# BBH Chapter 11 — Hebrew Numbers

## Files

### Exercises

Exercise | Description
--- | ---
exercises/ch11-number-identification/ | 20-item drill — identify the number word, value, gender polarity situation, and translation for Hebrew number-noun phrases

### Flashcards

File | Description
--- | ---
ch11-vocab-deck.md | Human-readable card list — 20 vocabulary words
ch11-vocab-deck.txt | Anki import file (File → Import)
ch11-vocab-deck-fd.txt | Flashcards Deluxe import file

### Notebooks

Notebook | What it shows
--- | ---
OT Number Morphology | Hebrew number token frequency, gender-polarity rule for cardinals 1–10, state distribution, book/genre distribution (Numbers, Chronicles, Ezekiel dominate), ad-hoc queries

Basics of Biblical Hebrew, Pratico & Van Pelt, Chapter 11

## 1. Introduction

Hebrew numbers are among the most complex features of the language. Unlike most elements of Hebrew grammar, the cardinal numbers 3–10 exhibit gender polarity: the form ending in ה (the "feminine" form) is used with masculine nouns, and the form without ה (the "masculine" form) is used with feminine nouns. This counterintuitive pattern is a notorious feature of Biblical Hebrew and must be memorized.

- Numbers 1–2 agree normally in gender with the noun they modify.
- Numbers 3–10 are cross-gendered: the ה-form goes with masculine nouns; the non-ה-form goes with feminine nouns.
- Numbers 11 and above follow more regular patterns.

> Mnemonic: Numbers 3–10 are "backwards" — they wear the wrong gender's clothing. The ה that normally marks feminine is here attached to forms that go with masculine nouns.

## 2. Cardinal Numbers 1–10

The table below shows both forms of each number. Column headers reflect which noun-gender each form accompanies.

# | With masc. noun (use fem. form) | With fem. noun (use masc. form) | Notes
--- | --- | --- | ---
1 | אֶחָד | אַחַת | Follows the noun; agrees normally (no polarity)
2 | שְׁנַיִם / שְׁנֵי | שְׁתַּיִם / שְׁתֵּי | Dual in form; construct forms שְׁנֵי / שְׁתֵּי
3 | שְׁלֹשָׁה | שָׁלֹשׁ | Gender polarity begins here
4 | אַרְבָּעָה | אַרְבַּע |
5 | חֲמִשָּׁה | חָמֵשׁ |
6 | שִׁשָּׁה | שֵׁשׁ |
7 | שִׁבְעָה | שֶׁבַע |
8 | שְׁמֹנָה | שְׁמֹנֶה | Note: both forms have ה; the distinction is in the vowels
9 | תִּשְׁעָה | תֵּשַׁע |
10 | עֲשָׂרָה | עֶשֶׂר |

### Gender Polarity — The Core Rule

The "feminine" form (with ה-ending) is used with masculine nouns.
The "masculine" form (without ה-ending) is used with feminine nouns.

Examples:
- שְׁלֹשָׁה אֲנָשִׁים — "three men" (אֲנָשִׁים is masculine plural; therefore שְׁלֹשָׁה, the ה-form)
- שָׁלֹשׁ נָשִׁים — "three women" (נָשִׁים is feminine plural; therefore שָׁלֹשׁ, the non-ה-form)
- שִׁבְעָה יָמִים — "seven days" (יָמִים is masculine plural; therefore שִׁבְעָה)
- שֶׁבַע שָׁנִים — "seven years" (שָׁנִים is feminine plural; therefore שֶׁבַע)

### Syntax Notes for 1–10

- Number 1 (אֶחָד / אַחַת): Normally follows the noun and agrees in gender. Functions like an adjective: אִישׁ אֶחָד ("one man"), אִשָּׁה אַחַת ("one woman").
- Number 2 (שְׁנַיִם / שְׁתַּיִם): The noun typically appears in the dual form if the noun has one. Construct forms (שְׁנֵי / שְׁתֵּי) are used in bound phrases: שְׁנֵי הָאֲנָשִׁים ("the two men").
- Numbers 3–10: The number may precede or follow the noun. The noun is in the plural (usually absolute, sometimes construct).

## 3. Cardinal Numbers 11–19 (Teens)

The teens are formed by combining the unit number with a form of עֶשֶׂר/עָשָׂר ("ten"). The polarity pattern continues for the unit portion of 13–19.

# | Masculine (with masc. noun) | Feminine (with fem. noun)
--- | --- | ---
11 | אַחַד עָשָׂר | אַחַת עֶשְׂרֵה
12 | שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר | שְׁתֵּים עֶשְׂרֵה
13 | שְׁלֹשָׁה עָשָׂר | שְׁלֹשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה
14 | אַרְבָּעָה עָשָׂר | אַרְבַּע עֶשְׂרֵה
15 | חֲמִשָּׁה עָשָׂר | חָמֵשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה
16 | שִׁשָּׁה עָשָׂר | שֵׁשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה
17 | שִׁבְעָה עָשָׂר | שְׁבַע עֶשְׂרֵה
18 | שְׁמֹנָה עָשָׂר | שְׁמֹנֶה עֶשְׂרֵה
19 | תִּשְׁעָה עָשָׂר | תְּשַׁע עֶשְׂרֵה

Pattern: The teens use:
- עָשָׂר (masculine form of ten) with masculine nouns
- עֶשְׂרֵה (feminine form of ten) with feminine nouns

For 13–19, the unit portion still shows gender polarity: the ה-form of the unit goes with masculine nouns, the non-ה-form goes with feminine nouns.

