Meaning of Numbers: The Number 450
The possible meaning of the number 450 is derived from certain Biblical events and three notable ancient wonders.
One of the many ways King Solomon accumulated vast wealth was through a business partnership with Tyre's King Hiram. His and Hiram's men, from a single voyage to Ophir, brought back an astonishing 450 talents of gold! How much was this worth in today's money? A talent of gold, at $1,800 per troy ounce, would be worth $1,969,200 U.S. All 450 talents would be valued at $886 million dollars today.
And Hiram sent ships to him by the hand of his servants, and men who had knowledge of the sea. And they went with the servants of Solomon to Ophir, and took four hundred and fifty talents of gold from there, and brought it to King Solomon (2Chronicles 8:18, HBFV).
Appearances of Number Four Hundred Fifty
The Feast of Trumpets (Tishri 1) in 450 B.C. was celebrated sunset September 1 to sunset the next day. It ended Biblical (Hebrew) civil year 3311 and began civil year 3312.
The Feast of Trumpets (Tishri 1) in 450 A.D. was celebrated sunset September 22 to sunset the next day. It ended Biblical (Hebrew) civil year 4210 and began civil year 4211.
Athens was the center of the short-lived Athenian Empire, which started in 454 B.C., peaked in 450 and dissolved in 404. The Apostle Paul famously visited Athens during his second missionary journey where he preached to those who worshipped a plethora of pagan deities.
Then Paul stood in the center of Mars' hill and said, "Men, Athenians, I perceive that in all things you are very reverent to deities;
For as I was passing through and observing the objects of your veneration, I also found an altar on which was inscribed, 'To an unknown God.' So then, He Whom you worship in ignorance is the One that I proclaim to you (Acts 17:22 - 23, HBFV).
Entry number 450 in Strong's definitions of Biblical Greek words is anistemi. It is recorded the most in the book of Acts (45 times) followed by the gospel of Luke (27) then Mark (18). The word means, either literally or figuratively, to stand up, arise or lift up.
And passing from there, Jesus saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office, and said to him, "Follow Me." And he arose (anistemi) and followed Him (Matthew 9:9, HBFV).
The English word "years" is recorded 539 times in 450 King James Bible verses. It is written the most in Genesis (113 times) followed by 2Chronicles (53) then 2Kings (46).
The word "years," in the Old Testament, is usually derived from shaneh (Strong's Concordance #H8141). It the New Testament it usually comes from etos (Strong's #G2094) or hemera (#G2250).
And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years (Genesis 1:14, KJV).
And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, (Revelation 20:7, KJV).
Ancient Wonders and Number 450
The Temple of Artemis (Diana) in Ephesus is considered one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. The temple was 450 feet long (137 meters) by 225 feet wide (69 meters) and 60 feet (18 meters) high. Those who worshipped Diana, during Paul's third missionary journey, considered him an enemy due to his preaching impacting their idol making businesses!
After gathering together the workmen who worked in such things, he (Demetrius) said, "Men, you know that from this craft we gain our wealth; And you see and hear that not only in Ephesus, but almost all of Asia, this Paul has persuaded a great multitude to turn away . . . Now not only is our business in danger of coming into disrepute, but also the temple of the great goddess Diana . . . (Acts 19:25 - 27, HBFV).
Another of the wonders of the ancient world was the lighthouse at Alexandria, Egypt. It stood between 393 and 450 feet (120 to 137 meters) tall.
It is unclear whether Noah used the length of an ordinary cubit (17.5 inches or 44.5 centimeters) or a royal cubit (20.4 inches or 51.8 centimeters) to construct the ark (see Genesis 6:13 - 16).
If we conservatively assume Noah used a cubit size of 18 inches, the ark he built was 450 feet (137 meters) long, 75 feet (22.8 meters) wide, and 45 feet (13.7 meters) high. If we assume a 19 inch (.48 meters) cubit, the ship would be 475 feet (144.8 meters) long, 47.5 feet (14.4 meters) high and 79.1 feet (24.1 meters) wide.
Who Shall We Worship?
Ancient Israel's worship of false gods came to a head at the time of Elijah the prophet. He challenged the notorious King Ahab to bring 450 false prophets of Baal and Jezebel's 400 false prophets "of the groves" (prophets of the female goddess Asherah) to Mount Carmel. The purpose of the meeting was to have Israel determine whether to solely worship the true God or Baal.
"Now therefore, send and gather to me all Israel to Mount Carmel, and four hundred and fifty of the prophets of Baal, and four hundred of the prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel’s table." (1Kings 18:19, HBFV).
The 450 prophets of Baal show up at Carmel but Jezebel's 400 do not (1Kings 18:22). Those who served Baal are ultimately slaughtered after God miraculously consumes, through fire, the offering of Elijah (1Kings 18).
More Info on Biblical Meaning of 450
There are no words in the Bible's original languages that are recorded exactly 450 times.
The number 450 is equal to 2 x 3 x 3 (or 3 squared) x 5 x 5 (or 5 squared).
The Bible, the world's best-selling book, has been distributed in more than 450 languages.
Gideon's tiny army of 300 men fought against the Midianites who fielded 135,000 soldiers (Judges 8:10, 28). Gideon's forces were 450 times smaller than those of his enemy! God, however, was on his side and caused a great victory for Israel.
The English word "evil" is mentioned 481 times in 450 KJV Old Testament verses. It is found the most in Jeremiah (99 times) followed by Proverbs (50) and the Psalms (40). Its first use in the Bible is in regard to a special tree God allowed the first humans to access in the Garden of Eden.
And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:9, KJV).