Summary
Ordinal numbers are used to express a rank or order
of items in a series (first, second, third, etc.) or to express a part
of a whole (a third, a fourth, a fifth, etc.).
Article
Biblical Hebrew contains two sets of numbers: cardinal numbers
and ordinal numbers. Ordinal numbers describe either a numeric
rank/order or a portion of a whole. “First” through “tenth” have unique
ordinal forms, but the cardinal forms are used from “eleventh” and
higher. Ordinal numbers function as attributive adjectives,
but they may not always have the same grammatical form (gender, number,
definiteness) as the noun they describe.
.. note:: Sometimes a cardinal form is used, but an ordinal meaning is
clearly indicated from the context (see examples below).
“First” through “Tenth”
“First” through “Tenth” Paradigm
| word |
Hebrew |
Transliteration |
Gloss |
| masculine |
רִאֹשׁוֹן |
ri’oshon |
first |
| masculine |
שֵׁנִי |
sheni |
second |
| masculine |
שְׁלִישִׁי |
shelishi |
third |
| masculine |
רְבִיעִי |
rebi’i |
fourth |
| masculine |
חֲמִישִׁי |
hamishi |
fifth |
| masculine |
שִׁשִּׁי |
shishi |
sixth |
| masculine |
שְׁבִיעִי |
shevi’i |
seventh |
| masculine |
שְׁמִינִי |
shemini |
eighth |
| masculine |
תְּשִׁיעִי |
teshi’i |
ninth |
| masculine |
עֲשִׂירִי |
‘asiri |
tenth |
Example: GEN 47:18
| בַּשָּׁנָ֣ה הַשֵּׁנִ֗ית |
| bashanah hashenith |
| in-the-year the-second |
| in the second year |
The following example is a definite
ordinal number describing an indefinite noun.
Example: DEU 5:14
| וְי֙וֹם֙ הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔י |
| weyom hashevi’i |
| and-day the-seventh |
| and the seventh day |
The following examples show cardinal numbers functioning as ordinal numbers.
Example: 2KI 15:32
| בִּשְׁנַ֣ת שְׁתַּ֔יִם |
| bishnath shetayim |
| in-year two |
| in the second year |
Example: 2SA 4:2
| שֵׁם֩ הָאֶחָ֨ד … וְשֵׁ֧ם הַשֵּׁנִ֣י |
| shem ha’ehad … weshem hasheni |
| name-of the-one … and-name-of the-two |
| the name of the first … and the name of the second |