The number eleven is the first repdigit or monodigit, meaning it is the first number to be composed of a recurring digit (1 and 1). It is also the smallest number to be comprised of three syllables in the English language (e-lev-en).
Did you know, if a number is divisible by 11, e.g. 264 = 11 x 24, reversing its digits will result in another multiple of 11, e.g. 462 = 11 x 42? Also, do you know the name of an eleven-sided shape? I didn’t; it can either be called a hendecagon or an undecagon. What else do we know about the number eleven? Well, obviously there are eleven players on a football team. Eleven is the atomic number of sodium. Apollo 11 was the first manned spacecraft to land on the moon. The eleventh moon of Jupiter is called Himalia. Aquarius is the eleventh sign of the zodiac. The maple leaf on the flag of Canada has eleven points. World War One ended on 11thNovember 1918 at 11 o clock, which is why we hold Remembrance Day on the eleventh day of the eleventh month with a two-minute silence at the eleventh hour. In the Bible, the number eleven is apparently only used 24 times, and the term “eleventh”, 19 times. The number has come to mean the opposite of the number ten, i.e. breaking the law, disorder and judgement. This is in part due to events recorded in Genesis 11 when men disobeyed God by building the Tower of Babel. As we know, God hindered their progress by causing them to speak in different languages, thus confusing them and resulting in chaos. Another instance of disorder and law breaking occurs when Judas Iscariot is disgraced, eventually killing himself, leaving only eleven of Jesus’s apostles remaining. Eventually, Matthias was added to bring the total back up to twelve. Let’s look at a handful of the occasions when the number eleven is mentioned in scripture:
In the Gospel of John, there are eleven important promises:
Often, passages from the Old Testament are referred to in Books of the New Testament; however, there are exactly eleven New Testament books that do not have any direct quotes. These are:
Some Old Testament quotes are repeated again and again in the New Testament and there are two that are cited eleven times:
There are eleven chiefs descended from Esau, the father of the Edomites (Genesis 36:40-43):
Now, a final note about the number eleven: some religious fanatics who are obsessed with the rapture and Armageddon believe the number eleven is a sign of the fulfilment of Biblical prophecy, (i.e. the eleventh hour). As you may remember, there was a scare in 2012 when it was pointed out that the Mayan calendar ended after 5126 years, which happened to fall on 21stDecember 2012. Now, we know this did not result in the end of the world but at the time, many prophesied the end was nigh, using the date as evidence: 21/12/2012 = 2+1+1+2+2+0+1+2 = 11. Those who believe the number eleven signifies the end times claim there is evidence for this in the Bible. There are four books containing a chapter 11, verse 11 that refer to the end of the world:
Complete hogwash or is there some truth is these conspiracies? I’ll let you decide. I’ll leave you with a more positive instance of the number eleven: Jesus Christ is eleven letters long.
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The number ten is the first double-digit number and one of the most important in everyday life. It is the base of the decimal numeral system that we use in modern society as well as the number of fingers we have – which are both great ways of helping us with our sums! The metric system is based on multiples of ten, for example, 1 cm = 10 mm.
What else do we know about the number ten? Ten is the sum of the first three prime numbers (2+3+5) as well as the first four positive integers (1+2+3+4). In Roman numerals, the letter X represents the number ten. Ten is the atomic number of neon. A period of ten years is called a decade, decabeing a Greek prefix meaning ten. A shape with ten sides is called a decagon. A decapod is a crustacean with ten legs. A decathlon is an event in athletics combined of ten field and track events. So, what importance does the number ten have in the Bible? It is believed the number ten appears 242 times and, for some, is designated a perfect number representing law, responsibility and order. One of the most important instances of the number is the Ten Commandments mentioned in Exodus and Deuteronomy, which is why it is considered to denote the law. There is, of course, another significant list of ten in the Bible. In Exodus 7-12, God sent ten plagues on Egypt to persuade Pharaoh to let his people go:
Instances of the number ten being mentioned include:
I have discovered a number of other facts about the Bible in relation to the number ten that I thought you may find interesting, for instance, in Genesis 1, the words “God said” are written ten times. Before the great flood recorded in Genesis 6-9, there were ten generations of man, beginning with Adam and ending with Noah. The ten patriarchs were Adam, Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech and Noah. Remarkably, the average age of these men was 857 years! There are many deaths recorded in the Bible but only ten of these deaths were caused by women. The female “murderesses” are as follows:
Those of you who have read the Bible carefully may have noticed that some passages refer to other books that are not part of the Bible. There are several non-canonical books that have been combined into the Biblical Apocrypha or Deuterocanonical books; however, I have found at least ten that have been completely lost. They are as follows:
What do we know about the number nine? A nine-sided shape is a nonagon; in Chinese; it is a good number because it sounds like their word for “long-lasting”; in Norse mythology, the universe is divided into nine worlds; and in Greek mythology there are nine muses: Calliope (epic poetry), Clio (history), Erato (erotic poetry), Euterpe (lyric poetry), Melpomene (tragedy), Polyhymnia (song), Terpsichore (dance), Thalia (comedy) and Urania (astronomy).
