What is the best translation of the word נַעַר?

Question

So I have been studying the meaning of the Hebrew word נַעַר. I understand that it's difficult to always find exact translations of certain words in the Hebrew vocabulary, but I have found in my search that the word generally means a young adult, child, or person who can already tell the difference between good and bad - a youngster.

In the Tanach, when the word נַעַר is used, sometimes it's (more or less) obvious what the young adult's age is. (See for instance Bereishit 21:17; we can see that Yishmael is no longer a toddler.)

But how can I tell what age range the word נַעַר covers, when no further information is given?

Answer 1

Radak in Sefer Hashorashim (page 155 in this copy), explains that it refers to someone who is "young in years", without specifying an age. However, he continues, it can also refer to an attendant (since the young generally serve the elderly), or one who is young in wisdom (i.e. foolish).

Thus, there is no definitive age referred to by the word נער, and it largely depends on the context to define its meaning.

Answer 2

Notice that the word נער can refer to anyone from birth (Bereishis 8:21) to 3 (24:28ff according to Rashi) to 12 (Ibid. according to Tosfos) to 13 (25:27 according to Rashi) to 14 (18:7) to 17 (37:2) to 37 (22:12 according to Rashi) to 51 (22:5 according to Rashi) to 54 (Shemos 33:11). So claiming that a נער refers to a young child doesn’t seem accurate in the slightest. (With all due respect to the Radak.)

Notice also the first passuk quoted above - רע מנעריו, which, while loosely translated as “evil from his birth,” more literally translates to “evil from his being shaken [out of the womb].” So the word נער somehow relates to being shaken.

Based on the above, a Rebbe of mine explains that a נער has nothing to do with age - it means an immature person, whose plan for life is a bit “shaky.”

Answer 3

The word best translates to "boy" in the outdated sense. It can mean a young male child of various ages, a diminutive phrase for a servant (as in the now racially charged "Come here boy"), and also refer to a young soldier or troops (as in "Tell the boys the war is ended").

In short, you cannot know what age is being referred to, much like the English word "boy" - you have to tell from the context, though the last meaning, that of a young soldier or squire is by far the most common in the Bible.

A baby:

וַתִּפְתַּח וַתִּרְאֵהוּ אֶת הַיֶּלֶד וְהִנֵּה נַעַר בֹּכֶה וַתַּחְמֹל עָלָיו וַתֹּאמֶר מִיַּלְדֵי הָעִבְרִים זֶה

A small child:

וַתַּעֲלֵהוּ עִמָּהּ כַּאֲשֶׁר גְּמָלַתּוּ בְּפָרִים שְׁלֹשָׁה וְאֵיפָה אַחַת קֶמַח וְנֵבֶל יַיִן וַתְּבִאֵהוּ בֵית יְהוָה שִׁלוֹ וְהַנַּעַר נָעַר

A young soldier / squire:

וַיִּקְרָא הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶל צִיבָא נַעַר שָׁאוּל וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו כֹּל אֲשֶׁר הָיָה לְשָׁאוּל וּלְכָל בֵּיתוֹ נָתַתִּי לְבֶן אֲדֹנֶיךָ

וַיֹּאמֶר לְיֶתֶר בְּכוֹרוֹ קוּם הֲרֹג אוֹתָם וְלֹא שָׁלַף הַנַּעַר חַרְבּוֹ כִּי יָרֵא כִּי עוֹדֶנּוּ נָעַר.

Answer 4

@DonielF's answer alludes to the verb form which means "to shake".

This article cites several instances as well as explanations of the noun form נַעַר :

He says that there are 7 definitions, and one of them refers to a "youth" because a youth is someone who has "grown up" by "shaking off his immaturities". He further distinguishes on some level between a male and female (the term being na'arah for female) in terms of what needs to be "shaken off".

NOTES

*1 A simple approach is to take

GROW UP as a verb form of LAD But the RDK suggests in his book ROOTS that A YOUTH looks like A POLISHED VESSEL WITH DUST ON IT You have to DUST OFF THE VESSEL to make it look right. In a similar manner you have to REMOVE SOME IMMATURITIES DURING TEENAGE YEARS in order to look polished.

*2 The female form of LAD seems to refer to a teenage girl. Using our DUST OFF analogy we would say

A TEENAGE GIRL throws out ANNOYING BUT MINOR (SEXUAL) SIGNALS As she grows up she DUSTS HERSELF OFF until she reaches maturity and becomes a mature (polished) woman.