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H4327 · Hebrew · Old Testament
מִין
Min
Noun, masculine
Kind, species, type

Definition

The Hebrew min (מִין) means "kind," "species," or "type" — the biological category used in the Genesis creation account to describe God's ordering of living things. The phrase lemino or lemineihu ("according to its/their kind") appears ten times in Genesis 1 alone. God created plants, animals, and sea creatures each "according to its kind" — establishing that created things reproduce within established categories.

Usage & Theological Significance

The repeated phrase "according to its kind" (lemino) in Genesis 1 is theologically significant for several reasons. It demonstrates God's ordering of creation into distinct, reproducible categories — the cosmos is not chaos but ordered diversity. Each "kind" reflects a specific creative intention. The emphasis on boundaries and kinds also undergirds the broader biblical theme of holiness as distinction and separation: just as species have their kinds, Israel is to be a distinct people. The term min has also been central to modern discussions of creation and biology, with "baramin" (from bara + min) used to describe created kinds in creationist taxonomy.

Key Bible Verses

Genesis 1:11 And God said, 'Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind.'
Genesis 1:21 So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds.
Genesis 1:24 And God said, 'Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds — livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth.'
Genesis 7:14 they and every beast, according to its kind, and all the livestock according to their kinds, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.
Leviticus 11:14 the kite, the falcon of any kind

Related Words

External Resources

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