בַּת (bat)
bat
daughter
H:N-FQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 443 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-F
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun bat primarily means daughter, referring to a female child or young woman. While it denotes literal biological offspring in genealogies like Genesis, its usage extends far beyond immediate family ties. It can describe adopted daughters, daughters-in-law, or even sisters and cousins within broader kinship networks.
Translators often render bat as "daughter" when describing the inhabitants of a city or nation, such as the "daughters of Zion" in Isaiah. This personification treats communities as female figures, allowing the text to speak of their character or fate through feminine imagery. In poetic passages, it also appears in compound phrases like "the apple of the eye," where it conveys something precious and closely guarded.
Its etymological link to ben (son) highlights a structural symmetry in Hebrew thought, marking gender within relational categories. The word’s flexibility allows it to shift seamlessly from individual identity to collective representation, reflecting how ancient Israelite culture viewed women both as individuals and as symbols of their communities.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word bat simply means daughter, yet it carries a warmth that connects generations. When Genesis lists Adam’s sons and daughters, it reminds us that every family line is part of God’s ongoing story. This ordinary term grounds our faith in real human relationships, showing that God cares about the everyday lives of mothers, fathers, and children.
It also expands to describe communities, like the daughters of Zion, linking individual identity to collective hope. In moments of danger, such as Lot offering his daughters for protection, the word highlights the fierce loyalty families feel toward one another. This imagery invites us to see our own lives as part of a larger narrative where we are valued and protected.
Ultimately, bat reflects God’s design for kinship and care. Whether in genealogies or poetic metaphors, it points to a world where relationships matter deeply. We can find comfort in knowing that we are known and loved within this divine family structure.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 443 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- [the] daughter of154×
- and/ daughters29×
- and/ daughters/ its27×
- [the] daughters of26×
- daughters21×
- daughter/ his20×
- O daughter of17×
- daughters/ its14×
- daughters/ your13×
- daughters/ his13×
- and/ daughters/ your12×
- daughters/ their10×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- בַּת\־140×
- בַת\־25×
- בְּנ֣וֹת21×
- וּ/בָנֽוֹת\׃12×
- וּ/בָנֽוֹת\׃\ \ס8×
- וּ/בְנֹתֶ֔י/הָ6×
- בָּנ֑וֹת6×
- בַּ֖ת6×
- בְּנ֥וֹת6×
- לְ/בַת\־5×
- וּ/בְנֹתֶֽי/הָ\׃5×
- בַּֽת\־5×
Key Verses
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Genesis 5:4
The days of Adam after he became the father of Seth were eight hundred years, and he became the father of other sons and daughters.
This verse establishes the foundational pattern of human lineage, showing that daughters are included from the very beginning in God's record of creation.
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Genesis 19:8
See now, I have two virgin daughters. Please let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them what seems good to you. Only don’t do anything to these men, because they have come under the shadow of my roof.”
Lot’s desperate offer reveals the extreme cultural value placed on protecting female family members during times of crisis.
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Genesis 19:14
Lot went out, and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were pledged to marry his daughters, and said, “Get up! Get out of this place, for Yahweh will destroy the city!” But he seemed to his sons-in-law to be joking.
The mention of daughters pledged to marriage underscores the urgency of Lot's warning and the social bonds at stake in Sodom's destruction.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Hebrew word bat mean?
How is bat different from other words for women?
Where does bat appear most often in the Bible?
Every Occurrence (443 verses across 32 books)
Genesis 89 verses
The days of Adam after he became the father of Seth were eight hundred years, and he became the father of other sons…
Genesis 5:7Seth lived after he became the father of Enosh eight hundred seven years, and became the father of other sons and…
Genesis 5:10Enosh lived after he became the father of Kenan eight hundred fifteen years, and became the father of other sons and…
Genesis 5:13Kenan lived after he became the father of Mahalalel eight hundred forty years, and became the father of other sons and…
Genesis 5:16Mahalalel lived after he became the father of Jared eight hundred thirty years, and became the father of other sons and…
Genesis 5:19Jared lived after he became the father of Enoch eight hundred years, and became the father of other sons and daughters.
