Lexical Summary
tesha or tishah: Nine
Original Word:תֵּשַׁע
Part of Speech:Noun
Transliteration:tesha`
Pronunciation:TEH-shah or TISH-ah
Phonetic Spelling:(tay'-shah)
KJV: nine (+ -teen, + -teenth, -th)
NASB:nine, ninth, nine-tenths
Word Origin:[perhaps fromH8159 (שָׁעָה - have regard) through the idea of a turn to the next or full number ten]
1. nine or (ord.) ninth
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
nine
Or (masculine) tishtah {tish-aw'}; perhaps fromsha'ah through the idea of a turn to the next or full number ten; nine or (ord.) Ninth -- nine (+ -teen, + -teenth, -th).
see HEBREWsha'ah
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originof uncertain derivation
Definitiona nine
NASB Translation139* (1), 29* (2), 3,930* (1), 59,300* (2), 928* (1), 945* (1), 956* (1), 973* (2), forty-nine* (1), nine (21), nine-tenths (1), nineteen* (3), nineteenth* (4), ninety-nine* (2), ninth (5), sixty-nine* (1), thirty-ninth* (3), twenty-nine* (6).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
,
58 (Late Hebrew = Biblical Hebrew; Assyriantišit (feminine),nine,tešû,ninth; Sabeannine,ninety HomChr 48; Lihyanian DHMEp. Denkm. Ar. 52, Arabic
, Ethiopic
Aramaic
, Nabataean, Palmyrene Lzb388, Mandean ( for ; sometimes prefixed) , NöM 188, allnine); — with
absoluteDeuteronomy 3:11 20t., constructJudges 4:3 18t.; with
absolute2 Samuel 14:8 13t., constructJoshua 13:7 2t. (these include 9 10= 19); —nine (Hexateuch chiefly P); no other number:
before plural nounDeuteronomy 3:11,2 Kings 17:1;Genesis 11:19,Nehemiah 11:1,2 Samuel 24:8,Joshua 13:7 (J E?), compareJoshua 14:2;Numbers 34:13 (both P); after plural nounJoshua 15:44,51;Joshua 21:16 (all P),Numbers 29:26 (P); noun omitted1 Chronicles 3:8.
= ordinal2 Kings 25:3 3t.on the ninth (day)of the month;2 Kings 18:10the ninth year of. 910= 19, with
Genesis 11:25, Joshua 19:38 (both P), as ordinal2 Kings 25:8 ""Jeremiah 52:12; with
2 Samuel 2:30, compare (as ordinal, omitted)1 Chronicles 24:16;1 Chronicles 25:26.
900=Judges 4:3 14t.
with tens (20, 30, etc.): following2 Kings 14:2 10t., precedesGenesis 11:24 6t., compare Köii. 1. 215 ff.
Topical Lexicon
Overview of UsageThe cardinal “nine” appears about fifty-eight times in the Hebrew Scriptures, functioning both as a standalone number and as the units digit of compound numbers such as ninety-nine or nine hundred. Occurrences are scattered from Genesis through Zechariah and include genealogical lifespans, census totals, reign lengths, dimensions, and quantities in sacrificial regulations. Every context treats the number as historically factual, yet the Holy Spirit also weaves patterns that invite theological reflection.
Representative Passages
•Genesis 17:1 – “When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him…” (covenant sign of circumcision and name change).
•Genesis 17:24 – “Now Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.”
•Genesis 5:31 – “All the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy-seven years, and he died.” (the closing “seven” is preceded by “nine” in Methuselah’s 969, v. 27).
•Genesis 46:22 – “These were the sons of Rachel who were born to Jacob: fourteen in all.” (the preceding subsection counts nine born to Rachel through Joseph and Benjamin once grandsons are included).
•2 Kings 17:1 – “In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, Hoshea son of Elah became king over Israel, and he reigned nine years in Samaria.”
•Ezra 2:13 – “The sons of Adonikam, six hundred sixty-six.” (the threefold six follows the clan of Zattu, which numbers nine hundred forty-five; plural nine appears repeatedly in the surrounding census).
•Ezekiel 48:33 – “On the south side it will be four thousand five hundred cubits, with three gates… Gad, Asher, and Naphtali.” (each wall of the eschatological city totals twelve gates; nine of the tribal names appear before the final side is reached, underscoring order and completeness).
Patterns in Israel’s History
1. Covenantal Milestones: Abraham’s age of ninety-nine stands at the threshold of the promised birth of Isaac, highlighting God’s power to bring life from barrenness.
2. Regal Accounting: The nine-year reign of Hoshea ends with the Assyrian exile (2 Kings 17), marking the final collapse of the northern kingdom.
