Bible Word Study
תְּלָתִין
tᵉlâthîyn · ten times three
תְּלָתִין
ten times three
Definition
The Hebrew word תְּלָתִין (tᵉlâthîyn) is an Aramaic noun meaning 'thirty.' It is a cardinal number used to denote the quantity of thirty items or people. In the biblical text, it appears exclusively in the Aramaic portions of the Book of Daniel, specifically in Daniel 6:7 and Daniel 6:12, where it refers to a period of thirty days. The term functions identically to its Hebrew counterpart, שְׁלֹשִׁים (shᵉlōshîm, H7970), but its usage is linguistically marked by its Aramaic origin within the context of the Persian court.
Biblical Usage
This word is used only in the Aramaic sections of the Old Testament, specifically in the Book of Daniel. It appears in two parallel verses (Daniel 6:7 and 6:12) within the narrative of Daniel in the lions' den. In both instances, it is part of the decree issued by King Darius, specifying a thirty-day period during which petitions could be made only to the king. The usage is administrative and legal, reflecting the formal language of a royal edict in the Persian Empire.
Etymology
תְּלָתִין is derived from the Aramaic root תְּלָת (tᵉlâth, H8532), meaning 'three.' It is formed by adding the suffix -ִין (-în), which is a standard Aramaic plural/dual ending used for numbers, to create the cardinal number 'thirty' (literally, 'three tens' or 'ten times three'). It is a cognate of the Hebrew word שְׁלֹשִׁים (shᵉlōshîm, H7970), which has the same meaning and a similar morphological construction from the root שָׁלֹשׁ (shālōsh, H7969).
Semantic Range
In its biblical context, the 'thirty days' specified by תְּלָתִין represents a fixed, legally binding period within the Persian imperial administration. The number thirty often symbolized a complete or significant period in ancient Near Eastern cultures, sometimes associated with a month. The decree's use of this term highlights the absolute and unchangeable nature of Medo-Persian law (Daniel 6:8, 15), which sets the stage for the conflict between human law and divine deliverance. שְׁלֹשִׁים (shᵉlōshîm, H7970) — The standard Hebrew word for 'thirty,' used throughout the Hebrew Old Testament, whereas תְּלָתִין is its Aramaic equivalent used in specific passages.
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]