5: The Importance of Numbers in the Bible

The number five occurs numerous times throughout our everyday lives and we probably do not even register it. We have five fingers on each hand and five toes on each foot. We have five senses: smell, touch, taste, sight and hearing. There are five rings in the Olympic logo and five players in a basketball team. The number five was Coco Chanel’s lucky number, hence Chanel No.5. 
 
The number five is reportedly mentioned 318 times in the Bible and, according to some interpretations, the Bible states there are five big mysteries in the world: the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, the Creation and the Redemption. 
 
The first five books of the Old Testament are labelled the Pentateuch, and some people refer to the first five books of the New Testament as the New Testament Pentateuch.Although there are only four gospels, the fifth book, the Book of Acts, also discusses the teachings of Jesus. 
 
The Psalms can be divided into five sections, mimicking the five-fold division of the Pentateuch. The Book of Lamentations, written by Jeremiah, has five chapters. There are five books of the Bible that only have one chapter: Obadiah, Philemon, 2 John, 3 John and Jude.
 
The Apostle John wrote five books: the Gospel of John, the three Epistles of John and the Book of Revelation. Likewise, it is believed that Moses wrote the five books that make up the Pentateuch. 
 
According to tradition, Jesus Christ received five wounds during his Crucifixion. The Flagellation of Christ, the Crown of Thorns, causes these wounds, as well as the nails in his hands, the nails through his feet, and the lance that pierced his side to prove he was dead. 
 
Some believe the number five represents God’s Grace, which is what the fifth book of the Bible Deuteronomy focuses upon. As a result, there could be a significance behind the number’s usage throughout the Bible, however, since there are so many occurrences, it is likely many of these are coincidences. I have not searched for all 318 incidences of the number five but here are a few more examples over and above the ones I have already mentioned:
 

• John 4:18 (NIV):  “The fact is, you have had fivehusbands, and the man you now have is not your husband.”
• 2 Corinthians 11:24 (NIV): “Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one.”
• John 5:2 (NIV): “Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades.”
• 1 Samuel 17:40 (NIV): “Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.”
• 1 Samuel 21:3 (NIV): “Now then, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever you can find.”
• Matthew 14:17 (NIV): “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.

 
There are also multiples of five that occur frequently throughout scripture. 
 

• Leviticus 25:10 (NIV): “Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you; each of you is to return to your family property and to your own clan.”
• Numbers 8:23-25 (NIV): The Lord said to Moses, “This applies to the Levites: Men twenty-five years old or more shall come to take part in the work at the tent of meeting, but at the age of fifty, they must retire from their regular service and work no longer.”
• Deuteronomy 22:28-29 (NIV):  “If a man happens to meet a virgin who is not pledged to be married and rapes her and they are discovered, he shall pay her father fifty shekels of silver.”
• 1 Corinthians 15:6 (NIV): “After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.”
• Matthew 14:21 (NIV): “The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.” The feeding of the 5000 is also written about in Mark, Luke and John. 
• Acts 4:4 (NIV): “But many who heard the message “believed; so the number of men who believed grew to about five thousand.”

 
Are these examples significant or do you think they are coincidences? I would be interested to hear what you think. Also, can you think of any other examples worth mentioning?