Key Takeaways
TheBibleis full of numbers — how many rivers flowed out of the Garden of Eden ( 4 ) , the length , in cubits , of the walls of Solomon ’s synagogue ( 60 ) , how many psyche will be " sealed " in theSecond Coming(144,000 ) , etc .
But what are we to make of all of those number ? Do we take them at face note value or invest them with mystic meaning ?
The Greek philosopher Pythagoras , who dwell in the sixth C B.C.E. , was the first to teach thatnumbersthemselves had substance beyond counting and calculate . number were esoteric symbols with divine import . Both Judaic and late Christian readers of the Bible train inspiration from Pythagoras and attempted to derive mystical meanings from numbers using all manner of creative methods , writes John Davis , author of " Biblical Numerology : A Basic Study of the Use of Numbers in the Bible . "
For example , in both the Hebrew and Greek languages , letters and word also have numerical values . Since there were no Arabic numerals back then ( 1 , 2 , 3 , etc . ) , numbers were written out with letters . In Greek , alpha is 1 , beta is 2 and so on . What this signify is that you could take any Word of God from the original Greek New Testament and turn it into a number . Or take any act and turn over it into a Scripture .
In Hebrew , the practice of assigning emblematic meaning to the numeric value of words is predict gematria and was pop with kabbalists and Jewish mystics . In Greek , it ’s called isopsephy and was a favorite proficiency utilize by Christian gnostics explore for deeper import in the New Testament .
Today , these practices last as " biblical numerology , " the popular belief that God reveal secret meanings through the numbers write in the Bible . There are myriad websites and books devoted to decode elysian mystery story by deploying originative maths on Bible verses .
Serious scholar of the Bible are fast to usher out numerology as a playful lark , but not as a legitimate elbow room of interpreting scripture or grasping spectral truths . Davis , a believing Christian who wrote the said book on scriptural numerology , reason out that " the whole system must be rejected as a valid mannequin of exegesis [ critical reading of the Bible ] " and that " such rendition are purely unreal and arbitrary and have no place in Christian theology . "
That said , certain biblical numbers are hard to discount , particularly those that recur with frequency ( 7 , 12 , 40 ) and number invested with centuries of symbolisation ( 666 ! ) . So get ’s see what we can figure out about the symbolism and significance of the most famous scriptural numeral .
7: The Ancient ‘Perfection’
Even the naysayer Davis has to admit that of all the phone number mentioned in the Bible , 7 is intelligibly symbolic and likely the most sanctified . And it was n’t only the ancient Israelite authors of the Bible that felt that room . Davis write that cuneiform texts from the Sumerians and the Babylonians confirm that across the Ancient Near East the number 7 meant totality , completeness and perfection .
The phone number 7 appears more than 600 times in the Bible , but here are some of the most significant quotation :
As a star sign of the spiritual signification of 7 , many people cite the poignant exchange in Matthew 18:22 , when Peter involve Jesus how many times he should forgive his brother . Peter ask , " As many as seven times ? " And Jesus react , " Not seven sentence , but seventy - seven times " or " seventy times seven " in some transformation . Here , the musical theme is that Jesus uses these large multiple of 7 to show that pardon should be as " consummate " and " perfect " as the number itself and that there was no limit on how many times someone should be forgiven . reprize 7s is also one of theangel numbersthat raise being more apparitional .
Like 7 , the number 12 seems to be hue with special meaning by the authors of both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament . Jacob has 12 sons , for example , who go on to become the fathers of the12 tribes of Israel .
When Jesus chose his adherent from among his other Jewish follower , it seems more than coincidental that he foot 12 . Some read the number 12 as representingauthority and governmental ruler . So the 12 Word and the 12 Apostelic Father are symbols of authority both in ancient Israel and in the Christian church .
And again , the book of Revelation double over down on the symbolism of 12 , mentioning it 22 times in sexual congress to the New Jerusalem that will descend to Earth after the Second Coming of Christ . In Revelation 7 , the notorious 144,000 are " seal " for salvation with 12,000 chosen from each of the 12 kin group of Israel . New Jerusalem will have 12 logic gate each man by 12 angels , and the new city will be 12,000 furlongs squared .
