עָשׂוֹר (a.s.vor)
a.s.vor
ten
H:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 12 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M
Word Overview
The Hebrew word asor is a simple numeral meaning "ten." It appears in twelve verses across the Old Testament, frequently marking quantities or groupings in Leviticus and Psalms. In Jeremiah, it often denotes a specific number of people or items, serving as a precise count rather than an abstract concept.
Its most distinctive usage occurs in musical contexts, where it describes instruments with ten strings. The superscriptions of several Psalms, such as Psalm 9 and Psalm 46, are titled "For the director of music. According to alamoth" or similar phrases that link the song to these ten-stringed harps. This suggests a specific liturgical tradition where the number ten was associated with particular musical arrangements.
While numerals like asor might seem straightforward, their repetition in ritual laws highlights the importance of exactness in ancient worship practices. The word does not carry metaphorical weight beyond its numerical value; it simply establishes a fixed quantity for offerings, generations, or instruments. This precision helps readers understand the structured nature of the texts where it appears.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word asor simply means ten. In the Old Testament, it marks specific days for festivals or precise counts for offerings. This precision shows that God cares about order and detail in how His people worship.
When you read about the tenth day of the month, it points to set times for reflection and atonement. These fixed dates helped ancient Israelites live with intentionality, knowing exactly when to pause and seek God.
In the Psalms, ten strings on a harp accompanied songs of praise. This suggests that worship involved careful preparation and harmony. The number itself does not carry hidden secrets; it simply highlights the beauty of structured gratitude and musical offering.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 12 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- on the/ ten8×
- ten3×
- and/ on the/ ten1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- בֶּ/עָשׂ֣וֹר4×
- עָ֝שׂ֗וֹר2×
- בֶּ/עָשׂ֖וֹר2×
- עָשׂ֑וֹר1×
- וּ/בֶ/עָשׂוֹר֩1×
- בֶּֽ/עָשׂ֨וֹר1×
- בֶּ/עָשֹׂ֖ר1×
Key Verses
-
Leviticus 23:27
“However on the tenth day of this seventh month is the day of atonement. It shall be a holy convocation to you. You shall afflict yourselves and you shall offer an offering made by fire to Yahweh.
This verse establishes the tenth day as the fixed date for the Day of Atonement, showing how the number marks a specific time for communal repentance.
-
Psalms 33:2
Give thanks to Yahweh with the lyre. Sing praises to him with the harp of ten strings.
Here the word describes a harp with ten strings, linking the numeral to musical worship rather than just counting objects.
-
Genesis 24:55
Her brother and her mother said, “Let the young lady stay with us a few days, at least ten. After that she will go.”
This occurrence shows the number used in everyday family negotiations, indicating its common use for practical timeframes.