We have been asked to write something about the meaning of numbers in the Bible. Numbers sometimes have significance in the Scriptures. We don’t believe in a secret Bible Code, or anything mystical like that. But the ancient people of the Bible lands used both letters and numbers to convey meaning.
For example, the number 666 in the Book of Revelation must have some symbolic meaning. So do the numbers seven and twelve and forty. Why seven sacred feasts and seven last plagues, and seven thunders, and seven baskets full? Why twelve tribes and twelve apostles and twelve stones in the altar of the Lord? Why forty days of rain for Noah, forty years in the wilderness, forty years of David’s reign? Are numbers, themselves, part of the Bible message?
Yes, they are, but remember it can be taken too far. There is no magic in numbers. There is no hidden code that foretells the future in mysteries the rest of the world can never understand. The Middle Ages apostate church got carried away with numbers, especially the number seven. There are seven deadly sins, seven cardinal virtues, seven sacraments of the church, etc.
But despite some people’s misuse of numbers, there is still sometimes a meaning behind the number God chose to use. Just as the Passover lamb was symbolic of the sacrifice of Jesus; even so some numbers are symbolic of great truths. There is a reason the priest had to sprinkle blood seven times on the altar, or on the man being pronounced clean of leprosy. There is significance to the fact that Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days.
Maybe we should pay some attention to the numbers in the Bible. But how can we, if we don’t know the symbolic significance of those numbers? We’ve all heard people talk about Bible numbers, but I haven’t had the privilege of hearing a body minister ever go through these numbers in order and talk about their significance. This might not be essential knowledge, but anything that enhances our understanding of the Word of God is good and profitable.
ONE.
The number “one” signifies unity and primacy. It represents that which has no divisions. Deuteronomy 6:4 says that the Lord is one. There are many gods (small “g”) in the Bible, but really only one GOD, and one LORD. There is no other number like the number one. It is in all numbers, but no other number is in it. Jesus prayed in John 17:21 that we would all be “one.” Paul wrote in I Corinthians 6:17 that he that is joined to the Lord is one spirit. Although the church is composed of many members, there is just one body of Christ. That’s why I Corinthians 10:17 says that we, being many, are one bread in Christ.
TWO.
“Two” is the number of fellowship. “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” Amos 3:3. Two are better than one, for many reasons. Ecclesiastes 4:911. Jesus sent His disciples out two by two. There are two Testaments, two in the godhead, two in a godly marriage, and two parts to the day. It takes two weights to bring balance. There are only two states of being: life and death. There are two natures: Adamic and Christ. There are two categories of people: the elect and the non-elect. There are two positions with respect to salvation: the saved and the unsaved. And two types of animals: clean and unclean. It takes at least two witnesses to establish a fact.
There are two elements: bread and wine, in the common union of the Lord’s Supper. There were two angels over the ark of the covenant. And there were two tables of the Ten Commandments. Two represents intensification. See Genesis 41:32 (doubling of Pharaoh’s dream). It symbolized testimony – as in the two olive trees of Zechariah, and the two witnesses of Revelation.
But two can also be the number for division. God “divided the light from the darkness.” Two can be divided. A doubleminded man is unstable in all his ways. You can be double-tongued, or have a double-heart. But primarily the number represents fellowship and harmony.
THREE.
The number that represents reality is three. It symbolizes completion or perfection. It takes three points to define a plane. A threedimensional representation is tangible. In life there is the past, present and future. Creation is composed of animal, vegetable and mineral. Three, therefore, is completion.
The whole of a person consists of the spirit, soul and body. Jesus was in the tomb three days. Three times in the year all males were to appear before the Lord. Three thousand were added to the church on the day of Pentecost. Three times Peter saw the vision of the cleansing of the Gentiles. There are three parts of Babylon. Christ is the way, the truth and the life. He is king, priest and prophet. The Lord called Samuel three times, and showed Peter the vision of cleansing the unclean three times.
There is symbolic significance to the fact that
Jesus spent three days in the tomb. His atoning death was real. His time in the grave was complete. He needed not to spend any more time there. He could not have resurrected the first day, nor the second day; but He completed His term in death. Three is the number of resurrection. Not just Jesus, but life from spiritual death for the Jewish people. Hosea 6:1-2 says that in the third day He will raise us up.
FOUR.
Four represents creation. There are four corners of the earth, four seasons, and four directions. There are four Gospels, and the new Jerusalem will be created of God foursquare. Some of the fours mentioned in the Bible are the four winds, the four corners of the earth, the four living creatures around the throne of God, the four beasts in Daniel’s vision and the river in Eden dividing into four parts. Of course, the Lord gave us four Gospels in our Bible. Four denotes worldwide expansion – as to the four winds and the four corners of the earth. In John 19:23-24, the Roman soldiers would not rend Christ’s seamless coat, which represents unity, but His other garments they divided into four parts among four soldiers – typifying the spread of the Gospel to the whole Roman world.
