תְּלָת (te.lat)
te.lat
three
A:NQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 8 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- A:N
Word Overview
The Hebrew word talaṯ is the basic cardinal number for "three." It appears in eight verses across the Old Testament, with a notable concentration in the books of Daniel and Ezra. In these contexts, it functions primarily as a straightforward count, marking specific quantities or durations without inherent symbolic weight beyond its numerical value.
While often translated simply as "three," the lexicon data indicates it can also serve an ordinal function, meaning "third." This dual usage allows it to describe both a set of items and a position within a sequence. For instance, in Ezra 6:15, it marks the completion of the temple work in the "third" month, providing a precise chronological marker for historical events.
Its presence in Daniel often anchors prophetic timelines or narrative details in concrete reality. By using this simple term, the biblical authors ground their accounts in measurable time and quantity. The word itself does not carry complex theological nuances; rather, its significance lies in its reliability as a factual indicator within the historical and literary structure of the text.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word telat simply means “three.” In the Old Testament, it appears eight times, mostly in Ezra and Daniel. It counts stones, months, men, ribs, horns, or kings. The biblical writers use it to mark real events: a temple finished in the third month, three faithful men in a furnace, or a vision of rising powers.
For your faith, this precision reminds us that God works in history. He does not leave things vague. When Daniel saw visions of horns and ribs, or when Ezra recorded the temple’s completion, the numbers were exact. This reliability grounds our trust. God keeps His promises in measurable time and space.
You can rest in this clarity. The same God who counted three men in the fire also counts your steps. His word is true, specific, and dependable. You are not lost in ambiguity; you are held by a God who knows the details of your life.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 8 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- three3×
- and/ three3×
- three of/ them1×
- three [horns]1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- תְּלָתָ֜א1×
- תְּלָתָ֖ה1×
- תְּלָתָ֔א1×
- תְּלָ֣תֵּ/ה֔וֹן1×
- תְּלָ֑ת1×
- וּ/תְלָתָ֥ה1×
- וּ/תְלָ֥ת1×
- וּ/תְלָ֗ת1×
Key Verses
-
Ezra 6:15
This house was finished on the third day of the month Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king.
The word marks the exact day the temple was finished, showing God’s faithfulness to His timeline.
-
Daniel 3:24
Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished and rose up in haste. He spoke and said to his counselors, “Didn’t we cast three men bound into the middle of the fire?” They answered the king, “True, O king.”
Nebuchadnezzar uses the number to confirm that exactly three men were thrown into the fire, highlighting the miracle of their survival.
-
Daniel 7:5
“Behold, there was another animal, a second, like a bear. It was raised up on one side, and three ribs were in its mouth between its teeth. They said this to it: ‘Arise! Devour much flesh!’
The bear holds three ribs, a concrete detail in the vision that signals impending conquest and consumption.