Greek word · G1835

ἑξήκοντα

hexēkonta

sixty

'Sixty men … in one day': a specific number and a compressed time frame.

Appears 9 times in 9 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

ἑξήκοντα, οἱ, αἱ, τά

indecl.,

sixty: Matthew 13:8, 23, Mark 4:8, 20, Luke 24:13, 1 Timothy 5:9, Revelation 11:3 Revelation 12:6 Revelation 13:18.†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of 1 Maccabees 7:16

Range of meaning

'Sixty men … in one day': a specific number and a compressed time frame.

Against the English

KJV 'threescore' is the same number in older English. All versions agree.

Used elsewhere in the period

Josephus' retelling (Antiquities 12.393–396) keeps the sixty and the broken oath.

Where it appears

Matthew · 2

  1. Matthew 13:8 ἑξήκοντα, sixty,

    Still other seed fell on good soil and produced a crop—a hundredfold, sixtyfold, or thirtyfold.

    Here: "Sixty", meaning sixty for one. It is less than the first but still a full harvest.

  2. Matthew 13:23 ἑξήκοντα, sixty,

    But the seed sown on good soil is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and produces a crop—a hundredfold, sixtyfold, or thirtyfold.”

    Here: Sixtyfold, still an excellent harvest.

Mark · 2

  1. Mark 4:8 ἑξήκοντα sixty

    Still other seed fell on good soil, where it sprouted, grew up, and produced a crop—one bearing thirtyfold, another sixtyfold, and another a hundredfold.”

    Here: Sixty: the yield doubles.

  2. Mark 4:20 ἑξήκοντα sixty

    Still others are like the seeds sown on good soil. They hear the word, receive it, and produce a crop—thirtyfold, sixtyfold, or a hundredfold.”

    Here: Sixtyfold. The numbers rise step by step, each doubling or nearly doubling the last.

Luke · 1

  1. Luke 24:13 ἑξήκοντα sixty

    That same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem.

1 Timothy · 1

  1. 1 Timothy 5:9 ἑξήκοντα sixty

    A widow should be enrolled if she is at least sixty years old, faithful to her husband,

Revelation · 3

  1. Revelation 11:3 ἑξήκοντα sixty

    And I will empower my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.”

    Here: Completes 1,260. That is 42 months of 30 days, or three and a half schematic 360-day years. It is the same span as the 42 months of 11:2 and Daniel's 'a time, times, and half a time.'

  2. Revelation 12:6 ἑξήκοντα.¶ sixty.

    And the woman fled into the wilderness, where God had prepared a place for her to be nourished for 1,260 days.

    Here: Completes 1,260 days, which is 42 thirty-day months, or three and a half years. This is the stock period from Daniel, and Revelation repeats it as 'a time, times and half a time' in 12:14.

  3. Revelation 13:18 ἑξήκοντα sixty

    Here is a call for wisdom: Let the one who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and that number is 666.

    Here: Second part: ξ (xi = 60).

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.