Dictionary Home / G

Girl

lexical_alias theological_term standard

Common-language term for a female child or young woman; in Bible usage it is usually handled under Damsel or related family terms.

At a Glance

A girl is a young female person. Bible dictionaries typically classify this under everyday human and family vocabulary rather than doctrine.

Key Points

Description

A girl is a female child, and in some contexts the word may also refer more broadly to a young woman or maiden. In the Bible, such language is usually descriptive rather than doctrinal, appearing in family life, healing narratives, household responsibilities, and social customs. Scripture treats girls as fully human persons made in the image of God, which grounds their dignity and the moral duty to protect and nurture them. Because the English word girl can overlap with several biblical terms, its exact sense depends on context, age, and marital status. For that reason, the topic is usually better handled as a lexical alias or cross-reference than as an independent theological headword.

Biblical Context

Biblical references to girls appear in ordinary settings such as family relationships, betrothal, household life, and healing stories. The term often overlaps with daughter, maiden, or young woman depending on the passage.

Historical Context

In the ancient world, age categories were often broader and less formal than modern usage. A term translated girl could describe a child, a youth, or a young unmarried female depending on social context.

Jewish and Ancient Context

Hebrew and Aramaic usage includes several words that may be rendered girl, maiden, young woman, or daughter. Context is essential, since the same English rendering may cover different ages or social statuses.

Primary Key Texts

Secondary Key Texts

Original Language Note

English girl may translate several Hebrew and Greek terms, including words for daughter, maiden, young woman, or child. The exact nuance must be determined from context.

Theological Significance

The term itself is not a major doctrine, but it belongs to Scripture’s larger witness that girls are image-bearers, members of households and covenant communities, and recipients of protection, instruction, and care.

Philosophical Explanation

As a human descriptor, girl is an age-and-sex category rather than an abstract theological concept. Its significance comes from biblical anthropology: persons are not defined only by utility or status, but by their creation by God and moral responsibility before him.

Interpretive Cautions

Do not assume that girl always means a prepubescent child. In biblical usage it may refer to a young woman or maiden. The English term should be interpreted according to the passage, not imposed as a fixed technical category.

Major Views

Bible readers generally treat girl as ordinary vocabulary, while lexicons and dictionaries may place it under related terms such as maiden, daughter, or young woman. The main issue is lexical range, not doctrinal disagreement.

Doctrinal Boundaries

This entry should not be used to build doctrine from age terminology alone. It may support broader biblical teaching on dignity, family responsibility, and sexual ethics, but it is not itself a doctrinal locus.

Practical Significance

The Bible’s treatment of girls supports the protection of children and young women, the honoring of family responsibility, and the careful reading of age-related language in Scripture.

Related Entries

See Also

Data

Machine-readable JSON for Girl

↑ Top