Biblical Hebrew Forum

["David Stabnow" <dstabno AT lifeway.com>]

Shoshanna,

I agree with your short answer.  But questions of vocabulary are seldom
satisfied with short answers.  As you know, na'ar is used of children of
varying ages, from pre-birth to early twenties.  It also refers to "young
servant" or "retainer" (acolyte?).  Still, I agree that the default meaning
is the bar-mitzvah boy, on the verge of manhood.

As to the variation in 2 Ki 2, note that in v. 23 they are ne'arim ketanim
"little youths," for which yeladim in v. 24 is a synonym.

Dave Stabnow


>A na'ar (youth) is someone older than a yeled
>
>Yeled (child) related to the word "LaLedet" - to give birth
>
>Tinok (infant) - because it still nurses (Yonek).
>
>Shoshanna
>
>
>
>>Can somebody tell me if there is any significant differance between the
>>words na`ar  and yeled?
>>
>>In 2Ki 2:23 It says some children (na`ar) came and mocked him. Then in
the
>>next verse (24) it says that he cursed them, and that a she bear came and
>>tore 42 children (yeled). Why the differant words?
>>
>>TIA