Genesis 5:22After Methuselah’s birth, Enoch walked with God for three hundred years, and became the father of more sons and…
Genesis 5:26Methuselah lived after he became the father of Lamech seven hundred eighty-two years, and became the father of other…
Genesis 5:30Lamech lived after he became the father of Noah five hundred ninety-five years, and became the father of other sons and…
Genesis 6:1When men began to multiply on the surface of the ground, and daughters were born to them,
Genesis 6:2God’s sons saw that men’s daughters were beautiful, and they took any that they wanted for themselves as wives.
Genesis 6:4The Nephilim were in the earth in those days, and also after that, when God’s sons came in to men’s daughters and had…
Genesis 11:11Shem lived five hundred years after he became the father of Arpachshad, and became the father of more sons and…
Genesis 11:13Arpachshad lived four hundred three years after he became the father of Shelah, and became the father of more sons and…
Genesis 11:15Shelah lived four hundred three years after he became the father of Eber, and became the father of more sons and…
Genesis 11:17Eber lived four hundred thirty years after he became the father of Peleg, and became the father of more sons and…
Genesis 11:19Peleg lived two hundred nine years after he became the father of Reu, and became the father of more sons and daughters.
Genesis 11:21Reu lived two hundred seven years after he became the father of Serug, and became the father of more sons and daughters.
Genesis 11:23Serug lived two hundred years after he became the father of Nahor, and became the father of more sons and daughters.
Genesis 11:25Nahor lived one hundred nineteen years after he became the father of Terah, and became the father of more sons and…
Genesis 11:29Abram and Nahor married wives. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah, the…
Genesis 17:17Then Abraham fell on his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, “Will a child be born to him who is one hundred…
Genesis 19:8See now, I have two virgin daughters. Please let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them what seems good to…
Genesis 19:12The men said to Lot, “Do you have anybody else here? Sons-in-law, your sons, your daughters, and whomever you have in…
Genesis 19:14Lot went out, and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were pledged to marry his daughters, and said, “Get up! Get out of this…
Genesis 19:15When the morning came, then the angels hurried Lot, saying, “Get up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are…
Genesis 19:16But he lingered; and the men grabbed his hand, his wife’s hand, and his two daughters’ hands, Yahweh being merciful to…
Genesis 19:30Lot went up out of Zoar, and lived in the mountain, and his two daughters with him; for he was afraid to live in Zoar.…
Genesis 19:36Thus both of Lot’s daughters were with child by their father.
Genesis 20:12Besides, she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.
Genesis 24:3I will make you swear by Yahweh, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you shall not take a wife for my son…
Genesis 24:13Behold, I am standing by the spring of water. The daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water.
Genesis 24:23and said, “Whose daughter are you? Please tell me. Is there room in your father’s house for us to stay?”
Genesis 24:24She said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor.”
Genesis 24:37My master made me swear, saying, ‘You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose…
Genesis 24:47I asked her, and said, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ She said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bore to…
Genesis 24:48I bowed my head, and worshiped Yahweh, and blessed Yahweh, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me in the right…
Genesis 25:20Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Paddan Aram, the sister of Laban…
Genesis 26:34When Esau was forty years old, he took as wife Judith, the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath, the daughter of…
Genesis 27:46Rebekah said to Isaac, “I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth. If Jacob takes a wife of the daughters…
Genesis 28:1Isaac called Jacob, blessed him, and commanded him, “You shall not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan.
Genesis 28:2Arise, go to Paddan Aram, to the house of Bethuel your mother’s father. Take a wife from there from the daughters of…
Genesis 28:6Now Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Paddan Aram, to take him a wife from there, and that as…
Genesis 28:8Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan didn’t please Isaac, his father.
Genesis 28:9So Esau went to Ishmael, and took, in addition to the wives that he had, Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham’s…
Genesis 29:6He said to them, “Is it well with him?” They said, “It is well. See, Rachel, his daughter, is coming with the sheep.”
Genesis 29:10When Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban, his mother’s brother, and the sheep of Laban, his mother’s brother, Jacob…
Genesis 29:16Laban had two daughters. The name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.
