Summary
Cardinal numbers are used to describe quantity or to
express the name of a number itself (“one”, “two”, “three”, etc.).
Article
Neither Biblical Hebrew nor Biblical Aramaic contains numerals (“1”, “2”, “3”, etc.) but
rather uses words to express numbers (“one”, “two”, “three”, etc.).
There are two different kinds of numbers: cardinal numbers and ordinal numbers.
Cardinal numbers are used either to express the name of a number itself
or to express the quantity of a thing (“one”, “two”, “three”, etc.).
Cardinal numbers function as attributive adjectives,
but they do not always follow the same grammatical rules. They may
appear either before or after the noun they describe, and they may not
always have the same grammatical form (gender, number, definiteness) as
the noun they describe. As with other adjectives, a
cardinal number can function as a noun and can appear in either the absolute
the construct state.
Note
Sometimes a cardinal form (“one”, “two”, “three”, etc.) is used,
but an ordinal meaning (“first”, “second”, “third”, etc.) is clearly
indicated from the context.
“Two”
As would be expected, the number “two” in Biblical Hebrew always takes
the dual form.
“Two” Paradigm
Form |
Hebrew |
Transliteration |
Gloss |
masculine dual absolute |
שְׁנַיִם |
shenayim |
two |
masculine dual construct |
שְׁנֵי |
shene |
two of |
feminine dual absolute |
שְׁתַּיִם |
shetayim |
two |
feminine dual construct |
שְׁתֵּי |
shete |
two of |
Example: 1CH 4:5
שְׁתֵּ֣י נָשִׁ֑ים |
shete nashim |
two women |
two women |
Example: 2CH 3:15
עַמּוּדִ֣ים שְׁנַ֔יִם |
‘ammudim shenayim |
pillars two |
two pillars |
The following example is a cardinal number with a pronominal suffix.
Example: GEN 3:7
שְׁנֵיהֶ֔ם |
shenehem |
two of them |
both of them |
3-10
Note
These numbers have specialized uses when they take either a
dual ending or a plural
ending. When these numbers take a dual ending, they become simple
multiples (“three-fold”, “four-fold”, “five-fold”, etc.); but when they
take a plural ending, they become multiples of ten (“thirty”, “forty”,
“fifty”, etc.).
3-10 Paradigm
Form |
Hebrew |
Transliteration |
Gloss |
masculine singular absolute |
שָׁלֹשׁ |
shalosh |
three |
masculine singular construct |
שְׁלֹשׁ |
shelosh |
three of |
feminine singular absolute |
שְׁלֹשָׁה |
sheloshah |
three |
feminine singular construct |
שְׁלֹשֶׁת |
shelosheth |
three of |
masculine singular absolute |
אַרְבַּע |
‘arba’ |
four |
masculine singular construct |
אַרְבַּע |
‘arba’ |
four of |
feminine singular absolute |
אַרְבָּעָה |
‘arba’ah |
four |
feminine singular construct |
אַרְבַּעַת |
‘arba’ath |
four of |
masculine singular absolute |
חָמֵשׁ |
hamesh |
five |
masculine singular construct |
חֲמֵשׁ |
hamesh |
five of |
feminine singular absolute |
חֲמִשָּׁה |
hamishah |
five |
feminine singular construct |
חֲמֵשֶׁת |
hameshet |
five of |
masculine singular absolute |
שֵׁשׁ |
shesh |
six |
masculine singular construct |
שֵׁשׁ |
shesh |
six of |
feminine singular absolute |
שִׁשָּׁה |
shishah |
six |
feminine singular construct |
שֵׁשֶׁת |
sheshet |
six of |
masculine singular absolute |
שֶׁבַע |
sheva’ |
seven |
masculine singular construct |
שֶׁבַע |
sheva’ |
seven of |
feminine singular absolute |
שִׁבְעָה |
shiv’ah |
seven |
feminine singular construct |
