Introduction to Hebrew numbers and ordinals

Introduction to Hebrew Numbers

Learning Hebrew numbers is an essential part of mastering Biblical Hebrew grammar.
Numbers in Biblical Hebrew can occur as both nouns and adjectives.
Numbers 1 through 10 are unique words that you will need to memorise. They have masculine and feminine forms. Usually, the feminine form is used for counting.
Numbers 11 through 19 are formed by adding the word for ‘ten’ followed by the numbers 1 through 9.
For multiples of ten from 20 to 100, the prefix ‘sh’ is used, derived from ‘eser’, the Hebrew word for ‘ten’.
Note that numbers in Biblical Hebrew match the gender of the objects they are counting. If the objects are masculine, the numbers take a feminine form and vice versa, which is opposite to modern Hebrew usage.

Grammatical Application of Numbers

While using numbers as adjectives, they will always follow the noun they are describing.
Hebrew numbers take plural form in association with plural countable objects– irrespective of the countable object being one, two, or multiple units.
The Hebrew word for “hundred” is ‘me’ah’, for “thousand” is ‘elef’ and for “ten thousand” is ‘rivabah’. These may occur as multiples and follow similar gender rules as basic numbers.

Ordinals in Hebrew

Ordinal numbers are used to express order or sequence, and are based on their corresponding cardinal numbers.
Ordinals from first to tenth have special forms that need to be memorised. Beyond tenth, ordinal numbers are formed by attaching the suffix ‘-i’ to cardinal numbers.
Like cardinal numbers, ordinal numbers must agree in gender with the noun they are modifying.
Ordinals always occur in the construct state when they modify a noun.

The understanding of Hebrew numbers and their grammatical implementation is vital in mastering the language. Practice recognising and using the numbers in actual text to ensure a strong foundation in this area.