Meaning of Numbers: The Number 28
The English phrases "twenty and eight" and "eight and twenty," used for the number 28, is recorded 13 times in 13 King James Bible verses. It is recorded the most in the book of Nehemiah (5 times) followed by Ezra (3) and Exodus (2).
The number 28 derives part of its meaning from the fact that it is the product of 7 (a perfect numeral) and 4.
There are 28 writers of the Old Testament (Amos, Daniel, David, Davidic priests, Esther, Ezekiel, Ezra, Habakkuk, Haggai, Hezekiah, Hosea, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Job, Joel, Jonah, Joshua, Malachi, Micah, Mordecai, Moses, Nahum, Nehemiah, Obadiah, Ruth, Samuel, Solomon, Zechariah, Zephaniah).
The phrase "the Lamb," used to refer to Jesus Christ as the Lamb that takes away the sins of the world, occurs 28 times in Scripture. The word "Hallelujah" also appears twenty-eight times. The twenty-eighth book of most modern translations is Hosea. Considered one of the twelve Minor Prophets, his ministry ran from 796 to 719 B.C.
Appearances of Number Twenty-Eight
Of the top ten occurring names in the entirety of the Bible, the name David appears in twenty-eight books.
The book of Mark has 28 direct Old Testament quotations.
The books of Acts and Matthew contain 28 chapters in the KJV.
In the Old Testament, the Biblical chapters of Genesis 45, Joshua 18, 1Samuel 1, 1Kings 3, 9, 2Chronicles 25, Ezra 7, Job 13, 28, Psalm 35, 73, 102, Proverbs 12, 17, 25, 26, 28, Isaiah 43, 44, Jeremiah 38, 46, Ezekiel 1, 12, 37, Daniel 6 and 7 contain 28 verses in the King James translation.
In the New Testament, the chapters Matthew 16, Mark 2, Acts 14, 18, 1Thessalonians 5, Hebrews 7 and 9 have 28 verses in the KJV.
The Bloody Number 28
The English word "Philistine" is found 33 times in 28 King James Bible verses. The word occurs only in 1Samuel (32 times) and 2Samuel (once). The Philistines were a warrior nation who lived for battle and asserted their dominance through violence and bloodshed. They were such a fierce enemy that God, after the exodus, decided to not take the Israelites through their land in order to reach Canaan and the Promised Land (Exodus 13:17).
The Philistines would ultimately become Israel's most determined, brutal and longest running enemy. The first battle between them and God's people took place around 1380 B.C. with the tribe of Judah conquering, then losing, Philistine territory (Judges 1:18 - 19, 3:1 - 3).
It was not until the rule of righteous Hezekiah over the Kingdom of Judah, almost 700 years later, that most of Philistine territory was finally conquered (2Kings 18:8)!
And he (Goliath the Philistine giant) stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them, Why are ye come out to set your battle in array? am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me (1Samuel 17:8, KJV).
King Jehu, a mostly bad king who ruled over the Kingdom of Israel, governed for 28 official years (27 actual years from 841 to 814 B.C., see 2Kings 10:36).
He is unique among the kings of Israel and Judah, as his reign began in the bloodiest way possible. He was commissioned by God, through Elisha, to destroy all those of the household of evil King Ahab. In fulfillment of Elijah's prophecy, Jehu had all of Ahab's seventy sons killed and their heads stacked in two piles at Jezreel's gate (2Kings 10:1 - 11). He also killed in Jezreel all the leaders, pagan priests, and kinsfolks that were connected to Ahab.
Additionally, He had evil Jezebel, the wife of King Ahab, thrown out of a tower window and killed. In fulfillment of yet another of Elijah's prophecies, her dead body was then torn to pieces by dogs where only her skull, feet and the palms of her hands remained (2Kings 9:30 - 37).
Jehu, as if all the above wasn't enough, in the same year he took care of Ahab's household he also slew his predecessor King Joram of Israel (a son of Ahab and Jezebel) and King Ahaziah of Judah (2Kings 9:24, 27 - 28).
Powerful People
The Hebrew word eylam, Strong's Concordance #5867, occurs 28 times in 27 Hebrew Old Testament verses. The word occurs the most in the book of Jeremiah (8 times) followed by Ezra (5) and Nehemiah (4). The word means "hidden" or "eternity" and is translated as the name "Elam" in the King James.
Although several people are named Elam, one of the most important of these is a grandson of Noah through his son Shem (Genesis 10:22). The Elamites, the descendants of Elam, lived in the territory stretching north and northeast along the Persian Gulf. They became a powerful people whose king, Chedorlaomer, led a group of allies to launch the first recorded war in Scripture (Genesis 14)!
And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam (eylam), and Tidal king of nations; That these made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah . . . (Genesis 14:1 - 2, KJV).
The Hebrew word paras, Strong's Concordance #H6539, is written 28 times in 24 Hebrew Old Testament verses. The word is found the most in Ezra (11 times) followed by the book of Daniel (6). The word, which means "pure" or "splendid," is translated in the King James as "Persia."
After their defeat at the hands of Abraham (Genesis 14), the Elamites recovered and grew even more powerful. One of their chief cities was Susa, which would someday become one of the capitals of the Persian Empire. The Persians, who were rivals of the Babylonian Empire, ultimately conquered the Babylonians in 539 B.C.
Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia (paras), The Lord God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah (Ezra 1:2, KJV).
More Info on Biblical Meaning of 28
There are 49 words and phrases in the Bible's original languages that are recorded exactly 28 times.
28 is the product of 2 x 2 (or 2 squared) x 7.
The first verse of Genesis 1 is composed of 28 Hebrew letters.
Interestingly, the number 28 is equal to adding the first seven positive digits or 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7.
A set of ten curtains God commanded to be made for his wilderness tabernacle had to be made of the finest twined linen (Exodus 26:1). Each curtain in this set had to be 28 cubits long and 4 cubits wide. If we assume the cubit used was a conservative 18 inches (45.7 centimeters), this meant each curtain was 42 feet (12.8 meters) long and 6 feet (1.8 meters) wide (Exodus 26:2, 36:9)!
King Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, was the first ruler of the Kingdom of Judah when it separated from the Kingdom of Israel (the northern ten tribes). Taking on the same lifestyle as his father, he had eighteen wives and sixty concubines (2Chronicles 11:21). These women produced 28 sons and sixty daughters for the king.
Among those in Babylonian captivity that went with Ezra the prophet to Jerusalem were the sons of Bebai. A total number of 28 men made the journey back to Judea.
And from the sons of Bebai, Zechariah the son of Bebai, and with him twenty-eight males (Ezra 8:11, HBFV).
The books of Matthew and Acts, both containing twenty-eight chapters, are the longest books in the New Testament in terms of chapters. In terms of verses, the longest is Luke with 1,151.
After Jesus rose from the dead, he still had several things to accomplish before his work on earth was complete. He showed himself alive nine times to various individuals and groups starting with Mary Magdalene. His ascension took place on May 18 in 30 A.D. On May 28, ten days later, the Holy Spirit was poured out to roughly 3,120 people on the Day of Pentecost.