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H2004 · Hebrew · Old Testament
הֵן
Hen
Pronoun, 3rd person feminine plural
they, them (feminine plural)

Definition

The Hebrew pronoun hen is the third person feminine plural personal pronoun, meaning "they" or "them" when referring to feminine subjects. It is the feminine counterpart to hem/hemah (they, masculine). Hebrew grammar uses grammatical gender consistently, and hen refers to feminine-gendered nouns and groups.

Usage & Theological Significance

While hen is primarily a grammatical function word, its theological contexts are rich. It occurs in descriptions of the daughters of Zelophehad (Numbers 27), the women of Israel's community, and the nations. Its use in Genesis highlights the relational and communal nature of Hebrew thought — people are always situated within networks of relationship. The feminine plural also appears in wisdom contexts, as Wisdom herself (a feminine noun) is spoken of with this pronoun.

Key Bible Verses

Numbers 27:7 What Zelophehad's daughters are saying is right. You must certainly give them property as an inheritance among their father's relatives.
Genesis 6:4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days — and also afterward — when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them.
Ruth 1:8 Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, "Go back, each of you, to your mother's home."
Proverbs 8:31 rejoicing in his whole world and delighting in mankind.
Song of Songs 6:8 Sixty queens there may be, and eighty concubines, and virgins beyond number.

Related Words

External Resources

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