Wean

Weaning in the ancient Hebrew world was a significant milestone, typically occurring later than modern practice — at two or three years of age, and in some accounts possibly as late as five. The extended nursing period meant that weaning was a cause for celebration: Genesis 21:8 records that Abraham "made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned." Hannah delayed bringing Samuel to the tabernacle until after his weaning, waiting until she could fulfil her vow to dedicate him permanently to the LORD's service (1 Samuel 1:22–24). The weaned child is used metaphorically in Psalm 131:2 by the psalmist to describe a state of quieted contentment before God: "as a child that is weaned of his mother: my soul is even as a weaned child" — no longer crying for what it cannot have, but resting in the present relationship. Song of Solomon 8:1 uses the imagery of nursing mothers in a comparison.