Bible Wiki - User contributions [en]

AlephBeta methodology cliff notes

2026-06-05T04:09:13Z

Zekeriya:

The following points endeavor to summarize some salient tools used in [https://alephbeta.org Rabbi David Fohrman's teachings]:

* Meta genre: "So if someone asks, what kind of book is the Bible? The Bible I think, if it is a book as to how it is that we are supposed to live our lives," a "guidebook."<ref name=WhyMosesNoLand>Why Couldn't Moses Enter The Land? [Part] I</ref>

* Local genre: Frequent citation of Mortimer Adler, "How to Read a Book." First step is you need to know what ''type'' of material you are reading.

* Compactness: "[I]t is a minimalist text, the Torah will use devices to be able to get at those meanings."<ref name=WhyMosesNoLand/> Torah as "zip file." See also his [[binary theory of intertextuality]].

* Intentional "difficulties": "And one of those devices I think are intentional problems or difficulties that are supposed to strike the reader and have a struggle in understanding how they fit in."<ref name=WhyMosesNoLand/> There are ''supposed to be'' challenging/''strange'' things in the text that are supposed to prod us to search, examine, meditate, pray, and consider.
** Broken patterns: "X X X X X X Y" leads to to associate X with Y, even overlay Y on top of X in your mind. Example: עָר֔וּם means naked throughout Gen 2-3, but "cunning" for the serpent in 3:1, prompting us to ponder in what sense the serpent's "cunningness" corresponds to nakedness

* Intertextual parallels:
** Probably the tool AlephBeta material is most known for.
** "Web 2.0." The Torah is in fact ''more sophisticated'' than the internet. Instead of a link taking you somewhere else (and leaving the last page behind), you can view idea A ''from the perspective of'' B and C and D. Tool: ask yourself, "Where have I seen this (language or theme) before?"
** "A gezeira shavah is basically this idea that occasionally when the Torah uses similar terminology from place to place, we connect these ideas."

* Binary theory of intertextuality: Every intertextual parallel can provide ''either'' a point of comparison or contrast (in addition to other fuzzy possibilities). Hence, for example, given a series of 10 parallels between two texts, there are 2^10 = 1,024 different possible configurations of how they are being jointly compared and contrasted. This is part of what allows the Torah to function as a compact "zip file" encoding effectively limitless information with a finite number of words.

* "Stereovision": looking at the same thing from different angles gives richness and "depth" to it. Hence one reason for recapitulation of ''similar but distinct'' stories, or the internal parallels of a chiasm is that both enrichen each other and add depth greater than the sum of the parts!!!

* Chiasms:
** They define an area of text that goes together; Form a unit/pericope.
** They point to the center [and the center often "pairs" with the two extremes"]
** They teach you something about the pairs
** An ''seemingly'' "imperfect chiasm" is in fact often providing ''additional'' structure as an outline tool (A-B-C-D - D-B-C-A means "B-C" is a single unit)

* Law/story relationship: The laws interconnect with the stories. Frequently, the mitzvot are based on earlier stories. I.e. the stories show why the mitzvot are necessary!

* Types of questions:
** Internal question (what is Jonah's running from God about?) vs. external questions (how could Jonah survive in the belly of the fish?)

* "Leading word": A repeated word in a text, perhaps in different forms, that the text is leading you to use to put the story together (e.g. "naked"/"cunning" in Gen 2:25-3:21)

* Multiple vayomers: Indicate multiple conversations, or breaks in the conversation where a response was expected but none given

* Lullaby effect: Heard it too many times to be jolted by what it actually says. Missed meaning from over-familiarity. Solutions:
** Do NOT read with the end in mind. Try reading without knowing what happens next.
** Though experiment: Replay the story but choose a different ending --- One way God trains His people is to go through an analogous situation to what they or their forebears went through and try to get a better outcome

* Which one of these things is not like the others? And then, how actually IS it like the others in a way you didn't realize; OR...(e.g. why/how is it complementary to the other(s)...)?

* Take it apart and put it back together

* Cast and characters --- What/who in this story matches to what/who in that story. Many variations can happen, e.g.:
** One character in the first story can "split" and different aspects of it be played by different characters in the 2nd story
** Likewise, multiple characters in the first can "fuse" into one character in the second
** Sometimes with an "intertextual triangle" aspects of a character can split into the two different *stories* [e.g. the two angels with two swordsat the end of Gen 3 ---> (a) The burning bush, & (b) Jericho]
** The mappings can evolve as the story goes along

* Two ingredients of stories: Intention and Obstacle

* Jigsaw methodology:
**Corner pieces don't need anything else to know what they are and how they fit
** Middle pieces only make sense and reveal their place/relevance in relation to the other pieces around them
** Edge pieces are partly self-evident but partly need context around it

* Prism refraction: White light has all the colors inherent in it, but you only see those different colors when the light is refracted into different beams with distinct colors. [One story dividing into many; e.g. Yovel at Sinai --> Aspects of the Year of Jovel]

* Research methodology:
** First see a pattern without understanding what it all means
** Look for and extend more pieces of the pattern
** Certain question jump into mind suggested by the pattern
*** You will tend to avoid even thinking about questions that go against your present paradigm (see Thomas Kuhn's The Structure of Scientific Revolutions)
*** But now the patterns are disrupting your paradigm and you begin to ask questions you had overlooked/ignored before

* Reverse engineering: Chazal were using these techniques, but not ''telling you'' how they were doing it. They provide enough clues for the thoughtful and motivated student to back-trace their thought process through the Scripture.

* Psalms are retelling/recapitulation of Torah/Tanakh narrative/history events, told from the inner/emotional/spiritual/subjective personal-experience perspective rather than the external/objective/historical perspective.

* Biconsonantal root theory: "Rabbi Eisemann comes up with this theory that the biconsonantal root that all Hebrew letters, even though they look they have three letter roots, really have two letter roots. The first two letters of the root give a basic idea and the third letter, somehow, differentiates the idea and creates the distinction between them all. But there's a certain fundamental commonality between all words with the first two letters."<ref>https://www.alephbeta.org/playlist/what-connects-leprosy-and-childbirth</ref>

* Combination lock theory of signs: Lock combination is set and verified/authenticated as two separate steps. Likewise with God's confirming signs (though not necessarily in that order). When the key fits, despite the separation in time between the setting and verification stages, it provides strong assuring evidence that the Almighty Adonai Elohim is at work.

