חָמֵשׁ, H2568
Five; the cardinal numeral, also forming compounds fifteen and fifteenth, and used with ordinal force for 'fifth'
The Hebrew numeral חָמֵשׁ (khamesh) appears 345 times across the Old Testament, serving as far more than a bare number. It forms the compound 'fifteen' (חֲמֵשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה) and participates in ordinal expressions for 'fifth' and 'fifteenth' — particularly in dating formulas for festivals and prophetic visions. Ezekiel's inaugural vision is dated to 'the fifth day of the month' (Ezek 1:1-2), while Leviticus 23:6 places the Feast of Unleavened Bread on 'the fifteenth day.' The cognates span the entire Semitic family — Aramaic חֲמֵשׁ, Arabic خَمْسٌ, Ethiopic ኀምስ — testifying to its deep antiquity.
Senses
1. cardinal number five — The cardinal numeral 'five' used independently or in construct to denote the quantity five. With 309 occurrences this is the primary use, appearing from the genealogies of Genesis 5 ('Enosh lived five years,' Gen 5:6) through measurements of the tabernacle and temple. All target languages translate uniformly — English 'five,' Spanish 'cinco,' French 'cinq,' German 'fünf' — confirming unambiguous numerical semantics across the entire range. 309×
AR["خَمسَ","خَمسَةَ","خَمسُ","خَمْسًا","خَمْسٍ","خَمْسَ","خَمْسَةً","خَمْسَةَ","خَمْسُ","خَمْسِ"]·ben["পাঁচ","পাঁচটি"]·DE["fuenf","fünf","von-fünf"]·EN["five"]·FR["cinq"]·heb["חמישה","חמש"]·HI["पनच","पाँच","पानच"]·ID["Lima","lima"]·IT["cinque"]·jav["Gangsal","gangsal","gangsal-atus","tigang-dasa"]·KO["다섯","다섯의","다섯이"]·PT["Cinco","cinco","quinhentos"]·RU["Пять","в-пять","пятерых","пяти","пять"]·ES["Cinco","cinco"]·SW["kwa-mitano","mia-tano-za","miaka-mia-mbili-na-mitano","miaka-mitano","miaka-sabini-na-mitano","miaka-sitini-na-mitano","miaka-thelathini-na-mitano","miaka-tisini-na-mitano","mkono","tano","watano","ya-nchi"]·TR["beş"]·urd["پانچ"]
2. compound fifteen (five-and-ten) — The numeral 'five' as component of the compound number fifteen (חֲמֵשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה, 'five-and-ten'). Appearing 22 times, this formation is typical of Hebrew compound numerals. It figures prominently in measurements: 'the waters prevailed fifteen cubits upward' (Gen 7:20) and in tabernacle curtain dimensions (Exod 27:14-15). German sometimes renders this analytically as 'fünfzehn' but other times retains the compound structure, while Spanish uses 'quince,' a fully fused form inherited from Latin. 22×
