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אַרְבָּעִים

𐤀𐤓𐤁𐤏𐤉𐤌

ʼarbâʻîym

H705 adjective

SILEX Entry

Root אַרבע four, being four

Definition

The cardinal numeral denoting the quantity 'forty.' Used in reference to periods of time (days, years), quantities, age, and group sizes. The word can refer to literal or symbolic quantities depending on context.

Semantic Range

forty (as a count), forty days or years (duration), group of forty, period marked by forty units

Root / Etymology

Derived from the root ארבע (אר-ב-ע), which has the core meaning 'four.' The ending -ים forms the plural or the higher multiples, creating the word meaning 'forty.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

אַרְבָּעִים functions as the standard form for 'forty' throughout the Hebrew Bible, often appearing in narrative accounts to mark a significant period (e.g., forty days, forty years). Such periods are frequently associated with testing, trial, waiting, or generational completeness (as with the Israelites' forty years in the wilderness or Moses' forty days on Mount Sinai). Though forty is a literal number, its repeated narrative use gives it an established symbolic resonance in the biblical text. This word is distinct from similar numerals (e.g., עֶשְׂרִים 'twenty,' שְׁלֹשִׁים 'thirty'). In later Hebrew and translation traditions, 'forty' continues as the basic term for this number, and some traditions render it with thematic associations (e.g., 'a long time'). English 'forty' captures the primary sense, but may lack the nuance or cultural import that repeated biblical usage imparts.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

multiple of אַרְבַּע; forty; -forty.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

ארבע (ʾ-r-b-ʿ) — four, being four

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H7153 קִרְיַת אַרְבַּע four

Word Forms

5 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H705-01 אַרְבָּעִ֣ים arebaim HAcbpa forty forty 93
H705-05 וְ/אַרְבָּעִ֖ים vearebaim HC/Acbpa and forty and forty 36
H705-03 הָ/אַרְבָּעִֽים haarebaim HTd/Acbpa fortieth the forty 3
H705-02 בְּ/אַרְבָּעִ֣ים bearebaim HR/Acbpa among forty in forty 2
H705-04 כְּ/אַרְבָּעִ֥ים kearebaim HR/Acbpa about forty about forty 1

Occurrences in Scripture

135 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H705-01 Genesis 5:13 אַרְבָּעִ֣ים arebaim HAcbpa forty forty
H705-01 Genesis 7:4 אַרְבָּעִ֣ים arebaim HAcbpa forty forty
H705-05 Genesis 7:4 וְ/אַרְבָּעִ֖ים vearebaim HC/Acbpa and forty and forty
H705-01 Genesis 7:12 אַרְבָּעִ֣ים arebaim HAcbpa forty forty
H705-05 Genesis 7:12 וְ/אַרְבָּעִ֖ים vearebaim HC/Acbpa and forty and forty
H705-01 Genesis 7:17 אַרְבָּעִ֥ים arebaim HAcbpa forty forty
H705-01 Genesis 8:6 אַרְבָּעִ֣ים arebaim HAcbpa forty forty
H705-01 Genesis 18:28 אַרְבָּעִ֖ים arebaim HAcbpa forty forty
H705-01 Genesis 18:29 אַרְבָּעִ֑ים arebaim HAcbpa forty forty
H705-03 Genesis 18:29 הָ/אַרְבָּעִֽים haarebaim HTd/Acbpa the forty the forty
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