==See also==
* [[Midrashic literary tools]]
* [[:Category:Schools of midrashic interpretation]]

==References==

[[Category:AlephBeta]]
[[Category:Midrashic hermeneutics]]
[[Category:Lists]]

Midrashic hermeneutical resources

2026-04-25T05:28:48Z

Zekeriya: /* Modern sources who make use of midrashic hermeneutical methodologies */

Resources pertaining to [[the modern midrashic, literary, figural-symbolic, pattern-based hermeneutical renaissance]].

==Ancient and pre-modern sources who make use of midrashic hermeneutical methodologies==
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pesher Pesher] demonstrate that the notion of "two levels" to Scripture was already active pre-rabbinically, with the more concealed layer invoking pattern-based rereading to reuse prophetic texts in new contexts.
* The "[[derash|midrashic]]" label as applied to this renaissance on this site originates from the work of [[Chazal]], the Jewish sages responsible for the Mishnah, Midrash, and Talmud, particularly regarding the [[derash]] layer of the [[:Category:Pardes|PaRDeS]] hermeneutic suite. As comes through quite clearly in their literature, however, the ancient Rabbis certainly did not have a monolithic approach:
** Rabbi Akiva is the classic interpretive maximalist. With his [[no superfluity]] of language principle, the text is effectively infinitely generative.
** Rabbi Ishmael is the primary restraining force to the Akiva school.
* Patristic:
** Origin is known for developing a systematic intra-biblical figural reading.
** The hymns of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephrem_the_Syrian Ephrem the Syrian] and the homilies of Gregory of Nyssa often interweave symbols from different parts of Scripture in insightful ways.
** [[Allegory]] is one of Augustine's fourfold senses of Scripture, with his usage thereof having long been controversial. His allegorical interpretation of the Parable of the Good Samaritan is a classically [[Legitimate versus problematic figuralism|questionable example]] that has put a bad taste in the mouth of later exegetes toward such methodology. He also puts an intra-canonical figural reading (figura) into practice.
* Rishonim
** Sometimes Rashi. Rabbi David Fohrman has a theory that Rashi alternates between two entirely different approaches in his commentary, and it is important to know which you are dealing with. When his contemporary readers would need help with the [[peshat]] layer of the text, e.g. meanings of archaic Hebrew words, he supplies that. But with texts that are already easy to understand on your own he goes deeper, introducing you to the world of midrash by alluding to the stories, pointing to the [[gunpowder and trigger]], etc.
** Rabbeinu Bachya is one of the more frequent users of midrashic materials (as per ChatGPT).
** Ramban frequently ''interacts'' with the actual Midrash texts, but more from an analytical perspective.
** Ibn Ezra's strong [[peshat]] emphasis would serve as a counter-example to make the point that Rishonim are not universally friendly to all such techniques.
* Puritan "flavoring." Although the Puritans don't generally tend to engage in ''full on'' midrashic-style interpretation, they do nevertheless frequently make ''micro-usage'' of it in colorful illustrations that add spice and memorability to their writings, for example:
** "The tree of the cross being cast into the waters of affliction hath rendered them wholesome and medicinal."<ref>John Owen, Pneumatologia, Book IV, Chap 4, pg 447.</ref>
* Relatively recent precursors:
** Hermann L. Strack and Paul Billerbeck’s ''Commentary on the New Testament from the Talmud and Midrash'' from the 1920s precedes our classification of [[the modern figural-midrashic renaissance]].
** "It is difficult to give a precise date for the inception of the literary approach to biblical study. Many 20th century scholars incorporated elements of this method in their work, including Martin Buber, Franz Rosensweig, Benno Jacob, Umberto Cassuto, and Nehama Leibowitz. More recently though, scholars such as Adele Berlin, Michael Fishbane, Meir Sternberg, and Robert Alter can be credited as the first to fully embody the literary approach as defined above. With Alter being the most well-known of the group, let’s examine his approach. In his seminal work, ''The Art of Biblical Narrative'', Alter [1981] argues that the literary structure and unity of the Torah indicate a deliberate authorial intent..."<ref name=curwin>Curwin, David. "[https://dafaleph.com/s/Orthodox-Literary-Approach.pdf The Orthodox Literary Approach: Opening Doors and Closing Gaps]." https://dafaleph.com. Cited Feb 2, 2025.</ref>

