twelve (two-and-ten)
| Root | δώδεκα (dōdeka) |
| Core Meanings | twelve, two-and-ten, a dozen |
| Semantic Range | The number twelve; a group of twelve persons or things; symbolically, a complete governing body (e.g., twelve tribes, twelve apostles). |
| Conceptual Significance | In biblical literature, twelve signifies covenantal fullness and structured completeness, especially in reference to the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles. It conveys the idea of divinely ordered community and governmental wholeness among the people of God. |
| Morphological Notes | Indeclinable cardinal numeral (Gr,EN/NS). Though morphologically marked in context as accusative, genitive, or dative plural (masculine, feminine, or neuter), the form δώδεκα does not change. It functions adjectivally or substantivally to quantify plural nouns. |
| Rendering Rationale | The rendering "twelve (two-and-ten)" preserves the compound structure of the Greek word, which is formed from δύο (two) and δέκα (ten). As an indeclinable numeral, δώδεκα retains the same form across cases and genders, so the English rendering reflects its plural quantitative force without altering form, while the parenthetical keeps its root meaning visible. |
AI-generated (openai/gpt-5.2-chat-latest)