What Does Bastard Mean in the Bible?
BASTARD is a word that is found in several different bible versions. It appears in the Geneva Bible, Bill Bible, Bishops’ Bible, Webster Bible, and Longman Version. Depending on which Bible you are reading, the word may be translated differently in different Bible versions. Some Bible translations are more accurate than others.
illegitimate son
An illegitimate son in the Bible is a son conceived out of wedlock by a man who was not married to his mother. The Bible calls these children bastards and tells us that they are not members of the congregation of Israel. According to Hebrews 12:8, children are not legitimate if they are born out of wedlock. But children born to beloved wives are the inheritance of the LORD.
While we can’t know how the Bible came to define this term, we can learn what it means. Illegitimacy in Hebrew is called mam-zer’ and its etymology is obscure. It may be related to the Arabic word mam-zer, which means ‘corrupt’. It may also refer to an unclean birth.
Biblical definitions of illegitimate children vary considerably. In the Old Testament, a child was referred to as a bastard if the father was non-Israelite and the mother was an Israelite. According to the Easton’s Bible Dictionary, this word is used to refer to foreigners, in addition to being used to mean illegitimate offspring. However, Paul’s use of the word in Hebrews 8 is intended to convey the idea that those born outside of marriage are not entitled to the same privileges as those born within marriage.
Abraham had two sons. One was conceived by a slave, and the other was conceived by a free woman. Hence, the son of the slave woman is a son born out of flesh, while the one born to a free woman is the son of the promise. Similarly, the two women in Genesis are symbolic of two covenants, one from Mount Sinai and the other from Hagar, which corresponds to the present Jerusalem.
illegitimate offspring
In the Bible, illegitimate offspring are defined as children born out of wedlock by the parents. They are also unborn innocents who have been aborted before birth. They are thus punished by paying the physical price without any hope for a future. But Jesus’ lineage proves that God is not against these illegitimate offspring. In the Book of Matthew, we see that five children of Jesus were born out of wedlock. In Hebrews, we read that there was also an illegitimate child in the line of Joseph. Joseph adopted Jesus, and Jesus’ heritage was attacked by his enemies.
Although the word “bastard” does not appear in the Bible many times, it is a word with a negative connotation. It is used only three times in the Bible and it refers to offspring born out of wedlock. This term is used to describe people without any privileges, not as the name for a person.
‘Bastard’ is an ancient term used to describe children who are born outside of wedlock. Originally, the term referred to children born to a non-Israelite mother by a Jewish father. However, Easton’s Bible Dictionary explains that bastard is also used to mean foreigner. Paul’s use of this word in Hebrews 8 meant that those born to foreigners don’t have the same privileges as the children born to converted Israelites.
A child born out of illegitimate intercourse is never legitimate. Likewise, an illegitimate son is never legitimate. In other words, the parents may be aware of the impediment when they marry, but if they marry in secret, the impediment is not known. If the parties married in the church, the marriage is legitimate in the eyes of the Church, and the child born out of it is not illegitimate.
illegitimate descendant
In the Bible, an illegitimate descendant of an Israelite parent is called a bastard. Its etymology is disputed, but it may be related to the Hebrew word for “ulcer” found in Jeremiah 30:13. Another possibility is that the word may be related to the Arabic word meaning “putrefy” or “nausea.” In either case, the term probably refers to a corrupt descendant.
Although a descendant of a patriarch should have been excluded from the assembly of Yahweh, this does not necessarily mean that all such children cannot be members of the nation of Israel. For example, the book of Exodus contains a reference to Nahshon, a prince in Israel during the time of the Exodus.
In the Bible, illegitimacy is prohibited. In Deuteronomy, a child born to unmarried parents is considered an illegitimate descendant of that parent. An illegitimate descendant cannot be a member of the Lord’s assembly.
Throughout the Bible, the descendants of kings were often considered illegitimate. This is because the illegitimate descendant of a king must abdicate his authority in order to worship Jesus. However, Herod does not come willingly or quietly; he resists Jesus.