703. arba

Lexicon

arba: Four

Original Word: אַרְבַּע
Part of Speech: noun masculine and feminine; feminine plural noun; noun feminine singular; feminine plural noun; feminine; masculine plural noun; masculine plural noun
Transliteration: arba`
Pronunciation: ar-BAH
Phonetic Spelling: (ar-bah')
Definition: Four
Meaning: four

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

four

(Aramaic) corresponding to arba' -- four.

see HEBREW arba'

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
(Aramaic) corresponding to arba
Definition
four
NASB Translation
four (7).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

אַרְבַּע, אַרְבְּעָה noun masculine and feminine four; —

1. masculine: before feminine plural noun Daniel 7:2,3; noun feminine singular מְאָה ׳א Ezra 6:17; after feminine plural noun Daniel 7:6; as predicate אַרְבַּ֑ע Daniel 7:17.

2. feminine: before masculine plural noun Daniel 7:6,16; after masculine plural noun Daniel 3:25.

Topical Lexicon

Word Origin: Derived from the Hebrew root רָבַע (raba'), meaning "to be four."

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: The corresponding Greek numeral for "four" is τέσσαρες (tessares), Strong's Greek Number 5064. This Greek term is used in the New Testament in similar contexts of counting and symbolic representation.

Usage: The Aramaic word אַרְבַּע is used in the context of counting or denoting the number four. It appears in the Aramaic portions of the Old Testament, particularly in the books of Daniel and Ezra.

Context: The Aramaic term אַרְבַּע (arba') is the numeral for "four" and is used in the context of the Aramaic sections of the Old Testament. This term is found in the books of Daniel and Ezra, which contain significant portions written in Aramaic due to the historical and cultural context of the Jewish exile and interactions with the Babylonian and Persian empires.

In the book of Daniel, אַרְבַּע is used in prophetic visions and narratives that involve numerical symbolism. For example, in Daniel 7:3, the term is used to describe "four great beasts" that come up from the sea, each different from the others. This vision is part of a larger prophetic framework that uses numbers to convey divine messages and future events.

In Ezra, the term is used in more practical contexts, such as counting or listing items. The use of Aramaic in these books reflects the linguistic environment of the Jewish people during the Babylonian exile and the subsequent Persian period, where Aramaic served as a lingua franca of the region.

The number four often carries symbolic significance in biblical literature, representing completeness or universality, as seen in the four corners of the earth or the four winds. In the Aramaic context, while the primary function of אַרְבַּע is numerical, its occurrences in prophetic literature may also carry deeper symbolic meanings.

Forms and Transliterations

אַרְבְּעָ֗ה אַרְבְּעָ֥ה אַרְבַּ֑ע אַרְבַּ֛ע אַרְבַּ֣ע אַרְבַּע֙ ארבע ארבעה וְאַרְבְּעָ֤ה וְאַרְבַּ֤ע וארבע וארבעה ’ar·ba‘ ’ar·bə·‘āh ’arba‘ ’arbə‘āh arBa arbeAh vearBa vearbeAh wə’arba‘ wə’arbə‘āh wə·’ar·ba‘ wə·’ar·bə·‘āh

Englishman's Concordance

Ezra 6:17
HEB: מָאתַ֔יִן אִמְּרִ֖ין אַרְבַּ֣ע מְאָ֑ה וּצְפִירֵ֨י
KJV: two hundred rams, four hundred lambs;
INT: hundred lambs four hundred male

Daniel 3:25
HEB: חָזֵ֜ה גֻּבְרִ֣ין אַרְבְּעָ֗ה שְׁרַ֙יִן֙ מַהְלְכִ֣ין
NAS: Look! I see four men loosed
KJV: I see four men loose,
INT: see men four loosed walking

Daniel 7:2
HEB: לֵֽילְיָ֑א וַאֲר֗וּ אַרְבַּע֙ רוּחֵ֣י שְׁמַיָּ֔א
NAS: and behold, the four winds
KJV: and, behold, the four winds
INT: night and behold the four winds of heaven

Daniel 7:3
HEB: וְאַרְבַּ֤ע חֵיוָן֙ רַבְרְבָ֔ן
NAS: And four great beasts
KJV: And four great beasts
INT: and four beasts great

Daniel 7:6
HEB: וְלַ֨הּ גַּפִּ֥ין אַרְבַּ֛ע דִּי־ ע֖וֹף
NAS: had on its back four wings
KJV: the back of it four wings
INT: A leopard wings four which of a bird

Daniel 7:6
HEB: (גַּבַּ֑הּ ק) וְאַרְבְּעָ֤ה רֵאשִׁין֙ לְחֵ֣יוְתָ֔א
NAS: the beast also had four heads,
KJV: the beast had also four heads;
INT: had upon back had four heads the beast

Daniel 7:17
HEB: דִּ֥י אִנִּ֖ין אַרְבַּ֑ע אַרְבְּעָ֥ה מַלְכִ֖ין
NAS: which are four [in number], are four
KJV: which are four, [are] four
INT: which which are four are four kings

Daniel 7:17
HEB: אִנִּ֖ין אַרְבַּ֑ע אַרְבְּעָ֥ה מַלְכִ֖ין יְקוּמ֥וּן
NAS: are four [in number], are four kings
KJV: are four, [are] four kings,
INT: which are four are four kings will arise

8 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 703
8 Occurrences

’ar·ba‘ — 4 Occ.
’ar·bə·‘āh — 2 Occ.
wə·’ar·ba‘ — 1 Occ.
wə·’ar·bə·‘āh — 1 Occ.