πεντεκαι-δέκᾰτος G4003
fifteenth; the ordinal number for 15
An ordinal adjective meaning fifteenth, used to indicate position in a sequence. Luke uses it to date the beginning of John the Baptist's ministry: 'in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar' (Luke 3:1). This chronological marker (approximately AD 28-29) anchors the gospel narrative in historical time. The precision reflects Luke's concern for accurate historical context.
Senses
1. sense 1 — The ordinal number fifteenth, marking position or sequence. Luke's dating formula situates John's prophetic ministry in concrete historical time, correlating it with the reign of Tiberius and other rulers. The multilingual evidence ('fifteenth,' 'decimoquinto,' 'quinzième') consistently expresses ordinal sequence, underscoring Luke's historical precision and the fulfillment of prophecy in real time. 1×
AR["الْخَامِسَةِ-عَشْرَةَ"]·ben["পনেরোতম"]·DE["πεντεκαιδεκάτῳ"]·EN["fifteenth"]·FR["quinzième"]·heb["חֲמֵשׁ-עֶשְׂרֵה"]·HI["पंद्रहवें"]·ID["kelima-belas"]·IT["pentekaidekato"]·jav["kaping-gangsal-welas"]·KO["열다섯째"]·PT["décimo-quinto"]·RU["пятнадцатом"]·ES["decimoquinto"]·SW["kumi-na-tano"]·TR["on-beşinci"]·urd["پندرہویں"]
Related Senses
H3605 1. all, every, whole (5352×)H0259 1. one (cardinal numeral) (940×)H8147 1. cardinal number two (666×)G3956 1. all (collective plural) (616×)H3967 1. cardinal numeral hundred (550×)H1419a 1. great, large (general quality) (486×)H7969 1. cardinal number three (431×)H0505 1. cardinal number thousand (427×)H7651 1. seven (cardinal number) (393×)G1520 1. cardinal number one (339×)H6240 1. ten (cardinal number) (334×)H6242 1. twenty (cardinal number) (315×)H2568 1. cardinal number five (309×)H0702 1. four (cardinal number) (277×)G3956 2. every, each (distributive) (227×)H8337 1. six (cardinal number) (215×)G3956 3. all things, everything (substantive) (211×)G3956 4. (187×)H6235 1. ten (177×)G3173 1. great in size or extent (176×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
πεντεκαι-δέκᾰτος, η, ον, fifteenth, NT+4th c.BC+