Do Bible Numbers Have Meaning or Is It Just Useless Filler Info within the Bible?

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GodIsSalvation said:
I wouldn't say the numbers of stuff in the Bible are useless info., but they are not as significant as people make them out to be. A lot of the modern hokey number theories regarding the Bible actually have their origin in numerology and/or gematria which are vain magic which is evil for reason it is deception.

The number itself is not so significant, numbers are merely a way to count. The Bible provides a literal and historical account of the past. Thus whenever certain numbers appear the meaning is clear within the text. For instance 12 Tribes of Israel. The number 12 was not assigned to the 12 Tribes for an arbitrary or magical reason. It was for literal reason that Jacob had 12 sons whom are the Patriarchs of the 12 Tribes. Or the 40 days and nights of the Flood. 40 days and nights were not chosen because of symbolism or any of that, it is a literal account of the duration of the Flood. Whenever a number is encountered in the Bible it is accounted for why it is in there, be it about a lifespan, number of children, size of an army, etc.
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Good post, very good.
 
GodIsSalvation said:
I wouldn't say the numbers of stuff in the Bible are useless info., but they are not as significant as people make them out to be. A lot of the modern hokey number theories regarding the Bible actually have their origin in numerology and/or gematria which are vain magic which is evil for reason it is deception.

The number itself is not so significant, numbers are merely a way to count. The Bible provides a literal and historical account of the past. Thus whenever certain numbers appear the meaning is clear within the text. For instance 12 Tribes of Israel. The number 12 was not assigned to the 12 Tribes for an arbitrary or magical reason. It was for literal reason that Jacob had 12 sons whom are the Patriarchs of the 12 Tribes. Or the 40 days and nights of the Flood. 40 days and nights were not chosen because of symbolism or any of that, it is a literal account of the duration of the Flood. Whenever a number is encountered in the Bible it is accounted for why it is in there, be it about a lifespan, number of children, size of an army, etc.
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I must take exception with your post. It is clearly stated in the bible that every word, and character, even a period at the end of a sentence is of critical importance. Various numbers or genealogies may seem unimportant to some or even the most ardent reader but only goes to prove the inerrancy of the Word of God. There is an ultimate purpose or reason for each word or number in the bible.
 
I looked into a study of the hebrew alefbet, every letter glorifies God and has numerical significance.
Proverbs 25:2 It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings
 
Here is my take on this. I do believe that every number has significance to God and has a meaning however while this may be true its very easy to take things to far. That and you have to be careful about what you think the number means. I have seen ppl take things to far even I used to earlier in my faith but I saw how it consumed my mind and I saw things that werent really there. I thought these numbers were messages and thought i knew the meaning however I became more focused on this than God so I got out of that.
But this was almost a year ago and I havent done it since yet these numbers I spoke of appear everywhere.
 
Have we learned nothing from the Da Vinci Code?! LOL!! JK.. :) I see the numbers 11:11 alot. Numerology is somethin' I'm gonna start studying up on..
 
For example, I just looked through the alefbet, the gematria of YHVH is 26, then I look at the letter that represents 20(kaf) and 6(vav) the respective symbols of the palm of a hand and a nail!
 
I do see numbers, and try to associate meaning to them, there's nothing there! Like the number 10 I see up and down as the number 1..... I see 0 as the world..., this is my stinking thinking... This is not Gods, Jesus said nothing about it, if people want to get into numbers and out of the Bible "mostly what's written in red" it's up to the individual and I do not recommend it.
 
blue_ladybug said:
​It's a movie with Tom Hanks in it, and there was a code with numbers or letters he tried to break to further decode the bible. :)
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hmm sounds very interesting I would love to learn how to do it but im probably not smart enough
 
blue_ladybug said:
​It's a movie with Tom Hanks in it, and there was a code with numbers or letters he tried to break to further decode the bible. :)
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I thought it had to do with DaVinci's painting, but I never saw the movie.
 
Brainfreeze said:
Not everyone is intelligently inclined to numbers including myself, but everyone in the spirit can understand parables, the meaning behind the words, Jesus didn't say understand divine numbers, to get to heaven, but Jesus often spoke in parables, for the spirit to discern to you the meanings that we understand the right way to live, to get to Him, with understanding. As I said I'm ok with you matching up numbers or studying them in the Bible, but the gospels are much more important to me, then any number. All I'm saying Jason.
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Just as in the parables of scripture, there are always many layers of meaning in scripture, especially in the Old Testament, more than in the new Testament. That is because the people used to illustrate bible truths in the OT spoke and thought as Hebrews. By the time of Christ, Greeks had influenced the way men thought. We know that people of Iraq, a tribal based people are often hard for us to understand, to give you an idea of a different way of reasoning. To these Hebrews, symbolism and numbers had a deeper meaning than we have for them today. They didn't use the why, when, how of Greek thinking but just learning facts and how they could use those facts in their life.

