Q. What are the symbolic meaning of numbers such as those from one to forty, 666 and other numbers up to 1,000 in the Bible? (Submitted by: P. M.) A. Most ancient cultures attached significance to numbers, leading to the erroneous idea that certain numerals influence one's life and future. There is, however, significance to many numbers in God's word. David H van Daalen of the United Reformed Church in Huntington United Kingdom states the number one signifies uniqueness or undivided wholeness, as in Deuteronomy 6:4, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one!" (Deuteronomy 6:4, NKJV) Two was the minimum number of witnesses required to establish the truth (2Corinthians 13:1). Three appears many times in scripture, but van Daalen says it is rarely connected directly with God. William Smith L.L.D. says, "Certain numbers, as 7, 10, 40 and 100 were regarded as giving the idea of completeness." There are too many numbers and combinations of numbers to outline here. To find out the full Biblical meaning of a particular number please use the below set of links. |
