ἐννενηκονταεννέα
ennenēkontaennéa
G1768
SILEX Entry
Definition
The numeral ninety-nine; expressing the quantity of ninety and nine (99). Used to indicate a precise count or total of objects, persons, or years amounting to ninety-nine. The primary meaning is explicit numerical quantity.
Semantic Range
ninety-nine, ninety and nine (as an explicit count), a group or total of 99
Root / Etymology
Formed by compound from ἐννενήκοντα (ninety, i.e., 9 x 10) and ἐννέα (nine); thus, literally 'ninety and nine.' It is a standard Greek compound for expressing numbers between tens and hundreds.
Historical & Contextual Notes
The term ἐννενηκονταεννέα is a straightforward numeral in Koine Greek, modeled after Attic and earlier Greek numeric compounding traditions. It appears in the New Testament (e.g., Luke 15:4, Matthew 18:12-13) in references to counts of sheep, typically as part of a parable or illustrative example rather than technical, administrative, or census data. In both papyri and wider Hellenistic texts, such compound numerals were the ordinary way of expressing complex numbers. The English translation 'ninety-nine' precisely reflects the Greek, with no nuance lost. There is no theological, ethnic, or geographic component to this numeral; it simply and unambiguously states a specific quantity, regardless of what is being counted.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from a (tenth) multiple of ἐννέα and ἐννέα itself; ninety-nine:--ninety and nine.
Word Forms
0 distinct forms
No word forms found for this Strong's number.
Occurrences in Scripture
0 occurrences
No occurrences found.