# children, child, offspring

## Definition:

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.

* In the Bible, disciples or followers are sometimes called “children.”
* Often the term “children” is used to refer to a person’s descendants.
* Often in the Bible, “offspring” has the same meaning as “children” or “descendants.”
* The term “seed” is sometimes used figuratively to refer to offspring.
* The phrase “children of” can refer to being characterized by something. Some examples of this would be:

    * children of the light
    * children of obedience
    * children of the devil

* This term can also refer to the Church. For example, sometimes the New Testament refers to people who believe in Jesus as “children of God.”

## Translation Suggestions:

* 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.”

(See also: [descendant](../other/descendant.md), [seed](../other/seed.md), [promise](../kt/promise.md), [son](../kt/son.md), [spirit](../kt/spirit.md), [believe](../kt/believe.md), [beloved](../kt/beloved.md))

## Bible References:

* [1 John 02:28](rc://en/tn/help/1jn/02/28)
* [3 John 01:04](rc://en/tn/help/3jn/01/04)
* [Galatians 04:19](rc://en/tn/help/gal/04/19)
* [Genesis 45:11](rc://en/tn/help/gen/45/11)
* [Joshua 08:34-35](rc://en/tn/help/jos/08/34)
* [Nehemiah 05:05](rc://en/tn/help/neh/05/05)
* [Acts 17:29](rc://en/tn/help/act/17/29)
* [Exodus 13:11-13](rc://en/tn/help/exo/13/11)
* [Genesis 24:07](rc://en/tn/help/gen/24/07)
* [Isaiah 41:8-9](rc://en/tn/help/isa/41/08)
* [Job 05:25](rc://en/tn/help/job/05/25)
* [Luke 03:7](rc://en/tn/help/luk/03/7)
* [Matthew 12:34](rc://en/tn/help/mat/12/34)


## Word Data:

* Strong’s: H1069, H1121, H1123, H1129, H1323, H1397, H1580, H2029, H2030, H2056, H2138, H2145, H2233, H2945, H3173, H3205, H3206, H3208, H3211, H3243, H3490, H4392, H5209, H5271, H5288, H5290, H5759, H5764, H5768, H5953, H6185, H6363, H6529, H6631, H7908, H7909, H7921, G730, G815, G1025, G1064, G1081, G1085, G1471, G3439, G3515, G3516, G3808, G3812, G3813, G3816, G5040, G5041, G5042, G5043, G5044, G5206, G5207, G5388