שִׁבְעַת |
shiv’at |
seven of |
masculine singular absolute |
שְׁמֹנֶה |
shemoneh |
eight |
masculine singular construct |
שְׁמֹנֶה |
shemoneh |
eight of |
feminine singular absolute |
שְׁמֹנָה |
shemonah |
eight |
feminine singular construct |
שִׁמֹנַת |
shimonath |
eight of |
masculine singular absolute |
תֵּשַׁע |
tesha’ |
nine |
masculine singular construct |
תֵּשַׁע |
tesha’ |
nine of |
feminine singular absolute |
תִּשְׁעָה |
tish’ah |
nine |
feminine singular construct |
תִּשְׁעַת |
tish’ath |
nine of |
masculine singular absolute |
עֶשֶׂר |
‘eser |
ten |
masculine singular construct |
עֶשֶׂר |
‘eser |
ten of |
feminine singular absolute |
עֲשָׂרָה |
‘asarah |
ten |
feminine singular construct |
עֲשֶׂרֶת |
‘asereth |
ten of |
Example: JOS 21:18
עָרִ֖ים אַרְבַּֽע׃ |
‘arim ‘arba’ |
cities four |
four cities |
Example: JOB 1:2
שִׁבְעָ֥ה בָנִ֖ים וְשָׁל֥וֹשׁ בָּנֽוֹת |
shiv’ah vanim weshalosh banoth |
seven sons and-three daughters |
seven sons and three daughters |
Example: GEN 4:15
כָּל־הֹרֵ֣ג קַ֔יִן שִׁבְעָתַ֖יִם יֻקָּ֑ם |
kol-horeg qayin shiv’athayim yuqqam |
all_he-who-kills Cain sevenfold he-will-be-avenged |
If anyone kills Cain, vengeance will be taken on him sevenfold. |
Example: 2SA 12:6
וְאֶת־הַכִּבְשָׂ֖ה יְשַׁלֵּ֣ם אַרְבַּעְתָּ֑יִם |
we’eth-hakkivsah yeshallem ‘arba’tayim |
and-[dir.obj]-the-lamb he-will-restore fourfold |
He must pay back the lamb four times over |
11-19
The numbers 11-19 are formed by writing the number 1-9 followed by the
number 10. Thus, in Biblical Hebrew the number “eleven” is written as
“one ten”; the number “seventeen” is written as “seven ten”, etc.
11-19 Paradigm
Form |
Hebrew |
Transliteration |
Gloss |
masculine |
אַחַד עָשָׂר |
‘ahad ‘asar |
eleven |
feminine |
אַחַת עֶשְׂרֵה |
‘ahath ‘esreh |
eleven |
masculine |
שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר |
shenem ‘asar |
twelve |
feminine |
שְׁתֵּים עֶשְׂרֵה |
shetem ‘esreh |
twelve |
masculine |
שְׁלֹשָׁה עָשָׂר |
sheloshah ‘asar |
thirteen |
feminine |
שָׁלֹשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה |
shalosh ‘esreh |
thirteen |
masculine |
אַרְבָּעָה עָשָׂר |
‘arba’ah ‘asar |
fourteen |
feminine |
אַרְבַּע עֶשְׂרֵה |
‘arba’ ‘esreh |
fourteen |
masculine |
חֲמִשָּׁה עָשָׂר |
hamishah ‘asar |
fifteen |
feminine |
חָמֵשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה |
hamesh ‘esreh |
fifteen |
masculine |
שִׁשָּׁה עָשָׂר |
shishah ‘asar |
sixteen |
feminine |
שֵׁשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה |
shesh ‘esreh |
sixteen |
masculine |
שִׁבְעָה עָשָׂר |
shiv’ah ‘asar |
seventeen |
feminine |
שְׁבַע עֶשְׂרֵה |
sheva’ ‘esreh |
seventeen |
masculine |
שְׁמֹנָה עָשָׂר |
shemonah ‘asar |
eighteen |
feminine |
שְׁמֹנֶה עֶשְׂרֵה |
shemoneh ‘esreh |
eighteen |
masculine |
תִּשְׁעָה עָשָׂר |
tish’ah ‘asar |
nineteen |
feminine |
תְּשַׁע עֶשְׂרֵה |
tesha’ ‘esreh |
nineteen |
Example: JOS 15:41
עָרִ֥ים שֵׁשׁ־עֶשְׂרֵ֖ה |
‘arim shesh-‘esreh |
cities six_ten |
sixteen cities |
Example: 2SA 9:10
חֲמִשָּׁ֥ה עָשָׂ֛ר בָּנִ֖ים |
hamishah ‘asar banim |
five ten sons |
fifteen sons |
Example: JOS 4:4
וַיִּקְרָ֣א יְהֹושֻׁ֗עַ אֶל־שְׁנֵ֤ים הֶֽעָשָׂר֙ אִ֔ישׁ |
wayyiqra yehowshua’ ‘el-shenem he’asar ‘ish |
And-he-called Joshua to_two ten man |
Then Joshua called the twelve men |
Multiples of 100, 1000, 10000, etc.
