יַלְדוּת

# יַלְדוּת (yaldut): Youth in Hebrew Scripture The Hebrew word *yaldut* denotes the state or period of youth. As a noun formation, it represents the abstract concept of youthfulness rather than a specific age or individual. The word appears only three times in the biblical text, which suggests it carried a specialized rather than everyday usage in Hebrew discourse. The rarity of *yaldut* in Scripture indicates that when biblical authors needed to discuss youth as a distinct life phase, they employed this particular term deliberately. Rather than using more common words for "young person" or "child," the selection of *yaldut* signals focus on the condition of being young—the characteristics, vulnerabilities, or qualities associated with that stage of life. This abstract usage pattern is typical of Hebrew nouns formed with the suffix *-ut*, which converts concrete concepts into broader categorical states. Without access to the specific biblical contexts in which *yaldut* appears, the precise theological or practical dimensions it conveys remain limited to its core definition. The word's scarcity, however, underscores that youth as a thematic concern occupied a meaningful but circumscribed place in biblical reflection.

AI synthesis uses only provided lexicon data -- never training knowledge.