Lexical Definition

‎שָׁלוֹשׁ‎ shâlôwsh (shaw-loshe') three ^H:N
or שָׁלֹשׁ shâlôsh (shaw-loshe'); masculine שְׁלוֹשָׁה shᵉlôwshâh (shel-o-shaw'); or שְׁלֹשָׁה shᵉlôshâh (shel-o-shaw'); a primitive number

[phrase] fork, [phrase] often(-times), third, thir(-teen, -teenth), three, [phrase] thrice. Compare ‎שָׁלִישׁ‎.

• three
• occasionally (ordinal) third, or (multiple) thrice

1) three, triad
1a) 3, 300, third

Extended Information

• Aramaic equivalent: te.lat (‎ת‎ְּ‎ל‎ָ‎ת‎ "three" תְּלָת)

Brown-Driver-Briggs

‎שָׁלשׁ‎, ‎שָׁלוֺשׁ‎, ‎שְׁלשָׁה‎₄₃₀ noun masculine and feminine a three, triad (Late Hebrew id.; ‎שלש‎ SI²; ‎שלשן‎ 30 MI²; Phoenician ‎שלש‎; Assyrian šalaštu, šalatu; Sabean ‎שלתֿ‎ Hom^{Chr 47, 124}, but also ‎תֿלתֿ‎, etc., Id.^{47, A. u. A. ii. 175} SabDenkm^{No. 31, 8}; Arabic , ; Ethiopic Aramaic ‎תְּלָתָא‎, ; Nabataean ‎תלת‎ Lzb³⁷⁷; Palmyrene ‎תלת‎ (in ‎תלת מאה‎) Reckend^{ZMg xiii (1888), 408}; see also Kö^{ii. 1. 208}); —

masculine ‎שָׁלשׁ‎ ‎וֺשׁ‎- rare, chiefly late), with noun feminine Amos 4:8 + 90 t., also construct ‎שְׁלשׁ‎ Gen 18:6 + 65 t. (but Gen 38:24 read perhaps ‎שְׁלשֶׁת‎ Samaritan, compare Di and others), ‎שְׁלָשֿׁ‎ Exod 21:11 feminine ‎שְׁלשָׁה‎ (‎וֺשָׁה‎- rare, chiefly late), with noun masculine Gen 6:10 + 149 t., also construct ‎שְׁלשֶׁת‎ Amos 4:4 + 92 t. (3 + 10 = 13 are additional; on rare exceptions to rule of gender compare Ges^{«GKC:97c»§ 97c}), suffix ‎שְׁלָשְׁתְּכֶם‎ Num 12:4, ‎שְׁלָשְׁתָּם‎ vNum 12:4; Ezek 40:10; Ezek 41:16 — three (Hexateuch chiefly P):

1. no other number:
a. before plural noun, ‎שָׁלשׁ‎ 51 t., e.g. ‎אַמוֺת‎ ‎׳‎‎שׁ‎ Exod 27:1 +, ‎בָּאַמָּה‎ ‎׳‎‎שׁ‎ 1Kgs 7:27, ‎שְׁלשָׁה‎ 90 t., e.g. Gen 18:2 + (so always ‎שְׁלשׁ‎, ‎שְׁלשֶׁת‎; read ‎מִשְׁלשֶׁת‎ Gen 38:24 Sam Di; = ‎׳‎‎מִשְּׁ‎, from ‎מִןֿ‎); after noun (late: on 1Sam 1:24 see [‎שִׁלֵּשׁ‎) 1Chr 25:5 + 17 t.; noun omitted 1Sam 17:4; 2Sam 24:12 = 42 t.
b. = ordinal ‎יָמִים‎ ‎׳‎‎לִשׁ‎ Exod 19:5 on third day; ‎׳‎‎הַיּוֺם שׁ‎ ‎הַיָּמִים‎ 1Sam 9:20, ‎׳‎‎הַיּוֺם הַשּׁ‎ 1Sam 30:13, both = three days ago; especially ‎לְ‎ ‎׳‎‎בִּשְׁנַת שׁ‎ 1Kgs 15:28 + 7 t. (Ges^{«GKC:134o»§ 134o}).

2. 13, with noun feminine: ‎שְׁלשׁ עֶשְׂרֵהשָׁנַה‎ Gen 17:25; 1Kgs 7:1 + (as ordinal) Gen 14:4 ( ‎שְׁלשֿׁ‎), Jer 1:2; Jer 25:3 before ‎ערים‎ Josh 21:19 after, Josh 19:16 + 3 t., before ‎עִיר‎ Josh 21:33; 1Chr 6:43*, ‎אַמּוֺת‎ Ezek 40:11 with noun masculine ‎שְׁלשָׁה עָשָׂר‎ before ‎פָּרִים‎ Num 29:14 after, vNum 29:13 ordinal before ‎יוֺם‎ Esth 3:12; Esth 9:1 after, vEsth 9:17 ‎יוֺם‎ omitted Esth 3:13; Esth 8:12; Esth 9:18 ‎גוֺרָל‎ omitted 1Chr 24:13; 1Chr 25:20; 1Chr 26:11.

3. 300 = ‎שְׁלשׁ‎ ‎מֵאוֺת‎ Gen 5:22 + 59 t. (1Chr 11:11 perhaps intentional change [HPS^Sm] from ‎שְׁמֹנֶה‎ || 2Sam 23:8 which certainly original, Vrss Th We Dr and modern); 3000 = ‎שְׁלשֶׁת אֲלָפִים‎ Exod 32:28 +28 t.

4. c. tens, ‎׳‎‎שׁ‎ following Num 1:43 + 11 t., precedes Lev 12:4 +17 t., + (as ordinal) 3 + 20 Jer 52:30 +3 t.; 20 + 32 Ki Jer 12:7 + 2 t.

5. as round, or conventional, number: 2 (or) 3, Amos 4:8; Deut 17:6; Josh 7:3; 2Kgs 9:32; Isa 17:6 3 (and) 4, Prov 30:15; Prov 30:18; Prov 30:21; Prov 30:29 three days' journey Exod 3:18; Exod 5:3; Exod 8:23*, etc.

Brown-Driver-Briggs References