H6218 H6218
A ten, decade: the tenth day of the month (ordinal); a ten-stringed musical instrument; the cardinal number ten.
The Hebrew noun asor derives from the number ten and appears in three distinct contexts that split neatly across Scripture's calendrical, musical, and narrative registers. Its dominant use is ordinal — marking 'the tenth day of the month' in Israel's sacred calendar, from the selection of the Passover lamb on the tenth of Nisan (Exod 12:3) to the Day of Atonement on the tenth of Tishri (Lev 16:29; 23:27). Spanish décimo and French dixième render this straightforwardly as an ordinal. In the Psalms, asor takes on a musical life as the 'ten-stringed instrument' accompanying praise (Ps 33:2; 92:3; 144:9), where Spanish diez cuerdas and German zehn Saiten make the instrumental meaning explicit. A single occurrence in Genesis 24:55, where Rebekah's family asks that she stay 'ten days,' preserves the plain cardinal sense.
3. ten (cardinal number) — The cardinal number ten, without ordinal or instrumental force. A single occurrence in Genesis 24:55 preserves this basic numerical sense: Rebekah's brother and mother ask Abraham's servant to let the girl remain 'ten days' (yamim o asor) before departing. Spanish diez, French dix, and German zehn all render it as a simple numeral. The pairing with yamim ('days or ten') suggests asor here functions as an approximate measure — 'a matter of ten days' — before Rebekah's life-changing journey to become Isaac's wife. 1×
AR["عَشَرَةً"]·ben["দশ"]·DE["zehn"]·EN["ten"]·FR["dix"]·heb["עשור"]·HI["दस"]·ID["sepuluh"]·IT["dieci"]·jav["sedasa"]·KO["열"]·PT["dez"]·RU["десять"]·ES["diez"]·SW["kumi"]·TR["on"]·urd["دس"]
▼ 2 more senses below
Senses
1. tenth (ordinal, the tenth day) — The tenth day of the month — an ordinal use marking specific dates in Israel's liturgical and historical calendar. Twelve occurrences span the most significant appointed times: the tenth of Nisan for selecting the Passover lamb (Exod 12:3), the tenth of Tishri for the Day of Atonement (Lev 16:29; 23:27; Num 29:7), the jubilee trumpet sounded on the tenth of the seventh month (Lev 25:9), and various historical dates in Ezekiel's prophecies (Ezek 20:1; 24:1; 40:1) and the siege narratives (2 Kgs 25:1; Jer 52:4, 12). The formulaic phrase ba-asor la-hodesh ('on the tenth of the month') is remarkably consistent. Spanish en décimo and French sur le dixième confirm the ordinal reading across all contexts. 12×
AR["في-العاشِرِ","فِي-الْ-عَاشِرِ","فِي-الْعَاشِرِ","وَفِي-الْـ-عَاشِرِ"]·ben["-তে-দশম-দিন","-দশম","এবং-বে-আসোর","দশম-দিনে","দশমে"]·DE["[בעשור]","auf-der-zehnter","auf-zehnter","auf-zehnter-von","und-auf-der-zehnter"]·EN["and-on-the-tenth","on-tenth","on-tenth-of","on-the-tenth"]·FR["[בעשור]","et-sur-le-dixième","sur-dixième","sur-dixième-de","sur-le-dixième","sur-le-tenth"]·heb["ב-ה-בעשור","ב-עשור","ו-ב-ה-ובעשור"]·HI["और-दसवें-को","दसवीं-तारीख-को","दसवें","दसवें-को","दसवें-दिन","ब-दसवें","में-दसवें","में-दसवें-दिन"]·ID["dan-pada-sepuluh","pada-hari-kesepuluh","pada-sepuluh","pada-tanggal-sepuluh"]·IT["[בעשור]","e-su-il-decimo","su-decimo","su-decimo-di","su-il-decimo","su-il-tenth"]·jav["Lan-ing-kaping-sadasa","ing-kaping-sapuluh","ing-kaping-sedasa","ing-tanggal-kaping-sedasa","ing-tanggal-sedasa","wonten-ing-kaping-sedasa"]·KO["그리고-열째-에","십일에","에-십일에","에-열번째","에-열째","열-째-에","열째-날-에","열째-날에"]·PT["E-em-dez","no-dez","no-décimo","no-décimo-dia"]·RU["в-десятый","в-десятый-день","и-в-десятый"]·ES["Y-en-diez","en-diez","en-décimo-de","en-el-diez","en-el-décimo","en-el-décimo-día","en-el-día-diez"]·SW["katika-kumi","katika-siku-ya-kumi","na-katika-siku-ya-kumi","siku-ya-kumi","siku-ya-kumi-ya-"]·TR["-de-onuncu-gununde","-de-onunda","onuncu-da","onuncu-gününde","onuncusunda","onuncusunda-","onunda","ve-onuncusunda"]·urd["-دس-تاریخ-کو","اور-دسویں","بَ-دسویں-دن","دسویں-تاریخ-کو","دسویں-دن-","دسویں-کو","میں-دسویں","میں-دسویں-دن"]
2. ten-stringed instrument — A ten-stringed musical instrument, or the attribute 'ten-stringed' modifying another instrument such as the nevel (lyre). Three Psalm occurrences celebrate this instrument in worship: 'with the ten-stringed harp' (Ps 33:2), 'upon a ten-stringed instrument' (Ps 92:3), and 'on a ten-stringed lyre I will sing praises' (Ps 144:9). Spanish instrumento de diez cuerdas, French dix cordes, and German zehn Saiten all make the string-count explicit. The standalone use in Psalm 92:3 suggests asor could function as an independent instrument name, not merely an adjective. 3×
AR["ذِي-الْعَشْرَةِ","عَشَرِيٍّ","عُشَارِيٍ"]·ben["দশ-তারের"]·DE["ein-zehn-stringed-instrument","ten-strings","von-zehn-Saiten"]·EN["a-ten-stringed-instrument","of-ten-strings","ten-strings"]·FR["dix"]·heb["עשור"]·HI["दस-तारी-वीणा","दस-तारों-वाला","दस-तारों-वाली"]·ID["kecapi-sepuluh-tali","sepuluh-senar"]·IT["dieci"]·jav["clempung-sedasa-senar","sadasa-senar","sedasa-senar"]·KO["십현금-을","열-줄-로","열-줄의"]·PT["de-dez-cordas","instrumento-de-dez-cordas"]·RU["десятиструнной","десятиструнном"]·ES["de-diez-cuerdas","diez-cuerdas","instrumento-de-diez-cuerdas"]·SW["chenye-nyuzi-kumi","kinanda-cha-nyuzi-kumi","nyuzi-kumi"]·TR["on-telli","santurla"]·urd["دس-تارا-والے","دس-تاروں-والی","ساز-پر"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† עָשׂוֹר and (Ex 12:3) עָשֹׂר n.[m.] a ten, decade;— 1. usually of days: a. a period of ten days Gn 24:55 (J). b. in phr., לַחֹדֶשׁ (עָשׂר) בֶּעָשׂוֹר on the tenth day of the month Lv 25:9 (H), Ez 20:1; 24:1; 40:1; Ex 12:3; Lv 16:29; 23:27; Nu 29:7; Jos 4:19 (all P), 2 K 25:1 = Je 52:4, Je 52:12 (seventh day in ‖ 2 K 25:8). 2. of strings of instr.: נֵבֶל ע׳ harp, a ten (-stringed one) ψ 33:2; 144:9; ע׳ alone ψ 92:4 upon a ten (-stringed instrument).