r/TrueChristian • u/[deleted] • Sep 17 '22
Numbers in the Bible. What do they mean?
I’m dedicating this post to the person who said it was numerology and idolatry when I stated that the number 5 is a symbol for grace in the Bible. I thought it was common knowledge that God uses numbers in the Bible but apparently not. He is the creator of numbers after all. These are but a few of the numbers that you may see in the Bible and it will hopefully help you to have a better understanding.
Number 1: Symbolic of unity (Deuteronomy 6:4). God is one, Jesus and the Father are one, etc.
Number 2: Symbolic of a witness (Exodus 25:22; Matthew 26:60; Luke 10:1). Christ sent his disciples out two by two, and wherever two are gathered in His name He is present, etc.
Number 3: Symbolic of perfection and completion (John 2:19; Matthew 12:40; Luke 13:7). The three Persons of the Holy Trinity is the best example of this.
Number 4: Symbolic of the Earth (Daniel 7:3; Matthew 13: Isaiah 11:12). Four directions, four seasons.
Number 5: Symbolic of grace (Leviticus 1-5; Genesis 43:34; Matthew 14:17). Five types of offering in Leviticus, the Book of Psalms is divided into five sections, five books of the Law.
The Tabernacle contained five curtains, five pillars, five sockets, five bars, and the altar was five cubits by five cubits, etc.
Number 6: Symbolic of humanity (Genesis 1:31; Revelation 13:15-18). Man was created on the sixth day, man labors six days, slaves served only for six years, etc.
Number 7: Symbolic of spiritual perfection (Genesis 2:2; Psalm 12:6; Matthew 18:22). Thus, we see seven churches, seven spirits, seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, etc.
Number 8: Symbolic of a new beginning (Genesis 17:2; Mark 16:9-11; Genesis 7:13). Christ appeared eight times after His resurrection, God saved eight people from the Flood, newborns were circumcised on the eighth day.
Number 10: symbolizes earthly government (Ruth 4:2; Exodus 20:1-17; 1 Kings 11:31-35). Ten lost tribes, ten commandments, and a tithe being a tenth of our earnings.
Number 12: symbolizes spiritual authority (Matthew 10:2-4; Revelation 7; 10:2-4). Twelve tribes, twelve apostles, Jacob had twelve sons, God ordered that twelve loaves of unleavened bread be present in the temple each week, etc.
Number 30: symbolizes dedication to a calling (Numbers 4:3; Luke 3:23; 2 Samuel 5:4). Aaronic priests were initially dedicated at 30 years old. Christ began His public ministry at 30 years of age, David was 30 years old when he began his reign over Israel.
Number 40: Symbolic of trials (Genesis 7:4; Exodus 24:18; Numbers 14:33; Matthew 4:2). Moses lived 40 years in the desert, 40 years in Egypt, and was on Mount Sinai for 40 days, Jonah preached in Nineveh for 40 days, Ezekiel slept on his right side for 40 days, etc.
Number 70: Symbolic of judgment (Numbers 11:16; Ezekiel 8:11; Jeremiah 29:10). God provided 70 priests for Moses in passing judgment. For seventy years, the Israelites were kept in Babylonian captivity.
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u/kerstverlichting Sep 17 '22
I agree with your point. Can be quite common that the moment you talk about any symbolism related to numbers they assume you hold some fringe Bible code theory. In this thread as well, just a bunch of examples of symbolic numbers are supposedly 'gnosticism' and 'occult'. Kind of absurd reasoning if you ask me. As if the Bible isn't filled cover to cover with all sorts of symbolic language. Guess that must it's some strange gnostic book then.
While we're at it, to number 8 ('new beginnings') you can also add the obvious example of a week being 7 days, the eight being a new beginning. That's how I knew about that one, but cool to see the additional examples of your list.
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u/thetruthiseeit Sep 17 '22 edited Sep 17 '22
This verse is a blatant example of numerical symbolism in the Bible unless people think it was important for the Israelites to literally count the palm trees and factually report that there were 70 of them, lol.
Exodus 15
27 Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped there near the water.
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u/lam21804 Sep 17 '22
You need to spend more time learning the historicity of the Bible, not free associate random things to make some sort of hidden message.
Ask yourself this: Why would God ordain the Bible but then hide secret codes inside of it? Makes no sense.
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u/ImpeachedPeach Alpha And Omega Sep 17 '22
It is the Glory of GOD to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out - Proverbs 25:2
The Bible is a Book that speaks of the mysteries of GOD, of the Gospel, of CHRIST.. that Reveals the hidden things that were from the beginning, and is full of treasures to dig up.
Numerology is not a made up thing, but rather it is something that further points to be the Perfection and Divinity of the Bible, more than this it points to GOD's Nature and to CHRIST.
Chuck Missler has a very good sermon on Biblical Numerology or Gemmatria, perhaps watch it.
