Reference: Child
Easton
This word has considerable latitude of meaning in Scripture. Thus Joseph is called a child at the time when he was probably about sixteen years of age (Ge 37:3); and Benjamin is so called when he was above thirty years (Ge 44:20). Solomon called himself a little child when he came to the kingdom (1Ki 3:7).
The descendants of a man, however remote, are called his children; as, "the children of Edom," "the children of Moab," "the children of Israel."
In the earliest times mothers did not wean their children till they were from thirty months to three years old; and the day on which they were weaned was kept as a festival day (Ge 21:8; Ex 2:7,9; 1Sa 1:22-24; Mt 21:16). At the age of five, children began to learn the arts and duties of life under the care of their fathers (De 6:20-25; 11:19).
To have a numerous family was regarded as a mark of divine favour (Ge 11:30; 30:1; 1Sa 2:5; 2Sa 6:23; Ps 127:3; 128:3).
Figuratively the name is used for those who are ignorant or narrow-minded (Mt 11:16; Lu 7:32; 1Co 13:11). "When I was a child, I spake as a child." "Brethren, be not children in understanding" (1Co 14:20). "That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro" (Eph 4:14).
Children are also spoken of as representing simplicity and humility (Mt 19:13-15; Mr 10:13-16; Lu 18:15-17). Believers are "children of light" (Lu 16:8; 1Th 5:5) and "children of obedience" (1Pe 1:14).
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But Sarai was barren. She had no child.
And the child grew and was weaned, and Abraham made a great feast the day that Isaac was weaned.
And when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister. And she said to Jacob, Give me sons, or else I will die.
And Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons, because he was the son of his old age. And he made him a tunic reaching to the soles of his feet.
And we said to my lord, We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one. And his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother, and his father loves him.
And his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, Shall I go and call a woman, a nurse of the Hebrew women for you, that she may nurse the child for you?
And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Take this child away and nurse it for me, and I will give your wages. And the woman took the child and nursed it.
When your son asks you in time to come, saying, What are the testimonies, and the statutes and the judgments which Jehovah our God has commanded you? Then you shall say to your son, We were Pharaoh's slaves in Egypt, and Jehovah brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. read more. And Jehovah gave signs and wonders, great and evil signs, upon Egypt, upon Pharaoh and upon all his household, before our eyes. And He brought us out from there so that He might bring us in to give us the land which He swore to our fathers. And Jehovah commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear Jehovah our God, for our good always, so that He might preserve us alive, as it is today. And if we are careful to do all this commandment before Jehovah our God, as He has commanded us, it shall be our righteousness.
And you shall teach them to your sons, speaking of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.
And now, O Jehovah my God, You have made Your servant king instead of David my father. And I am a little child; I do not know to go out or come in!
Lo, children are the inheritance of Jehovah; the fruit of the womb is a reward.
Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine by the sides of your house; your sons shall be like olive plants around your table.
But to what shall I compare to this generation? It is like little children sitting in the markets and calling to their playmates,
Then little children were brought to Him, that He should put His hands on them and pray. And the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, Allow the little children to come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of Heaven. read more. And He laid His hands on them, and departed from there.
And they said to Him, Do you hear what these say? And Jesus said to them, Yes, have you never read, "Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings You have perfected praise?"
And they brought children to Him, so that He should touch them. And His disciples rebuked those bringing them. But when Jesus saw, He was much displeased and said to them, Allow the little children to come to Me and do not hinder them. For of such is the kingdom of God. read more. Truly I say to you, Whoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter into it. And taking them up in His arms, He put His hands on them and blessed them.
They are like children sitting in a market and calling to one another, and saying, We have played the flute to you, and you have not danced; we have mourned to you, and you did not weep.
And the unjust steward's lord commended him because he had done wisely. For the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.
And they also brought infants to Him, that He might touch them. But when the disciples saw, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them and said, Allow the little children to come to Me, and forbid them not. For of such is the kingdom of God. read more. Truly I say to you, Whoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no way enter into it.
Brothers, do not be children in your minds, but in malice be like infants, and in your minds be mature.
so that we no longer may be infants, tossed to and fro and carried about by every wind of doctrine, in the dishonesty of men, in cunning craftiness, to the wiles of deceit.
as obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance,
Watsons
CHILD. Mothers, in the earliest times, suckled their offspring themselves, and that from thirty to thirty-six months. The day when the child was weaned was made a festival, Ge 21:8; Ex 2:7,9; 1Sa 1:22-24; 2-Chronicles/31/16/type/mkjv'>2Ch 31:16; 2 Mac. 7:27, 28; Mt 21:16. Nurses were employed, in case the mother died before the child was old enough to be weaned, and when from any circumstances she was unable to afford a sufficient supply of milk for its nourishment. In later ages, when matrons had become more delicate, and thought themselves too infirm to fulfil the duties which naturally devolved upon them, nurses were employed to take their place, and were reckoned among the principal members of the family. They are, accordingly, in consequence of the respectable station which they sustained, frequently mentioned in sacred history, Ge 35:8; 2Ki 11:2; 2Ch 22:11. The sons remained till the fifth year in the care of the women; they then came into the father's hands, and were taught not only the arts and duties of life, but were instructed in the Mosaic law, and in all parts of their country's religion, De 6:20-25; 7:19; 11:19. Those who wished to have them farther instructed, provided they did not deem it preferable to employ private teachers, sent them away to some priest or Levite, who sometimes had a number of other children to instruct. It appears from 1Sa 1:24-28, that there was a school near the holy tabernacle, dedicated to the instruction of youth. There had been many other schools of this kind, which had fallen into decay, but were restored again by the Prophet Samuel; after whose time, the members of the seminaries in question, who were denominated by way of distinction "the sons of the prophets," acquired no little notoriety. Daughters rarely departed from the apartments appropriated to the females, except when they went out with an urn to draw water. They spent their time in learning those domestic and other arts, which are befitting a woman's situation and character, till they arrived at that period in life when they were to be sold, or, by a better fortune, given away in marriage, Pr 31:13; 2Sa 13:7.