> Syntax: The noun following a teen number is usually singular (not plural), e.g., שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר שֵׁבֶט ("twelve tribes" — singular שֵׁבֶט, not plural שְׁבָטִים).

## 4. Cardinal Numbers 20–100 (Tens)

The tens are the masculine plural forms of the corresponding unit numbers. They do not show gender polarity — the same form is used with both masculine and feminine nouns.

Value | Hebrew | Morphological Note
--- | --- | ---
20 | עֶשְׂרִים | Plural of עֶשֶׂר
30 | שְׁלֹשִׁים | Plural of שָׁלֹשׁ (the non-ה form)
40 | אַרְבָּעִים | Plural of אַרְבַּע
50 | חֲמִשִּׁים | Plural of חָמֵשׁ
60 | שִׁשִּׁים | Plural of שֵׁשׁ
70 | שִׁבְעִים | Plural of שֶׁבַע
80 | שְׁמֹנִים | Plural of שְׁמֹנֶה
90 | תִּשְׁעִים | Plural of תֵּשַׁע
100 | מֵאָה | Feminine noun; no polarity issue

Compound numbers (e.g., 23): the tens come first, then the units with the conjunction ו: עֶשְׂרִים וּשְׁלֹשָׁה ("twenty-three men") or עֶשְׂרִים וְשָׁלֹשׁ ("twenty-three women").

## 5. Larger Numbers

Value | Hebrew | Notes
--- | --- | ---
100 | מֵאָה | Feminine noun; construct מְאַת
200 | מָאתַיִם | Dual of מֵאָה
300 | שְׁלֹשׁ מֵאוֹת | Three + plural of מֵאָה
400–900 | unit + מֵאוֹת | Follow same construct pattern
1,000 | אֶלֶף | Masculine noun
2,000 | אֲלָפַיִם | Dual of אֶלֶף
3,000–9,000 | unit + אֲלָפִים | The ה-form of unit + plural of אֶלֶף
10,000 | רְבָבָה / רִבּוֹא | Feminine noun; "ten thousand, myriad"

Construction: Larger numbers are built additively from largest to smallest:
- אַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה — "forty years"
- אֶלֶף וּשְׁמֹנֶה מֵאוֹת — "one thousand eight hundred" (1,800)

## 6. Syntax of Numbers

Range | Position | Noun form | Gender
--- | --- | --- | ---
1–2 | Follows the noun (as adjective) | Matches noun (sg/pl/dual) | Agrees normally
3–10 | Precedes or follows the noun | Plural absolute (usually) | Gender polarity
11–19 | Usually precedes the noun | Singular absolute | See §3 above
20+ | Precedes the noun | Singular absolute (usually) | No polarity; invariable

Additional syntax notes:
- The construct form of numbers (e.g., שְׁנֵי, שְׁלֹשֶׁת, עֶשֶׂרֶת) is used when the number precedes a definite noun: שְׁלֹשֶׁת הַיְלָדִים ("the three children").
- When numbers follow the noun they modify, they function attributively: יָמִים שִׁשָּׁה ("six days").
- Ordinal numbers are used for first–tenth; cardinal numbers typically serve as ordinals from eleventh onward.

## 7. Ordinal Numbers

Ordinals (first, second, etc.) are used for first through tenth. Beyond tenth, Hebrew uses cardinal numbers in ordinal contexts.

# | Ordinal (ms) | Ordinal (fs) | Notes
--- | --- | --- | ---
1st | רִאשׁוֹן | רִאשׁוֹנָה | From רֹאשׁ ("head, first"); also means "former, previous"
2nd | שֵׁנִי | שְׁנִיָּה | Related to שְׁנַיִם (two)
3rd | שְׁלִישִׁי | שְׁלִישִׁית |
4th | רְבִיעִי | רְבִיעִית |
5th | חֲמִישִׁי | חֲמִישִׁית |
6th | שִׁשִּׁי | שִׁשִּׁית |
7th | שְׁבִיעִי | שְׁבִיעִית | Most theologically significant (Sabbath, seventh year)
8th | שְׁמִינִי | שְׁמִינִית |
9th | תְּשִׁיעִי | תְּשִׁיעִית |
10th | עֲשִׂירִי | עֲשִׂירִית |
11th+ | (cardinal used) | — | No distinct ordinal forms beyond 10th

Syntax of ordinals:
- Ordinals function as attributive adjectives: they follow the noun and agree in gender, number, and definiteness.
- בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי — "on the seventh day" (the ordinal שְּׁבִיעִי follows and agrees with יוֹם)
- בַּחֹדֶשׁ הָרִאשׁוֹן — "in the first month"

> Note on רִאשׁוֹן: This ordinal is also a common adjective meaning "former" or "first (in a series)" beyond strict numeric contexts.

## 8. Key Terms

Term | Definition
--- | ---
cardinal number | A number expressing quantity (one, two, three…)
ordinal number | A number expressing order or rank (first, second, third…)
gender polarity | The counterintuitive rule that cardinal numbers 3–10 use the ה-form with masculine nouns and the non-ה-form with feminine nouns
teens | Numbers 11–19, formed by combining a unit number with עָשָׂר/עֶשְׂרֵה
construct of number | The bound form of a number used before definite nouns (e.g., שְׁנֵי, שְׁלֹשֶׁת)
dual | A grammatical number for pairs; used for numbers 2 (שְׁנַיִם/שְׁתַּיִם) and 200/2000

## 9. Practice

Resource | Description
--- | ---
Number Identification Drill | 20-item drill — identify number word, value, gender polarity situation, and translation for Hebrew number-noun phrases