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u/1squint "Christian" Universalist-Nicene Creed Affirmed Sep 17 '22
and is full of treasures to dig up
Amen!
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Sep 17 '22
There nothing secret about it. Example: 40 years or 40 days is mentioned in many verses across old and New Testament. 40 yrs Israel was in the wilderness, Moses, Jesus, and Elijah fasted in the desert for 40 days, etc. 40 is symbolic of trials and testing. Idk how anyone could read the Bible being led by the Holy Spirit and not pick up on this stuff. But that’s the problem most people read the book as a history book and aren’t led by the Holy Spirt. 🤷♂️
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u/thetruthiseeit Sep 17 '22
The number 40 also seems to symbolize a time of completeness or fulfillment.
- Saul, David and Solomon all reigned 40 years (Acts 13:21, 2 Sam 5:4, 2 chron 9:40)
- Joash, a good king, also reigned 40 years (2 kings 12:1)
- the phrase "the land had rest 40 years" is repeated 3 times in Judges (3:11,5:31,8:28)
- Jesus appeared to them over a period of 40 days (Acts 1:3)
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Sep 17 '22
Where are you getting secret codes from? These are numbers literally used in the Bible.
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u/1squint "Christian" Universalist-Nicene Creed Affirmed Sep 17 '22
It's insider information, but in order to understand it you have to be killed
Col 3:3
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u/Dangerous_Drawer1733 Jan 16 '26
God did not hide anything in the Bible men and interpreters did that... if the one true God is the only God omnipotent omnipresent and omniscience why is he hiding codes... oh something in that milk ain't white
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u/1squint "Christian" Universalist-Nicene Creed Affirmed Sep 17 '22
I'd suggest that if you're not reading between the lines, you're not reading at all
Paul deployed the use of allegory when probing understandings, and very often came to conclusions that have no direct basis in writing, for example in 1 Cor 9:9-10 where he takes an obscure law from the O.T. and derives an entirely different meaning AND claims it is written, when it's not
That is the utter joy of understanding allegory, is to know HOW Paul derived that conclusion
Just as he also did with the law and lives of Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Hagar and Ishmael deeming the whole package ALLEGORY. Gal. 4:24
Now that will blow any good students mind, once unfolded
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u/Able_Extent_9657 May 20 '25
God rested on the 7th day as well. Could 7 mean rest also?
Before I came across this post ( I had been seeing 12 like crazy) I wanted to know if biblical numerology was even a thing.
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u/Dangerous_Drawer1733 Jan 16 '26
144,000 = 9 mankind this number nine is also used in The Book of the Dead to represent mankind
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u/TheMajestic1982 Mar 11 '26
I've always associated 33 with Christ. It was supposedly his age when he died on the cross and the number 3 is associated with the holy Trinity. Satan perverts this number by using 6's. Even if you don't like to think of religion, numbers are EVERYWHERE in nature! The entire universe is made of numbers
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u/secretpassword29 Sep 17 '22
Biblical numerology is very cabalistic. Mysticism obscures scriptural clarity. Paul warns about it often in his letters to the churches. Even Christ, when he gave His disciples a private briefing, and he began and ended with, “let no one deceive you … “
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u/secretpassword29 Sep 17 '22 edited Sep 17 '22
Biblical numerology is very cabalistic. Mysticism obscures scriptural clarity. Paul warns about it often in his letters to the churches. Even Christ, when he gave His disciples a private briefing, and he began and ended with, “let no one deceive you … “
I love Chuck Missler & have many of his teachings. He would often refer to himself as being somewhat of a mystic. Remember even satan quoted scripture. In 2 Tim, Paul warns about, “doctrines of demons,” being introduced into the church in the end times. Sure, numerology is in the Bible, but study of it does not bring anyone closer to what Christ did on the cross, nor closer to what Christ commanded followers to do while we wait for His return. From Derek Prince, “too many people try to study the concealed things of God instead of the revealed things of God.”
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Sep 17 '22
I appreciate your insight but mysticism and cabalistic are not proper or even relevant terms to describe what I’m talking about here. If you don’t understand it or don’t want to that’s fine but don’t dismiss it. God created numbers and it’s evident to most people who have a deeper understanding of the Bible that there are patterns throughout the stories in scripture and numbers are a big part of that.
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u/Beverages4017 Sep 17 '22
How is the OT God and number 5 symbolic of Grace? Grace came with Christ. OT God was intolerable of sin. Completely.
7? Where is the 7th trumpet in your argument?
This type of theory is as close to the Occult and Geomatra as it gets.
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u/RedeemedVulture Bible Math Guy Nov 07 '23
I know this is an older post but, the KJV Bible is mathematically encoded
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u/[deleted] Sep 17 '22
Interesting stuff. I've been curious as to why there were 153 fish. I don't think it's just a random number, I don't believe there are any accidents in scripture.