Many idioms incorporate the number nine, for example:
Why nine has been used in these instances I am not sure but many authors have also adopted the number nine. In Dante’s Divine Comedythere are nine circles of Hell. In J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earththere are nine rings of power and, consequently, nine Ringwraiths. In the Lorien Legacieswritten under the pseudonym Pittacus Lore, nine children are sent to Earth from another planet. Also, in A Game of Thrones,there are nine regions of Westeros. In Hinduism, the number nine is said to be complete, perfect and divine, and in Buddhism, there are nine virtues. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, during which Muslims partake in fasting and prayer. In Judaism, the first nine days of the month Av are a period of mourning, leading up to the ninth day, the anniversary of the destruction of both temples in Jerusalem. But what about in Christianity; is there any significance of the number nine? According to the Christian angelic hierarchy, something that is not found in the Bible, there are nine choirs of angels: Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones, Dominions, Virtues, Powers, Principalities, Archangels and Angels. This was put forward by Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite and later explored further by Thomas Aquinas who used passages from the New Testament to help establish these spheres or choirs. The number nine itself is thought to appear in the Bible only 49 times but is believed to symbolise divine completeness and finality. Part of the reason for this is that Christ died at the 9thhour of the day (3pm), assuming that the official start of the day began at 6pm. Another reason for this definition is the nine fruits of God’s Holy Spirit, which are mentioned in Galatians 5:22-23:
Of the 49 usages of the number nine in the Bible, only a handful is worth mentioning, which may or may not correspond with the divine completeness symbolism.
My final example of the number nine is the number of groups or individuals that practices sorcery in the Old Testament. It is unlikely this has any connection to divine completeness since sorcery was considered to be pure evil, however, it is interesting nonetheless.
What do we know about the number eight? An eight-sided shape is an octagon; eight is the atomic number of Oxygen; there are now eight planets in our solar system (sorry Pluto); spiders have eight legs, as does an octopus; there are eight notes in a musical scale (octave); there are eight pawns of each colour in a game of chess; and for the nuclear physicists amongst us, eight is apparently a “magic number”.
In Asian cultures, the number eight is considered lucky because it sounds similar to their word for wealth. The number is taken very seriously in China where a number plate containing the number eight sold for $640,000 in Hong Kong. Also, did you know, the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing was held on 8thAugust (8.8.08) and started at 8 minutes and 8 seconds past 8pm? So, if the number eight is so imperative in the Eastern world, does it hold importance in the Bible? It is believed by some that the number eight represents a new beginning or a new order. In Judaism, the religious rite of brit milah(circumcision) is held eight days after the birth of a baby boy. Although Pentecost is now celebrated on the seventh Sunday after Easter, it is also the beginning of the eighth week after the spring harvest. Also, the Jewish Festival of the Tabernacles, known as Sukkot, ends on the eighth day, called the Last Great Day. It is thought that forty different people wrote the Bible and forty is a number composed of five (representing God’s grace) times eight (representing new beginnings), which to some is representative of the promisethat by God’s grace we will be given a chance for a new beginning. There are not so many instances of the number eight in the Bible compared to the previous numbers I have looked at. The most obvious example I have found is the number of Beatitudes, the eight blessings Jesus spoke of during the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew: ³“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ⁴Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. ⁵Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. ⁶Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. ⁷Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. ⁸Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. ⁹Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. ¹⁰Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ¹¹“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. ¹²Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:3-12 NIV) Here are a few more examples of the number eight I have found in the Bible:
After Jesus’ resurrection, it is recorded that he showed himself alive eight times before ascending to heaven. The first was his appearance to Mary Magdalene in the garden as recorded in Mark 16:9-11 (although the earliest Biblical manuscripts do not contain these verses). This was followed by showing himself to two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24) and then appearing to all the disciples bar one in John 20:19-24. The Apostle Thomas was not at this last meeting; therefore, a week later, Jesus appeared to them once again, casting away Thomas’ doubts about his resurrection (John 20:26-29). The fifth appearance was to over five hundred people, as recorded by Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:4-7, which was followed by meeting his disciples in Galilee (Matthew 28:16-17) and at the Sea of Galilee where they caught 153 fish (John 21:1-24). The eighth and final meeting was on the Mount of Olives shortly before Jesus was taken up to heaven, as recorded in Acts 1. My final reference to the number eight is in relation to gematria, an alphanumeric code of assigning a numerical value to a name, word or phrase based on its letters. Although this practice is now mistrusted, advocates of the theory believe each letter of the Hebrew and Greek alphabet has a specific number attached to it. According to gematria, the value of the Greek word for Jesus, or more specifically “Christ the Redeemer” is 888. What do you think? Is there real significance in the use of the number eight in scripture or is this something we have added later in a desperate attempt to find meaning? The number seven is the fourth prime number (after two, three and five) but is also known as a lucky prime, a happy number and a safe prime. It is a number that has certain significances in mathematics – if only anyone but mathematicians could understand them! For us simple folk, we know that a heptagon is a shape with seven sides, and those interested in probability, the number seven has a 6 in 36 chance of being rolled (1/6) with two dice, which is the greatest of any of the possible numbers.
