Lexical Summary
asiri or asiriyyah or asirith: Tenth, Tenth part
Original Word:עֲשִׂירִי
Part of Speech:Adjective
Transliteration:`asiyriy
Pronunciation:ah-see-REE / ah-see-REE-yah / ah-see-REETH
Phonetic Spelling:(as-ee-ree')
KJV: tenth (part)
NASB:tenth, one-tenth, tenth portion
Word Origin:[fromH6235 (עֶשֶׂר עֲשָׂרָה - ten)]
1. tenth
2. by abbreviation, tenth month or (feminine) part
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
tenth part
Fromeser; tenth; by abbreviation, tenth month or (feminine) part -- tenth (part).
see HEBREWeser
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom the same as
eserDefinitiontenth
NASB Translationone-tenth (1), tenth (27), tenth portion (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
20 , , and
8 ; —
Deuteronomy 23:3;Deuteronomy 23:4;Numbers 7:66 (P);Genesis 8:5 (P)Ezekiel 24:1 5t.;Jeremiah 39:1; omittedGenesis 8:5 (P),Ezekiel 29:1;Ezekiel 33:21; other nouns omitted1 Chronicles 12:13;1 Chronicles 25:17;1 Chronicles 27:13,1 Chronicles 24:11;Ezekiel 29:1,Jeremiah 32:1.
a tenth part: f. absoluteIsaiah 6:13; feminine constructNumbers 28:5,Exodus 16:36,Leviticus 5:11;Leviticus 6:13;Numbers 5:15;Ezekiel 45:11; masculine absoluteLeviticus 27:32the tithe (i.e. of cattle, etc.).
Topical Lexicon
Occurrences and DistributionThe ordinal “tenth” appears about twenty-nine times in the Hebrew Scriptures. Its usage clusters around three principal spheres: (1) calendar dates, (2) civic or military lots and portions, and (3) prophetic time-stamps. The breadth of these contexts shows that the “tenth” consistently marks critical moments when the covenant people must pause, decide, or remember.
The Tenth Day in Israel’s Sacred Calendar
1. Selection of the Passover Lamb (Exodus 12:3). “On the tenth day of this month, each man must select a lamb for his family”. The choice is made four days before slaughter, allowing time for inspection. The spotless lamb foreshadows the public presentation of Christ, who entered Jerusalem and was scrutinized before His crucifixion.
2. Crossing the Jordan (Joshua 4:19). Israel stepped into the land of promise “on the tenth day of the first month,” linking the conquest to the redemptive memory of the Passover lamb chosen on that same calendar day.
3. Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:29; 23:27;Numbers 29:7). “On the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement.” The number ten, already associated with covenant completeness (Ten Words at Sinai), here underscores full reconciliation.
4. Jubilee Trumpet (Leviticus 25:9). The ram’s horn announcing liberty sounded “on the tenth day of the seventh month.” Thus the Day of Atonement and Jubilee converge on the same ordinal, declaring that forgiveness opens the way to true freedom.
5. Ezekiel’s Vision of a Restored Temple (Ezekiel 40:1). Captives hear of a future sanctuary “on the tenth day of the month.” The choice of date recalls the Day of Atonement, implying coming cleansing and renewal.
The Tenth Month (Tebeth) and National Crisis
Several texts mark the tenth day of the tenth month as the moment Babylon laid siege to Jerusalem:
•2 Kings 25:1;Jeremiah 39:1; 52:4 describe Nebuchadnezzar’s armies surrounding the city.
•Ezekiel 24:1 fixes the same date for the prophet’s sign-act of the boiling pot.
The prophets later designate a fast for this calamity (Zechariah 8:19). God’s calendar therefore memorializes both redemptive hope (first and seventh months) and chastening judgment (tenth month), each signposted by the same ordinal.
Other events in the tenth month:
•Genesis 8:5—ark passengers see mountain tops, the first glimpse of renewed earth.
•Esther 2:16—Esther is brought to Xerxes, initiating the chain that secures Jewish survival.
