חֲמִישִׁי (cha.mi.shi)
cha.mi.shi
fifth
H:AQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 40 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:A
Word Overview
The Hebrew word chamishi means "fifth" and functions primarily as an ordinal number. It appears forty times in the Old Testament, marking sequence in historical records, genealogies, and legal codes. In Chronicles alone, it frequently identifies the fifth son or the fifth division of a group, such as the fifth family of priests or the fifth month of the year.
Its root is the cardinal number for five. The feminine form chamishith often stands in for "a fifth part" when the word for portion or share is implied rather than stated. This usage appears in laws about restitution, where a person must add a fifth to what they have taken back, as seen in Leviticus 5:16 and 27:31.
The term carries no hidden metaphorical weight beyond its numerical value. It serves as a precise marker of order and proportion. Whether counting days in the exile or listing descendants, it anchors the text in clear, factual sequence for the reader.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word chamishi marks the fifth position in a sequence, appearing forty times in the Old Testament. It functions as a precise ordinal number, anchoring historical records, genealogies, and legal codes in clear order. Whether counting days, listing descendants, or measuring time, it provides a reliable marker of progression.
In practical terms, this word often signals a specific moment of change or provision. For instance, Leviticus 19:25 notes that the fifth year is when fruit from a newly planted tree may finally be eaten. This detail shows how God’s laws structured daily life and agricultural cycles with clear expectations.
Understanding these numerical markers helps us see the care woven into biblical narratives. The text does not leave us guessing about timing or order. Instead, it offers a steady rhythm that guides readers through history and law with clarity and precision.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 40 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- <the>/ fifth17×
- the/ fifth7×
- fifth/ its5×
- fifth4×
- [the] fifth part of2×
- the/ fifth [month]1×
- in the/ fifth [month]1×
- and/ fifth/ its1×
- and/ [was] the/ fifth1×
- a fifth1×
- [was] the/ fifth1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- הַ/חֲמִישִׁ֔י3×
- חֲמִישִׁ֖ית2×
- הַֽ/חֲמִישִׁי֙2×
- הַ/חֲמִישִֽׁי\׃\ \ס2×
- הַ/חֲמִישִֽׁי\׃2×
- הַ/חֲמִישִׁ֑י2×
- חֲמִשִׁת֖/וֹ1×
- חֲמִשִׁית֖/וֹ1×
- חֲמִשִֽׁית\׃1×
- חֲמִשִׁ֧ית1×
- חֲמִישִׁת֖/וֹ1×
- חֲמִישִֽׁי\׃\ \פ1×
Key Verses
-
Leviticus 19:25
In the fifth year you shall eat its fruit, that it may yield its increase to you. I am Yahweh your God.
This verse uses the word to mark the fifth year, a specific time when the fruit of a newly planted tree could finally be eaten, showing how God structured agricultural cycles.
-
Genesis 30:17
God listened to Leah, and she conceived, and bore Jacob a fifth son.
Here the word identifies Leah’s fifth son, demonstrating its use in recording family lineage and the fulfillment of promises within Jacob's household.
-
Leviticus 5:16
He shall make restitution for that which he has done wrong regarding the holy thing, and shall add a fifth part to it, and give it to the priest; and the priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering, and he will be forgiven.
The term appears as a fifth part added to restitution, illustrating how numerical precision was applied in legal matters regarding wrongs against holy things.
-
Numbers 33:38
Aaron the priest went up into Mount Hor at the commandment of Yahweh and died there, in the fortieth year after the children of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, in the fifth month, on the first day of the month.
This occurrence marks the fifth month of Aaron’s death, anchoring a significant historical event within the timeline of Israel's journey after leaving Egypt.