Purpose and Meaning of Numbers in the Bible

What this book is about

In a nut-shell, this is a book which explains how the bible authors used numbers as a literary technique to add a central bible message to the description of an event or other text in the bible.

The deliberate and frequent way in which numbers appear in the bible is an indication that it must have a very special purpose. However, this very purpose is a mystery to many present day readers, mainly because the literary techniques the authors of the bible have used are foreign to most of us. The aim of this book is to help to unlock the purpose and meaning of individual numbers in the bible.

Numbers allowed bible authors to communicate many things simultaneously without overloading a narrative with additional information. For example the author can: add a central bible message; highlight the real purpose of a section; insert an additional meaning associated with a number; refer to a message in another section where the same number was used; enhance a point; attach a spiritual message to a secular everyday event; etc.

It is important to note that numbers do not alter any message in the bible. It only powerfully assists a reader to understand a revelation or message. An important advantage of the number literary technique is that the numbers in a section will make no sense if the reader misinterprets the meaning of that particular section, giving the reader an opportunity to reread the section carefully.

To summarize, the aim of the book is to assist bible readers by explaining the purpose and meaning of numbers in the bible.

Example
Synopsis - numbers 1 to 5

1 - Revealing God
The bible authors include 1 in bible text to remind the reader who God really is, namely that He is the only source of the light that man needs to live (to be saved), that He is the only One who is really united, strong, solid, powerful, certain, reliable, dependable, trustworthy, unique, harmonious, righteous, truthful, graceful, patient with His people and the first and the most important in everything.

2 - Separation of the waters (faith)
The bible authors include 2 in bible text to reveal that God separated the true faith from the false ones. In many places the bible describes two opposites to emphasize contrast.

3 – It is God who provides what His people need
The bible authors include 3 in bible text to remind the reader that it is God who provides what is essential for salvation and a perfect life with God. The emphasis is on the fact that God provides what is needed.

Truth
An inclusion of the word “truth” in bible text confirms the fact that it is impossible to dispute God’s action to provide everything His people need to be saved.

4 - God’s plan for earth
An inclusion of 4 in the bible is a reminder that God expects man to govern earth in such a way that His “light” will be visible in it.

5 - God’s grace
An inclusion of 5 in the bible is a reminder of the fact that it is only through God’s grace that God saves and blesses His people abundantly.