Lexical Summary min: Kind, species, sort Original Word: מִין Strong's Exhaustive Concordance kind From an unused root meaning to portion out; a sort, i.e. Species -- kind. Compare min. see HEBREW min NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom an unused word Definition kind, species NASB Translation kind (21), kinds (10). Brown-Driver-Briggs [מִין] noun [masculine] kind, species (Late Hebrew id. (Ecclus 43:25 id.), also schismatic, heretic; Jewish-Aramaic מִינָא, species; Palestinian Syriac = nation PS2094 SchwIdioticon 50; yet not Aramaic loan-word in Hebrew; see LagBN 183 f.); — always suffix + preposition לְמִינֵהוּ Genesis 1:12 (twice in verse) + 2t.; לְמִינוֺ Genesis 1:11 (omitted by ᵐ5) + 3 t.; לְמִינָהּ Genesis 1:24 (twice in verse) + 9 t.; לְמִינָהֿ Ezekiel 47:10 (strike out Co); לְמִינֵהֶם Genesis 1:21; — kind, species, of plant Genesis 1:11,12 (twice in verse); usually of animal (beast, bird, fish, insect) Genesis 1:21,22,24 (twice in verse); Genesis 1:25 (3 t. in verse); Genesis 6:20 (3 t. in verse); Genesis 7:14 (4 t. in verse); Leviticus 11:14,15,16,19,22 (4 t. in verse); Leviticus 11:29 (all P); also Deuteronomy 14:13,14,15,18 (compare Leviticus) Ezekiel 47:10 (on text, compare Co). Topical Lexicon Overview מִין (min) is the Hebrew term consistently rendered “kind,” “species,” or “sort.” Throughout the Old Testament it functions as a theological marker of God’s ordering of life, a legal category within Israel’s holiness code, and a prophetic witness to the coming restoration of all creation. Because Scripture never employs the word casually, every occurrence of מִין underscores both the diversity and the boundaries God established for His creatures. Created kinds in Genesis 1 The first ten occurrences form the backbone of the creation narrative. Repeated five times on Day Three and Day Five (Genesis 1:11-12, 21) and twice on Day Six (Genesis 1:24-25), the phrase “according to its kind” declares that living organisms reproduce within divinely set limits. This rhythmic affirmation highlights at least four key truths: 1. Purposeful variety. God delights in multiplicity; life is not monochrome but manifold. Taxonomic boundaries in the Holiness Code Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14 use מִין as the organizing term for the dietary laws. Birds (Leviticus 11:14-19), insects (11:22), and land animals (11:29) are grouped “according to their kind,” distinguishing what is ritually clean or unclean. Several implications emerge: Eschatological abundance and restoration The vision of Ezekiel’s renewed temple culminates in a river teeming “with many kinds of fish, like the fish of the Great Sea” (Ezekiel 47:10). Here מִין signals the fullness of life that will thrive when the curse is lifted. Variety is not merely preserved but multiplied. This anticipates Paul’s assertion that “the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay” (Romans 8:21). Theological themes 1. Continuity of Scripture. The same word that frames the opening chapter of Genesis resurfaces in the closing chapters of Ezekiel, binding the canon together. Ministry significance • Creation care. Respecting “kinds” reminds believers that extinction and genetic exploitation violate creation’s God-given integrity. Representative occurrences Genesis 1:11-12, 21, 24-25; Leviticus 11:14-19, 22, 29; Deuteronomy 14:13-15, 18; Ezekiel 47:10. The word מִין thus weaves a golden thread from the dawn of creation through Israel’s covenant life to the prophetic hope of a renewed earth, proclaiming a God who delights in both diversity and order. Forms and Transliterations לְמִֽינֵהֶ֗ם לְמִינ֔וֹ לְמִינֵ֑הוּ לְמִינֵ֔הוּ לְמִינֵ֗הוּ לְמִינֵֽהוּ׃ לְמִינָ֑הּ לְמִינָ֔הּ לְמִינָ֗הּ לְמִינָֽהּ׃ לְמִינָה֙ לְמִינֽוֹ׃ למינה למינה׃ למינהו למינהו׃ למינהם למינו למינו׃ lə·mî·nāh lə·mî·nê·hem lə·mî·nê·hū lə·mî·nōw lemiNah ləmînāh lemineHem ləmînêhem lemiNehu ləmînêhū lemiNo ləmînōwLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Genesis 1:11 HEB: עֹ֤שֶׂה פְּרִי֙ לְמִינ֔וֹ אֲשֶׁ֥ר זַרְעוֹ־ NAS: fruit after their kind with seed KJV: fruit after his kind, whose INT: bearing fruit their kind whose seed Genesis 1:12 Genesis 1:12 Genesis 1:21 Genesis 1:21 Genesis 1:24 Genesis 1:24 Genesis 1:25 Genesis 1:25 Genesis 1:25 Genesis 6:20 Genesis 6:20 Genesis 6:20 Genesis 7:14 Genesis 7:14 Genesis 7:14 Genesis 7:14 Leviticus 11:14 Leviticus 11:15 Leviticus 11:16 Leviticus 11:19 Leviticus 11:22 Leviticus 11:22 Leviticus 11:22 Leviticus 11:22 31 Occurrences |
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