Number Three

שָׁלשׁ, שָׁלוֹשׁ, שְׁלשָׁה 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): 1. no other num.: a. 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 b. = 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). 2. 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. 3. 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 4. 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 5. 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.

τρεῖς, οἱ, αἱ, τρία, τά: genitive τριῶν: dative τρισί, also τριοῖσι Refs 6th c.BC+; Aeolic dialect τρίσσι Refs (written τρες Refs: Doric dialect nominative τρέες Refs; τρῖς Refs 4th c.BC+; τρῖς Refs 6th c.BC+:—three, Refs 8th c.BC+; τρία ἔπεα three words, proverbial in Refs 5th c.BC+—for from the earliest times three was a sacred and lucky number, especially with the Pythagoreans (compare τριάς), Refs 5th c.BC+; εἰ καὶ τῶν τριῶν ἓν οἴσομαιRefs —διὰ τριῶν ἀπόλλυμαι I am thrice, i. e. utterly, undone, Refs 5th c.BC+; ἡ διὰ τριῶν ἀγωγή the 'trivium', Refs 6th c.AD+by threes, Refs 5th c.BC+ stem tr[icaron]-, fuller form trey-, nominative tréy-es (Sanskrit tráyas, Latin tres), whence τρέες, contraction τρῆς and τρεῖς (written τρες Refs; accusative tri-ns (Gothic prins, Sanskrit tr[imacracute]n), whence τρῖς and τρίιν; in Gr. the nominative τρεῖς functions as accusative (as in Attic dialect), or the accusative τρῖς as nominative ([same places]).)

† III. שָׁלִישׁ n.m. adjutant or officer (best explained as third man (in chariot), v. especially HptBAS iv. 586 f. BenderZAW xxiii (1903), 19 WMMAs. u. Eur. 329; v. also KauM N., DPV, 1904, 10; doubted by Di Ex 14:7 Baenib. Buhl14);—abs. שׁ׳ of king’s personal attendant at court 2 K 7:2, 17, 19, sf., military officer of king, שָֽׁלִשֹׁה 2 K 9:25, שָֽׁלִישׁוֹ 15:25 (on abnormal—ָ v. Ges§ 93 xx Köii. 1. 133, 449, 495); pl. שָֽׁלִישִׁים Ez 23:15 + (sometimes שָֽׁלִשִׁם, etc.) v 23 Ex 14:7; 2 K 10:25(×2), + (Qr) 2 S 23:8 (> Kt שׁלשׁי) = 1 Ch 11:11; 12:19 (v 18 van d. H.; Kt in both, שׁלושׁים), read in all three הַשְּׁלשָׁה (רֹאשׁ) chief of the three 𝔊L We Dr Bu Now.—שָֽׁלִשִׁים Pr 22:20 Qr v. שִׁלְשֹׁם.

† תְּלָת n.m., תְּלָתָה f., >three (𝔗 Syriac; BH שָׁלֹשׁ, שִׁלשָׁה);—m. תְּלָת bef. n.f. pl. Dn 7:5; n.f. om. v 8, 20; f. תְּלָתָה bef. n.m. pl. 7:24; after, 3:24; 6:3, 11, 14, so א—ָ Ezr 6:4; יוֹם תְּלָתָה 6:15 third day; sf. תְּלָתֵּהוֹן (K§ 65. Aum. 1) Dn 3:23 the three of them.

† I. [שִׁלֵּשׁ] Pi. denom. do a third time, divide into three parts, etc.;—Pf. 2 ms. וְשִׁלַּשְׁתָּ֫ Dt 19:3 divide land into three parts (so Impf. וַיְשַׁלֵּשׁ אֶת־הָעָם [for MT וַיְשַׁלַּח] 2 S 18:2 𝔊L Bu); 1 S 20:19 stay three days (cf. Dr); v 20 We Dr al. (cf. 𝔊) read אֲשַׁלֵּשׁ בַּ׳ (for שְׁלשֶׁת הַ׳) = I will shoot on the third day with the arrows (HPS qu.); Impf. 3 mpl. וַיְשַׁלֵּ֑שׁוּ 1 K 18:34, and Imv. mpl. שַׁלֵּ֑שׁוּ v 34 do a third time. Pu. Pt. מְשֻׁלָּשׁ three years old Gn 15:9 + 1 S 1:24 (read with 𝔊 Th We etc. בְּפַר מְשֻׁלָּשׁ for בְּפָרִם שְׁלשָׁה), f. מְשֻׁלֶּשֶׁת Gn 15:9(×2); הַחוּט הַמְשֻׁלָּשׁ Ec 4:12 the threefold cord; fpl. מְשֻׁלָּשׁוֹת Ez 42:6 three-storied chambers.