3. Genealogical Consistency: Ages ending in nine (e.g., Methuselah 969) emphasize the reliability of the Genesis record and the longevity granted before the Flood.
4. Tabernacle and Temple Measurements: Curtains, frames, and utensils sometimes total measurements where the unit digit is nine, combining with other integers to reach divinely prescribed sizes.
5. Census and Clan Totals: Post-exilic listings (Ezra 2;Nehemiah 7) repeatedly feature figures ending in nine, demonstrating meticulous record-keeping of the remnant community.
Symbolism and Theological Significance
• Completion Before Transition: As the final single-digit, nine signals the brink of a new series. Ninety-nine inGenesis 17 stands one short of the fullness represented by one hundred—mirroring Abraham’s near-completion before God’s covenantal fulfillment.
• Fruitfulness and the Spirit: Nine fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) and nine gifts of the Spirit listed in1 Corinthians 12:8-10 echo the Old Testament’s presentation of nine as fullness within limitation—complete yet awaiting perfection in Christ.
• Judgment Tempered with Mercy: Nine plagues fell on Egypt before the climactic tenth, giving Pharaoh nine opportunities to repent. The pattern illustrates God’s patience prior to final judgment.
• Gestation and New Life: Human gestation typically spans nine months, an implicit testimony to God’s design for life. The prophets frequently employ birth imagery (Isaiah 66:7-9), and the recurrent biblical use of “nine” harmonizes with that motif.
Christological and New Testament Echoes
While 8672 appears only in the Hebrew canon, the narrative arc reaches forward:
• Jesus spoke nine Beatitudes beginning with “Blessed” inMatthew 5:3-11 (when verses 10-11 are taken as distinct).
• At “about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice… ‘My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?’” (Matthew 27:46). The ninth hour thus becomes the moment of atonement foreshadowed by centuries of Old Testament occurrences of “nine.”
• The Good Shepherd leaves the ninety-nine (Luke 15:4) to rescue one lost sheep, illuminating the covenant mercy first announced when Abraham was ninety-nine.
Practical Ministry Applications
• Preaching: Highlight Abraham at ninety-nine to reassure believers that no season of life is beyond divine promise.
• Discipleship: Use the nine fruit of the Spirit as a growth framework, underscoring how the Spirit brings completeness to character.
• Evangelism: The shepherd’s ninety-nine illustrate God’s priority for the lost; sermons can invite hearers to identify with the rescued one.
• Pastoral Care: Remind those in extended trials that nine often precedes breakthrough—whether childbirth’s ninth month or the deliverance after Egypt’s ninth plague.
• Biblical Literacy: Tracing the 58 appearances of תֵּשַׁע equips students to see Scripture’s numerical textures and reinforces confidence in the text’s coherence.
The recurring presence of “nine” thus underlines God’s orderly governance of history, His patience before consummate judgment, and His provision for fullness that ultimately resolves in Jesus Christ.
Forms and Transliterations
בְּתִשְׁעָ֣ה בְּתִשְׁעָ֤ה בתשעה וְתִשְׁעָֽה׃ וְתֵ֣שַׁע וְתֵ֥שַׁע וָתֵ֖שַׁע וָתֵ֙שַׁע֙ וָתֵ֤שַׁע וּתְשַׁ֥ע ותשע ותשעה׃ לְתִשְׁעַ֣ת לְתִשְׁעַ֥ת לְתִשְׁעָ֤ה לתשעה לתשעת תְּשַֽׁע־ תְּשַׁ֤ע תְּשַׁ֥ע תְּשַׁ֨ע תִּשְׁעָ֖ה תִּשְׁעָ֣ה תִּשְׁעָ֥ה תִּשְׁעָ֧ה תִּשְׁעָֽה־ תִּשְׁעָֽה׃ תִשְׁעָ֧ה תֵּ֔שַׁע תֵּ֖שַׁע תֵּ֗שַׁע תֵּ֤שַׁע תֵּ֥שַׁע תֵּ֧שַׁע תשע תשע־ תשעה תשעה־ תשעה׃ bə·ṯiš·‘āh bəṯiš‘āh betishAh lə·ṯiš·‘āh lə·ṯiš·‘aṯ ləṯiš‘āh ləṯiš‘aṯ letishAh letishAt tê·ša‘ tə·ša‘ tə·ša‘- têša‘ təša‘ təša‘- teSha tiš‘āh ṯiš‘āh tiš‘āh- tiš·‘āh ṯiš·‘āh tiš·‘āh- tishAh ū·ṯə·ša‘ ūṯəša‘ uteSha vaTesha veTesha vetishAh wā·ṯê·ša‘ wāṯêša‘ wə·ṯê·ša‘ wə·ṯiš·‘āh wəṯêša‘ wəṯiš‘āh
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