מַמְזֵר

# Mamzer (H4464): A Hebrew Term for Illegitimate Descent The Hebrew word *mamzer* (מַמְזֵר) carried a specific legal and social meaning in ancient Israel, referring to a child born outside of lawful marriage—what English translations render as "bastard." The term appears only twice in the biblical text, suggesting it addressed a particular legal or social category rather than a common occurrence in everyday discourse. Its limited presence indicates this was a defined status within Israelite law rather than a casual descriptive term. The rarity of the word's biblical usage—only two occurrences across the entire Hebrew scriptures—suggests that while the legal concept of illegitimate birth existed in ancient Israel's social framework, specific terminology to address such cases was infrequently invoked in the texts that survived. This sparseness raises questions about how common such situations were in the community or how they were typically discussed. The term's existence, however, confirms that ancient Israelite society had clear categories distinguishing between children born within and outside lawful marriage, with corresponding social implications.