to suckle
ya.naq describes nursing or suckling, including infants, nursing women, and figurative drawing from a source.
The attested uses chiefly concern nursing and suckling in scenes involving infants, mothers, and breasts; several forms identify a nursing woman or nurse. A smaller group extends the action to drawing nourishment or substance from nonhuman sources.
Senses in use
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Nursing and suckling in infant-feeding scenes · dominant
The Qal and Hiphil forms occur in clauses about a child, breasts, or infant care. In Exodus 2:9 the APB renders the command concerning the youth as “nurse him,” while in Isaiah 66:11 it renders the plural clause “you may nurse and be satisfied from the breast of her consolation.” Participial forms also mark infants in descriptions such as the “nursing child” in Lamentations 4:4 and those who “suckle at the breast” in Joel 2:16.
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A nursing woman or nurse · common
Noun and active-participial forms identify a woman associated with nursing or caring for a child. In Exodus 2:7 the APB renders the requested woman as “a nursing woman,” and Genesis 24:59 and Genesis 35:8 refer to Rebekah’s “nurse.” In 2 Kings 11:2, Joash is hidden with “his nurse.”
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Drawing from a nonhuman source · occasional
Several clauses apply the action beyond an infant-feeding setting. In Deuteronomy 32:13 the APB renders the clause as being “suckled” with honey and oil from rock, while Deuteronomy 33:19 renders the plural action “draw from the abundance of the seas.” Job 20:16 places the Qal imperfect in the clause “He suckles the poison of cobras.”
In the Anselm Project Bible: Across these verses, the APB commonly uses “nurse,” “nursing,” and “suckle,” and it identifies related persons as a “nurse” or “nursing woman.” In Deuteronomy 33:19 it instead renders the clause “draw from,” showing a figurative source-image.