The word ya•tom is both a biblical and modern noun and it means an orphan. Yatom, orphan appears 42 times in the Old Testament almost always in reference to giving them fair treatment along with the other three weak sectors of society: the widow, the stranger and the poor. Orphan only appears once in the New Testament:
‘I will not leave you orphans. I will come to you.’
To end this entry with a lighter tone, here is a common expression that is used in Hebrew often and perhaps in other languages: ‘a success is claimed by many fathers but a failure is always an orphan.’
In Hebrew is sounds: le•hatz•la•cha yesh har•be a•vot a•val ha•ki•sha•lon hoo ta•mid ya•tom. When we come to think about it, it is also sad that very few of us can admit responsibility for a failure so it is just like an orphan, with no father or mother.
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