In Classical Antiquity, the number seven appears many times, for instance, the seven deadly sins, which in Christianity we call the cardinal sins. There are seven wonders of the ancient world and Seven Hills of Rome and Istanbul. According to legend, there were seven kings of Rome, beginning with Romulus who founded the city in 753 BC. There are seven days of the week, seven colours in the rainbow, seven seas, seven continents, and the list goes on. In the Bible, the number seven is reportedly used 735 times, 54 of which are in Revelation. If we were to include words such as “sevenfold” and “seventh”, the total becomes 860 references. Already it appears the number seven must have some importance in scripture. It is believed the number seven represents completeness and perfection. God rested on the seventh day when he was happy with the world he had created, which is why we have seven days in a week, the seventh day being the Sabbath – the day God rested. In the Book of Genesis, the word “created” is used seven times when describing God’s work and, according to some Jewish traditions, God created Adam on the first day of Tishri, the seventh month in the Hebrew calendar (if you are interested, this equates to 26thSeptember 3760 BC). Originally, the entire Bible, both Old and New Testaments, were divided into seven sections. These were the Law, the Prophets, the Psalms, the Gospels (and Acts), the General Epistles, the Epistles of Paul, and the book of Revelation. In the Gospels, Jesus is recorded performing miracles seven times on the Sabbath:
In the book of Hebrews written by the apostle Paul, he uses seven different titles for Christ:
Let’s look at a handful of examples where the number seven is actually used:
Just by looking at theses example we can see that the number seven is important, although its connection to completeness and perfection is never actually mentioned in the Bible, that has been inferred at a later date. Since there are so many instances of the number seven, I cannot mention them all but I will leave you with a few more important examples:
In mathematics, the number six is important for all sorts of reasons, the simplest being it is the only number that is both the sum and the product of three consecutive positive numbers (1+2+3=6; 1x2x3=6). It is the smallest perfect number and Granville number – which would need an entire essay to try and explain – as well as a congruent number, a unitary perfect number, a primary pseudo perfect number, a harmonic divisor number and a superior highly composite number. I am not a mathematician so I have no idea what any of that means but it sounds important.
The number six can be represented by the Greek prefix Hex and the Latin prefix Sex, therefore, we have words to describe things that can be grouped in sixes: a hexagon is a shape with six sides; a sextet is a group of six musicians; and a group of six babies delivered in one birth are sextuplets. There is even a term called “sexy numbers” that refers to prime numbers that are six digits away from each other, for instance 5 and 11 … who knew? A standard guitar has six strings and most woodwind instruments have six basic holes or keys. The Star of David has six points. The cells of a beehive are six sided (hexagonal). Six is the atomic number of carbon. Insects have six legs. There are six sides of a cube. As you can see, there are lots of instances of the number six in our lives, but what about in the Bible? According to Genesis, God created man on the sixth day. Some scholars claim that the number six represents human weakness and sin, which is why man was subjected to six days labour and only one day of rest. Similarly, in Exodus 21:2, the law states, “If you buy a Hebrew servant, he is to serve you for six years. But in the seventh year, he shall go free, without paying anything.” (NIV) This is also comparable to Leviticus 25:3-4 (NIV): For six years sow your fields, and for six years prune your vineyards and gather their crops. But in the seventh year the land is to have a year of Sabbath rest, a Sabbath to the Lord. Do not sow your fields or prune your vineyards.” The number six is also representative of Satan. In Revelation 13:18, the number of “the beast” is recorded as 666. One source states this symbolises the best system mankind could produce under the influence of Satan. They claim that Satan influences three areas of human life: economic, religious and governmental. When 666 is multiplied by 7 it equals 4662, which depicts man's total imperfection under the devil. When the digitals are added, 4 + 6 + 6 + 2 = 18; and 18 divided by 3 is 6. There are a number of instances the number six or groups of six are mentioned in the Bible. Here are a few:
It is difficult to determine whether there is any significance in the use of the number six in the Bible. Some may be connected to the number of days in the creation story and others the number of the devil, but it is unlikely that these entire instances relate to one or the other. What do you think? 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:
There are also multiples of five that occur frequently throughout scripture.