==Modern sources who make use of midrashic hermeneutical methodologies==
[[The modern figural-midrashic renaissance]] page may contain examples or quotes from sources not catalogued here.
* Orthodox Jewish:
** Rabbi David Fohrman and team at [https://alephbeta.org https://alephbeta.org.] The animated videos provide a well-suited introduction to the methodology for both Biblical scholar and school-aged child alike. The podcasts (e.g. [https://members.alephbeta.org/podcasts/book-like-no-other A Book Like No Other]) and seminar courses (in some cases available only to patron members) are as deep and profound as anything you will find in the academic literature. He also has [https://shop.alephbeta.org/collections/books-by-rabbi-fohrman excellent books] available.
** Yonatan Grossman (teaching in Hebrew), a professor of Bible at Bar Ilan University and Herzog College<ref name=curwin/>
* Messianic:
** The [https://ffoz.org First Fruits of Zion] article [https://ffoz.org/messiah/articles/faith-strengthened Answering Anti-Missionaries] addresses some issues pertaining to Midrashic methods of exegesis
** Otto Gershon resources include [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1fh09flfV4&list=PLz8qJcWh7VHntYsCYLWYuuubjY9WZg91G The Otto Zone] video series
** See Seth Postell in the tools section below
* Protestant Evangelical and/or Reformed:
** James B. Jordan and theological heirs:
*** Jordan's [https://biblicalhorizons.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Through-New-Eyes.pdf Through New Eyes] provides a good entry-level introduction to seeing both the world and Scripture through new eyes
*** Peter Leithart and crew: [https://theopolisinstitute.com/ https://theopolisinstitute.com]
*** [https://www.biblematrix.com.au/ Mike Bull] contributes several interesting/unique perspectives, including his emphasis on the "fractal" nature of the Bible
*** [https://argosy.substack.com Alastair Roberts] resources include a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9Z_I6OWzT0&list=PLDtm5aqtLCz0NEa2rg6kW8IYb9ZKfD2zc chapter-by-chapter audio Biblical commentary]. He is co-author of [https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/themelios/review/echoes-of-exodus-tracing-themes-of-redemption-through-scripture one of two distinct books published separately in 2018 both entitled "Echoes of Exodus"] (something is indeed "[[The modern figural-midrashic renaissance|in the air]]"!). For further back-history research he also has a video on [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HR-NtkDXfUk Who Are James Jordan's Influences?]
** Greg Beale:
*** His (NIGTC) Commentary on Revelation provides an encyclopedia of literary and theological connections between John's Apocalypse and Tanakh, as well as with other Judaic sources including Midrash, Talmud, Targums, etc.
*** "The Temple and the Church's Mission" explores the symbolism of Israel's Temple/Tabernacle and how that applies to the ''mission'' (not the architecture!) of the church
** Meredith Kline's "Kingdom Prologue" (especially if packaged together with Beale's "Temple and ... Mission") is, in some ways, a more densely-packed, seminary-level version of Jordan's [https://biblicalhorizons.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Through-New-Eyes.pdf Through New Eyes] (and indeed is cited in Jordan's Bibliography)
** "[https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/opth-2022-0245 Forward and Reverse Gematria are Very Different Beasts]" proposes to resolve the 666 gematria/isopsephy problem of Revelation 13:18 using a combination of [[intertextuality]] and [[gematria]]
** Matt Harmon's ''The Servant of the Lord and His Servant People: Tracing a Biblical Theme Through the Canon'' makes use of the "vertical context" and related [[hermeneutical choices for the Bible's use of the Bible]]
** [https://bibleproject.com BibleProject™] makes use of some midrashic tools (often implicitly), e.g. when talking about intertextual "hyperlinks"
** Bob Wern [https://www.youtube.com/@thedustyfeet @thedustyfeet] has numerous derivative supercommentary videos following on AlephBeta and BibleProject resources
** The Reformed Biblical theology movement in the 20th century, especially with its emphasis on [[typology]], may be seen as a first stage of the Christian side of this figural-literary interpretive renaissance. Geerhardus Vos is often considered the father of the modern resurgence in seeing Christ as the hermeneutical key and exegetical center of the entire Bible. Edmund Clowney was an influential figure, at least in academic circles, for promoting Christocentric hermeneutics, while books by Graeme Goldsworthy and John R. Cross made some inroads with a broader lay audience.
** The fact that this list of Evangelical authors is heavily Reformed(-leaning) is not random or mere bias on the part of the contributors. The classic Dispensationalist historical-grammatical method strongly commits to a single, stable, authorially anchored meaning in the text (with future referential fulfillment in the case of prophecy), which in many ways is diametrically at odds with this renaissance. Relatively sympathetic figures might include progressive dispensationalism pioneer Darrel Bock (as a contributor to Carson and Beale's ''Commentary on the NT Use of the OT'') and Buist Fanning (esp. his ''Revelation'' commentary). According to ScholarGPT, the work of present day Dallas academics shows awareness of intertextual links and such while remaining cautious regarding what we should with that data. One interesting upshot is that within the renaissance which this page concerns, a subset of the traditionally supercessionist camp of Christians — without the accompaniment of their Zionist-friendly brethren — has found a common touchpoint with certain modern Orthodox Jews and their ancient Rabbinic heritage!
* Islamic
** [https://www.youtube.com/@bayyinah Nouman Ali Khan]; For a short sample see his [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSFd2Uz82bk Connection between Surah Al Fatihah & Surah An-Nas]. His book ''Divine Speech: Exploring Quran as Literature'' provides a lay-accessible presentation of several literary features of the Quran, summarizing recent scholarship from Neal Robinson, Raymond Farrin, etc.
* Cross-pollination
** (Catholic) Bishop Robert Barron and (Eastern Orthodox) Jonathan Pageau discuss [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyMDIvF-I60 Recognizing Patterns] and symbolism in Scripture.
** (EO) Pageau and (Protestant) Roberts also engaged in a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXlVUZeZKVo Rediscovery of Symbolism] cross-stream chat.

==Tools and resources to facilitate learning and using such hermeneutical methods==
* https://mg.alhatorah.org/TanakhLab is a useful for intertextual studies
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talmudical_hermeneutics
* Fohrman's "[https://members.alephbeta.org/course/how-to-read-the-bible The Seven Habits of Highly Intuitive Readers of the Bible]" Course
* Fohrman's "[https://members.alephbeta.org/playlist/midrash-methodology-course Midrash Methodology]" Course
* Beale's ''Handbook on the New Testament use of the Old Testament'' provides interpretive principles with some sample case studies
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgEsLxxDSmI Gary Schnittjer] and Mark Harmon's ''How to Study the Bible’s Use of the Bible'' presents seven [[hermeneutical choices for the Bible's use of the Bible]]. Schnittjer's ''Torah Story'' and ''Old Testament Use of Old Testament'' explore issues of inner-Biblical exegesis and allusions
* André Houssney has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQKSSNdqNws&list=PLTsoW3rZJW-7gd-4JFvNOjZeMmtbB_ciT&index=2 three part series on Biblical symbolism] melding the benefits of Eastern and Western interpretive perspectives
* Richard Hays has multiple resources, including:
** ''Reading the Bible Intertextually'': Hays, Richard B., Alkier, Stefan, and Huizenga, Leroy A.
** His "echoes" books, e.g. ''Echoes of Scripture in the Letters of Paul,'' explain some of the principles behind the hermeneutical technique he employs therein.
* Rabbi/Mathematician Elie Feder's ''Gematria Refigured'' rescues this ancient tool from many of the naive or abusive uses it has been put through which have tended to give it a reputation in the eyes of many thoughtful and careful exegetes. His work greatly helps set [[gematria]] science back on a more firm foundation by providing both persuasive examples and by drawing general interpretive principles from those examples.
* Seth D. Postell, ''The Art of Narrative Analogy: Identifying and Interpreting Parallel Passages in the Bible''
* AI is capable of contributing helpful insights to prompts that guide it towards a novel synthesis of known/established ideas. (Indeed, it is surprisingly better at that sort of task than at some mundane tasks such as its infamous foul up at counting the number of "r"s in the word "strawberry.") With just a little bit of direction it can "see" connections that you suggest, even if those particular associations have not been presented in any existing literature. So its potential as a [[chavruta]] partner for midrashic exegetical research should not be underestimated. Here is one example provided by a student in an [[AlephBeta]] class: https://chatgpt.com/share/67c0116d-1aa4-8005-9f64-c0431105e27c.
* If you are asking yourself, "Is anyone seeing the same amazing things in the Bible that I am?" check out the [[Midrashic Hermeneutical Discussion Communities|midrashic hermeneutical discussion communities]] page for leads on other like-minded people to talk to!

