A short key to the meaning of biblical numbers:
- One – being, existence, purple
- Two – distinction, separation, duality, articulation, substantiation, water, blue (two witnesses)
- Three – motion, enervation, red, blood (three witnesses)
- Four – pattern, cycle (four seasons, four cardinal directions)
The above four numbers comprise an increasing degree of articulation of the material world. Material is there. It separates. It moves. It forms into structures and patterns.
- Five – consciousness, perception, will (fives senses, five limbs, five digits on each limb…)
- Six – contemplation (the separation of consciousness into memories, thoughts, and ideas)
Six is an interesting number as it is familiar to many from the New Testament’s “mark of the beast,” 666, which was popularized in the Omen movies. However, Solomon’s Temple was sixty cubits long, and the other dimensions were factors of that. 6 is more than “just a bad number.” Just as one signifies existence, focusing on material reality (the cup is here), so does five signify the existence of spiritual reality: consciousness and its perceptions (Bob is here). Concerning the temple, when the Glory of God appears between the two cherubim over the ark, the “two” of the created universe of distinct elements becomes three, enervated with divine energy. Likewise, the six of the temple dimensions becomes seven, enervating the spiritual world with the truth of perfect divine testimony. Concerning the Mark of the Beast, I can say that if five, the number of consciousness and will, the number of the power of the creature, the number of man (think about the pentagram), then six represents that consciousness thinking, feeling, and having ideas. But those ideas are not necessarily good ideas. You need seven for those. Divine inspiration. If you don’t have that, and you’re stuck at six, you’ve reached the pinnacle of human achievement without divine input. On a final note, the Star of David has six points. The nation of Israel represents its furthest achievement at this time and is waiting for divine input. Israel is at six, waiting for seven, but Armilius, the False Messiah, more popularly known in English as the antichrist, will show up with 666, but not seven.
- Seven – divine inspiration, testimony
- Eight – infinity
The above four numbers comprise an increasing degree of articulation of the spiritual world of consciousness and perception. The immaterial is there. It is most expressly represented by the human consciousness (five). It separates into various thoughts, ideas, perceptions (six). It is enervated by divinity (seven), it forms into structures and patterns forever (eight).
- Nine – oblivion
The last number is an enigma. In the eastern traditions, specifically Hinduism, and in western numerology, the number nine represents transformation, or a change between cycles. However, I have not found any indication of this in the Torah. Looking through the entire Hebrew Bible the number nine seems to indicate “one short.” Like, when you would expect a hundred dudes, it will say “ninety and nine” to indicate that one dude is missing. It seems to connote a sort of lack or deficit. A famous New Testament reference to this that seems consistent with the references from the Tanach is Jesus being whipped thirty and nine times. There was a Roman tradition to deliver 39 lashes because no one was supposed to be able to survive a full forty.
The number quite often represents a span of time, frequently the reign of a king. Otherwise, it actually seems to represent a quantity of opposition.
Only King Og of Bashan was left of the remaining Rephaim. His bedstead, an iron bedstead, is now in Rabbah of the Ammonites; it is nine cubits long and four cubits wide, by the standard cubit!
Deuteronomy 3:11
So Sisera ordered all his chariots—nine hundred iron chariots—and all the troops he had to move from Harosheth-goiim to the Wadi Kishon.
Judges 4:13
The kings Og and Sisera were enemies to the people of Israel.
Verses like these, with few others having indications of any other meaning, determine quite undoubtedly that there is no element of transformation or the beginning of anything new when looking at the number nine in the scriptures. The fact of the number having significance in eastern and occult traditions that isn’t echoed in the Bible is rather interesting, since the number has been picked up on in popular media on some rather interesting occasions.
Revolution #9 by the Beatles:
It doesn’t sound like transformation. It sounds like insanity.
Then there is the Christian tradition that the nails putting Jesus to the cross were nine inches long. This has also made its way into the popular culture.
1 Comment