To understand scripture, we really need to study and understand some of the way the people thought that scripture use to tell of us truths. Also, how scripture speaks to us through the significance of numbers. For example, the number 40 is used often for a time of testing. Christ was tempted for 40 days. Elijah fasted for 40 days. The number 12 is symbolic of perfection of rule, and we find it often in scripture. The 12 apostles, the 12 tribes, Jesus was 12 years old when questioned by scholars in the temple, the number 144,000 in Revelations is a multiple of 12.

There are always many layers of meaning in the OT, even in the stories that shows patterns that happen over and over. When we learn to see these, and when we learn how numbers speak to us, we can know God so much better.
 
There is a wealth of mysteries there for us to uncover. I don't think a search about numerology will turn up the same thing though.
 
Are the numbers great and holy, or is Jesus Holy, are we studying and following Gods words, or some mystical numbers. What are we putting before God ? I don't think Jesus wants me to look to numbers for answer, I turn to Him for answers.
 
RedTent said:
Just as in the parables of scripture, there are always many layers of meaning in scripture, especially in the Old Testament, more than in the new Testament. That is because the people used to illustrate bible truths in the OT spoke and thought as Hebrews. By the time of Christ, Greeks had influenced the way men thought. We know that people of Iraq, a tribal based people are often hard for us to understand, to give you an idea of a different way of reasoning. To these Hebrews, symbolism and numbers had a deeper meaning than we have for them today. They didn't use the why, when, how of Greek thinking but just learning facts and how they could use those facts in their life.

To understand scripture, we really need to study and understand some of the way the people thought that scripture use to tell of us truths. Also, how scripture speaks to us through the significance of numbers. For example, the number 40 is used often for a time of testing. Christ was tempted for 40 days. Elijah fasted for 40 days. The number 12 is symbolic of perfection of rule, and we find it often in scripture. The 12 apostles, the 12 tribes, Jesus was 12 years old when questioned by scholars in the temple, the number 144,000 in Revelations is a multiple of 12.

There are always many layers of meaning in the OT, even in the stories that shows patterns that happen over and over. When we learn to see these, and when we learn how numbers speak to us, we can know God so much better.
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What does this tell us though? Where's the " meaning " I think no different about the number 12 then I did before reading this, this will not change lives, Jesus does, I'll stick with Him.
 
I hope you are not implying I worship numbers. I am only trying to convey that even they point to Jesus.
 
Can we save others in the name of 12? Can we heal the sick in the name of a number or a calculation, no, a number didn't save me..., Jesus and His words of love for a sinner like me did...
 
Of which I will use every possible means of communication to convince that there is order, God's perfect order, in this otherwise chaotic world.
 
GodIsSalvation said:
I wouldn't say the numbers of stuff in the Bible are useless info., but they are not as significant as people make them out to be. A lot of the modern hokey number theories regarding the Bible actually have their origin in numerology and/or gematria which are vain magic which is evil for reason it is deception.

The number itself is not so significant, numbers are merely a way to count. The Bible provides a literal and historical account of the past. Thus whenever certain numbers appear the meaning is clear within the text. For instance 12 Tribes of Israel. The number 12 was not assigned to the 12 Tribes for an arbitrary or magical reason. It was for literal reason that Jacob had 12 sons whom are the Patriarchs of the 12 Tribes. Or the 40 days and nights of the Flood. 40 days and nights were not chosen because of symbolism or any of that, it is a literal account of the duration of the Flood. Whenever a number is encountered in the Bible it is accounted for why it is in there, be it about a lifespan, number of children, size of an army, etc.
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You say Bible numbers are not useless info but that is exactly what you mean because they are just useless background noise with no rhyme or reason to you. You write off the repeated occurrence of numbers that ascribe a particular meaning. You see it merely as coincidence.

I don't see it that way, my brother.
 
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Blain said:
Here is my take on this. I do believe that every number has significance to God and has a meaning however while this may be true its very easy to take things to far. That and you have to be careful about what you think the number means. I have seen ppl take things to far even I used to earlier in my faith but I saw how it consumed my mind and I saw things that werent really there. I thought these numbers were messages and thought i knew the meaning however I became more focused on this than God so I got out of that.
But this was almost a year ago and I havent done it since yet these numbers I spoke of appear everywhere.
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Numbers have a basic understanding based on the context and not by one's imagination or by some spirit or dream or in the hopes to use these numbers to tell the future.

All things glorify God. Including numbers in the Bible. For a person can say the same thing about Messianic prophecies. But such a view leads to a wooden literalistic vew of the Scriptures, though.
 
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