DAUGHTER

This word, besides its natural and proper sense, is used to designate, (1.) A niece or any female descendant (Gen. 20:12; 24:48; 28:6). (2.) Women as natives of a place, or as professing the religion of a place; as, “the daughters of Zion” (Isa. 3:16), “daughters of the Philistines” (2 Sam. 1:20). (3.) Small towns and villages lying around a city are its “daughters,” as related to the metropolis or mother city. Tyre is in this sense called the daughter of Sidon (Isa. 23:12). (4.) The people of Jerusalem are spoken of as “the daughters of Zion” (Isa. 37:22). (5.) The daughters of a tree are its boughs (Gen. 49:22). (6.) The “daughters of music” (Eccl. 12:4) are singing women.

The word is used in Scripture not only for daughter, but for granddaughter or other female descendant. (Genesis 24:48) It is used of the female inhabitants of a place or country, (Genesis 6:2; Luke 23:28) and of cities in general, (Isaiah 10:32; 23:12) but more specifically of dependent towns or hamlets, while to the principal city the correlative “mother” is applied. (Numbers 21:25) “Daughters of music,” i.e. singing birds, (Ecclesiastes 12:4) refers to the power of making and enjoying music.

DAUGH'TER is used in the Bible in several other senses than the literal one. It describes a female descendant. Gen 27:46, the women of a city or country. Gen 36:2, or women in general, Prov 31:29; the female worshippers of an idol, Mal 2:11; cities and their dependent towns. In Eccl 12:4 "daughters of music" are singing-women.

Part of speech: noun (n.)

1. The female offspring of the human species; a female child of any age; -- applied also to the lower animals.

2. A female descendant; a woman. This woman, being a daughter of Abraham. Luke xiii. 16. Dinah, the daughter of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob, went out to see the daughter of the land. Gen. xxxiv. 1.

3. A son's wife; a daughter-in-law. And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters. Ruth. i. 11.

4. A term of adress indicating parental interest. Daughter, be of good comfort. Matt. ix. 22. Daughter cell (Biol.), one of the cells formed by cell division. See Cell division, under Division.