How to say “man” in Hebrew

ByAmi Steinberger July 2, 2015August 9, 2022

גֶּבֶר, אִישׁ, אָדָם

Whereas English has one word in use for man, Hebrew has three.

גֶּבֶר
refers to a man in everyday speech, regardless of his stature. For example:

הוּא הָיָה יֶלֶד, וּבִן לַיְלָה הוּא נִהְיָה גֶּבֶר.

He was a boy, and overnight he became a man.

Incidentally, גבר also refers to a rooster.

אִישׁ
is also a common word for man, but it carries a certain tone of respect.

For example:

הוּא אִישׁ טוֹב.

He is a good man.

Then there’s אָדָם
, man or person in the general sense. This word is named after the biblical first man, Adam. But despite the word’s heritage, אדם is not gender-specific: it refers to both males and females alike, as in:

הִיא אָדָם טוֹב.

She is a good person.

אדם is an abbreviated version of the phrase בֶּן אָדָם
– son of Adam.

In contrast to man, woman has only one word in Hebrew: אִשָּׁה
, the feminine version of the respectful term for her male counterpart.

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