Again, I don’t believe in a Bible code. Four does not represent anything when you read Ezekiel “44:4” or Genesis “4:4.” Chapter and verse numbers were not originally in our Bible but were added 1000 years after the last Scripture was written.
FIVE.
Number five is the number of the ministry. There are five offices. They are the five fingers represented as the hand of God. David took five smooth stones to confront Goliath. Joseph gave Benjamin five times as much as any of his brothers in Genesis 43:34. This was a sign of great favor. The fivefold ministry is the gift of God. Many gracious gifts are denominated in fives. Thus, the number five has come to represent divine grace.
Five appears many times in the dimensions of the tabernacle. Two sets of five curtains, five boards for the sides, and five bars to hold them and five pillars overlaid with gold. This is all in Exodus 26. The tabernacle represented God’s grace to mankind. Five of the ten virgins were wise. Jesus gave one servant five talents. The lad’s five barley loaves produced 12 baskets of bread leftover.
SIX.
Of course, six is the number for man. He was made on the sixth day in Genesis 1. It is a human number. Man works for six days. Six is indicative of something incomplete. It signifies something that comes short of perfection; almost, but not quite there.
Revelation 13:18 states clearly that 6-6-6 is the number of a man. A Hebrew servant only served six years of labor. Originally, even the earth only was to be tilled and harvested in six years. The high priest had two stones on his shoulders, each containing the names of six tribes of Israel. There were six cities of refuge. Man has been given six 1000-year days to govern the earth. He has failed to bring peace, prosperity, or true life. After six days, God will take creation from man, and give it to His son. See Daniel 7:14.
SEVEN.
Seven is perhaps the most significant number in the Bible. There are so very many sevens and multiples of seven. Seven, seventh and seven-fold appear over 390 times in the Bible. Anytime something is done seven times, it signifies completeness, and it signifies God’s pleasure and satisfaction. The complete musical scale is composed of seven notes. Seven is God’s number. It represents the divine completion, divine perfection and God’s rest from His work. All of creation was completed in a seven-day week, and God rested on the seventh day. He established the Sabbath as a holy day. There is not only a weekly Sabbath, but a seventh year Sabbath for the land. Seven thus represents release from toil and rest.
So much could be said about the sevens of the Bible. The sacrifices of the Law required blood to be sprinkled seven times. There were seven branches on the menorah. There were seven churches in Asia (represented by seven candlesticks). Isaiah 30:26 is a prophecy of a sevenfold light. Revelation 3:1 mentions the seven spirits of God. See also Isaiah 11:2. Gentile times will end in a last prophetic hour of seven years. That seven year period will include seven seals, seven trumpets and seven last plagues. The end of the millennium is the end of the seventh 1000-year day. The cycle will then be complete. The story will have been told. Man was created, fell, redeemed and restored.
The number 3½ (seven broken in two) represents a period of evil cut short, or shortened for the elect’s sake. It is variously recorded as 42 months, 1260 days, three days and a half, and time, times and half a time.
EIGHT.
Eight is the number of new beginnings. It represents a new era and life after the seven has been completed. After the 7th 1000 year day, a new era begins – eternity; world without end. In type, it is represented in the eighth day of the Feast of Tabernacles. The Day of Pentecost was the eighth day after seven weeks. Eight is the day of circumcision, and the number of the last head of the beast.
NINE.
Nine does not represent the end of a thing; but rather the ending of it. It points to the conclusion of men’s works. Nine represents judgment. Jerusalem was destroyed in the ninth month in Jeremiah 52:4-6. When Jesus hung on the cross, there was abnormal darkness from the sixth to the ninth hour. At the ninth hour, He cried out, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken me?” Also, the ninth hour of the day was the hour of prayer. Acts 3:1; 10:30.
Nine also seems to be connected with fruitfulness. There are nine gifts of the Spirit in I Corinthians 12:810: the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, tongues, and interpretation of tongues. There are also nine aspects of the fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance.
TEN.
In God’s Word, ten represents the completeness of order – nothing lacking; the cycle is now complete. It represents the perfection of divine order. The 1000 year reign of Christ is a multiple of ten. Ten is the number of divine perfection. There are 10 commandments (Exodus 20); 1/10 of your income is a tithe; there were 10 plagues on Egypt (Exodus 9:14ff); 10 x 10 silver sockets formed the foundation of the Tabernacle (Exodus 38:27).
There are 10 “I AM”’s spoken by Jesus in John:
1. I am the Bread of Life (6:35);
2. I am the Bread of Life which came down from heaven (6:41);
3. I am the Living Bread (6:51);
4. I am the Light of the world (8:12);
5. I am One that bears witness of Myself (8:18);
6. I am the Door of the sheep (10:7,9);
7. I am the Good Shepherd (10:14);
8. I am the Resurrection and the Life (11:25);
9. I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life (14:6);
10. I am the True Vine (15:1,5).
There were ten generations from Adam to Noah – thus ten generations in the antediluvian world. Then, there were ten generations from Noah to Abraham, and the founding of the Hebrew nation. Moses sent ten spies to search out the land. While it may not be significant, there were ten times in the Old Testament where the younger son was preferred over the elder: Abel, Shem, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, Joseph, Ephraim, Moses, and David. In the New Testament, ten lepers were cleansed, there were ten talents in the parable, one pound gained ten pounds, and there are ten horns on the beast.
