Bastard

The word bastard in the Authorized Version translates the Hebrew mamzer, meaning polluted, in Deuteronomy 23:2, where it denotes one of illegitimate or mixed birth excluded from the assembly of the LORD to the tenth generation. In Zechariah 9:6 it is used of the mixed population that would inhabit Ashdod. The New Testament's sole use (Hebrews 12:8) applies the Greek nothos metaphorically: those who are not disciplined by God are illegitimate children rather than true sons—a reversal of the stigma, making discipline a mark of authentic sonship.