Lexical Summary
asar or asrah: To tithe, to take a tenth
Original Word:עֲשַׂר
Part of Speech:Noun
Transliteration:`asar
Pronunciation:ah-sar or ah-s-rah
Phonetic Spelling:(as-ar')
KJV: ten, + twelve
NASB:ten
Word Origin:[corresponding toH6235 (עֶשֶׂר עֲשָׂרָה - ten)]
1. ten
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
ten, twelve
(Aramaic) masculine aasrah (Aramaic). {as-raw'}; corresponding toeser; ten -- ten, + twelve.
see HEBREWeser
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin(Aramaic) corresponding to
eserDefinitionten
NASB Translation12* (1), ten (4), twelve* (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
, and (see Biblical Hebrew); — masculine (following )
Daniel 7:7,20,24; (before
)Daniel 7:24; =twelve (following )Daniel 4:26;Ezra 6:17.
Topical Lexicon
Numerical Function in Biblical Hebrewעֲשַׂר serves as the masculine component for the compound numbers eleven through nineteen and, by extension, can denote the base number ten when joined to another numeral. Where a masculine count is required—animals in sacrifice, months in a royal chronicle, or horns in apocalyptic vision—this form is chosen instead of the more common עֶשֶׂר. The six inspired occurrences span narrative, liturgical, and prophetic settings, demonstrating the word’s flexibility and theological richness.
Usage inEzra 6:17
During the dedication of the Second Temple the returned exiles offered “twelve male goats for a sin offering for all Israel” (Ezra 6:17). The number twelve, formed by שְׁנֵים plus עֲשַׂר, intentionally matches the tribes of Israel. By employing עֲשַׂר, the writer anchors post-exilic worship to the covenant community’s original structure, underscoring continuity between pre-exilic and restored Israel.
Usage inDaniel 4:29
“Twelve months later” (Daniel 4:29) marks the completing of a full year before Nebuchadnezzar’s judgment. Here עֲשַׂר quietly underlines divine patience: an entire divinely allotted cycle elapses before the prophetic word falls. The precision of the numeral stresses God’s sovereignty over time and kings.
Usage inDaniel 7:7, 7:20, 7:24
Daniel’s fourth-beast vision is saturated with the numeral ten:
• “It had ten horns” (Daniel 7:7).
• “About the ten horns on its head” (Daniel 7:20).
• “The ten horns are ten kings” (Daniel 7:24).
In each line עֲשַׂר is the chosen term. Prophetic literature often invests numbers with symbolic force; ten conveys completeness of earthly power, echoing earlier usages such as the ten plagues or Decalogue. Yet in Daniel this seeming fullness is temporary and fragile: three horns fall, and an eleventh horn arises, confronting Heaven and sealing its own doom. Thus עֲשַׂר becomes a literary marker of both the pervasiveness and the limitations of human dominion under God’s overarching rule.
Symbolic Theological Themes
1. Covenant Identity (Twelve) – Whether the temple dedication or the later New Jerusalem foundations, twelve points to the people of God in their ordered wholeness.
2. Moral Accountability (Twelve Months) – A complete time span highlights that divine judgment is never hasty but always just.
3. Impermanent World Empires (Ten) – Ten kings appear formidable, yet the vision quickly demonstrates their subjection to the Ancient of Days. The numeral’s repetition intensifies the prophetic warning against trusting political might.
Historical Context
Ezra’s usage belongs to the Persian period, when Israel was politically marginal yet spiritually being reconstituted. Daniel references the Babylonian and Medo-Persian eras but look forward to eschatological fulfillment. In both settings עֲשַׂר grounds cosmic events in concrete counts, reminding readers that redemptive history moves through real chronology and measurable entities.
Practical Ministry Reflections
• Worship leaders can draw onEzra 6:17 to illustrate how precise obedience in offerings reflects dedication to the covenant community.
• Preachers confronting hubris may followDaniel 4:29, emphasizing that God often grants a “twelve-month” window for repentance before discipline.
• Those engaged in cultural analysis can use the ten-horn passages to frame contemporary powers within the biblical pattern of temporary empires under divine scrutiny.
By tracing עֲשַׂר through sacrificial liturgy, royal chronicle, and apocalyptic vision, believers gain a fuller appreciation of how even Hebrew numerals proclaim God’s unchanging authority over worship, time, and nations.
Forms and Transliterations
עֲשַׂ֑ר עֲשַׂ֔ר עֲשַׂ֖ר עֲשַׂר֙ עַשְׂרָ֥ה עשר עשרה ‘ă·śar ‘aś·rāh ‘ăśar ‘aśrāh aSar asRah
Links
Interlinear Greek •
Interlinear Hebrew •
Strong's Numbers •
Englishman's Greek Concordance •
Englishman's Hebrew Concordance •
Parallel Texts
