Meaning of Numbers: The Number 129
The English phrase "hundred and twenty and nine," used for the number 129, is not recorded in the King James Bible.
The possible meaning of the number 129 is partially derived from its link with the Apostle Paul and from both Biblical and secular history.
God commanded ancient Israel to keep a Sabbatical year, also known as the land sabbath (Leviticus 25:2 - 6) or year of release (Deuteronomy 31:10). This year was the seventh in every seven-year cycle. It began (likely) on Tishri 1 on the Hebrew calendar (Feast of Trumpets aka Rosh Hashanah).
A Sabbatical year began on September 5 in 130 B.C. This special year ended on September 22 in 129 B.C.
The only first chapter of a Biblical book that has exactly 29 King James verses (129) is Colossians 1. Paul confirms in this verse that God not only called him to be a Christian but also to preach the gospel in power to the whole world.
Whereunto I (Paul) also labor, striving according to his (God's) working, which worketh in me mightily (Colossians 1:29, KJV).
Appearances of Number One Hundred Twenty Nine
The Romans, from time to time, would conduct a census of those they ruled over in order to determine what they owned for tax purposes. In the province of Judea, in deference to Jewish customs (and the desire to carry out their task peaceably), they required the people to travel to their family's ancestral home before taking their census.
The betrothed couple of Mary and Joseph were living in Nazareth at the time of the Roman census of 5 B.C. They were both descendants of King David who was born in Bethlehem (1Samuel 17:12). In spite of Mary being miraculously pregnant with Jesus, the couple was forced to travel the roughly 80 miles (about 129 kilometers) from Nazareth to Bethlehem. It is in Bethlehem that Jesus is born (Luke 2:1 - 20).
Strong's Concordance's Greek listing 129 is the word aima. It is utilized 99 times in 92 Greek New Testament verses. It is found the most in the book of Hebrews (21 times) followed by Revelation (19) and then the book of Acts (12).
Aima usually refers to blood either of animals or humans. Its first use in the gospels occurs in Jesus' recognition that God the Father had revealed to Peter what was his true identity.
And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
And Jesus answered and said unto him (Peter), Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood (aima) hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven (Matthew 16:16 - 17, KJV).
For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood (aima) of his servants at her hand (Revelation 19:2, KJV).
Persecution, Peace and 129
Persecution of Christians, in the Roman Empire, began under Emperor Nero in 64 A.D. after the Great Fire of Rome. Roman historian Tacitus stated that Nero, in order to dispel suspicion that he might have started the fire, accused the growing sect of Christians of starting the flames.
Rome's first state-sponsored persecution would ultimately take the lives of the apostles Paul and Peter, as well as countless other believers.
Nero began the first of what would become ten state-sponsored persecutions (Foxe's Book of Martyrs, Section 2) carried out at various times. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, Christians suffered persecution for 129 of the 249 years between 64 and 313 A.D. It was in 313 that the Edict of Milan, under Emperor Constantine, gave legal status to Christianity which ended the Empire's pursuit of believers.
"Of the 249 years from the first persecution under Nero (64) to the year 313, when Constantine established lasting peace, it is calculated that the Christians suffered persecution about 129 years and enjoyed a certain degree of toleration about 120 years.
"Yet it must be borne in mind that even in the years of comparative tranquillity Christians were at all times at the mercy of every person ill-disposed towards them or their religion in the empire." (1913 Catholic Encyclopedia article on Martyrs).
Saul, Paul and Number 129
The Apostle Paul's name is written 132 times in 129 verses in the King James Bible translation of the book of Acts. The first mention of his name takes place when Luke, who wrote Acts, changes from using Saul (Paul's birth name) to using Paul.
Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost (Spirit), set his eyes on him (Elymas the sorcerer) and said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?
And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season . . . (Acts 13:9 - 11, KJV).
And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him (Acts 28:30, KJV),
Acts 13's change from "Saul" to "Paul" took place in 44 A.D. on Paul's first missionary journey. The chapter not only reveals the apostle's first Biblically recorded miracle but also a major milestone in the New Testament. From Acts 13 forward Paul becomes the central character of the book of Acts, and arguably most of the rest of the Bible (not including Christ)!
More Info on Biblical Meaning of 129
There are no words in the Bible's original languages that are recorded exactly 129 times.
129 is the product of 3 x 43. Both 3 and 43 are prime numbers.
129 is equal to the first ten primes added together or 2 + 3 + 5 + 7 + 11 + 13 + 17 + 19 + 23 + 29.
Strong's Concordance's Hebrew listing 129 is the word adamiy. It means "earthy," "Adami" or a "man of Adar." It is closely related to the word adamah (Strong's H127) which means "soil" or "ground," the substance from which God created man (Genesis 2:7).
The word adamiy is used only twice in the Hebrew version of the Old Testament.
And their coast (the land inheritance given to the tribe of Naphtali) was from Heleph, from Allon to Zaanannim, and Adami (adamiy), Nekeb, and Jabneel, unto Lakum; and the outgoings thereof were at Jordan (Joshua 19:33, KJV).
That Hadad fled, he and certain Edomites (adamiy) of his father's servants with him, to go into Egypt; Hadad being yet a little child (1Kings 11:17, KJV).