---
title: שָׁלֹשׁ — a three · The Tanakh dictionary
description: שָׁלֹשׁ (7970), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 172 times: a three. BDB 1906: n.m. et three, triad n.f. n.m. n.f. n.m. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# שָׁלֹשׁ

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«שָׁלֹשׁ» in the Tanakh dictionary: **a three** — 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:** 172 times · **Key:** 7970 · **BDB:** שָׁלשׁ

### Glosses

thirty (127); \[was\].thirty (17); of.thirty (17)

### Meaning (OSHB)

a three [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1513/7970/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

n.m. et three, triad n.f. n.m. n.f. n.m. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1513/7970/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** n.m. et f. a three, triad (NH id.; שלש SI2; שלשן 30 MI2; Ph. שלש; Assyrian šalšu. šalaštu; Sab. שלתֿ HomChr 47, 124, but also תֿלתֿ, etc., id.47; A. u. A. ii. 175 Sab DenkmNo. 31, 8; Arabic ثَلَاثٌ, ثَلَاثَةٌ; Ethiopic ሠላስ: ሠለስቱ Aramaic תְּלָתָא, ܬܠܳܬܳܐ; Nab. תלת Lzb377; Palm. תלת (in תלת מאה) ReckendZMG xiii (1888), 408; v. also Köii. 1. 208);—m. שָׁלשׁ (-וֹשׁ rare, chiefly late), c. n.f. Am 4:8 + 90 times, also cstr. שְׁלשׁ Gn 18:6 + 65 times (but 38:24 read perhaps שְׁלשֶׁת Sam., cf. Di al.), שְׁלָשׁ־ Ex 21:11; f. שְׁלשָׁה (-וֹשָׁה rare, chiefly late), c. n.m. Gn 6:10 + 149 times, also cstr. שְׁלשֶׁת Am 4:4 + 92 times (3 + 10 = 13 are additional; on rare exceptions to rule of gender cf. Ges§ 97c), sf. שְׁלָשְׁתְּכֶם Nu 12:4, שְׁלָשְׁתָּם v 4 Ez 40:10; 41:16;—three (Hex chiefly P): no other num.: bef. n. pl., שָׁלשׁ 51 times, e.g. שׁ׳ אַמּוֹת Ex 27:1 +, שׁ׳ בָּאַמָּה †1 K 7:27, שְׁלשָׁה 90 times, e.g. Gn 18:2 + (so always שְׁלשׁ, שְׁלשֶׁת; read מִשְׁלשֶׁת Gn 38:24 Sam Di; = מִשְּׁ׳, from מִן־); after n. (late: on 1 S 1:24 v. \[שִׁלֵּשׁ\]) 1 Ch 25:5 + 17 times; n. om. 1 S 17:14; 2 S 24:12 = 42 times = ordin. לִשׁ׳ יָמִים Ex 19:15 on third day; הַיּוֹם שׁ׳ הַיָּמִים 1 S 9:20, \[יָמִים\] הַיּוֹם שְׁ׳ 30:13 = three days ago; especially בִּשְׁנַת שׁ׳ לְ 1 K 15:28 + 7 times (Gesse⃜jct; 134 o). 13, c. n.f.: שְׁלשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה Gn 17:25 1 K 7:1 + (as ordin.) Gn 14:4 (†שְׁלשׁ־), Je 1:2; 25:3; before ערים Jos 21:19; after, 19:6 + 3 times, before עִיר Jos 21:33; 1 Ch 6:45, אַמּוֹת Ez 40:11; c. n.m. שְׁלשָׁה עָשָׂר before פָּרִים Nu 29:14; after, v 13; ordin. before יוֹם Est 3:12; 9:1; after, v 17; יוֹם om. 3:13; 8:12; 9:18; נוֹרָל om. 1 Ch 24:13; 25:20; 26:11. 300 = שְׁלשׁ מֵאוֹת Gn 5:22 + 59 times (1 Ch 11:11 perhaps intentional change \[HPSSm\] from שְׁמֹנֶה ‖ 2 S 23:8, which certainly orig., Vrss Th We Dr and mod.); 3000 = שְׁלשֶׁת אֲלָפִים Ex 32:28 + 28 times c. tens, שׁ׳ foll. Nu 1:43 + 11 times, precedes Lv 12:4 + 17 times, + (as ordin.) 3 + 20 Je 52:30 + 3 times; 20 + 3 2 K 12:7 + 2 times as round, or conventional, no.: 2 (or) 3, Am 4:8; Dt 17:6; Jos 7:3; 2 K 9:32; Is 17:6; 3 (and) 4, Pr 30:15, 18, 21, 29; three days’ journey Ex 3:18; 5:3; 8:23, etc.

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Why these entries: BDB: same consonants, part of speech agrees, 1 of its verses cited, 0 words shared with the glosses (9 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 0 with the glosses (9 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «שָׁלֹשׁ» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1513/7970/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[Numbers 31:44](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/NUM.31.44/)

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וּבָקָ֕ר שִׁשָּׁ֥ה וּשְׁלֹשִׁ֖ים אָֽלֶף׃

*Word for word:* and cattle six and thirty thousand

*JPS 1917:* and thirty and six thousand beeves,

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[Numbers 31:45](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/NUM.31.45/)

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וַחֲמֹרִ֕ים שְׁלֹשִׁ֥ים אֶ֖לֶף וַחֲמֵ֥שׁ מֵאֽוֹת׃

*Word for word:* and donkeys thirty thousand and five hundred(s)

*JPS 1917:* and thirty thousand and five hundred asses,

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