As those who would continue the family line boys were seen as a great blessing from God. Circumcised on the eighth day, as they grew towards maturity they were to be taught by their fathers. In the story of God's people, Israelite boys are seen serving God, being ministered to by men of God and suffering at the hands of ungodly kings.
Boys in general are seen as a blessing from God
Psalm 127:3–5 See also Ruth 4:13–17; Psalm 128:3–4
Children are indeed a heritage from the LORD, and the fruit of the womb is His reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are children born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. He will not be put to shame when he confronts the enemies at the gate.
Particular boys who are seen as a special gift from God
The boy Isaac, a gift to Abraham and Sarah
Genesis 17:15–22 See also Genesis 21:1–7
Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, do not call her Sarai, for her name is to be Sarah. And I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will descend from her.” Abraham fell facedown. Then he laughed and said to himself, “Can a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Can Sarah give birth at the age of ninety?” And Abraham said to God, “O that Ishmael might live under Your blessing!” But God replied, “Your wife Sarah will indeed bear you a son, and you are to name him Isaac. I will establish My covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. As for Ishmael, I have heard you, and I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly. He will become the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation. But I will establish My covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this time next year.” When He had finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him.
The boy Samson, a gift to Manoah and his wife
Judges 13:2–5 See also Judges 13:24–25
Now there was a man from Zorah named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, whose wife was barren and had no children. The angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her, “It is true that you are barren and have no children; but you will conceive and give birth to a son. Now please be careful not to drink wine or strong drink, and not to eat anything unclean. For behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son. And no razor shall touch his head, because the boy will be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hand of the Philistines.”
The boy Samuel, a gift to Elkanah and Hannah
The boy John, a gift to Zechariah and Elizabeth
Luke 1:5–25 See also Luke 1:57–66
The boy Jesus, a gift to Mary and Joseph
Luke 1:26–38 See also Matthew 1:20–21
Boys were circumcised on the eighth day
Genesis 17:9–14 See also Leviticus 12:3; Luke 1:59, Luke 2:21
God also said to Abraham, “You must keep My covenant— you and your descendants in the generations after you. This is My covenant with you and your descendants after you, which you are to keep: Every male among you must be circumcised. You are to circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, and this will be a sign of the covenant between Me and you. Generation after generation, every male must be circumcised when he is eight days old, including those born in your household and those purchased from a foreigner — even those who are not your offspring. Whether they are born in your household or purchased, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh will be an everlasting covenant. But if any male is not circumcised, he will be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”
Boys were taught by their fathers
Proverbs 4:1–4 While examples of fatherly instruction in Scripture are confined to wisdom literature and liturgical material, other sources indicate that the education provided was more wide-ranging, and would include the teaching of a trade. See also Exodus 13:8; Deuteronomy 6:20–25; Proverbs 4:10–13
Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction; pay attention and gain understanding. For I give you sound teaching; do not abandon my directive. When I was a son to my father, tender and the only child of my mother, he taught me and said, “Let your heart lay hold of my words; keep my commands and you will live.
Israelite boys who served God
The boy Samuel served God in the temple
The boy David served God by killing Goliath
The boy King Joash served God
2 Chronicles 24:1–2 parallel 2 Kings 12:1–2
Joash was seven years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem forty years. His mother’s name was Zibiah; she was from Beersheba. And Joash did what was right in the eyes of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest.
The boy King Josiah served God
2 Chronicles 34:1–2 parallel 2 Kings 22:1–2
Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and walked in the ways of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right or to the left.
The boy Jesus had a conscious relationship with God
Boys who are ministered to by men of God
Through Elijah, God restored the life of a widow's son
Later, the son of the woman who owned the house became ill, and his sickness grew worse and worse, until no breath remained in him. “O man of God,” said the woman to Elijah, “what have you done to me? Have you come to remind me of my iniquity and cause the death of my son?” But Elijah said to her, “Give me your son.” So he took him from her arms, carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his own bed. Then he cried out to the LORD, “O LORD my God, have You also brought tragedy on this widow who has opened her home to me, by causing her son to die?” Then he stretched himself out over the child three times and cried out to the LORD, “O LORD my God, please let this boy’s life return to him!” And the LORD listened to the voice of Elijah, and the child’s life returned to him, and he lived. Then Elijah took the child, brought him down from the upper room into the house, and gave him to his mother. “Look, your son is alive,” Elijah declared.
Through Elisha, God restored the life of a Shunammite's son
When Elisha reached the house, there was the boy lying dead on his bed. So he went in, closed the door behind the two of them, and prayed to the LORD. Then Elisha got on the bed and lay on the boy, mouth to mouth, eye to eye, and hand to hand. As he stretched himself out over him, the boy’s body became warm. Elisha turned away and paced back and forth across the room. Then he got on the bed and stretched himself out over the boy again, and the boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes. Elisha summoned Gehazi and said, “Call the Shunammite woman.” So he called her and she came. Then Elisha said, “Pick up your son.” She came in, fell at his feet, and bowed to the ground. Then she picked up her son and went out.
Jesus Christ healed a demon-possessed boy
Matthew 17:14–18 parallels Mark 9:14–27, Luke 9:37–43
When they came to the crowd, a man came up to Jesus and knelt before Him. “Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering terribly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not heal him.” “O unbelieving and perverse generation!” Jesus replied. “How long must I remain with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy here to Me.” Then Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed from that moment.
Both Herod and Pharaoh ordered that Israelite boys be killed
Matthew 2:16 See also Exodus 1:15–22
When Herod saw that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was filled with rage. Sending orders, he put to death all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, according to the time he had learned from the Magi.
Related themes
Dictionary of Bible Themes © 1999 Martin Manser, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Bible Aquifer. Formatted for this site, with Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible.