נֹעַר
𐤍𐤏𐤓
nôʻar
H5290 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
'Nôʻar' designates the period of youth, particularly the stage of life encompassing childhood through adolescence, often implying a time of physical growth, inexperience, or immaturity. The term refers primarily to an age or phase rather than a specific social status, identifying the years between infancy and adulthood.
Semantic Range
childhood, youth, adolescence, boyhood, early period of life, immaturity (figurative)
Root / Etymology
From the root נָעַר (n-ʻ-r), meaning 'to shake, to toss,' which also gives rise to נַעַר (naʻar, 'boy, servant, youth'). The noun 'nôʻar' is an abstract formation, indicating the condition or state of being young or youthful. Thus, while the root conveys the idea of movement or shaking off (possibly metaphorically linked to early life as a time of energy or restlessness), the lexical meaning developed into an age group or period of life.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In biblical Hebrew, 'nôʻar' is used to refer to youth in both a general and specific sense. It occurs in legal, narrative, and poetic texts to describe an age interval, often in contrast to adulthood (e.g., Genesis 8:21; Isaiah 54:6). The related term נַעַר (naʻar) functions as a noun for 'boy, young man, servant,' while 'nôʻar' focuses strictly on the stage or duration of youth itself. English translations often render 'nôʻar' as 'youth' or 'boyhood,' but these may not always capture the full nuance, especially where the original text highlights the structural or temporal characteristics of being young. The term does not carry explicit connotations of social role (like 'servant') unless contextually specified. In later Hebrew and post-biblical usage, the distinction between the person (naʻar) and age/state (nôʻar) remains. The English term 'youth' sometimes narrows the scope to adolescence, but in biblical usage 'nôʻar' may reach from later childhood through young adulthood.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from נָעַר; (compare נַעַר); (abstractly) boyhood; child, youth.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
נער (n-ʿ-r) — to shake, to move back and forth, to be young
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H5271 | נָעוּר | in his youths |
| H5286 | נָעַר | they roared |
| H5287 | נָעַר | Shake yourself off |
| H5288 | נַעַר | in the young male |
| H5289 | נַעַר | the youth |
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5290-02 |
מִ/נֹּ֑עַר | minoar | HR/Ncmsa |
from youth | from youth | 3 |
H5290-01 |
בַּ/נֹּ֣עַר | banoar | HRd/Ncmsa |
in youth | in the youth-period | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
4 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H5290-02 |
Psalms 88:16 | מִ/נֹּ֑עַר | minoar | HR/Ncmsa |
from-youth | from youth |
H5290-02 |
Proverbs 29:21 | מִ/נֹּ֣עַר | minoar | HR/Ncmsa |
from youth | from youth |
H5290-02 |
Job 33:25 | מִ/נֹּ֑עַר | minoar | HR/Ncmsa |
than in youth | from youth |
H5290-01 |
Job 36:14 | בַּ/נֹּ֣עַר | banoar | HRd/Ncmsa |
in youth | in the youth-period |