Meaning of Numbers: The Number 43
The English phrase "forty and three," used for the number 43, is recorded 3 times in 3 King James Bible verses. It is found once in the books of Numbers, Ezra and Nehemiah.
The possible meaning of the number 43 is derived from facts about the Bible and the history that underpins its writings.
Book number 43 in the KJV translation (and most modern Biblical translations) is the gospel of John. It was penned in 42 A.D., the same year the gospel of Mark was also recorded. John's account is unique in that a large portion of the book conveys teachings reserved only for the Lord's closest disciples (e.g. chapters 13 - 17).
The Apostle John also provides the best overall chronology of Jesus' ministry, as he mentions him observing four separate Passovers after he was baptized in the fall of 26.
Book 43 out of 49 in the originally canonized version of Scripture is 2Thessalonians. This short work, only the second of fourteen to be penned by the Apostle Paul, was recorded in 51 A.D. The book is noteworthy in that it reveals that an apostasy must take place just prior to the Lord's Second Coming back to earth.
Do not let anyone deceive you by any means because that day will not come unless the apostasy shall come first, and the man of sin shall be revealed - the son of perdition,
the one who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is an object of worship; so that he comes into the temple of God and sits down as God, proclaiming that he himself is God (2Thessalonians 2:3 - 4).
Appearances of Number Forty-Three
In the Old Testament, the Biblical chapters of Genesis 30 and 36, Exodus 28 and 39, Joshua 10, 2Samuel 19, 1Kings 11 and 20, 1Chronicles 4 and 16 and Psalm 107 contain 43 verses in the King James translation.
In the New Testament, the chapters Mark 5, Luke 18 and Acts 9 have 43 verses in the KJV.
No KJV books have exactly 43 chapters. The only writings to contain more than this total number of chapters are Genesis, Psalms, Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel. The last three of these books are composed by those called "the major prophets" in contrast to twelve others who writings are considered those of the Minor Prophets.
John 5, verse forty-three, reveals the true lack of love for God (verse 42) and his truth by the Jews who boasted of their zealous obedience to his law. It reveals not only their rejection of God but also their willingness to accept and hear any false prophet based on his own stated authority!
I (Jesus) have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; but if another comes in his own name, you will receive him (verse 43 of John 5).
Number 43 and King David
Psalm 43 was written by King David during his glorious reign that ran from 1010 to 970 B.C. This short section, with only five verses, not only cries out to God for help but also reminds us of what to do when we are spiritually depressed.
Vindicate me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation. Oh, deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man, For You are the God of my strength; why do You cast me off? Why do I go mourning under the oppression of the enemy? . . .
Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why do you moan within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him, the salvation of my countenance, and my God (verses 1 - 2, 5 of Psalm 43).
Sons of Jacob
The Hebrew word asher, Strong's Concordance #H836, is recorded 43 times in 41 Hebrew Old Testament verses. It is found the most in the book of Numbers (12 times) followed by Joshua (8) and then 1Chronicles (6). The word, which means "happy," is untranslated in the King James as the name "Asher."
Asher was the eighth of Jacob's twelve sons. His tribe's inheritance in the Promised Land included such prosperous and famed cities as Tyre and Sidon along the Mediterranean coast (Joshua 19:24 - 31, Judges 1:31).
And the men of Israel gathered themselves together out of Naphtali, and out of Asher, and out of all Manasseh, and pursued after the Midianites (Judges 7:23, KJV).
The Hebrew word yissaskar, Strong's Concordance #H3485, is recorded 43 times in 40 Hebrew Old Testament verses. It is found the most in the book of Numbers (11 times) followed by 1Chronicles (9) and Joshua (7). The word, which means "He will bring a reward" or "there is recompense," is translated in the King James as the name "Issachar."
Issachar is the ninth of Jacob's twelve sons. The tribe received 16 cities as an inheritance in the Promised Land, one of which was Jezreel (Joshua 19:17 - 22).
Jezreel was the city where King Ahab and King Joram lived (1Kings 18:45 - 46, 2Kings 8:29). It is also the place where the notoriously evil Queen Jezebel and all of Ahab's relatives met a blood end (2Kings 9:10 - 37, 10:1 - 11).
And of the children of Issachar (yissaskar), which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do; the heads of them were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their commandment (1Chronicles 12:32, KJV).
More Info on Biblical Meaning of 43
There are 30 words and phrases in the Bible's original languages that are recorded exactly 43 times.
43 is the 13th prime number. The primes that immediately precede it are 31, 37 and 41, and those that come after it include 47, 53, 59 and so on.
43 is the sum of various combinations of primes. These include 3 + 5 + 7 + 11 + 17, 11 + 13 + 19, 2 + 11 + 13 + 17 or 2 + 41.
The name "Joash" appears in 43 verses in the King James Bible. While there are several people referenced by this name, one of the most important is King Joash. He was the eighth ruler over the Kingdom of Judah after the united Israelite kingdom split in 930 B.C. He started his reign at the age of seven, the youngest person of either Judah or Israel to have ascended to the throne. He was a fairly righteous ruler who governed from 835 to 796 B.C.
And the rest of the acts of Joash, and all that he did, and his might wherewith he fought against Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? (2Kings 13:12, KJV).
43 A.D. is unique in that the position of Jerusalem's High Priest changed hands a couple of times. Roman Tetrarch Herod Agrippa I appointed Simon Cantheras as High Priest in 41 A.D. In 43 he replaced him with Matthias but then later in the year replaced him with a man named Elionaios.
Christians in Syrian Antioch, in the spring of 42 A.D., are informed by the prophet Agabus that a famine will occur that will last a grueling three years. The believers respond, both in 42 and 43 A.D., by planting food and collecting needed relief for Christians in Jerusalem. These needed supplies are ultimately taken to the city by Paul and Barnabas in the spring of 44 A.D. (Acts 11:30).
Now in those days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch; And one from among them, named Agabus, 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.
And each of the disciples, everyone according as he had prospered, determined to send relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea (Acts 11:27 - 29, HBFV).
The Apostle Paul was 43 years old in 45 A.D. In this year, he was in the middle of his first missionary journey that had begun in the spring of 44. Although the apostle had begun his evangelistic efforts with Barnabas and Mark, before the end of 45 A.D., Mark would abruptly abandon the group and head back to Jerusalem.