== Additional potential leads (yet to be confirmed for relevance and categorized by Bible Wiki editors...) ==
* Eugene Borowitz - Talmud's Theological Wordgame
* Max Kadushan - Rabbinic Thinking and Organic Thinking
* Sources Rabbi David Fohrman [https://members.alephbeta.org/playlist/rabbi-fohrman-biography has mentioned]:
** Robert Alter, The Art of Biblical Poetry
** Michlelet Herzog and Herzog College
** "The work that we're doing here at Aleph Beta in Tanach, there's other people across the globe that are doing similar kinds of work. Some focus in the Gush in Machon Herzog are, but not just in the Gush. I just had a chareidi fellow over here in Jerusalem giving talks to Chevron and to Ponevezh and he stumbled upon this himself. It's in the air. People are going to find it because the age is right for it."
** [https://members.alephbeta.org/playlist/how-to-learn-torah Rabbi Menachem Leibtag]
* David Daube worked on rabbinic law and NT parallels in the mid-20th century
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillel_Bakis
* [https://hebraicthought.org/podcast/how-scripture-reads-scripture-understanding-biblical-intertextuality-brent-strawn-ep-186 Brent Strawn mentions] Ross Wagner and says that "David Lincicum has a great new book coming out" (regarding intertextual activations). He also speaks about taking a course from Ulrich Mauser in which the main thesis was that any symbol you find in Revelation is not ''de novo'' but originates in the Old Testament or Jewish intertestamental literature.
* [https://www.bemadiscipleship.com BEMA podcast]
* ScholarGPT suggestions on academic resources:
** Jewish literary approach: Meir Sternberg, Adele Berlin, Yair Zakovitch, Shimon Bar-Efrat.
** Inner-biblical exegesis: Michael Fishbane, Benjamin Sommer.
** Christian figural reading: Hans Boersma, Matthew Levering, C. Kavin Rowe, Ephraim Radner, Kevin Vanhoozer.
** Reception history: Ulrich Luz, Christopher Rowland, Frances Young.
** Islamic parallels: Tarif Khalidi on Qurʾānic biblical intertextuality; Mustansir Mir on Qurʾānic narrative patterns.

==References==

[[Category:Midrashic hermeneutics]]
[[Category:Lists]]

The modern midrashic, literary, figural-symbolic, pattern-based hermeneutical renaissance

2026-04-24T20:14:25Z

Zekeriya:

As yet unbeknownst to most Bible students and believers outside the academy, since roughly the 1980s we are presently living on the cusp of arguably the second greatest<ref>The printing press, introduction of Greek texts in the West following the Ottoman conquest of Byzantium, and the popularization of Sola Scriptura, all within a 100 year span, definitely made the biggest impact on Biblical truth going forth to the masses.</ref> hermeneutical renaissance since the first century AD! [[Midrashic Literary Tools|Ancient rabbinic and patristic literary tools]] (e.g. intertextuality, symbolism, chiasms, paronomasia, gematria) are being independently rediscovered among [[Midrashic Hermeneutical Resources|diverse interpretive communities]] including Orthodox Jewish, Cathlo-Orthodox, conservative Evangelical, and liberal scholarship, allowing the “[[derash|midrashic layer]]” of Scripture to once again be seen with new eyes. ''[[Legitimate versus problematic figuralism|Properly employed]]''(!), studies that plumb the deeper ([[derash]]) layer do not reveal novel, strange, or otherwise secret/hidden doctrines, but rather add color, texture, nuance, richness, flavor, insight, and deeper heart-impacting dimensionality to the same foundational truth readily available on the surface ([[peshat]]) layer of the text.

This page concerns the overall phenomenon of the contemporary renaissance itself. For historic predecessors and specific modern examples see [[midrashic hermeneutical resources]].

