The Greek brephos refers to a baby — either a newborn or an unborn child still in the womb. It is used for infants from conception through early childhood, covering the full span of human life before independent speech.
Brephos is used with profound theological significance in the New Testament. In Luke 1:41, the brephos (John the Baptist in the womb) leaped for joy at the presence of Jesus — a prenatal recognition of the Messiah. Luke 2:12,16 uses it for the newborn Jesus in the manger — 'a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.' The word thus affirms the full humanity of Christ from birth. In 2 Timothy 3:15, Paul notes that Timothy had known the Scriptures 'from infancy (brephos)' — establishing early formation in the Word as foundational. 1 Peter 2:2 calls believers to crave pure milk 'like newborn babies (artigenéta brephos).'