Wikipedia's first sentence called it “hebrew word”. Today it says “person who is born as the result of certain forbidden relationships or incest”.
Measured, not asserted. Every count, date and revision on this page was taken from Wikipedia's own history and checked against the live article. The words quoted are theirs.
Machine-checked against the full current article on 2026-08-03.
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The opening as it read in 2005
Mamzer ( Hebrew : ממזר ) is a Hebrew word, usually translated into English as " bastard ". In Judaism , a mamzer is not a child born out of wedlock, or between people of two different faiths. Instead, a mamzer is a product of incestuous relations or adultery . A mamzer is a full fledged Jew with the exception that he cannot marry anyone who is not also a mamzer (in accordance with the Jewish law "Not to let a mamzer marry into the Jewish people ( Deut. 23:3)), and his children will have mamzer status. However, it is written in the Talmud that "A learned mamzer takes precedence over a priest ( Kohen ) who isn't learned". The laws of the mamzer are scattered throughout the Talmud (see, for example, Yevamos 49a-b, 69a, 78b, 87b, Kiddushin 67b and 73a). They are codified in Maimonides , Laws of Forbidden Relations ch. 15, and Shulkhan Arukh , Even Haezer, ch. 4. v t e1
This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 17543974.
The opening as it stood in 2010 7 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Mamzer ( ) is a Hebrew halachic term referring to a category of person.In Jewish religious law a mamzer is a person born from certain forbidden relationships, or the descendant of such a person.Roughly speaking, due to the Jewish definition of marriage , a mamzer is someone who is either born of adultery by a married woman, or born of incest (as defined by the bible) , or someone who has a mamzer as a parent .However, this is an oversimplification.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 371264824.
The opening as it stood in 2015 2 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
A mamzer ( ) is a person born from certain forbidden relationships , or the descendant of such a person, in the Hebrew Bible and Jewish religious law .A mamzer is someone who is either born of adultery by a married Jewish woman and a Jewish man who is not her husband, or born of incest (as defined by the Bible) , or someone who has a mamzer as a parent.Mamzer status is not synonymous with illegitimacy , since it does not include children whose mothers were unmarried.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 668160298.
The opening as it stood in 2020 1 passage from the previous snapshot no longer appear
In Judaism, a person born or descended from certain forbidden sexual relationships In the Hebrew Bible and Jewish religious law , a mamzer ( , lit."estranged person", plural mamzerim ) is a person born from certain forbidden relationships or from incest (as defined by the Bible) , or the descendant of such a person. Mamzer status ( ) is not synonymous with illegitimacy , since it does not include children whose mothers were unmarried.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 959400573.
The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023
In Judaism, a person born or descended from certain forbidden sexual relationships In the Hebrew Bible and Jewish religious law , a mamzer ( , lit. , "estranged person"; plural mamzerim ) is a person who is born as the result of certain forbidden relationships or incest (as it is defined by the Bible ), or the descendant of such a person.Mamzer status ( ) is not synonymous with the traditional western definition of illegitimacy , since it does not include children born to unmarried mothers.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1177264417.
The opening as it stood in 2025
In Judaism, a person born or descended from certain forbidden sexual relationships In the Hebrew Bible and Jewish religious law , a mamzer ( Hebrew : ממזר , lit. , "estranged person"; plural mamzerim ) is a person who is born as the result of certain forbidden relationships or incest (as it is defined by the Bible ), or the descendant of such a person. Mamzer status ( ממזרות , mamzerut ) is not synonymous with the traditional Western definition of illegitimacy , since it does not include children born to unmarried mothers.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1288796453. This is our newest snapshot; the live article may have moved again since.
Today
Wikipedia's first sentence called it “hebrew word”. Today it says “person who is born as the result of certain forbidden relationships or incest”. Read the current article and compare.
2005
2010
2015
2020
Oct '23
2025
Counts in the opening at each snapshot. Green: the word gained ground. Red: it was cut. Grey: no change.
What Wikipedia says this is
Every article opens by defining its subject. This one was redefined since 2005, and today's defining sentence is their current revision.
Then
hebrew word
Now
person who is born as the result of certain forbidden relationships or incest
Struck red text is no longer in the article; dotted amber text was rewritten. Every revision id links to Wikipedia's copy; the text shown is our own saved copy. Data: /data. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA; quoted for the record; not affiliated with Wikipedia.
