Further thoughts on Number in Scripture

This is going out to just a few of you who have expressed interest in learning more. I cherish your desire to learn and will always respond to requests for "further light and knowledge" from my limited fund of understanding. Thank you for being in tune and for your trust and confidence.

As mentioned in the Sabbathought on number symbolism a few weeks ago, there is clearly something important in the subject, as confirmed by the Lord when He said "How is it that ye do not understand?" (Mark 8) the meaning in the number details in the feedings of the 4000 and the 5000.

Noticing those words from Him quite a few years ago I began some research on the subject and here are some of the things I found. A lot of it was inspired by an old book by E.W. Bullinger called "Number in Scripture." These insights are a bit jumbled and need to be organized better for a clear picture, but they may help. The basics:

The number ONE is the number of God, of unity and primacy, and gives an insight into His nature, His works and purposes: For instance, ZION is a people who are pure in heart, who got that way through a singleness of purpose and having an eye single to the glory of God. "And the Lord called his people ZION, because they were of one heart and one mind . . . ." In this united condition the people of Zion would all get the same revelation (see D&C 8:2--3), which kept them unified and perfectly in tune.

"Do not interpretations [of dreams] belong to God?" said Joseph of Egypt. And, "the dream of Pharaoh is one" (see Genesis 40:8; 41:25--6). Joseph's words, "the dream is one" don't make much sense without this basic understanding. Luke 10:42; Ephesians 4:5--6; Moses 6:68, and a host of other passages start to spring to life when we apply this basic understanding: ONE is the number of God. It comes first. . . ! The first book of the Bible is Genesis, meaning origins, first causes, and whence genetics, generations, and so forth.

Two is the first number that can be divided and introduces the idea of opposition, of captivity, and deliverance from captivity (a close look at 2 Nephi 2:11 yields insight here). It points to the second member of the Godhead---the Son. The second book, Exodus, illustrates these concepts. See John 7:43; 9:36; D&C 6:2; 1 Kings 18:21; Matthew 6:24, and so on.

There are four perfect numbers---three (Godly perfection), seven (spiritual perfection), ten (ordinal perfection) and twelve (governmental or organizational perfection).

Three is the number of the Godhead and Their works, as illustrated in so many ways. For instance, three crosses on Calvary, three languages on the cross, three witnesses, three days in the tomb, three gardens, and so on. Leviticus centers on the priestly duties for teaching the Atonement in ancient Israel. See Genesis 6:10--17; 15:9; 18:2--8; Exodus 23:14--17; 1 Corinthians 13:13, and many more.

Four is the number of the natural world, of the city block, the gentile number: the four basic elements: earth, air, fire, and water---the four seasons, the four compass points. Thistles, thorns, briers, and noxious weeds came forth spontaneously after the Fall. The four corners of the earth---every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. The Jewish day was divided into four watches of six hours each. The book of Numbers is the fourth book! See also Ezekiel 1:4--18; Acts 11:5--6; Ephesians 6:12; Revelation 5:6, 9; 6:1--8, and so on.

Five is the number of the natural world (four), plus one (God), giving us the number of grace and favor, of God's special influence in the natural world. The pool of Bethesda in John chapter 5 (!) had five porches. Bethesda means house of grace in Hebrew. The Ten Virgins were in two groups of five. David took from the stream five pebbles to slay Goliath, of which he needed only one, so who really slew the giant (symbolic of Satan, of evil, of the adversary)? Five is one of the numbers of the house of Israel, pointing to their favored status as seen in the green grass and the orderly ranks in the feeding of the 5000. Bullinger points out that the house of Israel left Egypt in the Exodus in ranks of five, a number considered evil by the Egyptians so that even today the numeral five on Egyptian timepieces is circled, in remembrance. See 1 Corinthians 14:19, and so on.

Since seven is spiritual perfection, six is one less (God-less), the number of imperfect fallen man. The number 666 in Revelation probably refers to "imperfection triplified." Divide two by three and you cannot escape the recurrence of 666666. The sixth commandment is "Thou shalt not kill." Cain's genealogy is given only as far as the sixth generation.

Seven in English comes from the Hebrew sheva, meaning completeness, perfection, wholeness. It carries the idea of "to make an oath or covenant" as in Beersheba, the well of the oath. Seven days make a full week. Seven notes in the music scale. Seven colors in the spectrum. The illustrations in scripture are numerous. I once counted (in Strong's Concordance) the number of references to seven, seventh, seventy, and so on. I found about 670. In the exhaustive concordance of the triple combination I noted around 107 more in modern scripture, for a total of some 777. . . ! See Genesis 41; Leviticus 14:7--9; D&C 77:7 (!), among many other passages.

Add one (God) to the perfect seven and you have eight, the number of abundance, fatness, rebirth, regeneration, renewal. We plan to cover this in a Sabbathought soon. The word "few" in scripture often means eight. . . . But as a quality more than a quantity. Stay tuned!

Nine is the inescapable number of judgment. Multiply any number by nine and add up the digits, there is no escaping nine. There is no escaping the Judgment. How many members on the US Supreme Court? How many fig leaves on the apron? See also Luke 15:7; 17:11--17; 23:44, and so on.

Ten shows law and order: the Ten Commandments. The multiples of ten in the dimensions of the Tabernacle of the Wilderness (the only exception: the altar was three cubits square!).

The final perfect number is twelve, so eleven is one (God) short of governmental perfection and represents disorder, disarray, as in the eleven dukes of Edom or Esau, as compared with the twelve sons or princes of Esau's brother, Israel. See Genesis 36; 37:9; Matthew 28:16; Acts 2:14.

Twelve's perfection in organization is easily seen in the Twelve Tribes and in the recurrence of twelve in priesthood government in the Church today.

Some miscellaneous examples: forty (4 x 10) is the number of probation or testing, as seen in forty days and forty nights of fasting, Israel's forty-year sojourn in the wilderness, and so on. The Salt Lake temple took exactly forty years to build from start to dedication.

Two hundred is the number of insufficiency, as in "two hundred pennyworth of bread" (Mark 6:37) was not enough to feed the 4000 in the view of the disciples.

There is more. Gematria refers to the number value of words and is a constant and consistent witness and teaching device that was known to the ancients. It all points in one direction, for one thing is needful. It all points to Him, the Messiah.

God bless. Hope this may be helpful and perhaps useful. Let me know if you get this OK.

More later.

Steve