40: Trials and Transformation
The turn 40 is another fall back figure in the Bible and seems to be closely associated withtimes of trial and testingthat lead to translation .
When God overlook Noah to build the ark , the rainfall glut the Earth for 40 days and 40 nights . When the Israelites are punish for lack religion , they are forced to wander in the wild for 40 year before get to the assure estate . Moses went on a 40 - day fast before he received the 10 commandments from God . And before Jesus was tempt by Satan , he fast for 40 days and 40 night .
Some scholars note that 40 twenty-four hour period in the Bible does n’t always mean 40 days literally , but may bea symbolic wayof tell " a long time . "
666: The Number of ‘The Beast’
In Revelation 13:18 , it reads : " Here is wisdom . rent him who has intellect calculate thenumber of the beast , for the identification number is that of a homo ; and his number is666 . "
Of all of the phone number in the Bible , this one is just begging for numerical speculation . And over the centuries , there have been sempiternal attempts to apply gematria and isopsephy ( Hebrew and Greek figure values ) to calculate the true name of the " beast , " also known as the " Antichrist . "
Thestandard explanationis that the writer of Revelation were throwing wraith onNero , a ruthless Roman emperor who liked to martyr Christians . If you add up the values of " Caesar Nero " in Greek , you ’ll get 666 . The same matter happens if you interpret Caesar Nero to Hebrew as " Neron Kesar , " where it also sum up to 666 .
Since there expanse heap of prospect for the antichrist , modern sermoniser have concocted numerical equations distinguish Adolf Hitler , Mussolini , even Pope Paul VI as the " beastly " 666 .
The issue 6 unremarkably has anegative connotationin the Bible . For instance , Christ ache on the crossbreed for six hours and men were require to work six days a week in Exodus . In the Greek ABC’s the number 6 is represented by a symbol cry the " mark . "
Why 153 Fish?
In the Bible , there are number that are repeated often . But there are also number that only show up once . One of those is 153 . In the New Testament , Jesus give back and impose his disciples after his end and resurrection . He tells his disciple Peter to cast his net into the water . When he drags it ashore , the bulging web bear 153 fish .
Why such a specific number ? The number 153 has puzzled and intrigued Christian thinkers for centuries . St. Jerome , who lived in the 5th century C.E. , tell that a zoologist told him that there were exactly153 specie of Pisces in the world , so the meaning of the 153 fish was that there was elbow room in the Church ( the " meshing " ) for all of the races of mankind .
St. Augustine , a fan of Pythagoras , took a more numerical approach . Augustine , writes Davis , believe that the number 17 represented " thanksgiving supervening upon the law , " or the power of God ’s grace to save even the worst evildoer . If you total up all of the turn between 1 and 17 ( 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7 + 8 + 9 + 10 + 11 + 12 + 13 + 14 + 15 + 16 + 17 ) it equals 153 .
318 and Circumcision
Davis dismisses numerology as fool around with numbers until they tally your theological worldview . The number 318 in the Holy Scripture of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible is a large example of the genial gymnastic exercise some religious thinkers have engage to back up their arguments .
New Testament scholar Bart Ehrmanpointsto theEpistle of Barnabas , an early Christian text that was n’t at long last include in the scriptural canon . Erhman calls Barnabas a " virulently anti - Jewish book " that attacks , among other thing , the Jewish practice ofcircumcision .
To make his breaker point that circumcision was replace by Jesus Christ , the author of Barnabas focuses on Genesis 14 and the story of Abraham ( then known as Abram ) rescuing his nephew Lot from captivity . ThenMelchizedekking of Salem bring out bread and wine . He was priest of God Most High , and he consecrate Abram . To defeat the enemy , the Bible tells us , Abraham lend an United States Army of 318 trained ( and circumcised ) servants . Why 318 ?
Barnabas explain that 318 in Greek is written using letters tau - smidge - Euskadi ta Askatasuna , which is Τ - Ι - Η. The T - forge letter of the alphabet tau , to Barnabas , is obviously a symbol of the cross . And I - H are the first two letters in the Greek spelling of Jesus , which is ΙΗΣΟΥΣ .
Barnabas use this originative logic to conclude that Abraham , the sire of circumcision , did n’t save Lot through a " barbaric " drill of the Jews , but through Jesus Christ . The numbers do n’t lie !
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