Hebrew word · H7255

רֹ֫בַע

roa'

fourth

'A fourth, a quarter.' It occurs elsewhere only in 2 Kgs 6:25 (a quarter-measure). A related form means a 'side' or 'quarter' of an object. Because it is so rare, several other meanings have been proposed (see debates).

Appears 2 times in 2 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

fourth part

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Numbers 23:10

Range of meaning

'A fourth, a quarter.' It occurs elsewhere only in 2 Kgs 6:25 (a quarter-measure). A related form means a 'side' or 'quarter' of an object. Because it is so rare, several other meanings have been proposed (see debates).

Against the English

KJV, WEB, ESV and NASB: 'the fourth part.' BSB and NIV: 'even a fourth,' bringing out the 'not even a part' logic. NLT: 'even a fourth of Israel's people.' NRSV: 'the dust-cloud,' following a proposed link with an Akkadian word.

Used elsewhere in the period

Numbers 2 arranges the camp in four divisions of three tribes, so 'a fourth' can mean one of the four camps. Balaam is shown only 'the edge of the people' (22:41), and Balak says 'you will see only the outskirts of them, not all of them' (23:13). The Septuagint has 'the clans/populations (dēmous) of Israel.' Rashi linked the root to mating, giving 'their offspring,' but that is a medieval interpretation.

Where it appears

Numbers · 1

  1. Numbers 23:10 רֹ֣בַע [the] fourth part of

    Who can count the dust of Jacob or number even a fourth of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous; let my end be like theirs!”

    Here: Most likely 'a quarter' of Israel. Balaam has been shown only part of the camp (22:41; 23:13), and even that part is beyond counting. The camp was also laid out in four divisions of three tribes each (Num 2). The meaning is debated (see debates).

2 Kings · 1

  1. 2 Kings 6:25 וְרֹ֛בַע and [the] fourth part of

    So there was a great famine in Samaria. Indeed, they besieged the city so long that a donkey’s head sold for eighty shekels of silver, and a quarter cab of dove’s dung sold for five shekels of silver.

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