Genesis 29:18Jacob loved Rachel. He said, “I will serve you seven years for Rachel, your younger daughter.”
Genesis 29:23In the evening, he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to Jacob. He went in to her.
Genesis 29:24Laban gave Zilpah his servant to his daughter Leah for a servant.
Genesis 29:28Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week. He gave him Rachel his daughter as wife.
Genesis 29:29Laban gave Bilhah, his servant, to his daughter Rachel to be her servant.
Genesis 30:13Leah said, “Happy am I, for the daughters will call me happy.” She named him Asher.
Genesis 30:21Afterwards, she bore a daughter, and named her Dinah.
Genesis 31:26Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done, that you have deceived me, and carried away my daughters like captives of the…
Genesis 31:28and didn’t allow me to kiss my sons and my daughters? Now you have done foolishly.
Genesis 31:31Jacob answered Laban, “Because I was afraid, for I said, ‘Lest you should take your daughters from me by force.’
Genesis 31:41These twenty years I have been in your house. I served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for…
Genesis 31:43Laban answered Jacob, “The daughters are my daughters, the children are my children, the flocks are my flocks, and all…
Genesis 31:50If you afflict my daughters, or if you take wives in addition to my daughters, no man is with us; behold, God is…
Genesis 34:1Dinah, the daughter of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land.
Genesis 34:3His soul joined to Dinah, the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the young lady, and spoke kindly to the young lady.
Genesis 34:5Now Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah, his daughter; and his sons were with his livestock in the field. Jacob held…
Genesis 34:7The sons of Jacob came in from the field when they heard it. The men were grieved, and they were very angry, because he…
Genesis 34:8Hamor talked with them, saying, “The soul of my son, Shechem, longs for your daughter. Please give her to him as a wife.
Genesis 34:9Make marriages with us. Give your daughters to us, and take our daughters for yourselves.
Genesis 34:16then will we give our daughters to you; and we will take your daughters to us, and we will dwell with you, and we will…
Genesis 34:17But if you will not listen to us and be circumcised, then we will take our sister, and we will be gone.”
Genesis 34:19The young man didn’t wait to do this thing, because he had delight in Jacob’s daughter, and he was honored above all…
Genesis 34:21“These men are peaceful with us. Therefore let them live in the land and trade in it. For behold, the land is large…
Genesis 36:2Esau took his wives from the daughters of Canaan: Adah the daughter of Elon, the Hittite; and Oholibamah the daughter…
Genesis 36:3and Basemath, Ishmael’s daughter, sister of Nebaioth.
Genesis 36:6Esau took his wives, his sons, his daughters, and all the members of his household, with his livestock, all his…
Genesis 36:14These were the sons of Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Zibeon, Esau’s wife: she bore to Esau Jeush,…
Genesis 36:18These are the sons of Oholibamah, Esau’s wife: chief Jeush, chief Jalam, chief Korah. These are the chiefs who came of…
Genesis 36:25These are the children of Anah: Dishon and Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah.
Genesis 36:39Baal Hanan the son of Achbor died, and Hadar reigned in his place. The name of his city was Pau. His wife’s name was…
Genesis 37:35All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. He said, “For I will go down…
Genesis 38:2There, Judah saw the daughter of a certain Canaanite man named Shua. He took her, and went in to her.
Genesis 38:12After many days, Shua’s daughter, the wife of Judah, died. Judah was comforted, and went up to his sheep shearers to…
Genesis 41:45Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphenath-Paneah. He gave him Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On as a wife.…
Genesis 41:50To Joseph were born two sons before the year of famine came, whom Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bore…
Genesis 46:7his sons, and his sons’ sons with him, his daughters, and his sons’ daughters, and he brought all his offspring with…
Genesis 46:15These are the sons of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob in Paddan Aram, with his daughter Dinah. All the souls of his sons…
Genesis 46:18These are the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah, his daughter, and these she bore to Jacob, even sixteen souls.
Genesis 46:20To Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, priest of On,…
Genesis 46:25These are the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to Rachel, his daughter, and these she bore to Jacob: all the souls were…
Genesis 49:22“Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine by a spring. His branches run over the wall.