The nouns “hundred” (100) and “thousand” (1000) function the same as any
other common noun with singular, dual, and plural forms. Although the
number for “hundred” uses feminine endings and the number for “thousand”
uses masculine endings, both numbers should be classified as “gender
both” because the same form can be both grammatically-masculine and
grammatically-feminine.
Multiples of 100, 1000, 10000, etc. Paradigm
Form |
Hebrew |
Transliteration |
Gloss |
gender both singular absolute |
מֵאָה |
me’ah |
hundred |
gender both singular construct |
מְאַת |
me’ath |
hundred of |
gender both dual absolute |
מָאתַיִם |
mathayim |
two hundred |
gender both plural absolute |
מֵאוֹת |
me’oth |
hundreds |
gender both plural construct |
מֵאוֹת |
me’oth |
hundreds of |
gender both singular absolute |
אֶלֶף |
‘elef |
thousand |
gender both singular construct |
אֶלֶף |
‘elef |
thousand of |
gender both dual absolute |
אַלְפַּיִם |
‘alpayim |
two thousand |
gender both plural absolute |
אֲלָפַיִם |
‘alafayim |
thousands |
gender both plural construct |
אַלְפֵי |
‘alfe |
thousands of |
Example: GEN 5:5
וַיִּֽהְי֞וּ כָּל־יְמֵ֤י אָדָם֙ אֲשֶׁר־חַ֔י תְּשַׁ֤ע מֵאוֹת֙ שָׁנָ֔ה
וּשְׁלֹשִׁ֖ים שָׁנָ֑ה וַיָּמֹֽת |
wayyiheyu kol-yeme ‘adam ‘asher-hay tesha’ me’oth shanah usheloshim
shanah wayyamoth |
And-it-was all_days-of Adam which_he-lived nine hundred year
and-thirty year and-he-died. |
Adam lived 930 years altogether, and then he died. |
Example: GEN 11:17
וַֽיְחִי־עֵ֗בֶר … שְׁלֹשִׁ֣ים שָׁנָ֔ה וְאַרְבַּ֥ע מֵא֖וֹת שָׁנָ֑ה |
wayehi-‘ever … sheloshim shanah we’arba’ me’oth shanah |
And-he-lived Eber … thirty year and-four hundred year |
Eber … lived 430 more years |
Example: GEN 20:16
נָתַ֜תִּי אֶ֤לֶף כֶּ֙סֶף֙ לְאָחִ֔יךְ |
nathatti ‘elef kesef le’ahikh |
I-have-given thousand-of silver to-your-brother |
I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver. |
Example: 1SA 29:2
וְסַרְנֵ֤י פְלִשְׁתִּים֙ עֹֽבְרִ֔ים לְמֵא֖וֹת וְלַאֲלָפִ֑ים |
wesarne felishtim ‘overim leme’oth wela’alafim |
And-the-lords-of the-Philistines were-passing-over by-hundreds
and-by-thousands |
The princes of the Philistines passed on by hundreds and by thousands |
In the following example, multiples of 1,000 are expressed by numbers
in a construct phrase.
Example: JDG 1:4
וַיַּכּ֣וּם בְּבֶ֔זֶק עֲשֶׂ֥רֶת אֲלָפִ֖ים אִֽישׁ׃ |
wayyakkum bevezeq ‘asereth ‘alafim ‘ish |
And-they-defeated in-Bezek ten-of thousands man |
They killed ten thousand of them at Bezek. |