Lexical Summary
shishshim: Sixty
Original Word:שִׁשִּׁים
Part of Speech:Noun
Transliteration:shishshiym
Pronunciation:shish-sheem
Phonetic Spelling:(shish-sheem')
KJV: sixty, three score
NASB:sixty, 60
Word Origin:[multiple ofH8337 (שֵׁשׁ שִׁשָּׁה - Six)]
1. sixty
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
sixty, three score
Multiple ofshesh; sixty -- sixty, three score.
see HEBREWshesh
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom the same as
sheshDefinitionsixty
NASB Translation1,365* (1), 1,760* (1), 160* (1), 2,067* (1), 42,360* (2), 44,760* (1), 468* (1), 60 (4), 60,000* (1), 60,500* (1), 61* (1), 61,000* (1), 62* (1), 62,700* (2), 64,300* (1), 64,400* (1), 65* (1), 666* (3), 667* (1), 67* (1), 68* (1), 760* (2), sixty (19), sixty-five* (3), sixty-nine* (1), sixty-six* (2), sixty-two* (4).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
59 ; — before singular noun: city
Deuteronomy 3:4 4t., cubit
1 Kings 6:2;
Ezekiel 40:14, man
2 Kings 25:19 =
Jeremiah 52:25, day
Leviticus 12:5, etc.; plural noun 2Chronicles 11:21, compare
Songs 3:7; after plural noun
Numbers 7:88 (3 t. in verse); 2Chronicles 3:3; 11:21 +; 2Chronicles 12:3 +; following units
Genesis 5:15 12t.; precedes unit
Isaiah 7:8 12t.; following 100 -1000
Ezra 8:10 11t.; precedes
Genesis 5:18 8t.
Topical Lexicon
Numeric Identity and Scopeשִׁשִּׁים designates the cardinal number sixty. Across roughly fifty-nine Old Testament occurrences it appears alone, as the base of compound numbers (for example, “sixty-five”), and within ordinal expressions (“the sixtieth year”). Its distribution reaches from the patriarchal narratives to the prophetic writings, touching history, worship, law, wisdom, and eschatology.
Occurrences in Genealogies and Lifespan Markers
In Genesis and Chronicles the term supplies the decades that shape patriarchal lives and tribal records. Isaac was “sixty years old when the twins were born” (Genesis 25:26), reminding readers that God’s promises often ripen in what people might call late seasons. Similar use in the family lists of 1 Chronicles provides chronological scaffolding for redemptive history.
Military and Census Records
Sixty serves as a round figure for fighting men, livestock, and captured cities. Moses recounted that Israel “captured…sixty cities, all the region of Argob” (Deuteronomy 3:4). The spoils list inNumbers 31 uses the sexagesimal unit repeatedly when dividing plunder, underlining orderliness and fairness in wartime administration. These texts show the Lord’s concern for accuracy in both judgment and mercy.
Architectural Measurements
The sacred and the profane are both tagged with sixty-cubit dimensions, inviting theological reflection:
• Solomon’s temple: “The temple…was sixty cubits long” (1 Kings 6:2).
• Nebuchadnezzar’s image: “sixty cubits high” (Daniel 3:1).
The shared height starkly contrasts true worship with idolatry. God’s house, built for covenant fellowship, dwarfs the pagan monument in spiritual stature, though equal in physical measure.
Royal and Marital Imagery
Song of Solomon twice highlights the number: “Behold…sixty warriors, the noblest of Israel” (Song of Solomon 3:7) and “There are sixty queens” (Song of Solomon 6:8). In the first scene sixty elite guards encircle the royal carriage, portraying strength and vigilance around covenant love. In the second, the beloved surpasses an impressive harem, magnifying the exclusivity and supremacy of true affection.
Legal, Sacrificial and Economic Uses
Leviticus 27 sets monetary valuations for persons “from sixty years and over,” attesting that every stage of life may be consecrated.Ezekiel 45:12 fixes a standard mina at sixty shekels, anchoring commerce to righteousness. These passages tether earthly economics to divine equity.
Prophetic and Apocalyptic Scenes
Isaiah 60 (notably aligning chapter number with theme) pictures a multiplied harvest: “The least of you will become a thousand, the smallest a mighty nation” (Isaiah 60:22), echoing sexagesimal abundance. In Ezekiel’s temple vision several chambers and gateways measure sixty cubits, pledging a future sanctuary of vast perfection. Daniel’s sixty-cubit statue anticipates the final overthrow of human empires by the stone “cut without hands.”
Pastoral Reflections and Ministry Implications
1. God Values Later Years. Isaac’s fruitful age and the Levitical valuations affirm ongoing usefulness beyond youth. Congregations should honor elderly believers, expecting spiritual offspring from their prayers and counsel.
2. Watchfulness Around Covenant Love. The sixty warriors surrounding Solomon’s palanquin model the ministry of protective leadership—elders safeguarding doctrinal purity and marital fidelity within the church.
3. Distinguishing True and False Glory. The identical sixty-cubit measurement challenges modern ministry to discern between edifices built for the Lord and cultural idols that merely mimic grandeur.
4. Thorough Stewardship. Whether counting cities, shekels, or soldiers, Scripture’s precision calls leaders to faithful record-keeping and transparent administration.
Representative References
Genesis 25:26;Exodus 26:18 (sixty frames of the tabernacle’s court);Leviticus 27:7;Numbers 31:40;Deuteronomy 3:4;1 Kings 4:22 (Solomon’s daily provision of “sixty cors of flour”);1 Kings 6:2;2 Kings 10:14;1 Chronicles 2:23;2 Chronicles 11:21;Ezra 8:13;Nehemiah 7:66;Esther 9:16;Job 42:12 (livestock counts incorporating sixty);Psalm 90:10 (implied in threescore);Song of Solomon 3:7;Song of Solomon 6:8;Isaiah 7:8;Jeremiah 52:25;Ezekiel 41:2;Daniel 3:1.
Summary
The recurring appearance of שִׁשִּׁים weaves an understated yet cohesive thread: marking seasoned faithfulness, guarding covenant love, defining sacred space, and contrasting God-centered splendor with human pretension. Its steady drumbeat of “sixty” urges believers to number their days rightly, steward their resources faithfully, and measure all glory against the eternal kingdom.
Forms and Transliterations
וְשִׁשִּֽׁים׃ וְשִׁשִּׁ֑ים וְשִׁשִּׁ֖ים וְשִׁשִּׁ֛ים וְשִׁשִּׁ֜ים וְשִׁשִּׁ֣ים וְשִׁשִּׁ֥ים וְשִׁשִּׁים֙ וּבְשִׁשִּׁ֥ים ובששים וששים וששים׃ שִׁשִּֽׁים־ שִׁשִּֽׁים׃ שִׁשִּׁ֑ים שִׁשִּׁ֔ים שִׁשִּׁ֣ים שִׁשִּׁ֤ים שִׁשִּׁ֥ים שִׁשִּׁ֨ים שִׁשִּׁים֙ ששים ששים־ ששים׃ shishShim šiš·šîm šiš·šîm- šiššîm šiššîm- ū·ḇə·šiš·šîm ūḇəšiššîm uveshishShim veshishShim wə·šiš·šîm wəšiššîm
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