The term “child” (plural “children”) refers to the offspring of a man and woman. The term is often used more generally to refer to anyone who is young in age and is not yet a fully grown adult. The term “offspring” is a general reference to the biological descendants of people or animals.
* The term “children” could be translated as “descendants” when it is referring to a person’s great-grandchildren or great-great-grandchildren, etc.
* Depending on the context, “children of” could be translated as, “people who have the characteristics of” or “people who behave like.”
* If possible, the phrase, “children of God” should be translated literally since an important biblical theme is that God is our heavenly Father. A possible translation alternate would be, “people who belong to God” or “God’s spiritual children.”
* When Jesus calls his disciples “children,” this could also be translated as, “dear friends” or “my beloved disciples.”
* When Paul and John refer to believers in Jesus as “children,” this could also be translated as “dear fellow believers.”
* The phrase, “children of the promise” could be translated as, “people who have received what God promised them.”
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