מִסְפָּר (mis.par)
mis.par
number
H:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 120 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M
Word Overview
The noun mispar refers to a count, whether small or vast. Derived from the verb for "numbering" or "telling," it describes the act of reckoning things one by one. In the Hebrew Bible, this word appears frequently in census records and genealogies, where precise tallies are essential for organizing the community.
Its meaning shifts with context to cover both limited quantities and boundless amounts. When paired with a negative, as in Genesis 41:49, it signifies an innumerable multitude that cannot be fully counted. Conversely, phrases like "men of number" indicate a small, manageable group that can easily be enumerated.
Translators render mispar variously as "number," "tale," or "account." This flexibility reflects its dual nature: it is both the abstract concept of quantity and the concrete result of a recounting. The word anchors biblical narratives in tangible reality, emphasizing that God knows the specific count of stars and the exact number of days in a life.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word mispar reminds us that God pays attention to details. In the Hebrew Bible, it often appears in census records where people were counted one by one. This was not just about military strength or tax revenue. It showed that each person had a specific place in the community and a known value to God.
Even when the text speaks of vast amounts, like grain stored against famine, mispar highlights the limitlessness of God’s provision. We see this in Joseph’s story where the grain was so abundant it could not be counted. It teaches us that while some things in life are measurable and finite, God’s blessings often exceed our ability to track them.
This word grounds our faith in reality. It suggests that your days are known and your steps are numbered. You do not need to worry about being overlooked or forgotten. The same God who organizes the stars also knows the exact count of your years. This knowledge offers a quiet comfort, knowing you are seen and valued in every detail of your life.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 120 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- [the] number of27×
- by/ [the] number of24×
- number12×
- number/ their7×
- by/ number/ their7×
- by/ number7×
- [is] number6×
- to/ [the] number of4×
- and/ [the] number of4×
- [is] a number3×
- to/ number/ their2×
- in/ [the] number of2×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- בְּ/מִסְפַּ֣ר15×
- מִסְפַּ֣ר11×
- מִסְפָּֽר\׃9×
- מִסְפָּ֑ר7×
- בְּ/מִסְפָּרָ֖/ם7×
- מִסְפַּ֥ר6×
- מִסְפָּ֔ר5×
- בְּ/מִסְפַּ֥ר5×
- בְּ/מִסְפַּ֤ר4×
- מִסְפַּ֞ר3×
- לְ/מִסְפַּ֖ר3×
- מִסְפָּרָ֔/ם2×
Key Verses
-
Genesis 34:30
Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have troubled me, to make me odious to the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites. I am few in number. They will gather themselves together against me and strike me, and I will be destroyed, I and my house.”
Jacob uses this word to express his vulnerability as a small group facing a larger population.
-
Genesis 41:49
Joseph laid up grain as the sand of the sea, very much, until he stopped counting, for it was without number.
The text notes the grain was without number, showing God's provision exceeding human calculation.
-
Exodus 23:26
No one will miscarry or be barren in your land. I will fulfill the number of your days.
God promises to fulfill the specific number of days for His people, linking longevity to divine care.
-
Numbers 1:2
“Take a census of all the congregation of the children of Israel, by their families, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of the names, every male, one by one,
This verse establishes the method of counting every male individually, emphasizing personal accountability in the census.