Lexical Summary shishshim: Sixty Original Word: שִׁשִּׁים Strong's Exhaustive Concordance sixty, three score Multiple of shesh; sixty -- sixty, three score. see HEBREW shesh NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom the same as shesh Definition sixty NASB Translation 1,365* (1), 1,760* (1), 160* (1), 2,067* (1), 42,360* (2), 44,760* (1), 468* (1), 60 (4), 60,000* (1), 60,500* (1), 61* (1), 61,000* (1), 62* (1), 62,700* (2), 64,300* (1), 64,400* (1), 65* (1), 666* (3), 667* (1), 67* (1), 68* (1), 760* (2), sixty (19), sixty-five* (3), sixty-nine* (1), sixty-six* (2), sixty-two* (4). Brown-Driver-Briggs שִׁשִּׁים59 noun indeclinable sixty; — before singular noun: city Deuteronomy 3:4 4t., cubit 1 Kings 6:2; Ezekiel 40:14, man 2 Kings 25:19 = Jeremiah 52:25, day Leviticus 12:5, etc.; plural noun בָּנוֺת2Chronicles 11:21, compare Songs 3:7; after plural noun Numbers 7:88 (3 t. in verse); 2Chronicles 3:3; 11:21 +; שִׁשִּׁים אֶלֶף2Chronicles 12:3 +; ׳שׁ following units Genesis 5:15 12t.; ׳שׁ precedes unit Isaiah 7:8 12t.; ׳שׁ following 100 -1000 Ezra 8:10 11t.; precedes Genesis 5:18 8t. Topical Lexicon Numeric Identity and Scope שִׁשִּׁים designates the cardinal number sixty. Across roughly fifty-nine Old Testament occurrences it appears alone, as the base of compound numbers (for example, “sixty-five”), and within ordinal expressions (“the sixtieth year”). Its distribution reaches from the patriarchal narratives to the prophetic writings, touching history, worship, law, wisdom, and eschatology. Occurrences in Genealogies and Lifespan Markers In Genesis and Chronicles the term supplies the decades that shape patriarchal lives and tribal records. Isaac was “sixty years old when the twins were born” (Genesis 25:26), reminding readers that God’s promises often ripen in what people might call late seasons. Similar use in the family lists of 1 Chronicles provides chronological scaffolding for redemptive history. Military and Census Records Sixty serves as a round figure for fighting men, livestock, and captured cities. Moses recounted that Israel “captured…sixty cities, all the region of Argob” (Deuteronomy 3:4). The spoils list in Numbers 31 uses the sexagesimal unit repeatedly when dividing plunder, underlining orderliness and fairness in wartime administration. These texts show the Lord’s concern for accuracy in both judgment and mercy. Architectural Measurements The sacred and the profane are both tagged with sixty-cubit dimensions, inviting theological reflection: The shared height starkly contrasts true worship with idolatry. God’s house, built for covenant fellowship, dwarfs the pagan monument in spiritual stature, though equal in physical measure. Royal and Marital Imagery Song of Solomon twice highlights the number: “Behold…sixty warriors, the noblest of Israel” (Song of Solomon 3:7) and “There are sixty queens” (Song of Solomon 6:8). In the first scene sixty elite guards encircle the royal carriage, portraying strength and vigilance around covenant love. In the second, the beloved surpasses an impressive harem, magnifying the exclusivity and supremacy of true affection. Legal, Sacrificial and Economic Uses Leviticus 27 sets monetary valuations for persons “from sixty years and over,” attesting that every stage of life may be consecrated. Ezekiel 45:12 fixes a standard mina at sixty shekels, anchoring commerce to righteousness. These passages tether earthly economics to divine equity. Prophetic and Apocalyptic Scenes Isaiah 60 (notably aligning chapter number with theme) pictures a multiplied harvest: “The least of you will become a thousand, the smallest a mighty nation” (Isaiah 60:22), echoing sexagesimal abundance. In Ezekiel’s temple vision several chambers and gateways measure sixty cubits, pledging a future sanctuary of vast perfection. Daniel’s sixty-cubit statue anticipates the final overthrow of human empires by the stone “cut without hands.” Pastoral Reflections and Ministry Implications 1. God Values Later Years. Isaac’s fruitful age and the Levitical valuations affirm ongoing usefulness beyond youth. Congregations should honor elderly believers, expecting spiritual offspring from their prayers and counsel. Representative References Genesis 25:26; Exodus 26:18 (sixty frames of the tabernacle’s court); Leviticus 27:7; Numbers 31:40; Deuteronomy 3:4; 1 Kings 4:22 (Solomon’s daily provision of “sixty cors of flour”); 1 Kings 6:2; 2 Kings 10:14; 1 Chronicles 2:23; 2 Chronicles 11:21; Ezra 8:13; Nehemiah 7:66; Esther 9:16; Job 42:12 (livestock counts incorporating sixty); Psalm 90:10 (implied in threescore); Song of Solomon 3:7; Song of Solomon 6:8; Isaiah 7:8; Jeremiah 52:25; Ezekiel 41:2; Daniel 3:1. Summary The recurring appearance of שִׁשִּׁים weaves an understated yet cohesive thread: marking seasoned faithfulness, guarding covenant love, defining sacred space, and contrasting God-centered splendor with human pretension. Its steady drumbeat of “sixty” urges believers to number their days rightly, steward their resources faithfully, and measure all glory against the eternal kingdom. Forms and Transliterations וְשִׁשִּֽׁים׃ וְשִׁשִּׁ֑ים וְשִׁשִּׁ֖ים וְשִׁשִּׁ֛ים וְשִׁשִּׁ֜ים וְשִׁשִּׁ֣ים וְשִׁשִּׁ֥ים וְשִׁשִּׁים֙ וּבְשִׁשִּׁ֥ים ובששים וששים וששים׃ שִׁשִּֽׁים־ שִׁשִּֽׁים׃ שִׁשִּׁ֑ים שִׁשִּׁ֔ים שִׁשִּׁ֣ים שִׁשִּׁ֤ים שִׁשִּׁ֥ים שִׁשִּׁ֨ים שִׁשִּׁים֙ ששים ששים־ ששים׃ shishShim šiš·šîm šiš·šîm- šiššîm šiššîm- ū·ḇə·šiš·šîm ūḇəšiššîm uveshishShim veshishShim wə·šiš·šîm wəšiššîmLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Genesis 5:15 HEB: חָמֵ֥שׁ שָׁנִ֖ים וְשִׁשִּׁ֣ים שָׁנָ֑ה וַיּ֖וֹלֶד NAS: lived sixty-five years, INT: and five years sixty years and became Genesis 5:18 Genesis 5:20 Genesis 5:21 Genesis 5:23 Genesis 5:27 Genesis 25:26 Genesis 46:26 Leviticus 12:5 Leviticus 27:3 Leviticus 27:7 Numbers 1:39 Numbers 2:26 Numbers 3:50 Numbers 7:88 Numbers 7:88 Numbers 7:88 Numbers 26:25 Numbers 26:27 Numbers 26:43 Numbers 31:34 Numbers 31:39 Deuteronomy 3:4 Joshua 13:30 2 Samuel 2:31 59 Occurrences |
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