How to say “man” in Hebrew

ByAmi Steinberger

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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