The masculine form of ʿeser (H6235), used as the second element in compound numbers from eleven through nineteen (e.g., achad ʿāsār = eleven, shenêm ʿāsār = twelve). Critical for the numerical framework of the Hebrew text.
The compound numbers using ʿāsār carry specific biblical significance. Twelve (shenêm ʿāsār) is among the most theologically charged: the twelve tribes of Israel (complete covenant community), the twelve apostles (the new Israel), twelve months (complete year), twelve gates of the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:12). Thirteen in Hebrew tradition (bar mitzvah age — entering the covenant community). Fourteen is twice seven — double completeness (Matt. 1:17 structures the genealogy of Jesus in three sets of fourteen generations). The numerical language of Hebrew is not arbitrary; it is woven into the covenantal and liturgical fabric of Scripture. Every time a number appears in the text, the attentive reader asks: what is the theological freight this number carries?