אָחוֹת (ʾāḥwōt) names a sister and can extend figuratively to related peoples, paired things, wisdom, or an intimate poetic address. 4, Moses' sister watches from a distance to learn what will happen to him.
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Full entry for אָחוֹת (H269) · Open the biblical lexicon
אָחוֹת (ʾāḥwōt) names a sister and can extend figuratively to related peoples, paired things, wisdom, or an intimate poetic address. 4, Moses' sister watches from a distance to learn what will happen to him.
The BSB source-word alignment has 114 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include sister (18), my sister (11), his sister (7), is my sister (5), the sister (5).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 4:22. Its strongest book concentrations include Ezekiel (24), Genesis (24), 1 Chronicles (10), 2 Samuel (10).
H269 names a sister and can extend figuratively to related peoples, paired things, wisdom, or an intimate poetic address. In Exod. 2. 4, Moses' sister watches from a distance to learn what will happen to him. In 2Kgs. 11. 2, the king's sister Jehosheba hides Joash and his nurse from a murderous royal purge. In 2Sam. 13. 1, Tamar is introduced as Absalom's sister before Amnon's predatory desire leads to rape and abandonment.
H269 opens teaching on sibling identity, courageous protection, women's named place in genealogies, incest boundaries, and family systems that may protect or fail. It does not reduce women to male relationships, excuse family secrecy, or turn romantic sister language into permission for incest.
H269 refers to biological and half-sisters, sisters by marriage, named women in genealogies, paired objects, related cities or peoples, wisdom as sister, and bride as sister in poetry. Family relation can support care, alliance, comparison, or expose violation.
And his sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him.
Moses' sister watches at a distance and later helps connect the rescued infant with his mother.
But Jehosheba daughter of King Joram, the sister of Ahaziah, took Joash son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the sons of the king who were being murdered. She put him and his nurse in a bedroom to hide him from Athaliah, and he was not killed.
Jehosheba uses her access and family relationship to hide Joash and his nurse from Athaliah's killings.
After some time, David’s son Amnon fell in love with Tamar, the beautiful sister of David’s son Absalom.
Tamar's identity as sister establishes the family boundary Amnon violates and the household David fails to protect.
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders ItA compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
Hebrew word. Sister functions as both literal kinship term and figurative metaphor for intimate relationship, covenant bond, or solidarity.
Sister functions as both literal kinship term and figurative metaphor for intimate relationship, covenant bond, or solidarity.
a sister (used very widely [like 251number 250, corrected to 251], literally and figuratively) BDB: sister Usage: (an-) other, sister, together.
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Showing 1 selected witness from 119 lexical occurrence verses.
אָחוֹת is built from this root:
H269 makes sisters visible within family networks that can preserve life or become dangerous. Moses' sister watches, speaks wisely, and helps secure care for the infant. Jehosheba risks herself to hide Joash and his nurse from dynastic murder. Tamar's story shows the opposite: Amnon converts family access into predation, ignores her resistance, and then expels her, while the royal household fails to deliver justice.
The word sister does not itself guarantee safety. Biblical law names sexual boundaries, and narrative exposes the devastation when power violates them. Figurative uses can describe peoples or wisdom, and Song of Songs uses sister-bride as ancient affectionate language that does not erase actual incest prohibitions. Faithful application names women's agency, establishes safeguarding within families, believes disclosures, separates victims from perpetrators, and refuses reconciliation pressure without safety and justice.
2Kgs.11.2
H269 is a Hebrew feminine noun for sister and extends through analogy to a female relative, related people or city, paired counterpart, or intimate poetic address. The surrounding relationship identifies the sense.
Jesus forms a family of those who do God's will and treats women as disciples and witnesses, while the church is commanded to regard younger women as sisters in all purity.