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? There are lots of instances of groups of four in our everyday lives, for instance, classical elements (earth, air, fire, water); suits in a deck of cards; members of The Beatles; Ninja Turtles… (children will know who they are).
Some theologians claim that the number four is associated with creation. As is believed, God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh. These theologians, however, consider the fourth day of creation to be one of the most important. “And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.” – Genesis 1:14-19 (NIV) The fourth day of creation is the day God completed the material universe. By creating the sun to divide the day and night, He also invented a way to record time. There are 24 hours in a day – a number that is divisible by four – and four seasons: spring, summer, autumn and winter. Continuing on the lines of creation, the fourth of the Ten Commandments mentioned in Exodus 20:9-11 is to remember to keep God’s holy Sabbath day – the day he rested after creating world during the previous six days. There are many more examples of the number four appearing in the Bible that do not have a direct correlation with the creation story. Whether these instances are significant due to the importance of the number four at the beginning of the world or just mere coincidence is debatable. Here are a handful of examples I have found:
Undoubtedly, I have missed many examples. Can you think of some? What do you think the significance of the number four is in the Bible if any? In modern society, people tend to group things in sets of three, for instance, the Rule of Three (Latin: omne trium perfectum) in which things, whether good or bad, come in threes. The number three has been considered by mathematicians to be a perfect numeral. When three is multiplied by any number, the sum of the resulting digits will also be a multiple of three. For instance, 3 x 24 = 72, (7 + 2 = 9), 9 is divisible by three; and 3 x 5446 = 16338, (1+6+3+3+8 = 21), 21 is divisible by three. This process only occurs with the number three.
Some sources claim the number three is used 467 times in the Bible and other sources claim there are more. There are 27 books in the New Testament, which, using the process mentioned above, is a number divisible by three. It is also the result of 3 x 3 x 3 or 3 to the power of three. Many things in the Christian faith come in sets of three, for instance, the Holy Trinity (“tri” meaning three) that is an amalgamation of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Also, God is considered to have three attributes: omniscience, omnipresence and omnipotence. There are considered to be three Patriarchs: Abel, Enoch and Noah, and after the Great Flood, three righteous Father’s: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Israel) Most significant, perhaps, were the three days Christ lay dead until his Resurrection: “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’” (Matthew 27:63, NIV) Prior to this, Jesus had prayed three times in the Garden of Gethsemane before his arrest (Matthew 26:36-46) and, during hiscrucifixion, darkness covered the land for three hours. Matthew 27:45 (NIV) “From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land.” At Christmas time, our Nativity plays usually feature three Wise Men or Magi. The Bible, however, does not state how many of magi visited the infant Jesus, however, they brought with them three gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh. Let’s take a look at the other examples of the number three I have found:
Do you have any other Biblical examples of the number three? What do you think the significance is if any? The number two is the smallest prime number (discounting one) and also the only even prime number. All even numbers are divisible by two, which makes it sound like a very special number. There is a famous saying “all things come in pairs,” and in the Bible, the number two represents a union or, sometimes, a division. For example, a man and woman are made one in marriage. This begins with Adam and Eve in Genesis 2:23-24:
23 The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” 24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh. The Bible is split into two testaments, the Old and the New. As we know, this divides the Bible into the events before Jesus’ birth and those that came after. The agreements or covenants God made with mankind are also divided into old and new. There are too many mentions of the number two in the Bible to write about and most of them are insignificant. So let’s look at a few that relate to union or division:
Finally, some facts about the Bible involving the number two:
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