שְׁמֹנִים
eighty, also eightieth
Definition
The Hebrew word שְׁמֹנִים is a cardinal number meaning 'eighty' and can also function as an ordinal number meaning 'eightieth'. It is used to quantify years of life, such as Methuselah living 969 years (Genesis 5:25-27), and to count people, like the 80 men from Shechem (Jeremiah 41:5). In its ordinal sense, it specifies sequence, like the 'eightieth year' in the reign of a king (2 Kings 10:36). The number often appears in genealogical records, military censuses, and historical summaries.
Biblical Usage
This word appears 37 times, primarily in historical and narrative books like Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, and the historical books (e.g., Judges, 1 & 2 Kings). It is commonly used to denote a person's age at death or at a significant life event, such as Aaron being 83 (Exodus 7:7 uses 'eighty' for Moses and 'eighty-three' for Aaron in context). It also tallies populations in military counts (Numbers 2:9, 4:48) and groups of people. A notable pattern is its frequent pairing with other numbers in genealogies and historical records.
Etymology
Derived from the masculine plural form of the cardinal number שְׁמֹנֶה (shᵉmōneh, H8083), meaning 'eight'. The suffix -ִים (-îm) marks it as a masculine plural absolute form, creating the multiple 'eighty'. It is part of the standard Hebrew decimal numbering system, related to other multiples like שִׁבְעִים (shivʿîm, H7657) for 'seventy'.
Semantic Range
While a number itself is not inherently theological, 'eighty' in Scripture often marks a full lifespan or a period of testing and maturity. Moses was 80 at his call (Exodus 7:7), suggesting a divinely appointed time for leadership after a long preparation. In Psalm 90:10, the lifespan of 'seventy or eighty years' frames a meditation on human mortality and God's eternal nature, enriching reflection on the brevity and purpose of life under God's sovereignty.
In ancient Israelite culture, reaching eighty years was considered a very long life, a sign of divine blessing and honor (as seen in the ages of the patriarchs). The number 'eighty' (like 'fourscore' in older English) was a standard numerical unit. There is no significant symbolic difference from the modern understanding of the quantity eighty, though its association with advanced age carried greater weight in a society with lower average life expectancy.
שְׁמֹנֶה (shᵉmōneh, H8083) — the cardinal number 'eight', from which 'eighty' is derived. שִׁבְעִים (shivʿîm, H7657) — 'seventy', the preceding decade in the numbering system. תִּשְׁעִים (tishʿîm, H8673) — 'ninety', the following decade.
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
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