Tenth Portions, Lots, and Populations
The “tenth” can also express proportion:
•Nehemiah 11:1—“they cast lots to bring one out of ten to live in Jerusalem.” The tithe-like fraction ensures a populated, protected capital without overburdening any tribe.
•Ezekiel 45:13—“you shall present as an offering a sixth of an ephah from each homer of wheat”—but the passage further speaks of a “tenth,” illustrating exact measurements in the ideal future worship.
While the vocabulary differs from the noun for “tithe,” the repetition of the fraction highlights God’s claim over the whole by reserving a part.
Symbolism and Theological Themes
Completeness and testing—The Ten Words and the full number of the plagues establish “ten” as the number where God’s purpose reaches fullness. By designating strategic days and months as “tenth,” Scripture links key acts of redemption, judgment, and restoration to this motif of completion.
Grace through judgment—The same ordinal that announces deliverance (Passover lamb chosen, mountains appearing after the flood) also marks the beginning of Jerusalem’s siege. The pattern displays the consistent Biblical principle that salvation history advances through both mercy and discipline.
Foreshadowing Christ—The tenth-day selection of the Passover lamb, the tenth-day atonement ceremony, and the tenth-day temple vision all converge on the person and work of the Messiah, who is chosen, examined, sacrificed, and who will preside over the ultimate temple.
Ministry Applications
• Spiritual preparation: The gap between the tenth-day choice of the lamb and the fourteenth-day sacrifice encourages believers to examine hearts before participating in the Lord’s Supper.
• Corporate repentance: The Day of Atonement model invites congregations to set apart seasons for fasting and reflection, confident that confession is met with cleansing.
• Stewardship: Nehemiah’s “one out of ten” reminds the modern church that sacrificial giving of people, time, and resources sustains missionary and urban ministries.
• Hope in exile: Ezekiel’s tenth-day visions assure dispersed believers that God’s redemptive calendar is still advancing, even when circumstances suggest otherwise.
Summary
Wherever the ordinal עֲשִׂירִי appears, the Spirit is marking a decisive moment: the presentation of the substitute, the opening of the land, the afflicting of souls, the sounding of liberty, or the onset of judgment. Each reference weaves into a tapestry that magnifies God’s sovereign timing, His covenant faithfulness, and the sufficiency of the atoning work ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
Forms and Transliterations
בָּֽעֲשִׂירִי֙ בָּעֲשִׂרִ֕י בָּעֲשִׂרִ֛י בעשירי בעשרי הָֽעֲשִׂירִ֑י הָֽעֲשִׂירִ֕י הָעֲשִׂירִ֔י הָעֲשִׂירִ֔ית הָעֲשִׂירִ֖י הָעֲשִׂירִ֗י הָעֲשִׂירִ֣י הָעֲשִׂירִי֙ הָעֲשִׂירִי֮ הָעֲשִׂרִ֔ית הָעֲשִׂרִ֗י הָעֲשִׂרִֽי׃ העשירי העשירית העשרי העשרי׃ העשרית וַעֲשִׂירִ֤ת וַעֲשִׂירִ֧ית ועשירית ועשירת עֲשִׂ֣רִיָּ֔ה עֲשִׂירִ֔י עֲשִׂירִ֥ת עֲשִׂירִ֧ת עֲשִׂירִ֨ת עֲשִׂרִ֥ית עשירי עשירת עשריה עשרית ‘ă·śî·rî ‘ă·śi·rî·yāh ‘ă·śi·rîṯ ‘ă·śî·riṯ ‘ăśîrî ‘ăśirîṯ ‘ăśîriṯ ‘ăśirîyāh asiRi asiRit aSiriYah bā‘ăśirî bā‘ăśîrî bā·‘ă·śi·rî bā·‘ă·śî·rî baasiRi hā‘ăśirî hā‘ăśîrî hā‘ăśirîṯ hā‘ăśîrîṯ hā·‘ă·śi·rî hā·‘ă·śî·rî hā·‘ă·śi·rîṯ hā·‘ă·śî·rîṯ haasiRi haasiRit vaasiRit wa‘ăśîriṯ wa‘ăśîrîṯ wa·‘ă·śî·riṯ wa·‘ă·śî·rîṯ
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