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unfoldingWord Hebrew Grammar ⌂ ©

Adjective Ordinal Number

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 רִאשׁוֹן ri'shon 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

OET comparison: GEN 47:18: RV GEN 47:18 · LV GEN 47:18 · Read together GEN 47:18

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OET-RV GEN 47:18

18 The next year they came to Yosef and begged, “We can’t hide it from our master that since there’s no silver left and since all the livestock now belongs to our lord, there’s nothing left to offer other than our bodies and our lands.

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

OET comparison: DEU 5:14: RV DEU 5:14 · LV DEU 5:14 · Read together DEU 5:14

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OET-RV DEU 5:14

14 but the seventh day is a rest day dedicated to your god Yahweh. Don’t do any work on that day: not you or your children or your slaves, or using any of your cattle, nor any foreigner living with you—your slaves can rest like you.

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

OET comparison: 2KI 15:32: RV KI2 15:32 · LV KI2 15:32 · Read together KI2 15:32

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OET-RV KI2 15:32

32 In the second year of Remalyah’s son Pekah’s reign over Yisrael (Israel), Azaryah’s son Yotam (Jotham) began to reign over Yehudah (Judah).
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

OET comparison: 2SA 4:2: RV SA2 4:2 · LV SA2 4:2 · Read together SA2 4:2

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OET-RV SA2 4:2

2 He had two men who were leaders of raiding parties. They were Rimon’s sons Ba’anah and Rekav from Be’erot in the Benyamite region,

Word details: הָ,אֶחָ֨ד

"Eleventh" and higher

The cardinal forms are used for ordinal numbers higher than ten ("eleventh", "twelfth", etc.).

Example: GEN 7:11
בְּשִׁבְעָֽה־עָשָׂ֥ר יֹ֖ום
beshiv'ah-'asar yowm
in seven_ten day
on the seventeenth day

OET comparison: GEN 7:11: RV GEN 7:11 · LV GEN 7:11 · Read together GEN 7:11

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OET-RV GEN 7:11

11 When Noah was 600 years old (and around the beginning of May), deep underwater geysers in the ocean started spouting out water, and the skies began to drop heavy rain
Example: 1KI 19:19
וְה֖וּא בִּשְׁנֵ֣ים הֶעָשָׂ֑ר
wehu bishnem he'asar
and-he in-two the-ten
and he was with the twelfth

OET comparison: 1KI 19:19: RV KI1 19:19 · LV KI1 19:19 · Read together KI1 19:19

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OET-RV KI1 19:19

19 So Eliyah (Elijah) left that place and went and found Shafat’s son Elisha. There were twelve teams ploughing a field and he was with the back pair of cattle. Eliyah walked past him and threw his cloak over him.

Part of a whole

Example: GEN 47:24
וּנְתַתֶּ֥ם חֲמִישִׁ֖ית לְפַרְעֹ֑ה
unethattem hamishith lefar'oh
and-you-must-give a-fifth to-Pharaoh
you must give one fifth of the crop to the king

OET comparison: GEN 47:24: RV GEN 47:24 · LV GEN 47:24 · Read together GEN 47:24

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OET-RV GEN 47:24

24 Every time you harvest a crop, you must give a fifth of it to Par’oh. The other four parts will be for you to use as seed and as food for yourselves and your households and your young children.”

Word details: חֲמִישִׁ֖ית · ׃