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Babe
BABE bāb (נַ֫עַר, H5853, infant; νήπιος, G3758, baby). There are two ways in which this word is used in the Bible—literally and figuratively. Babe is used to denote an infant or very young child. The two outstanding babies of the Bible are Moses and Jesus. Both were born during a time when male Heb. children were being killed; in the former case because Pharaoh was frightened of the population explosion among the Hebrews, and in the latter case because Herod feared the rising of another king. A third occasion in the Bible in which distress to mothers with infants on a large scale is referred to is in the prophetic passage in
The imagery of spiritual regeneration being a new birth is extended in the NT by regarding young Christians and also older undeveloped or stunted Christians as babes in Christ. Just as human babes can assimilate only milk, not solid food, so spiritual babes can grasp only fundamental or basic doctrines. Paul discusses this idea further in
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915)
bab:
(1) na`ar; pais of a male infant 3 months old (
(2) `olel, ta`alulim, in the general sense of "child" (