Meaning of Numbers: The Number 2
The English word "two" for the number 2 is recorded 835 times in 703 King James Bible verses. This breaks down to 696 occurrences in the Old Testament and 139 times it appears in the New Testament.
The number 2 conveys the meaning of a union, division or the verification of facts by witnesses. A man and woman, though two, are made one in marriage (Genesis 2:23 - 24). There is also a union of 2 between Christ and the church (see 1Corinthians 12).
The Old Testament writings that use "two" the most are the book of Exodus (112 times) then Numbers (77) then 1Kings (55). The New Testament books that use the word the most are Matthew (36 times) followed by Luke (28) then the book of Acts (19).
And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female (Genesis 6:19, KJV).
And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon (Revelation 13:11, KJV).
Appearances of the Number Two
The testimony of God is divided into two Testaments (Old and New). His agreements with mankind are divided into Old and New Covenants. In addition, though 2, God the Father and God the Son (Jesus Christ) compose a single Godhead.
Adam, the first man, sinned and brought death and destruction into the world. Jesus, however, as the second (or last) Adam brings the hope of the resurrection and eternal life.
For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive (1Corinthians 15:21 - 22, HBFV, see also verses 45 - 49).
Those who ultimately refuse to repent and obey God will be put to death forever by being thrown into the lake of fire, which is called the second death (Revelation 21:8). This act will eternally divide those who are righteous from those who practiced evil.
But the cowardly, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and fornicators, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone; which is the second death (Revelation 21:8, HBFV).
The testimony of at least 2 people was needed in the Old Testament to convict someone of a crime or sin. The validity of this teaching was confirmed by the Apostle Paul. The need for two people to confirm what is true is one of the reasons why Jesus' trained his disciples by sending them out in pairs (Luke 10).
Do not receive an accusation against an elder, except on the testimony of two or three witnesses (1Timothy 5:19, HBFV).
After the first and second admonition, reject a man who is teaching heresy (Titus 3:10, HBFV).
The Two Witnesses, in the End Time, will appear on the world scene to testify and uphold the truth of God against the Beast and the False Prophet.
And I will give power to My two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth (Revelation 11:3, HBFV).
Jesus also sent the disciples out in groups of 2 (pairs) so that they could not only testify about his teachings and miracles, but also be witnesses of those who accepted or rejected the gospel (Mark 6:7 - 13).
Two can also convey comparison and contrast. The Old Covenant was based on physical blessings for obedience while the New is based on those that are spiritual. In the Old Testament, physical circumcision was required so that a person could qualify to be part of God's people, while the New requires circumcision of the heart. God formerly required obedience only to the "letter" of his laws but now calls upon man to obey their spiritual intent as well.
The word "God" appears in all books except 2. These are the Song of Solomon and Esther.
The second of the three great divisions of the Old Testament are referred to as "the Prophets" (Luke 24:44).
The shortest verse in the Bible, which is "Jesus wept" found in John 11:35, contains just 2 words.
During Creation week God made two great lights, one to rule the day (sun) and a lesser one to rule the night (moon - Genesis 1:16).
Usefulness of the Number 2
There are eight Biblical writings that are distinguished in their name by using a 2. These include 2Samuel, 2Kings, 2Chronicles, 2Corinthians, 2Thessalonians, 2Timothy, 2Peter and 2John. The only book distinguished by 3 is 3John.
Where there is two (a second) epistle in the New Testament it is contrasted to the first through, in part, its discussion of an enemy. Hence, one subject of the book of 2 Corinthians is the devil (2:11, 11:14, 12:7).
In 2 Thessalonians we have a number of titles and references given for Satan the devil. They are the "man of sin" and "son of perdition" (2Thessalonians 2:3), the "mystery of iniquity" (or lawlessness in 2:7) and that "wicked one" (2:8). In 2Peter we have an End Time rejection of God and the truth foretold (2Peter 3:3 - 7). John warns us in 2John about deceivers whom he also refers to as antichrists (1John 1:7).
Unique Father and Son Burial
Two of the Kings of Judah, when they died, had their bodies buried in their home gardens! The first was King Manasseh of Judah, whose rule of 55 years (696 to 642 B.C.) was the longest of any sovereign over either Israel or Judah. He was also one of the worst kings to serve God's people. Upon his death his body was buried in the garden of his private home in Jerusalem (2Kings 21:18).
The second ruler buried in a garden was Amon, the son of Manasseh, who succeeded his father to the throne. His rule was cut short, however, when he was assassinated by his servants after serving only 2 years. He was buried in the same garden as his father (2Kings 21:26).
More Info on Biblical Meaning of 2
The number 2 is the first and smallest prime. Primes are greater than one and only divisible by one and themselves. The next several primes are 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17 and so on.
Jesus' second appearance after his resurrection from the dead was to 2 men traveling to the city of Emmaus (Luke 24:13 - 33). After walking and talking with them for quite a while he agrees to eat a meal with them. The moment the Lord broke the bread they were to eat his miraculously vanished from their eyes!
The Greek word Agabos, Strong Concordance #G13, occurs only 2 times in the New Testament. The word is translated as the name "Agabus." Agabus was consider a New Testament prophet.
And one from among them, named Agabus (Agabos), stood up and signified by the Spirit that there would be a great famine throughout the whole world, which also came to pass under Claudius Caesar (Acts 11:28, HBFV).
Another person named only 2 times in the New Testament is called Agar in Greek (Strong's #G28). Translated as the name "Hagar," she was Abraham's concubine who produced his son Ishmael.
Which things are allegorical, because these are the two covenants. The one from Mount Sinai, which is Hagar (Agar), is engendering bondage . . . (Galatians 4:24, HBFV).
God's word only reveals the names of three angels. They are Gabriel (Daniel 8:16, Luke 1:19), Michael (Daniel 10:13, Revelation 12:7) and Lucifer (Isaiah 14:12). Of these the first 2 remain righteous and loyal to God. The third, Lucifer, turned himself into perfect evil and became God's enemy.
Jesus, in 29 A.D., miraculously fed 5,000 men, along with an unknown number of women and children, with only 2 fishes and 5 loaves of bread (Luke 9:10 - 17). The amount of food that was leftover filled twelve baskets!
Of the ten shortest books in the Bible in terms of chapters in the King James translation, sixth ranked Haggai has only 2 chapters. The shortest, however, in terms of chapters are the books of Obadiah, Philemon, 2John, 3John and Jude which each contain only one. The only chapter that has 2 verses is Psalm 117.