2. In Scripture, disciples are often called children or sons. Solomon, in his Proverbs, says to his disciple, "Hear, my son." The descendants of a man, how remote soever, are denominated his sons or children; as "the children of Edom," "the children of Moab," "the children of Israel." Such expressions as "the children of light," "the children of darkness," "the children of the kingdom," signify those who follow truth, those who remain in error, and those who belong to the church. Persons arrived at almost the age of maturity are sometimes called "children." Thus, Joseph is termed "the child," though he was at least sixteen years old, Ge 37:30; and Benjamin, even when above thirty, was so denominated, Ge 44:20. By the Jewish law, children were reckoned the property of their parents, who could sell them for seven years to pay their debts. Their creditors had also the power of compelling them to resort to this measure. The poor woman, whose oil Elisha increased so much as enabled her to pay her husband's debts, complained to the prophet, that, her husband being dead, the creditor was come to take away her two sons to be bondmen, 2Ki 4:1. "Children, or sons of God," is a name by which the angels are sometimes described: "There was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord," Job 1:6; 2:1. Good men, in opposition to the wicked, are also thus denominated; the children of Seth's family, in opposition to those of Cain: "The sons of God saw the daughters of men," Ge 6:2. Judges, magistrates, priests, are also termed children of God: "I have said, Ye are gods, and all of you are the children of the Most High," Ps 82:8. The Israelites are called "sons of God," in opposition to the Gentiles, Ho 1:10; Joh 11:52. In the New Testament, believers are commonly called "children of God" by virtue of their adoption. St. Paul, in several places, extols the advantages of being adopted sons of God, Ro 8:14; Ga 3:26. "Children or sons of men," is a name given to Cain's family before the deluge, and, in particular, to the giants who were violent men, and had corrupted their ways. Afterward, the impious Israelites were thus called: "O ye sons of men, how long will ye love vanity?" Ps 4:2. "The sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows," 57:4.
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the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were good. And they took wives for themselves from all whom they chose.
And the child grew and was weaned, and Abraham made a great feast the day that Isaac was weaned.
But Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, died, and she was buried beneath Bethel, under an oak. And the name of it was called Oak of Weeping.
And he returned to his brothers and said, The child, he is not. And I, where shall I go?
And we said to my lord, We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one. And his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother, and his father loves him.
And his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, Shall I go and call a woman, a nurse of the Hebrew women for you, that she may nurse the child for you?
And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Take this child away and nurse it for me, and I will give your wages. And the woman took the child and nursed it.
When your son asks you in time to come, saying, What are the testimonies, and the statutes and the judgments which Jehovah our God has commanded you? Then you shall say to your son, We were Pharaoh's slaves in Egypt, and Jehovah brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. read more. And Jehovah gave signs and wonders, great and evil signs, upon Egypt, upon Pharaoh and upon all his household, before our eyes. And He brought us out from there so that He might bring us in to give us the land which He swore to our fathers. And Jehovah commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear Jehovah our God, for our good always, so that He might preserve us alive, as it is today. And if we are careful to do all this commandment before Jehovah our God, as He has commanded us, it shall be our righteousness.
Remember the great temptations which your eyes saw, and the signs, and the wonders, and the mighty hand, and the stretched-out arm by which the Lord your God brought you out. So shall Jehovah your God do to all the people of whom you are afraid.
And you shall teach them to your sons, speaking of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.
And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with three bulls and one ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of Jehovah in Shiloh. And the child was young. And they killed a bull, and brought the child to Eli. read more. And she said, O, my lord, as your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman who stood by you here, praying to Jehovah. For this boy I was praying, and Jehovah has given me my petition which I asked of Him. And I have returned him to Jehovah. As long as he lives, he shall be given to Jehovah. And he worshiped Jehovah there.
And a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried to Elisha, saying, Your servant my husband is dead. And you know that your servant feared Jehovah. And the lender has come to take my two children to himself for slaves.
And a day came when the sons of God came to present themselves before Jehovah. And Satan also came among them.
And it happened that a day came when the sons of God came to present themselves before Jehovah. And Satan also came among them to present himself before Jehovah.
O sons of men, how long will you turn My glory into shame? Will you love vanity and seek after a lie? Selah.
Arise, O God, judge the earth; for You shall inherit in all nations.
She seeks wool and flax, and works willingly with her hands.
Yet the number of the sons of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered. And it shall be, in the place where it was said to them, You are not My people, there it shall be said to them, You are the sons of the living God.
And they said to Him, Do you hear what these say? And Jesus said to them, Yes, have you never read, "Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings You have perfected praise?"
and not for that nation only, but also that He should gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad.
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.