The Talmud says that ten symbolizes perfection and completeness. Every number until ten is viewed as incomplete. It takes ten Jewish males to make up a minyan, so there can be prayers or a synagogue service held. The number ten symbolizes a community. The number ten is used to represent a spiritual full set.
ELEVEN.
Eleven signifies something more than what was required. It points to something extra. If ten means divine completion, then eleven would be more than what is needed. Eleven also deals with the things of imperfection, disorganization of systems, and the disorder or chaos of things. Eleven apostles after the defection of Judas Iscariot was not enough; they had to appoint Matthias to make the 12th.
The eleventh hour means right before the end of a thing. See Matthew 20:6, the parable of the men hired in the 11th hour. Deuteronomy 1:2 says it was an 11-day journey from Mount Seir to Kadesh. It took Israel 40 years to complete what could have been done in 11 days.
TWELVE.
Twelve is the symbolic number representing rule or governmental perfection. It is one of the perfect numbers: 3 is divine perfection; 7 is spiritual perfection; 10 is ordinal
ONE Represents unity and primacy That which has no division
TWO The number of fellowship
THREE Represents reality Symbolizes completion or perfection
FOUR Represents creation
FIVE The number of the ministry.
SIX The number for man
SEVEN Represents the divine completion, divine perfection and God’s rest from His work.
EIGHT New beginnings
NINE Points to the conclusion of man’s work Represents judgement perfection (completion of a series); and 12 is governmental perfection. The government of the millennial kingdom will rest on a bride of Christ composed of 144,000 members. That number is 12 x 12 x 1000. Twelve times 12 would signify a truly great government (like the 24 elders seen in Revelation 4:4) but the government of the bride will be 1000 times better.
There were 12 tribes of Israel; 12 Apostles, 12 foundations in the heavenly Jerusalem; 12 gates; 12 pearls; 12 angels. The measurements of New Jerusalem are 12,000 furlongs or stadia, while the wall will be 144 (12 x 12) cubits (Revelation 21:1021). It seems that in the Book of Revelation, the number 12 becomes very important when symbolizing the salvation of God’s
TEN Completeness of order - nothing lacking Represents the perfection of divine order
ELEVEN Signifies something more than what was required
TWELVE Represents rule or government perfection
TWENTY Represents redemption
TWENTY-FOUR Represents priesthood
THIRTY Represents maturity
FORTY Represents dispensation A time of trial or judgement
SEVENTY Perfect in spirit and order Number of judgement for God’s people people. There are 24 elders around the throne of God and 144,000 Jews saved in Revelation 7. We’ve already mentioned the number of the bride of Christ and the perfection of the new Jerusalem.
TWENTY.
The number twenty represents redemption, but also a time of waiting. The Israelite men were chosen to go to war at the age of twenty. At the age of twenty, the children of Israel were to make an offering for their souls. Exodus 30:14. Jacob waited twenty years for his wives and possessions. Genesis 31:38.
TWENTY-FOUR.
We’ve mentioned twentyfour as twelve doubled, but that number represents priesthood, and a higher form of government. There are twenty-four elders around God’s throne. There were twenty-four courses of the priesthood in the tabernacle.
THIRTY.
In the Bible, the number thirty represents maturity. Joseph was thirty when he stood before Pharaoh. David was thirty when he began to reign in Hebron. John the Baptist began preaching repentance at the age of thirty. Jesus began His ministry at the age of thirty.
FORTY.
Forty is the number for a dispensation. It also means a time of trial or judgment. There were 40 days of rain in Noah’s flood, Israel wandered 40 years in the wilderness, there were 40 days of Jesus temptation, a baby spends 40 weeks in the womb, and Jesus spent 40 days with the church after His resurrection. The number 40 is often understood as the “number of probation or trial.” Some other examples include: Moses on the mount for 40 days (Exodus 24:18); and the story of Jonah and Nineveh lasted 40 days (Jonah 3:4).
SEVENTY.
Seven and ten combine to make seventy. So 7 x 10 means perfect in spirit and order. The Sanhedrin was composed of 70 members. Jesus sent out seventy preachers. Seventy is also a number for judgment of God’s people. It is significant that Jerusalem fell and the temple was destroyed in 70 A.D. Seventy weeks of Daniel is also a judgment period.
There are other numbers in the Bible that have significance, but usually, their meaning can be derived from the multiples used to arrive at them (12 x 12 x 1000, 7 x 10, etc.)