Tag Archive

(Some of these will have biblical references and some will not)

I will begin with the earliest classification.

na’arah – (plural ne’arot): Girl or young woman
baht – (plural bahtot): daughter
betulah – (plural betulot): married/unmarried virgin
almah – (plural alamot): virgin, unmarried, sexually ripening (“pubescent”) woman
isha – (plural nasheem): wife; literally, woman
pilegesh – (plural pilgasheem): concubine (Song of Songs 6:8)
emah – (plural emote): mother
malkah – (plural melakhot): queen (Song of Songs 6:8)
gevirah – noble woman/queen mother
agunah – a woman whose husband’s whereabouts are unknown (an abandoned woman) (Romans 7:2)

noefet – adulteress (na’aph is the act of committing adultery)
zonah – non-virginal harlot/prostitute (Dt. 23: 18-19)
gerushah – divorcee (literally exile/stranger…)

I found these interesting.
The classification betulah and almah as often used interchangably in scripture.
But a zonah cannot be an almah. (duh?) The two cannot be used interchangably.