עוֹלֵל (o.lel)
o.lel
infant
H:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 16 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M
Definition
Definition
Brown-Driver-Briggs
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The Hebrew word olel refers to a very young child, often translated as an infant or nursing baby. In the Old Testament, this term frequently appears in contexts of war and judgment, highlighting the vulnerability of those who cannot defend themselves. It reminds us that God sees the smallest among us, including the helpless infants who rely entirely on others for survival.
While many verses using olel describe tragic scenes of destruction, they also reveal the depth of human suffering and the seriousness of sin. These passages are not endorsements of violence but sobering warnings about the consequences of turning away from God. They invite us to trust in His justice and mercy, knowing that He cares for the weak and vulnerable.
For believers today, this word encourages compassion for children and a recognition of their worth in God’s eyes. It calls us to protect the innocent and to seek peace rather than conflict. In times of hardship, we can find comfort in the truth that God is near to those who are fragile and in need.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 16 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- children/ your2×
- children/ her2×
- children2×
- child2×
- and/ children/ their2×
- to/ children/ their1×
- like/ children1×
- from/ child1×
- from/ a child1×
- children of1×
- child[ren]1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- עוֹלָלֶ֛י/הָ1×
- עוֹלָל֙1×
- עוֹלֵל֙1×
- עוֹלֵ֥ל1×
- עֽוֹלָלַ֔יִ/ךְ1×
- עֽוֹלָלִים֙1×
- עֽוֹלָלִ֔ים1×
- עֹלֲלֵ֣י1×
- עֹֽלָלֶ֔י/הָ1×
- עֹ֝לָלַ֗יִ/ךְ1×
- מֵֽ/עֹלֵל֙1×
- מֵ/עוֹלֵ֖ל1×
Key Verses
-
I Samuel 15:3
Now go and strike Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and don’t spare them; but kill both man and woman, infant and nursing baby, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’”
This verse uses olel alongside nursing babies to emphasize the total nature of the judgment commanded against Amalek, showing no one was spared.
-
Lamentations 2:11
My eyes fail with tears. My heart is troubled. My bile is poured on the earth, because of the destruction of the daughter of my people, because the young children and the infants swoon in the streets of the city.
Here olel describes infants swooning in the streets, illustrating the extreme suffering of Jerusalem’s destruction and evoking deep compassion.
-
Job 3:16
or as a hidden untimely birth I had not been, as infants who never saw light.
Job wishes he had been like an olel who never saw light, using the image of a helpless infant to express his desire for non-existence rather than suffering.
-
Joel 2:16
Gather the people. Sanctify the assembly. Assemble the elders. Gather the children, and those who nurse from breasts. Let the bridegroom go out of his room, and the bride out of her chamber.
This verse calls for gathering children and nursing babies to the assembly, showing that even the youngest are included in communal worship and repentance.