==Evidence and Testimony of a Contemporary Renaissance==
* The [[Midrashic hermeneutical resources]] page provides examples of the diversity of streams which are converging in this already-existing-yet-largely-unknown renaissance
* Rabbi David Fohrman: "Now, I do think that we used to have it, but I think it was lost. My theory is that the Rabbis, ''Chazal'' had it. The Sages of the Talmud. They had an actual coherent approach to Biblical study, but they weren't overt about it. They kept it among themselves. It was almost like a secret society. Like this is how Bible is learned. They had ways of doing it. ... I'm happy that I was able to spend the last 20 years on, I think, is actually working on an approach that isn't really so new, but I think it's old. It's a way of uncovering techniques that I think are the oldest techniques that we have in Biblical study. That were the fundamentals of what the Rabbis of those days were using when they made that kind of exegesis."<ref name="FohrmanKoretzky">Fohrman, David and Ari Koretzky. An Interview with Rabbi Fohrman, https://www.alephbeta.org/playlist/rabbi-fohrman-biography, AlephBeta, url citation date: 2023-12-02.</ref>
* "Rabbi Koretzky: How has that approach been received by secular academics? Do they see it as kind of like a bit of a cop out or a sellout and like you're just trying to inject meaning ‑‑ impose meaning where ‑‑ an order where really it's just chaos? Or do people respect it and say, okay, this is a reasonable alternative? Rabbi Fohrman: Look, it depends what you mean by academics. I would say there is a branch of this in academia. It's a small branch in academia. The closest that you have in an academia is guys like Robert Alter. ... I didn't read Robert Alter and he didn't see my thing, but we kind of independently came to similar approaches. So it's there a little bit with Robert Alter. It's there within the Orthodox world, in Israel, in Michlelet Herzog. The whole Herzog College is devoted really to a similar kind of approach. Guys like Yoni Grossman, who's a professor at Bar Ilan, this is his thing."<ref name="FohrmanKoretzky"/>
* In academia, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intertextuality Julia Kristeva is credited with coining the term "intertextuality"] in 1968<ref>analysis of ''Jehan de Saintré'', (in the collective volume ''Théorie d'ensemble'', Paris, Seuil, 1968).</ref> (with Mikhail Bakhtin as her major influence?)
* Regarding the book of Revelation in particular Beale<ref>Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation: A Commentary on the Greek Text. W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press, 1999, p. 76.</ref> observes, "Until the early 1980s the use of the OT in the Apocalypse of John received less attention than the use of the OT elsewhere in the NT—merely two books and six significant articles. Important discussion of the subject could be found in commentaries and other books... . Since the early 1980s, however, six significant books have been written on the topic... . Since the same period, a number of articles on the same subject have appeared," and Allen<ref>Allen, Garrick V. Scriptural Allusions in the Book of Revelation and the Contours of Textual Research 1900-2014: Retrospect and Prospects, Currents in Biblical Research,
volume 14,
number 3,
pages 319--339,
2016,
SAGE Publications Sage UK: London, England</ref> traces some of that history from 1900--2014.
* David Curwin traces the [https://dafaleph.com/s/Orthodox-Literary-Approach.pdf "the Orthodox modern literary approach revolution"]<ref>Curwin, David. "[https://dafaleph.com/s/Orthodox-Literary-Approach.pdf The Orthodox Literary Approach: Opening Doors and Closing Gaps]." https://dafaleph.com. Cited Feb 2, 2025.</ref>, using Robert Alter's 1981 "The Art of Biblical Narrative" as watershed turning point for establishing, or at least beginning the popularization of, the movement.
* John Ahern ponders the legitimacy of the [https://theopolisinstitute.com Theopolitan] interpretive style in his essay "[https://theopolisinstitute.com/a-hermeneutic-of-riddles/ A Hermeneutic of Riddles]." He ends up defending the notion that the Bible's overall genre is as much "riddle" as it is "story."
* Works on Biblical "echoes," both the [[Midrashic_hermeneutical_resources#Tools_and_resources_to_facilitate_learning_and_using_such_hermeneutical_methods|theory]] and [[Midrashic_hermeneutical_resources#Modern_sources_who_make_use_of_midrashic_hermeneutical_methodologies|employed exegetical results thereof]], have increasingly blossomed in the Christian world in the present generation.

==How to Learn from This Renaissance==
See [[midrashic hermeneutical resources]].

==How to Participate in This Renaissance==
See [[midrashic hermeneutical discussion communities]].

==Footnotes==
<references />

[[Category:Midrashic hermeneutics]]

Midrashic hermeneutical resources

2026-04-24T20:00:53Z

Zekeriya: /* Ancient and pre-modern sources who make use of midrashic hermeneutical methodologies */

Resources pertaining to [[the modern midrashic, literary, figural-symbolic, pattern-based hermeneutical renaissance]].

==Ancient and pre-modern sources who make use of midrashic hermeneutical methodologies==
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pesher Pesher] demonstrate that the notion of "two levels" to Scripture was already active pre-rabbinically, with the more concealed layer invoking pattern-based rereading to reuse prophetic texts in new contexts.
* The "[[derash|midrashic]]" label as applied to this renaissance on this site originates from the work of [[Chazal]], the Jewish sages responsible for the Mishnah, Midrash, and Talmud, particularly regarding the [[derash]] layer of the [[:Category:Pardes|PaRDeS]] hermeneutic suite. As comes through quite clearly in their literature, however, the ancient Rabbis certainly did not have a monolithic approach:
** Rabbi Akiva is the classic interpretive maximalist. With his [[no superfluity]] of language principle, the text is effectively infinitely generative.
** Rabbi Ishmael is the primary restraining force to the Akiva school.
* Patristic:
** Origin is known for developing a systematic intra-biblical figural reading.
** The hymns of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephrem_the_Syrian Ephrem the Syrian] and the homilies of Gregory of Nyssa often interweave symbols from different parts of Scripture in insightful ways.
** [[Allegory]] is one of Augustine's fourfold senses of Scripture, with his usage thereof having long been controversial. His allegorical interpretation of the Parable of the Good Samaritan is a classically [[Legitimate versus problematic figuralism|questionable example]] that has put a bad taste in the mouth of later exegetes toward such methodology. He also puts an intra-canonical figural reading (figura) into practice.
* Rishonim
** Sometimes Rashi. Rabbi David Fohrman has a theory that Rashi alternates between two entirely different approaches in his commentary, and it is important to know which you are dealing with. When his contemporary readers would need help with the [[peshat]] layer of the text, e.g. meanings of archaic Hebrew words, he supplies that. But with texts that are already easy to understand on your own he goes deeper, introducing you to the world of midrash by alluding to the stories, pointing to the [[gunpowder and trigger]], etc.
** Rabbeinu Bachya is one of the more frequent users of midrashic materials (as per ChatGPT).
** Ramban frequently ''interacts'' with the actual Midrash texts, but more from an analytical perspective.
** Ibn Ezra's strong [[peshat]] emphasis would serve as a counter-example to make the point that Rishonim are not universally friendly to all such techniques.
* Puritan "flavoring." Although the Puritans don't generally tend to engage in ''full on'' midrashic-style interpretation, they do nevertheless frequently make ''micro-usage'' of it in colorful illustrations that add spice and memorability to their writings, for example:
** "The tree of the cross being cast into the waters of affliction hath rendered them wholesome and medicinal."<ref>John Owen, Pneumatologia, Book IV, Chap 4, pg 447.</ref>
* Relatively recent precursors:
** Hermann L. Strack and Paul Billerbeck’s ''Commentary on the New Testament from the Talmud and Midrash'' from the 1920s precedes our classification of [[the modern figural-midrashic renaissance]].
** "It is difficult to give a precise date for the inception of the literary approach to biblical study. Many 20th century scholars incorporated elements of this method in their work, including Martin Buber, Franz Rosensweig, Benno Jacob, Umberto Cassuto, and Nehama Leibowitz. More recently though, scholars such as Adele Berlin, Michael Fishbane, Meir Sternberg, and Robert Alter can be credited as the first to fully embody the literary approach as defined above. With Alter being the most well-known of the group, let’s examine his approach. In his seminal work, ''The Art of Biblical Narrative'', Alter [1981] argues that the literary structure and unity of the Torah indicate a deliberate authorial intent..."<ref name=curwin>Curwin, David. "[https://dafaleph.com/s/Orthodox-Literary-Approach.pdf The Orthodox Literary Approach: Opening Doors and Closing Gaps]." https://dafaleph.com. Cited Feb 2, 2025.</ref>

