Lexical Summary
tishim: Ninety
Original Word:תִּשְׁעִים
Part of Speech:Noun
Transliteration:tish`iym
Pronunciation:tee-SHEEM
Phonetic Spelling:(tish-eem')
KJV: ninety
NASB:ninety
Word Origin:[multiple fromH8672 (תֵּשַׁע תִּשׁעָה - nine)]
1. ninety
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
ninety
Multiple fromtesha'; ninety -- ninety.
see HEBREWtesha'
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom the same as
teshaDefinitionninety
NASB Translation1,290* (1), 392* (2), 690* (1), 95* (2), 96* (1), 98* (2), ninety (5), ninety-eight* (1), ninety-five* (2), ninety-nine* (2), ninety-six* (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
20 (archaic plural, DHM
ZMG xxxvii (1883), 9 f. Prät
BAS i. 376, but compare Ges
§ 97f.); — before singular noun:
Genesis 5:9;
Genesis 17:17 +,
Ezekiel 41:12,
Ezekiel 4:5,9; less often after plural noun
Ezra 8:35, compare
Daniel 12:11; in combination, procedes units
1 Samuel 4:15 7t.; following
Genesis 5:17,30; following 100
Ezekiel 4:5,9 4t.
BIBLICAL ARAMAIC
.]
- In the case of words common to Biblical Aramaic and Biblical Hebrew the etymological matter already given with the Hebrew words is not repeated here. The sign is prefixed to all words peculiar to the Biblical Aramaic. In other cases, except where or Syriac is mentioned alone, it may be understood that the words occur also in the Aramaic of the s and in Syriac, even when this is not expressly stated.
Topical Lexicon
Numerical Theology of NinetyIn Scripture the figure ninety (תִּשְׁעִים) joins the factors nine and ten—symbols respectively of finality and completeness—so that the product often marks the closing stage of an old order and the threshold of a new work of God. Whether attached to years, cubits, days, or head-counts, it quietly signals ripeness for decisive divine action.
Genealogical Ages and Patriarchal Transitions
•Genesis 5:9 records, “When Enosh was ninety years old, he became the father of Kenan”. The number appears at a hinge in Adam’s line, linking the early antediluvian fathers with the dawning of a fresh generation.
• In the covenant narrative of Abraham the word is prominent within the numbers ninety (Sarah) and ninety-nine (Abraham). “Will Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” (Genesis 17:17). Human barrenness at ninety magnifies the power of God, demonstrating that covenant promise rests not on natural vigor but on divine faithfulness.
Covenant Seal and the Mark of Circumcision
Genesis 17 places the initiation of circumcision when Abraham is “ninety-nine years old” (verse 24). The rite signifies separation unto God; the presence of תִּשְׁעִים inside the age underscores that God waits until natural hope is exhausted before sealing His pledge, so the glory is His alone.
Administrative Lists after the Exile
Ezra 2 andNehemiah 7 each preserve census totals that incorporate ninety (e.g.,Ezra 2:16;Nehemiah 7:21, 25, 60). These figures certify the remnant’s legal right to the land and temple service. The meticulous recording, down to units of ninety, displays the Lord’s care for every family and validates the historical continuity of the community that returned from Babylon.
Priestly Ornamentation
Jeremiah 52:23 notes that ninety-six of the pomegranates adorning the bronze capitals were visible. Pomegranates evoke fruitfulness; the mention of ninety within this decorative context hints that even in judgment (the temple’s destruction) God remembers His purpose to restore a fruitful priesthood.
Prophetic Measurements and Symbolic Days
•Ezekiel 41:12: the auxiliary building behind the sanctuary measured “ninety cubits” in length, marking a defined, God-ordained boundary for sacred space.
•Ezekiel 4:5, 9 merges ninety into the prophet’s 390-day sign-act, depicting the full measure of Israel’s iniquity yet to be borne.
•Daniel 12:11 speaks of “1,290 days” from the abolition of the regular sacrifice to the abomination of desolation. The embedded ninety reinforces that the appointed trouble has a precise, God-limited end.
Pastoral and Devotional Implications
1. God’s timing often ripens at “ninety”—when human strength wanes and dependency is complete. Believers should therefore regard long delays not as abandonment but as preparation for miraculous intervention.
2. Detailed numerical records (Ezra–Nehemiah) model integrity in ministry administration; even a tally of ninety matters to the Lord of the covenant.
3. Prophetic numbers containing ninety assure the church that tribulation seasons are measured. The sovereign Lord starts the clock and will end it right on schedule.
4. Ornamentation tallied with ninety (Jeremiah 52) reminds worshipers that beauty and fruitfulness belong in God’s house, even when judgment appears to have stripped it bare.
Summary
תִּשְׁעִים surfaces whenever Scripture wants to underline completeness reaching its decisive moment—ages ready for covenant fulfillment, communities counted for restoration, structures precisely aligned for worship, or prophetic periods nearing closure. Recognizing this pattern enriches reading and preaching, strengthening confidence that the God who numbers hair and sparrow never loses count of covenant people or promises.
Forms and Transliterations
וְתִשְׁעִ֖ים וְתִשְׁעִ֛ים וְתִשְׁעִֽים׃ וְתִשְׁעִים֙ ותשעים ותשעים׃ תִּשְׁעִ֣ים תִּשְׁעִ֥ים תשעים tiš‘îm tiš·‘îm tishIm vetishIm wə·ṯiš·‘îm wəṯiš‘îm
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