AR["الْخَامِسَةَ","بِخَمسَةَ","خَمسَ","خَمسَةَ","خَمْسَ","خَمْسَ-","خَمْسَةَ","فِي-خَمْسَةَ","وَ-خَمسَ","وَ-خَمْسَةَ"]·ben["-পনেরো","এবং-পনেরো","পঁয়তাল্লিশ","পনের","পনেরো","পনেরো-"]·DE["auf-fuenf-von","fuenf","fuenfzehn","fünf","und-fuenfzehn"]·EN["and-fifteen","fifteen","five","five-","for-fifteen","on-five-of"]·FR["cinq","dans-cinq","et-quinze","quinze","sur-cinq-de"]·heb["ב-ה-בחמשה","ב-חמישה","ו-חמש","ו-חמשת","חמישה","חמש","חמש-","חמשה"]·HI["और-पंद्रह","खमेश","पंद्रह","पंद्रह-","पंद्रहवें","पन्द्रह","पन्द्रहवाँ","में-पन्द्रह"]·ID["Dan-lima","Lima","Pada-lima-belas","dan-lima-belas","dengan-lima-belas","lima","lima-belas","pada-lima-belas"]·IT["cinque","e-fifteen","e-quindici","fifteen","quindici","su-cinque-di"]·jav["Lan-gangsal-welas","gangsal","gangsal-welas","gangsal-welas-","ing-gangsal-welas","ing-kaping-limolas","kaping-gangsal-welas","lan-gangsal-welas","limolas"]·KO["그리고-열다섯","다섯","십","에-열다섯","열다섯","열다섯-"]·PT["E-quinze","Em-quinze","Quinze","cinco","e-quinze","em-quinze","por-quinze","quinze","quinze-"]·RU["И-пятнадцать","в-пятнадцатый","за-пятнадцать","и-пятнадцать","пятнадцатый","пятнадцать","пятнадцать-","пять"]·ES["En-el-quince","Quince","Y-quince","cinco","en-el-quince","por-quince","quince","quince-","y-quince"]·SW["Katika-kumi-na-","Kwa-dhiraa-kumi-na-tano","katika-kumi-na-","kumi","kumi-na","kumi-na-","kumi-na-tano","kwa-vipande-kumi-na-vitano","miaka-kumi","miaka-kumi-na","miaka-kumi-na-mitano","na-kumi-na-tano","na-wana-wake-kumi-na-watano","yake"]·TR["-de-beşinde","On-beş","Ve-on-bes","beş","on","on-","on-bes","on-beş","ve-on-"]·urd["اور-پندرہ","پانچ","پندرہ","پندرہ-","پندرہ-میں","پندرہویں","پندرہویں-کو"]
Gen 5:10, Gen 7:20, Exod 27:14, Exod 27:15, Exod 38:14, Exod 38:15, Lev 23:34, Lev 23:39, Lev 27:7, 2 Sam 9:10, 2 Sam 19:17, 1 Kgs 7:3 (+10 more)
3. ordinal fifteenth — The numeral in compound-ordinal constructions meaning 'the fifteenth,' especially in liturgical date formulas. Eight occurrences fix sacred calendar dates: 'on the fifteenth day of the second month' (Exod 16:1), the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Lev 23:6; Num 28:17), and the Feast of Tabernacles (Num 29:12). The multilingual evidence shows translators adding ordinal markers — Spanish 'en-el-quince,' French 'et-sur-cinq-de,' German 'auf-fünf' — to convey what Hebrew achieves through syntactic context alone. 8×
AR["فِي-الْ-خَمْسَةَ","فِي-الْخَامِسَ","فِي-ٱلْخَامِسَ","فِي‒خَمْسَةَ","وَفِي-خَمْسَةَ"]·ben["-পনেরো","এবং--পনেরো","এবং-পঞ্চদশ","এবং-বে-খামিশশাহ","পঞ্চদশতম","পনের","পনেরতম","পনেরো-"]·DE["auf-fuenf","auf-fuenf-","fuenf","und-auf-fuenf","und-auf-fuenf-von"]·EN["and-on-five","and-on-five-of","on-five","on-five-"]·FR["dans-cinq","et-sur-cinq","et-sur-cinq-de","in-cinq","sur-cinq","sur-cinq-"]·heb["ב-ה-בחמשה","ב-ה-חמישה","ב-חמישה","ו-ב-ה-ובחמשה"]·HI["और-पंद्रहवें","के-महीने","पंद्रहवें","पन्द्रहवें","में-पंद्रहवें"]·ID["Dan-pada-lima-belas","dan-pada-lima","pada-kelima-","pada-lima","pada-tanggal-lima"]·IT["cinque","e-su-cinque