==Modern sources who make use of midrashic hermeneutical methodologies==
[[The modern figural-midrashic renaissance]] page may contain examples or quotes from sources not catalogued here.
* Orthodox Jewish:
** Rabbi David Fohrman and team at [https://alephbeta.org https://alephbeta.org.] The animated videos provide a well-suited introduction to the methodology for both Biblical scholar and school-aged child alike. The podcasts (e.g. [https://members.alephbeta.org/podcasts/book-like-no-other A Book Like No Other]) and seminar courses (in some cases available only to patron members) are as deep and profound as anything you will find in the academic literature. He also has [https://shop.alephbeta.org/collections/books-by-rabbi-fohrman excellent books] available.
** Yonatan Grossman (teaching in Hebrew), a professor of Bible at Bar Ilan University and Herzog College<ref name=curwin/>
* Messianic:
** The [https://ffoz.org First Fruits of Zion] article [https://ffoz.org/messiah/articles/faith-strengthened Answering Anti-Missionaries] addresses some issues pertaining to Midrashic methods of exegesis
** Otto Gershon resources include [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1fh09flfV4&list=PLz8qJcWh7VHntYsCYLWYuuubjY9WZg91G The Otto Zone] video series
** See Seth Postell in the tools section below
* Protestant Evangelical and/or Reformed:
** James B. Jordan and theological heirs:
*** Jordan's [https://biblicalhorizons.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Through-New-Eyes.pdf Through New Eyes] provides a good entry-level introduction to seeing both the world and Scripture through new eyes
*** Peter Leithart and crew: [https://theopolisinstitute.com/ https://theopolisinstitute.com]
*** [https://www.biblematrix.com.au/ Mike Bull] contributes several interesting/unique perspectives, including his emphasis on the "fractal" nature of the Bible
*** [https://argosy.substack.com Alastair Roberts] resources include a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9Z_I6OWzT0&list=PLDtm5aqtLCz0NEa2rg6kW8IYb9ZKfD2zc chapter-by-chapter audio Biblical commentary]. He is co-author of [https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/themelios/review/echoes-of-exodus-tracing-themes-of-redemption-through-scripture one of two distinct books published separately in 2018 both entitled "Echoes of Exodus"] (something is indeed "[[The modern figural-midrashic renaissance|in the air]]"!). For further back-history research he also has a video on [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HR-NtkDXfUk Who Are James Jordan's Influences?]
** Greg Beale:
*** His (NIGTC) Commentary on Revelation provides an encyclopedia of literary and theological connections between John's Apocalypse and Tanakh, as well as with other Judaic sources including Midrash, Talmud, Targums, etc.
*** "The Temple and the Church's Mission" explores the symbolism of Israel's Temple/Tabernacle and how that applies to the ''mission'' (not the architecture!) of the church
** Meredith Kline's "Kingdom Prologue" (especially if packaged together with Beale's "Temple and ... Mission") is, in some ways, a more densely-packed, seminary-level version of Jordan's [https://biblicalhorizons.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Through-New-Eyes.pdf Through New Eyes] (and indeed is cited in Jordan's Bibliography)
** "[https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/opth-2022-0245 Forward and Reverse Gematria are Very Different Beasts]" proposes to resolve the 666 gematria/isopsephy problem of Revelation 13:18 using a combination of [[intertextuality]] and [[gematria]]
** Matt Harmon's ''The Servant of the Lord and His Servant People: Tracing a Biblical Theme Through the Canon'' makes use of the "vertical context" and related [[hermeneutical choices for the Bible's use of the Bible]]
** [https://bibleproject.com BibleProject™] makes use of some midrashic tools (often implicitly), e.g. when talking about intertextual "hyperlinks"
** Bob Wern [https://www.youtube.com/@thedustyfeet @thedustyfeet] has numerous derivative supercommentary videos following on AlephBeta and BibleProject resources
** The Reformed Biblical theology movement in the 20th century, especially with its emphasis on [[typology]], may be seen as a first stage of the Christian side of this figural-literary interpretive renaissance. Geerhardus Vos is often considered the father of the modern resurgence in seeing Christ as the hermeneutical key and exegetical center of the entire Bible. Edmund Clowney was an influential figure, at least in academic circles, for promoting Christocentric hermeneutics, while books by Graeme Goldsworthy and John R. Cross made some inroads with a broader lay audience.
** The fact that this list of Evangelical authors is heavily Reformed(-leaning) is not random or mere bias on the part of the contributors. The classic Dispensationalist historical-grammatical method strongly commits to a single, stable, authorially anchored meaning in the text (with future referential fulfillment in the case of prophecy), which in many ways is diametrically at odds with this renaissance. Relatively sympathetic figures might include progressive dispensationalism pioneer Darrel Bock (as a contributor to Carson and Beale's ''Commentary on the NT Use of the OT'') and Buist Fanning (esp. his ''Revelation'' commentary). According to ScholarGPT, the work of present day Dallas academics shows awareness of intertextual links and such while remaining cautious regarding what we should with that data. The interesting implication is that within the renaissance this page concerns, the traditionally supercessionist camp of Christians has found a common touchpoint with certain modern Orthodox Jews and their ancient Rabbinic heritage in a manner not shared by the much more Zionist-friendly brethren!
* Islamic
** [https://www.youtube.com/@bayyinah Nouman Ali Khan]; For a short sample see his [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSFd2Uz82bk Connection between Surah Al Fatihah & Surah An-Nas]. His book ''Divine Speech: Exploring Quran as Literature'' provides a lay-accessible presentation of several literary features of the Quran, summarizing recent scholarship from Neal Robinson, Raymond Farrin, etc.
* Cross-pollination
** (Catholic) Bishop Robert Barron and (Eastern Orthodox) Jonathan Pageau discuss [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyMDIvF-I60 Recognizing Patterns] and symbolism in Scripture.
** (EO) Pageau and (Protestant) Roberts also engaged in a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXlVUZeZKVo Rediscovery of Symbolism] cross-stream chat.

