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Feb 9, 2024 · The Word of God does contain a divinely inspired system of numbers. However, while God did inspire the use of specific numbers for symbolic reasons, we have to be careful not to place too much emphasis on numbers for us today.
- Jack Ashcraft
An essential key to understanding God's Word and its design is through the meaning of Biblical numbers. Their connections and patterns, when we search them out and understand them, reveal the handiwork of God. Although the arrangement of some numbers is obvious, others are not and require in-depth Bible study in order to discover them.
Biblical numerology is the use of numerology in the Bible to convey a meaning outside of the numerical value of the actual number being used. [1] Numerological values in the Bible often relate to a wider usage in the Ancient Near East.
After seven, the most significant number for the Bible is undoubtedly twelve. The Sumerians used twelve as one base for their number system. Both the calendar and and the signs of the Zodiac reflect this twelve base number system. The tribes of Israel and Jesus' disciples numbered twelve.
The Bible contains many numbers, and each one holds symbolism and significance. In fact, some numbers have similar meanings. For example, there are several numbers that symbolize completion and perfection.
The Bible never attributes any special power to numbers, even though it recognizes that God "disposed all things by measure and number and weight" (Wis 11.20). Things are not related simply because they have the same number. Number has no special meaning apart from the thing signified.
The number system is strictly decimal and unlike the cuneiform yields straightforward 1:1 symbols from 1 to 9, 10 to 90, 100 to 900 and 1,000 to 9,000 (fig. 1). The operations of addition and subtraction were simple enough but multiplication was performed by the process of doubling: thus 14 x 14 could be handled by halving a 14 and used as 7 x ...
