in the youth-period

Word Forms

20 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H5271-07 מִ/נְּעֻרַ֖/י mineuray HR/Ncbpc/Sp1cs from my youth from my youthfulness 9
H5271-15 נְעוּרַ֔יִ/ךְ neurayikhe HNcbpc/Sp2fs of your youth your youthful years 6
H5271-17 נְעוּרֶ֔י/הָ neureyha HNcbpc/Sp3fs of her youth her youthful years 4
H5271-13 נְעֻרַ֖/י neuray HNcbpc/Sp1cs of my youth my youths 4
H5271-08 מִ/נְּעוּרָ֑יִ/ךְ mineurayikhe HR/Ncbpc/Sp2fs from your youth from your youthful-years 3
H5271-09 מִ/נְּעֻרָ֑י/ו mineurayv HR/Ncbpc/Sp3ms from his youth from his youthful-years 3
H5271-11 מִ/נְּעוּרֵ֣י/נוּ mineureynu HR/Ncbpc/Sp1cp from our youth from our youthfulness 3
H5271-02 בִּ/נְעֻרֶֽי/הָ bineureyha HR/Ncbpc/Sp3fs her youth in her youthful years 2
H5271-18 נְעוּרֶ֗י/ךָ neureykha HNcbpc/Sp2ms of your youth your youthfulness 2
H5271-10 מִ/נְּעֻרֶ֖י/ךָ mineureykha HR/Ncbpc/Sp2ms from your youth from your youthful years 1

Occurrences in Scripture

47 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H5271-09 Genesis 8:21 מִ/נְּעֻרָ֑י/ו mineurayv HR/Ncbpc/Sp3ms from his youth from his youthful-years
H5271-11 Genesis 46:34 מִ/נְּעוּרֵ֣י/נוּ mineureynu HR/Ncbpc/Sp1cp from our youth from our youthfulness
H5271-06 Leviticus 22:13 כִּ/נְעוּרֶ֔י/הָ kineureyha HR/Ncbpc/Sp3fs as in her youth her youthful-years
H5271-02 Numbers 30:4 בִּ/נְעֻרֶֽי/הָ bineureyha HR/Ncbpc/Sp3fs in her youth in her youthful years
H5271-02 Numbers 30:17 בִּ/נְעֻרֶ֖י/הָ bineureyha HR/Ncbpc/Sp3fs her youth in her youthful years
H5271-07 1 Samuel 12:2 מִ/נְּעֻרַ֖/י mineuray HR/Ncbpc/Sp1cs from-my-youth from my youthfulness
H5271-09 1 Samuel 17:33 מִ/נְּעֻרָֽי/ו mineurayv HR/Ncbpc/Sp3ms from his youth from his youthful-years
H5271-10 2 Samuel 19:8 מִ/נְּעֻרֶ֖י/ךָ mineureykha HR/Ncbpc/Sp2ms from your youth from your youthful years
H5271-07 1 Kings 18:12 מִ/נְּעֻרָֽ/י mineuray HR/Ncbpc/Sp1cs from my youth from my youthfulness
H5271-08 Isaiah 47:12 מִ/נְּעוּרָ֑יִ/ךְ mineurayikhe HR/Ncbpc/Sp2fs from your youth from your youthful-years
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