Questions tagged [numerology]
The study of the significance of biblical numbers.
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On the Biblical Significance of Five
In Genesis 43:34, we learn that Benjamin was served five times as much food as his brothers were.
Later, in Gen. 45:22, we read that Joseph, instead of giving Benjamin "a change" of clothes, ...
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Numerology of the ages of the patriarchs [closed]
The Bible sporadically lists the years lived by the patriarchs: e.g., 930 years for Adam, 912 for Seth, ... 120 years for Moses.
A complete table is available here biblical numerology:
#
Patriarch
...
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Is there a reason that stolen and slaughtered ox or sheep were to be repaid four or five times?
During the reading of Exodus 22:1, I have seen something a bit strange, and I'd like clarification on this topic:
Whoever steals an ox or a sheep and slaughters it or sells it must pay back five head ...
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What's the significance that Goliath defied Israel for forty days?
1 Samuel 17:
16For forty days the Philistine came forward every morning and evening and took his stand.
22David left his things with the keeper of supplies, ran to the battle lines and asked his ...
user35953
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Was Ruth barren like Sarai?
In Genesis 16:1-3 (NASB) we read that after 10 years Sarai have Hagar to Abram
Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had not borne him a child, but she had (B)an Egyptian slave woman whose name was Hagar. 2 So ...
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"forty days and forty nights"
In Exodus 24:18 (NASB)
Then Moses entered the midst of the cloud as he went up to the mountain; and Moses was on the mountain for forty days and forty nights.
According to those who support ...
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What's the significance of the number 70?
In Exodus 24:1 (NASB)
Then He said to Moses, “Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and you shall worship at a distance.
This triggered Genesis 46:...
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Why take five men to the Pharaoh?
In Genesis 47:2 (NASB)
And he took five men from among his brothers and presented them to Pharaoh.
Why would Joseph take five men?
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Reason for using 66 and then 70
In Genesis 46:26 (NASB)
All the people belonging to Jacob, who came to Egypt, his direct descendants, not including the wives of Jacob’s sons, were sixty-six persons in all,
The next verse, Genesis ...
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What's the significance of the "three" and "four" formula in Amos?
Amos 1:3
This is what the LORD says: "For three sins of Damascus, even for four, I will not relent. Because she threshed Gilead with sledges having iron teeth,
This pattern of "three" ...
user35953
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Is there a reason Psalm 136 has exactly 26 repetitions of "For His mercy endures forever"?
Psalm 136 comprises 26 verses, each ending with
For His mercy endures forever.
(NKJV)
Our pastor stated this morning that 26 was a special number in this regard, but didn't clarify this. Now 26 is ...
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Why are there 5 mentions of "I will" in Genesis?
In a covenant God makes promises and in exchange asks the other party (Abram) to fulfill certain commitments. Within the whole bible, God makes a total of 5 covenants God (Noah, Abraham, nation of ...
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What is it that the disciples misunderstood in Mark 8:14-21?
Mark 8:14-21 (NRSV): Now the disciples had forgotten to bring any bread; and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. 15 And he cautioned them, saying, “Watch out—beware of the yeast of the ...
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Is there any significance in the dimensions of the flying scroll? Zechariah 5:2
Zechariah 5:1-3 (NKJV)
Then I turned and raised my eyes, and saw there a flying scroll. And
he said to me, "What do you see?" So I answered, "I see a flying
scroll. Its length is twenty cubits ...
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Difference between the Mark of the Beast and the Seal of the Servants?
Closely Related:
- Is the Mark of the Beast Actually Voluntary?
Is there a difference between the "Mark of the Beast", and the "Seal of the Servants"? If so, what is the ...
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Which forms of Numerology might have been used in Revelation? [closed]
Closely Related:
- What is the meaning of "calculate" in Revelation 13:18?
1. Question:
In general, Which forms of numerology were in use that the writer of Revelation might have likely used ...
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What is the Spiritual meaning of the number "fifteen" seeing that it occurs at significant portions of Scripture?
1) The waters prevailed 15 cubits above all the mountains of the earth. (Gen 7:20)
2) The waters prevailed over the earth 150 days. For the ark to later come to rest on the mountains of Ararat, the ...
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The word "Let" as an element of a sequential build up in the details of the creation story
I tried to categorize the build up in detail as we move from the 1st to 7th day. I tried to use the word "Let" to create an orderly arrangement of the chapter.
I discovered that the word "Let" ...
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Who are the 12 apostles of the lamb?
And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names
of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. (Revelation 21:14 KJV)
To whom does the "twelve apostles of the Lamb" refer? Is this the ...
user20582
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What is the meaning of the yields in the parable of the Sower?
After telling the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13, Jesus begins by explaining the parable to his disciples. He concludes his explanation in verse 23 by saying
But as for the seed sown on good ...
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"Seven spirits of God" - literal or numerogical interpretation in early Christianity?
