Bible Word Study
שִׁשִּׁים
shishshîym · sixty
שִׁשִּׁים
sixty
Definition
The Hebrew word שִׁשִּׁים (shishshîym) is the cardinal number 'sixty'. It functions as a standard numeral in the Old Testament, representing the quantity six tens. It appears in various contexts, including genealogical ages (Genesis 5:15, 27), population counts (Genesis 46:26), and measurements (Ezekiel 40:14, 41:12). Its meaning is consistent throughout the biblical text, always denoting the specific number 60.
Biblical Usage
This word is used 56 times across multiple Old Testament books, primarily in the Pentateuch (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers), historical books (1-2 Kings, 1-2 Chronicles, Ezra), and the prophets (Ezekiel). Its usage patterns include recording lifespans in genealogies (e.g., Genesis 5), specifying quantities of people, animals, or items (Exodus 38:29), and detailing architectural measurements in Ezekiel's temple vision (Ezekiel 40-41). It is often paired with other numbers, such as in 'sixty and six' (Genesis 46:26) or 'threescore' (an archaic English term for sixty).
Etymology
שִׁשִּׁים (shishshîym) is derived from the masculine form of the base number six (שֵׁשׁ, shesh, H8337) through a standard Hebrew pluralization pattern for tens. It is part of the common Semitic numbering system, with cognates in related languages like Aramaic and Ugaritic. The formation follows the typical structure for decades in Biblical Hebrew (e.g., עֶשְׂרִים [twenty] from עֶשֶׂר [ten]).
Semantic Range
In the ancient Near Eastern context, the number sixty held practical significance as part of a sexagesimal (base-60) numbering system used in Mesopotamia for mathematics and astronomy, which influenced surrounding cultures. While the Bible does not explicitly theologize the number, its frequent use in lifespans (like Methuselah's 969 years in Genesis 5:27, which includes multiples of sixty) and in the detailed measurements of the tabernacle and temple may subtly point to concepts of divinely ordered structure, completeness, or the recording of God's covenant history through generations. שֵׁשׁ (shesh, H8337) — the base cardinal number 'six'. שִׁשָּׁה (shishshah, H8337) — the masculine absolute form 'six'.
Word Details
How this works
Definitions are from the Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (BDB, 1906, public domain). Concordance and morphology data are from the OSHB (Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible).
Full methodology & sources →References
- Abbott-Smith, G. (1921) A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. [Public Domain]
- Brown, F., Driver, S.R. and Briggs, C.A. (1906) A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament. Oxford: Clarendon Press. [Public Domain]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Tyndale Brief lexicon of Extended Strongs for Greek (TBESG). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Formatted full LSJ (TFLSJ). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Thayer, J.H. (1889) A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. [Public Domain]
- Gesenius, W. (1846) Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament. [Public Domain]
- Dodson, J. (2010) Greek Lexicon. Biblical Humanities. [CC0]