","e-su-cinque-di","in-cinque","su-cinque","su-cinque-"]·jav["Lan-ing-kaping-gangsal","Lan-ing-kaping-gangsal-welas","ing-gangsal-welas","ing-kaping-gangsal","ing-tanggal-gangsal-welas","ing-tanggal-kaping-gangsal"]·KO["그리고-에-열다섯","그리고-열다섯째","에-그-다섯-","에-다섯","에-다섯째","에-열다섯","열-다섯째"]·PT["E-em-quinze","em-quinze","no-quinze"]·RU["в-пятнадцатый","и-в-пятнадцатый"]·ES["Y-en-cinco","Y-en-el-quince","en-cinco","en-quince"]·SW["Na-katika-kumi-na-","katika-kumi-na","katika-siku-ya-kumi-na","na-katika-siku-ya-kumi","siku","siku-ya-kumi"]·TR["-da-on-beşinde","beşinde-","on","on-","ve-de-beşinde","ve-on-beşinde"]·urd["اور-پندرہویں","اور-پندرہویں-کو","میں-پندرہویں","پندرھویں-کو","پندرہویں"]
4. ordinal fifth — The numeral used with ordinal force meaning 'the fifth,' marking a specific day, month, or year. Six occurrences anchor prophetic chronology (Ezek 1:1, 'in the fifth year'; Ezek 8:1, 'in the fifth day of the sixth month') and royal history (1 Kgs 12:32-33, Jeroboam's festival 'on the fifteenth day of the eighth month'). English glosses like 'on-fifth' and 'on-the-five' reflect the challenge of conveying Hebrew's unmarked ordinal usage, while Spanish opts for 'en-el-cinco,' treating the cardinal as implicitly ordinal. 6×
AR["في-الخامِسِ","فِي-الـ-خَامِسَ-","فِي-الـ-خَامِسِ","فِي-ٱلْخَامِسِ"]·ben["পঞ্চম-দিনে","পঞ্চমে","পনেরো","পনেরো-"]·DE["auf-der-fuenf","auf-der-fuenf-","fuenf"]·EN["on-fifth","on-the-five","on-the-five-"]·FR["dans-cinq","sur-le-cinq","sur-le-cinq-"]·heb["ב-חמישה","בַּ-חֲמִשָּׁה"]·HI["और-हम","पंद्रहवें","पंद्रहवें-","में-पाँचवें","में-पांचवें"]·ID["Pada-tanggal-lima","pada-hari-kelima","pada-lima","pada-lima-","pada-tanggal-lima"]·IT["cinque","su-il-cinque","su-il-cinque-"]·jav["Ing-kaping-gangsal","ing-kaping-gangsal","ing-kaping-gangsal-welas","ing-kaping-gangsal-welas-"]·KO["다섯째에","에-다섯-번째","에-다섯째","에-다섯째-"]·PT["No-quinto","no-cinco","no-décimo","no-décimo-","no-quinto"]·RU["в-пятнадцатый","в-пятнадцатый-","в-пятый"]·ES["en-el-cinco","en-quince","en-quince-"]·SW["katika-tano","siku-ya-kumi"]·TR["beşinci-de","beşinde","on-beşinde","on-beşinde-"]·urd["پانچویں-میں","پانچویں-کو","پندرہویں","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×)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×)H7970 1. thirty (cardinal number) (168×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
חָמֵשׁ, חֲמִשָּׁה n.m. and f. five (NH id., id.; Aramaic חֲמֵשׁ, חַמְשָׁא, ܚܰܡܶܫ, ܚܰܡܶܫܬܳܐ; Ph. חמשת; Palm. חמשא, c. n. masc., ReckendorfZMG 1888, 408; Assyrian ḫamšu, ḫamiltu Dl§ 75; Ethiopic ኀምስ, ኀምስቱ Arabic خَمْسٌ, خَمْسَةٌ; Sab. & Liḥyân. חֿמס DHMZMG xxix, 613; Epigr. Denkm. 71, 73);—m. (c. n.f.) abs. חָמֵשׁ Gn 5:6 + 94 times + Ez 40:30 (del. 𝔊B Hi-Sm Co; Co del. also in v 25, 29, 33, 36) +…