In Rev. 5:6 "... a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, having seven horns, and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth" and also 4:5 and 3:1 Bible speaks ...
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'Holy Spirit' vs 'Spirit of God' in context of Revelation 5:6
Revelation 5:6
"... a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, having seven horns, and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth"
This verse as well as ...
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Why did Jesus fast in the wilderness?
In Luke 4:1-13 and Matthew 4:1-11, the Gospels record that Jesus fasts in the wilderness for 40 days. My understanding is that fasting is linked with mourning. Why then did Jesus fast for 40 days in ...
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Who laps and who kneels? Judges 7:5
In Judges 7:5
So he took the troops down to the water. Then the Lord said to Gideon, “Set apart all those who lap up the water with their tongues like dogs from all those who get down on their ...
user8377
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17th day of the 2nd month in Noah's 600th year - meaning of the numbers
I have read Making Sense of the Numbers of Genesis by Carol A. Hill as a brief overview of the symbolism of different numbers that appear in Genesis. But, I cannot start to make sense of the following ...
user2672
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Why Were there 12 Baskets of Leftovers when feeding 5000?
Mathew 14:16-20 (NIV) says:
16 Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them
something to eat.” 17 “We have here only five loaves of bread and two
fish,” they answered. 18 “Bring ...
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Evidence from early manuscripts of Revelation 13:18?
I'm hoping to see facsimiles of the earliest manuscripts of Rev 13:18, where the number 600, 60 and 6 is mentioned.
There's a myriad of translations, but I'm interested in how the number was written ...
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Two stories intertwined in Mark, a 12 year old daughter and woman with a 12 year sickness, both healed; is the number 12 more than coincidental?
Of all extenuating information that could have been included, Mark decides to tell us that the woman with the issue of blood had the problem for 12 years. This woman touches Jesus while he's on the ...
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What is the original Number of the Beast?
Seems trivial question, because 666 had been widely accepted as the original. However if you investigate further different early versions of the Book of Revelation, they gave different Numbers of the ...
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"For it was without number" - Numeral system in the time of Genesis 41
Genesis 41:49 (King James Version)
And Joseph gathered corn as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left numbering; for it was without number.
Without being a perfect equivalent, this ...
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How many people were struck dead at Beth Shemesh?
In 1 Samuel 6:19 a number of people are struck dead by God after looking into the ark of the LORD.
1 Samuel 6:19 (NIV)
But God struck down some of the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh, putting seventy[a] ...
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Significance of Solomon's 666 talents of gold?
1 Kings 10:14 says, "the weight of gold which Solomon received every year was 666 talents of gold, besides what came from tradesmen, from the traffic of the merchants, and from all the kings of Arabia ...
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The number 40's "real meaning" [closed]
The number 40 appears in several biblical stories. Such as, 40 days and 40 nights of Noah's flood story, Jesus walked on the earth for 40 days, etc. I read on Wikipedia that 40 is use as an ...
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In Ecclesiastes 4:12 what is the meaning of the "three strands not quickly broken"?
My small group was looking at this verse in Ecclesiastes 4:12:
Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of
three strands is not quickly broken.
I was curious the meaning ...
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The splitting of the Mount of Olives
Daniel Block, in his commentary on Ezekiel, speaks of a style in that book of resumptive exposition, in which a theme is initially dealt with briefly, and later examined in much more detail. Zechariah ...
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What are the two bronze mountains in Zechariah 6?
I've already asked a broad question about the number two in the book of Zechariah. I've received some helpful input on that and made progress in my own thinking regarding it. However, some of the ...
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Apparent inconsistencies in the vision of the four chariots
In Zechariah's vision of four chariots in chapter 6 of his book, an angel tells him that the chariots are going to go to the "four winds of heaven," (verse 5)—in every direction. However, in verse 6, ...
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The number two in the book of Zechariah
Reading Zechariah, I have been struck by the frequency of the occurrences, explicit and implicit, of the number two. The most prominent are:
Two angels in chapters 1 and 2
Two dimensions:
"To ...
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Twenty plus twenty-five plus fifteen in Ezekiel 45:12
Ezekiel 44-46 is covenant renewal or reiteration of the law. 45:10-12 is a reiteration of the law of just measures. Verse 12 says:
The shekel shall be twenty gerahs; twenty shekels plus twenty-five ...
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What is the significance of '14 generations' in Matthew’s account of Jesus's genealogy?
After giving Jesus's genealogy in the first chapter, Matthew goes on to point out the number of generations between significant events:
Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to ...
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Do any Hermeneutical approaches have a specific meaning for the number 11?
I have read that in biblical numerology the number 11 indicates a system or period given to chaos or disorganization, and a survey of the text seems to bear this out. See, for example: Meaning of ...
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What is the meaning of "calculate" in Revelation 13:18?
This is perhaps the most famous prophesy in popular culture:
This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his ...
