Lexical Summary
sheloshim: Thirty
Original Word:שְׁלוֹשִׁים
Part of Speech:Noun Masculine
Transliteration:shlowshiym
Pronunciation:sheh-loh-SHEEM
Phonetic Spelling:(shel-o-sheem')
KJV: thirty, thirtieth
NASB:thirty, 30, thirtieth
Word Origin:[multiple ofH7969 (שָׁלוֹשׁ שָׁלוֹשׁ שְׁלוֹשָׁה שְׁלוֹשָׁה - three)]
1. thirty
2. or (ordinal) thirtieth
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
thirty, thirtieth
Or shloshiym {shel-o-sheem'}; multiple ofshalowsh; thirty; or (ordinal) thirtieth -- thirty, thirtieth. Compareshaliysh.
see HEBREWshalowsh
see HEBREWshaliysh
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom the same as
shaloshDefinitionthirty
NASB Translation1,335* (1), 130* (1), 138* (1), 139* (1), 2,630* (1), 22,034* (1), 232* (1), 3,630* (1), 3,930* (1), 30 (4), 30,000* (5), 30,500* (2), 32* (1), 32,000* (2), 32,200* (2), 32,500* (1), 337,500* (2), 35,400* (2), 36,000* (3), 37,000* (1), 38,000* (1), 43,730* (1), 435* (2), 530* (1), 601,730* (1), 7,337* (2), 730* (1), 736* (2), 832* (1), thirtieth (1), thirty (88), thirty-eight* (1), thirty-eighth* (2), thirty-fifth* (1), thirty-first* (1), thirty-five* (4), thirty-four* (1), thirty-ninth* (3), thirty-one* (3), thirty-second* (2), thirty-seven* (4), thirty-seventh* (3), thirty-six* (1), thirty-sixth* (1), thirty-three* (7), thirty-two* (7).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
(very seldom , ):174
; —
before singular noun:Genesis 6:15 3t., +, withExodus 26:8 3t.;2 Samuel 5:4 12t. (age of paternity, of Levitical or royal duty, etc.),Judges 14:19 3t., etc.; before plural nounJudges 10:4;Judges 12:9,Jeremiah 38:10 (read here probably Ew Hi Gf and others), less common wordsEzekiel 40:17;Ezra 1:9,10, etc.; after plural nounGenesis 32:16,Ezekiel 41:6;1 Chronicles 23:3 +,Ezra 2:35;Nehemiah 7:38; following unitsGenesis 11:12 14t., precedes1 Kings 22:42 29t.; following 100 (1000, etc.)Genesis 5:5 15t., precedesGenesis 5:3 21t.
1 Kings 16:23, compare1 Kings 16:29 4t.; omittedNehemiah 5:14 4t.; omitted2 Kings 25:27 =Jeremiah 52:31; aloneEzekiel 1:1. —1 Samuel 13:5 readL We Dr and others;2 Samuel 23:13 read Qr Vrss Th and modern;1 Chronicles 11:11 read ,L Kit Benz and others (so ""2 Samuel 23:8 for ).
Topical Lexicon
Overviewשְׁלֹשִׁים (thirty) appears about one-hundred-seventy-four times in the Hebrew Scriptures. Beyond functioning as a cardinal number, “thirty” repeatedly marks transition, maturity, valuation, and prophetic foreshadowing.
Distribution
Genesis–Deuteronomy: 42
Historical Books: 61
Poetic & Wisdom Books: 12
Major Prophets: 26
Minor Prophets: 33
Thirty as the Number of Maturity and Readiness
• Joseph was “thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt” (Genesis 41:46).
• “David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years” (2 Samuel 5:4).
• Priestly service began “from thirty years old up to fifty” (Numbers 4:3; 4:23; 4:30). The threshold underscored physical vigor and spiritual preparedness.
• Ezekiel “was thirty years old” when the heavens opened and he received visions of God (Ezekiel 1:1).
Together these texts establish thirty as the biblical age of full strength, qualified leadership, and prophetic commissioning. The New Testament mirrors the pattern when “Jesus Himself was about thirty years old when He began His ministry” (Luke 3:23).
Thirty in Periods of Mourning and Transition
• Israel mourned Moses “thirty days” (Deuteronomy 34:8), and likewise Aaron (Numbers 20:29).
The duration signaled a complete, but not excessive, season of grief before advancing to new stages in the redemptive story.
Thirty in Valuation, Compensation, and Redemption
• The goring of a slave required restitution of “thirty shekels of silver” (Exodus 21:32).
• Zechariah prophetically weighed out “thirty pieces of silver” as the “handsome price” for his shepherd wages (Zechariah 11:12–13).Matthew 26:15 cites the identical sum for Judas’s betrayal, revealing divine foreknowledge and continuity between Testaments.
• Hosea purchased Gomer “for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a lethek of barley” (Hosea 3:2)—a total value reckoned at thirty pieces—illustrating redeeming love.
