H4489 H4489
times, occasions (as counted)
Counted occasions or times, specifically instances of something occurring. Both appearances are in Genesis 31, where Jacob accuses Laban of changing his wages 'ten times'—meaning repeatedly, many times. The term emphasizes the counted, enumerated nature of these occasions: not just 'often' but a specific (if rhetorical) number of times. The 'ten times' phrase functions as an idiom for 'many times' or 'repeatedly,' but the noun itself carries the sense of discrete, countable instances. This reflects the precision of Jacob's complaint against Laban's duplicity.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Counted times or occasions. Genesis 31:7, 41 record Jacob's accusation that Laban 'changed [his] wages ten times'—meaning repeatedly or many times. The term emphasizes enumerated instances rather than vague frequency. 'Ten times' likely functions idiomatically for 'many times,' but the noun itself denotes discrete, countable occasions. Cross-linguistic evidence (Spanish veces, French fois, German Mal) universally recognizes this as the counter noun for 'times,' supporting the translation 'ten times.' 2×
AR["مَرّاتٍ"]·ben["বার"]·DE["Mal"]·EN["times"]·FR["fois"]·heb["מנים"]·HI["बार"]·ID["kali"]·IT["tempi"]·jav["wekdal"]·KO["번들"]·PT["vezes"]·RU["раз"]·ES["veces"]·SW["mara"]·TR["kez"]·urd["بار"]
Related Senses
H3117 1. day, specific time (2231×)H5704 1. until, unto, as far as (1238×)H8141 1. year, unit of time (880×)H6258 1. and now (421×)G2250 1. day (388×)H5750 1. again, more, further (288×)H5769 1. forever, to eternity (280×)H6256 1. time, period (264×)H2320 1. month, calendar period (260×)H0310a 2. after (temporal) (258×)H3915 1. night, period of darkness (234×)H1242 1. morning (214×)H5750 2. still, yet (continuative) (166×)G5119 1. then (160×)G3568 1. now (147×)G2193 1. until (143×)G3825 1. (141×)G3752 1. (123×)H6153 1. evening, time of day (123×)H0227a 1. then (122×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† [מֹנֶה] n.[m.] counted number, time;—only הֶחֱלִיף … עֲשֶׂרֶת מֹנִים Gn 31:7, 41 changed ten times.