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	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

“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

Example: 1KI 19:19

וְה֖וּא בִּשְׁנֵ֣ים הֶעָשָׂ֑ר

wehu bishnem he’asar

and-he in-two the-ten

and he was with the twelfth

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