Thirty in Military Contexts
• David’s elite warriors were famed as “The Thirty” (2 Samuel 23:13,2 Samuel 23:23-24;1 Chronicles 11:11). Their designation conveys completeness in strength and loyalty around God’s chosen king.
• Gideon’s son Jair “had thirty sons who rode thirty donkeys and controlled thirty towns” (Judges 10:4), and Samson selected “thirty companions” (Judges 14:11), associating the number with organized, though sometimes flawed, martial fellowship.
Thirty in Construction and Measurement
• “The ark shall be three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high” (Genesis 6:15), giving the vessel perfect proportions for preservation.
• The tabernacle’s curtains were each “thirty cubits long” (Exodus 26:8), ensuring full coverage of the holy structure.
• Solomon set columns “thirty cubits high” in the temple portico (1 Kings 7:15), a height mirrored in Ezekiel’s visionary temple (Ezekiel 40:14), reflecting stability and splendor.
Thirty in Genealogies and Chronology
Genealogical notices often cite thirty-year increments (Genesis 11:12–14; 46:27), marking generational succession and covenant faithfulness. Several kings reigned thirty or thirty-plus years (e.g., Azariah, Hezekiah), hinting at a divinely governed fullness of time in Israel’s monarchy.
Thirty as Prophetic and Typological Pointer to Christ
The recurring association of thirty with qualification, service, and redemptive payment converges in Jesus: mature at thirty, valued at thirty silver pieces, and surrounded by discipleship imagery reminiscent of David’s Thirty. The harmony underscores Scripture’s unified testimony to the Messiah.
Ministry Implications
1. God appoints seasons of preparation; ministry flourishes after maturity.
2. The Lord places measurable value on human life and redemption—fulfilled supremely in Christ’s atonement.
3. Numbers carry theological weight without promoting numerology; they encourage confidence in Scripture’s precision.
Summary
שְׁלֹשִׁים signifies more than the integer 30. Throughout the Old Testament it consistently marks completeness in service, measurement, mourning, and redemption, culminating in the life and work of Jesus Christ, whose ministry began at thirty and whose betrayal price of thirty silver pieces accomplished God’s sovereign plan of salvation.
Forms and Transliterations
בִּשְׁלֹשִׁ֣ים בִשְׁלֹשִׁ֨ים בַּשְּׁלֹשִׁ֑ים בַּשְּׁלֹשִׁ֖ים בשלשים הַשְּׁלֹשִֽׁים׃ הַשְּׁלֹשִׁ֑ים הַשְּׁלֹשִׁ֖ים הַשְּׁלֹשִׁ֣ים הַשְּׁלוֹשִׁ֗ים הַשְּׁלוֹשִׁ֨ים הַשָּׁ֣לִישִׁ֔ים הַשָּׁלִישִׁים֒ השלושים השלישים השלשים השלשים׃ וּשְׁלֹשִֽׁים׃ וּשְׁלֹשִׁ֑ים וּשְׁלֹשִׁ֖ים וּשְׁלֹשִׁ֛ים וּשְׁלֹשִׁ֣ים וּשְׁלֹשִׁ֤ים וּשְׁלֹשִׁ֥ים וּשְׁלֹשִׁ֨ים וּשְׁלֹשִׁים֙ ושלשים ושלשים׃ כִּשְׁלֹשִׁ֣ים כִּשְׁלֹשִׁ֤ים כִּשְׁלֹשִׁ֥ים כשלשים מֵהַשְּׁלֹשִׁ֣ים מהשלשים שְׁלֹשִֽׁים־ שְׁלֹשִֽׁים׃ שְׁלֹשִׁ֑ים שְׁלֹשִׁ֔ים שְׁלֹשִׁ֖ים שְׁלֹשִׁ֗ים שְׁלֹשִׁ֣ים שְׁלֹשִׁ֤ים שְׁלֹשִׁ֥ים שְׁלֹשִׁ֨ים שְׁלֹשִׁים֙ שְׁלֹשִׁים֩ שְׁלוֹשִֽׁים׃ שְׁלוֹשִׁ֥ים שְׁלוֹשִׁ֨ים שְׁלֹשָׁ֜ה שלושים שלושים׃ שלשה שלשים שלשים־ שלשים׃ baš·šə·lō·šîm bashsheloShim baššəlōšîm biš·lō·šîm ḇiš·lō·šîm bishloShim bišlōšîm ḇišlōšîm haš·šā·lî·šîm haš·šə·lō·šîm haš·šə·lō·wō·šîm hashShaliShim hashsheloShim haššālîšîm haššəlōšîm haššəlōwōšîm kiš·lō·šîm kishloShim kišlōšîm mê·haš·šə·lō·šîm mehashsheloShim mêhaššəlōšîm šə·lō·šāh šə·lō·šîm šə·lō·šîm- šə·lō·wō·šîm šəlōšāh šəlōšîm šəlōšîm- šəlōwōšîm sheloShah sheloShim ū·šə·lō·šîm ūšəlōšîm usheloShim vishloShim
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