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עוּל

𐤏𐤅𐤋

ʻûwl

H5764 noun

SILEX Entry

Root עוּל to suck, to nurse, to nourish (at the breast)

Definition

A very young child, specifically an infant who is in the nursing stage; refers primarily to a child that is still being breastfed. The term emphasizes extreme immaturity and dependency, often contrasted with children who are weaned. Occasionally, it serves as a poetic image of helplessness and vulnerability.

Semantic Range

nursing infant, suckling child, very young baby, one who is breastfeeding, symbol of dependence or vulnerability

Root / Etymology

The word עוּל is derived from the root עול, which primarily means 'to suck, to nurse.' The noun form refers to one who is actively nursing or being suckled, that is, a nursing infant or baby.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, עוּל is used infrequently and is generally reserved for poetic or emphatic contexts (e.g., Psalms 8:3[2] and Isaiah 28:9). It highlights the extreme youth and helplessness of the individual described. In contrast to יַלְדָּה (yaldah – girl), נַעַר (naʿar – young boy/lad), or טַף (taf – children collectively), עוּל always refers to the earliest stage of childhood, before weaning (cf. גָּמוּל gamul). It is sometimes rendered in later English translations as 'babe' or 'suckling,' but modern readers should be aware that these terms point to the nursing stage of infancy explicitly. In later periods (Second Temple and following), related terms acquire additional metaphorical or figurative uses, but in the First Temple literature, the usage is strictly literal. The term has no distinct association with social or religious status and is not used for figurative reference to learners or disciples, as some other words are. The English 'infant' comes closest to the primary sense, though even this may lack the precise connection to the act of nursing found in the Hebrew.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from עוּל; a babe; sucking child, infant.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

עול (ʿ-w-l) — to suck, to nurse, to nourish at the breast

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H5759 עֲוִיל their nursing infants
H5760 עֲוִיל unjust man
H5763 עוּל to suckle
H5765 עֲוַל from injustice
H5766 עֶוֶל injustice

Word Forms

3 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H5764-03 וְֽ/עַל veal HC/R and against and upon 1
H5764-02 עוּלָ֔/הּ ulah HNcmsc/Sp3fs her nursing child her suckling infant 1
H5764-01 ע֤וּל ul HNcmsc infant nursing infant of 1

Occurrences in Scripture

3 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H5764-02 Isaiah 49:15 עוּלָ֔/הּ ulah HNcmsc/Sp3fs her nursing child her suckling infant
H5764-01 Isaiah 65:20 ע֤וּל ul HNcmsc infant nursing infant of
H5764-03 Job 24:9 וְֽ/עַל veal HC/R and against and upon
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