A male offspring. In the plural this word frequently combines with the word “Israel” to designate a specific group of people, male and female: the children of Israel, or the Israelites. In polite address persons with no actual kinship to the speaker were sometimes afforded this title (cf. the aged priest Eli’s use of “my son” in speaking to the child Samuel, 1Sam 3:16). The expression “son of” also came to describe a characteristic feature of something (e.g., “son of fatness” with reference to the land suggests fertile soil, Isa 5:1). In the NT, the use of the word “son” to designate a physical descendant (Matt 21:28; Mark 13:12; Luke 15:31) is also common. In addition, the apostle Paul uses the word to denote a close and affectionate relationship in the Christian faith, both of individuals (1Cor 4:17; Phil 2:22; Phlm 1:10) and of groups (1Cor 4:14). Because the term “son” was used to denote the unique filial relationship of Jesus to God (Matt 3:17; Mark 1:1; Luke 9:35; Acts 3:26), it also came to be applied to those who through trust in Jesus attained the same relationship with God (John 1:12; 1John 3:1-2).
