Meaning of Numbers in the Bible

The Holy Bible is revered by Christians around the world. It is accepted as the 'word of God'. Numbers are an important part in religious or spiritual writing. They are either interpreted in literal application or spiritual symbolism. The references made in the Bible, using numbers, include:

• 1 - the 'one omnipresent' God, all pervasive and supernatural
• 2 - the two testimonials or testaments of the Bible, The Old Testament and The New Testament
• 3 - the Holy Trinity – Father, Son and the Holy Spirit, the triune God Head or the 3 days before Christ's resurrection from the dead
• 4 - the very symbolic 4th verse 'And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.'
• 5 - the 5th day of creation, when God filled the earth with life forms and added glory to the creation of land and water or the 5 decades the Holy Rosary to the Virgin Mary, in the case of Catholicism

These are just some of the meanings that certain numbers relate to in the Bible. Likewise, different people derive different explanations from the use of these numbers and while some members of the congregation take the numbers literally, in their numerical application, some look for hidden clues and meanings. Whether the numbers are symbolic or not, they are there to facilitate a sense of quantity and time. The contents of the Bible are divided into two distinct parts. And, both have numbers integrated into verse. While the first part, The Old Testament, reveals about creation and the prophets before Jesus Christ, The New Testament emphasizes on Christ's life and times and the Revelations about the 'end times'. The Bible is full of symbolic reference and it is not very easy to accept the Word as 'one directed by God' and then find meaning to the numbers within.

Numbers have been used to indicate the days it took: God to create the earth, the time span during which the first two humans lived on the earth and procreated, the days of the flood, the periods of fasting, the 'end times', the 'beast' or the anti Christ, the days before Christ resurrected, and even the Stations of the Cross at the Easter ritual. It is absolute faith that Christians accept and believe in numbers and symbols that defy limited human understanding. The numbers used and referred to in the Bible play a very important role in helping the faithful to determine a span of time or a quantity or a specific reference to a character. Chronological time standards are used not only by Christianity on the basis of the information in the Bible, but also by other religions. The numbers are usually indicative of and specific to traditions, feasts and celebrations and rituals. They are used to literally indicate the number of or symbolize spiritual signs.

Again through the implementation of numbers, it becomes easier to relate to the:

• 10 Commandments as a code of behavior
• 13 hours or Adoration - symbolizing the Crucifixion of Christ
• 14 Stations of the Cross
• 40 days of Lent
• 666 reference to the Anti-Christ

It is important to remember that the Bible has been written by various 'men', under directives from God, over different periods of time. The spiritual meaning of numbers in the Holy Bible are personally significant when they are accepted literally or with sufficiently proven interpretation.