==Tools and resources to facilitate learning and using such hermeneutical methods==
* https://mg.alhatorah.org/TanakhLab is a useful for intertextual studies
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talmudical_hermeneutics
* Fohrman's "[https://members.alephbeta.org/course/how-to-read-the-bible The Seven Habits of Highly Intuitive Readers of the Bible]" Course
* Fohrman's "[https://members.alephbeta.org/playlist/midrash-methodology-course Midrash Methodology]" Course
* Beale's ''Handbook on the New Testament use of the Old Testament'' provides interpretive principles with some sample case studies
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgEsLxxDSmI Gary Schnittjer] and Mark Harmon's ''How to Study the Bible’s Use of the Bible'' presents seven [[hermeneutical choices for the Bible's use of the Bible]]. Schnittjer's ''Torah Story'' and ''Old Testament Use of Old Testament'' explore issues of inner-Biblical exegesis and allusions
* André Houssney has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQKSSNdqNws&list=PLTsoW3rZJW-7gd-4JFvNOjZeMmtbB_ciT&index=2 three part series on Biblical symbolism] melding the benefits of Eastern and Western interpretive perspectives
* Richard Hays has multiple resources, including:
** ''Reading the Bible Intertextually'': Hays, Richard B., Alkier, Stefan, and Huizenga, Leroy A.
** His "echoes" books, e.g. ''Echoes of Scripture in the Letters of Paul,'' explain some of the principles behind the hermeneutical technique he employs therein.
* Rabbi/Mathematician Elie Feder's ''Gematria Refigured'' rescues this ancient tool from many of the naive or abusive uses it has been put through which have tended to give it a reputation in the eyes of many thoughtful and careful exegetes. His work greatly helps set [[gematria]] science back on a more firm foundation by providing both persuasive examples and by drawing general interpretive principles from those examples.
* Seth D. Postell, ''The Art of Narrative Analogy: Identifying and Interpreting Parallel Passages in the Bible''
* AI is capable of contributing helpful insights to prompts that guide it towards a novel synthesis of known/established ideas. (Indeed, it is surprisingly better at that sort of task than at some mundane tasks such as its infamous foul up at counting the number of "r"s in the word "strawberry.") With just a little bit of direction it can "see" connections that you suggest, even if those particular associations have not been presented in any existing literature. So its potential as a [[chavruta]] partner for midrashic exegetical research should not be underestimated. Here is one example provided by a student in an [[AlephBeta]] class: https://chatgpt.com/share/67c0116d-1aa4-8005-9f64-c0431105e27c.
* If you are asking yourself, "Is anyone seeing the same amazing things in the Bible that I am?" check out the [[Midrashic Hermeneutical Discussion Communities|midrashic hermeneutical discussion communities]] page for leads on other like-minded people to talk to!

== Additional potential leads (yet to be confirmed for relevance and categorized by Bible Wiki editors...) ==
* Eugene Borowitz - Talmud's Theological Wordgame
* Max Kadushan - Rabbinic Thinking and Organic Thinking
* Sources Rabbi David Fohrman [https://members.alephbeta.org/playlist/rabbi-fohrman-biography has mentioned]:
** Robert Alter, The Art of Biblical Poetry
** Michlelet Herzog and Herzog College
** "The work that we're doing here at Aleph Beta in Tanach, there's other people across the globe that are doing similar kinds of work. Some focus in the Gush in Machon Herzog are, but not just in the Gush. I just had a chareidi fellow over here in Jerusalem giving talks to Chevron and to Ponevezh and he stumbled upon this himself. It's in the air. People are going to find it because the age is right for it."
** [https://members.alephbeta.org/playlist/how-to-learn-torah Rabbi Menachem Leibtag]
* David Daube worked on rabbinic law and NT parallels in the mid-20th century
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillel_Bakis
* [https://hebraicthought.org/podcast/how-scripture-reads-scripture-understanding-biblical-intertextuality-brent-strawn-ep-186 Brent Strawn mentions] Ross Wagner and says that "David Lincicum has a great new book coming out" (regarding intertextual activations). He also speaks about taking a course from Ulrich Mauser in which the main thesis was that any symbol you find in Revelation is not ''de novo'' but originates in the Old Testament or Jewish intertestamental literature.
* [https://www.bemadiscipleship.com BEMA podcast]
* ScholarGPT suggestions on academic resources:
** Jewish literary approach: Meir Sternberg, Adele Berlin, Yair Zakovitch, Shimon Bar-Efrat.
** Inner-biblical exegesis: Michael Fishbane, Benjamin Sommer.
** Christian figural reading: Hans Boersma, Matthew Levering, C. Kavin Rowe, Ephraim Radner, Kevin Vanhoozer.
** Reception history: Ulrich Luz, Christopher Rowland, Frances Young.
** Islamic parallels: Tarif Khalidi on Qurʾānic biblical intertextuality; Mustansir Mir on Qurʾānic narrative patterns.

==References==

[[Category:Midrashic hermeneutics]]
[[Category:Lists]]

Midrashic literary tools

2026-04-24T19:58:08Z

Zekeriya:

Many of these are not unique to [[derash|midrashic]] analysis. For example, determining [[genre]] is a fundamental principle of Biblical interpretation which is the foundation of even the most basic [[peshat]] exegesis. Nevertheless, for the sake of completion this page lists literary tools that may be employed as part of midrashic study of the text.

