---
title: מִסְפָּר — number · The Tanakh dictionary
description: מִסְפָּר (4557), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 134 times: number. BDB 1906: n.m. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# מִסְפָּר

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«מִסְפָּר» in the Tanakh dictionary: **number** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers.

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**Used:** 134 times · **Key:** 4557 · **BDB:** מִסְפָּר²

### Glosses

number (72); the.number (40); of.number (7)

### Meaning (OSHB)

number [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1502/4557/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

n.m. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1502/4557/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** n.m. 1 Ch 27:24 number, tale\>;—abs. מ׳ Gn 34:30 +; cstr. מִסְפַּר Ex 16:16 +; sf. מִסְפַּרְכֶם Nu 14:29, מִסְפָּרָם Ju 21:23 +; pl. cstr. מִסְפְּרֵי 1 Ch 12:23;— number, Ju 7:6 the number of those lapping, מִס׳ לַכּוֹכָבִים ψ 147:4, + often (37 times PH); לֹא עָלָה הַמִּסְפָּר בְּמִסְפַּר דִּבְרֵי וגו׳ 1 Ch 27:24 (read בְּסֵפֶר) the number did not come up into (was not recorded in) the book of the daily doings, etc.; redund. after num., †2 S 21:20 twenty-four (in) number; אֵין מ׳ it was (they were) innumerable Gn 41:49 (E), c. לְ Ju 6:5; 7:12; 1 Ch 22:16; 2 Ch 12:3, לִתְבוּנָתוֹ אֵין מ׳ ψ 147:5 (of י׳); abs. Je 2:32 Jb 21:33; Ct 6:8; †עַד־אֵין מ׳ = id., Jb 5:9; 9:10 ψ 40:13, וְאֵין לָהֶם מ׳ Je 46:23; לְאֵין מ׳ †1 Ch 22:4; וְאֵין מ׳ †ψ 104:25; 105:34 Jo 1:6; הֲיֵשׁ מ׳ לִגְדוּדָיו Jb 25:3 can his bands be numbered? without אֵין = numerable, i.e. few, וִיהִי מְתָיו מ׳ Dt 33:6 but let his men be few, יָמִים מ׳ Nu 9:20, מ׳ alone Is 10:19, usually in combin., מְתֵי מ׳ = a few men Gn 34:30 (J), Dt 4:27; Je 44:28; 1 Ch 16:19 ψ 105:12, אַנְשֵׁי מ׳ Ez 12:16; so שְׁנוֹת מ׳ Jb 16:22; adv. phr. מִסְפַּר יְמֵי חַיֵּיהֶם Ec 2:3 = during all their lives, cf. 5:17; 6:12; = appointed (normal) number, מ׳ יָמֶיךָ אֲמַלֵּא Ex 23:26 (E). c. prep. בְּ: מְעַט בְּמ׳ Ez 5:3 few in number; בְּמ׳ by (exact) count, tale 2 S 2:15; Dt 25:2; 1 Ch 9:28(×2), so prob. Ez 20:37 read בְּמִסְפַּר 𝔊 Toy for MT מָסֹרֶת; in (prescribed) number Nu 29:18 + 6 times Nu 29 (P), Ezr 3:4; = according to (proportioned to) the number of Lv 25:15(×2) + often; לְמִס׳ according to number Ju 21:23; Jos 4:5, 8 (JE) Nu 14:29 (P) Ez 4:5; 1 Ch 27:1; כְּמִס׳ = id., 1 K 18:31; Nu 15:12(×2) (P); so מ׳ alone (adv. acc.) Ex 16:16 (P) Jb 1:5; Je 2:28; 11:13.—Nu 23:10b read מִי סָפַר, cf. v a, so 𝔊 Di SoKau. recounting, relation, מִסְפַּר הַחֲלוֹם Ju 7:15 the recounting of the dream.

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 56 of its verses cited, 0 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (3 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 1 with the glosses (2 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «מִסְפָּר» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1502/4557/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[Job 5:9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/JOB.5.9/)

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עֹשֶׂ֣ה גְ֭דֹלוֹת וְאֵ֣ין חֵ֑קֶר נִ֝פְלָא֗וֹת עַד־אֵ֥ין מִסְפָּֽר׃

*Word for word:* \[who\].does great.\[things\] and there.\[is\].not searching wonders until there.\[is\].not number

*JPS 1917:* Who doeth great things and unsearchable, marvellous things without number;

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[Job 16:22](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/JOB.16.22/)

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כִּֽי־שְׁנ֣וֹת מִסְפָּ֣ר יֶאֱתָ֑יוּ וְאֹ֖רַח לֹא־אָשׁ֣וּב אֶהֱלֹֽךְ׃

*Word for word:* (dm) years of.number they.will.come and a.way \[which\].not I.will.return I.will.go

*JPS 1917:* For the years that are few are coming on, and I shall go the way whence I shall not return.

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