703. arba
Lexical Summary
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')
NASB: four
Word Origin: [(Aramaic) corresponding to H702 (אַרבַּע אַרבָּעָה - four)]

1. 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
Numerical Symbolism and Thematic Emphasis

The number four stands in Scripture as a frequent emblem of completeness within the created order. The four corners of the earth (Isaiah 11:12), the four winds (Jeremiah 49:36), the four living creatures around the throne (Revelation 4:6-8), and the fourfold punishment of sword, famine, pestilence, and wild beasts (Ezekiel 14:21) all testify that “four” often gathers the totality of the world or of God’s providential dealings with it. In the eight occurrences of אַרְבַּע listed under Strong’s 703, that same universal scope is prominent, particularly in Daniel’s visions.

Cultic and Covenant Dedication (Ezra 6:17)

At the dedication of the Second Temple the returned exiles offered “four hundred lambs” (Ezra 6:17). The number’s appearance here subtly underscores the sufficiency and completeness of the offering. The restoration community is not presenting a token sacrifice but a whole, fitting complement, signaling their desire that worship in the new house of God match His covenantal fullness. In ministry application, the verse challenges modern assemblies to present whole-hearted and proportionate offerings whenever they dedicate persons, buildings, or endeavors to the Lord.

Deliverance in the Furnace (Daniel 3:25)

Nebuchadnezzar’s astonished cry, “I see four men, unbound and unharmed, walking around in the fire” (Daniel 3:25), frames four as a number of divine intervention. Three faithful Hebrews go in; a mysterious Fourth appears and preserves them. The additional figure transforms a tyrant’s instrument of execution into a theater of salvation. Pastors and teachers often draw on this passage to remind believers that Christ Himself walks with His people through trial; the “fourth” completes the group and secures their deliverance.

Four Winds and Four Beasts (Daniel 7:2-3, 6, 17)

Daniel’s night vision opens with “the four winds of heaven” (Daniel 7:2) agitating the sea of nations, out of which emerge “four great beasts” (7:3). Later the angelic interpreter states, “These four great beasts are four kingdoms that will arise from the earth” (7:17). The number marks:

1. Universality—The winds blow from every direction, symbolizing God’s sovereign stirring of world history.
2. Succession—The four beasts appear in sequence, depicting a complete course of Gentile dominion.
3. Multiplication of authority—The leopard’s “four wings” and “four heads” (7:6) stress an extended yet divided power, anticipating later prophetic detail concerning the breakup of Alexander’s empire (cf. Daniel 8:8, 22).

For conservative interpreters, the vision authenticates Scripture’s predictive precision and its coherent message: earthly kingdoms, though fearsome, are finite; the Son of Man’s everlasting dominion follows (Daniel 7:13-14). The fourfold imagery thus steadies the church to endure present hostility with the confidence of ultimate triumph.

Interplay with Progressive Revelation

The distribution of אַרְבַּע through priestly history (Ezra) and apocalyptic prophecy (Daniel) bridges Israel’s past worship and her future hope. The Temple dedication looks back to covenant foundations; Daniel’s visions look forward to the consummation. Both rest on the same divine reliability. Wherever the number appears, it intimates that God oversees the whole scene—past, present, and future.

Christological Foreshadowing

The “Fourth” in the furnace typifies the incarnate Son who enters mankind’s fiery judgment to liberate His own. Likewise, the four beasts yield, in Daniel’s sequence, to the One “like a Son of Man” (Daniel 7:13), echoing the Gospel declaration that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:18). Thus the thematic arc of four moves from creation’s completeness to redemptive completion in Christ.

Practical Ministry Application

• Dedications: Follow the pattern of completeness—offer God the full measure.
• Trials: Expect the faithful presence of the Fourth; encourage saints with this assurance.
• Preaching Prophecy: Use the four beasts to teach God’s sovereignty over history and the certainty of Christ’s return.
• Global Mission: The four winds remind the church that the Great Commission is worldwide; no corner is exempt from the call of the gospel.

Summary

אַרְבַּע in its eight highlighted occurrences quietly threads together themes of wholeness, divine intervention, and prophetic certainty. Whether numbering sacrificial animals, men in a furnace, winds of heaven, or beasts of empire, “four” consistently magnifies the God who governs the entirety of creation and history for His covenant purposes in Jesus Christ.

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
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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.

702
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