The Biblical Meaning of the Number 120 The number 120 is made up of three forties (3x40=120). When the number 40 is applied to time it signifies a divinely appointed period of probation (Genesis 6:3). When 120 is applied to persons it points to a divinely appointed period of waiting (Acts 1:15). It is a factor also in the number of those who returned from Babylon, 42,360, being 120 x 353. The number 120 is also a factor in the number of men who went up out of Egypt during the Exodus - 600,000 - being 120 x 5000. The number one hundred and twenty is additionally a factor of the 144,000 who will be sealed from the Twelve Tribes of Israel to go unscathed through the great tribulation - 144,000 - being 120 x 1200. What was the GREAT Synagogue? The unanimous voice of Jewish tradition agrees with the Talmud that "the Great Synagogue" (Nehemiah 10:1-10) consisted of 120 members: "It was called 'Great' because of the great work it effected in restoring the Divine law to its former greatness, and because of the great authority and reputation which it enjoyed." (Jerusalem Berachoth, ii. 4; Jerusalem Megilla, i; Bab. Meg. 176.)
The great Synagogue's greatest work was in completing the Canon of the Old Testament. The Great Synagogue lasted for several years, roughly from the latter days of Nehemiah the prophet to the death of Simon the Just. It then passed into the Sanhedrim (Sanhedrin) when its whole constitution was changed. |