* [[Intertextuality]], [[Allusions]], [[Echoes]]
* [[:Category:Symbolism]]
* [[:Category:Chiasms]]
* [[Paronomasia]] (serious word play, puns)
* [[Gematria]]/[[isopsephy]] and [[:Category:Numerical symbolism]] in general
* [[Typology]]
* [[Allegory]]
* [[Inclusio]]
* [[Merism]]
* [[Acrostic]]
* [[Polyvalence]]
* [[Double entendre]]
* [[Juxtaposition]]
* [[No superfluity]] (Akiva school)
* [[Parallelism]]
* [[Janus parallelism]]
* [[:Category:Pardes]] (interpretive "layer") distinctions
* [[Leitmotifs]] (keywords)
* [[Genre]]

==See also==
* [[Schools of midrashic interpretation]] provide various rule sets
* [[AlephBeta methodology cliff notes]]

[[Category:Midrashic hermeneutics]]
[[Category:Lists]]
[[Category:Literary analysis tools]]

Midrashic hermeneutical resources

2026-04-24T19:51:02Z

Zekeriya:

Resources pertaining to [[the modern midrashic, literary, figural-symbolic, pattern-based hermeneutical renaissance]].

==Ancient and pre-modern sources who make use of midrashic hermeneutical methodologies==
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pesher Pesher] demonstrate that the notion of "two levels" to Scripture was already active pre-rabbinically, with the more concealed layer invoking pattern-based rereading to reuse prophetic texts in new contexts.
* The "[[derash|midrashic]]" label as applied to this renaissance on this site originates from the work of [[Chazal]], the Jewish sages responsible for the Mishnah, Midrash, and Talmud, particularly regarding the [[derash]] layer of the [[:Category:Pardes|PaRDeS]] hermeneutic suite.
* Patristic:
** Origin is known for developing a systematic intra-biblical figural reading.
** The hymns of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephrem_the_Syrian Ephrem the Syrian] and the homilies of Gregory of Nyssa often interweave symbols from different parts of Scripture in insightful ways.
** [[Allegory]] is one of Augustine's fourfold senses of Scripture, with his usage thereof having long been controversial. His allegorical interpretation of the Parable of the Good Samaritan is a classically [[Legitimate versus problematic figuralism|questionable example]] that has put a bad taste in the mouth of later exegetes toward such methodology. He also puts an intra-canonical figural reading (figura) into practice.
* Rishonim
** Sometimes Rashi. Rabbi David Fohrman has a theory that Rashi alternates between two entirely different approaches in his commentary, and it is important to know which you are dealing with. When his contemporary readers would need help with the [[peshat]] layer of the text, e.g. meanings of archaic Hebrew words, he supplies that. But with texts that are already easy to understand on your own he goes deeper, introducing you to the world of midrash by alluding to the stories, pointing to the [[gunpowder and trigger]], etc.
** Rabbeinu Bachya is one of the more frequent users of midrashic materials (as per ChatGPT).
** Ramban frequently ''interacts'' with the actual Midrash texts, but more from an analytical perspective.
** Ibn Ezra's strong [[peshat]] emphasis would serve as a counter-example to make the point that Rishonim are not universally friendly to all such techniques.
* Puritan "flavoring." Although the Puritans don't generally tend to engage in ''full on'' midrashic-style interpretation, they do nevertheless frequently make ''micro-usage'' of it in colorful illustrations that add spice and memorability to their writings, for example:
** "The tree of the cross being cast into the waters of affliction hath rendered them wholesome and medicinal."<ref>John Owen, Pneumatologia, Book IV, Chap 4, pg 447.</ref>
* Relatively recent precursors:
** Hermann L. Strack and Paul Billerbeck’s ''Commentary on the New Testament from the Talmud and Midrash'' from the 1920s precedes our classification of [[the modern figural-midrashic renaissance]].
** "It is difficult to give a precise date for the inception of the literary approach to biblical study. Many 20th century scholars incorporated elements of this method in their work, including Martin Buber, Franz Rosensweig, Benno Jacob, Umberto Cassuto, and Nehama Leibowitz. More recently though, scholars such as Adele Berlin, Michael Fishbane, Meir Sternberg, and Robert Alter can be credited as the first to fully embody the literary approach as defined above. With Alter being the most well-known of the group, let’s examine his approach. In his seminal work, ''The Art of Biblical Narrative'', Alter [1981] argues that the literary structure and unity of the Torah indicate a deliberate authorial intent..."<ref name=curwin>Curwin, David. "[https://dafaleph.com/s/Orthodox-Literary-Approach.pdf The Orthodox Literary Approach: Opening Doors and Closing Gaps]." https://dafaleph.com. Cited Feb 2, 2025.</ref>

==Modern sources who make use of midrashic hermeneutical methodologies==
[[The modern figural-midrashic renaissance]] page may contain examples or quotes from sources not catalogued here.
* Orthodox Jewish:
** Rabbi David Fohrman and team at [https://alephbeta.org https://alephbeta.org.] The animated videos provide a well-suited introduction to the methodology for both Biblical scholar and school-aged child alike. The podcasts (e.g. [https://members.alephbeta.org/podcasts/book-like-no-other A Book Like No Other]) and seminar courses (in some cases available only to patron members) are as deep and profound as anything you will find in the academic literature. He also has [https://shop.alephbeta.org/collections/books-by-rabbi-fohrman excellent books] available.
** Yonatan Grossman (teaching in Hebrew), a professor of Bible at Bar Ilan University and Herzog College<ref name=curwin/>
* Messianic:
** The [https://ffoz.org First Fruits of Zion] article [https://ffoz.org/messiah/articles/faith-strengthened Answering Anti-Missionaries] addresses some issues pertaining to Midrashic methods of exegesis
** Otto Gershon resources include [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1fh09flfV4&list=PLz8qJcWh7VHntYsCYLWYuuubjY9WZg91G The Otto Zone] video series
** See Seth Postell in the tools section below
* Protestant Evangelical and/or Reformed:
** James B. Jordan and theological heirs:
*** Jordan's [https://biblicalhorizons.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Through-New-Eyes.pdf Through New Eyes] provides a good entry-level introduction to seeing both the world and Scripture through new eyes
*** Peter Leithart and crew: [https://theopolisinstitute.com/ https://theopolisinstitute.com]
*** [https://www.biblematrix.com.au/ Mike Bull] contributes several interesting/unique perspectives, including his emphasis on the "fractal" nature of the Bible
*** [https://argosy.substack.com Alastair Roberts] resources include a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9Z_I6OWzT0&list=PLDtm5aqtLCz0NEa2rg6kW8IYb9ZKfD2zc chapter-by-chapter audio Biblical commentary]. He is co-author of [https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/themelios/review/echoes-of-exodus-tracing-themes-of-redemption-through-scripture one of two distinct books published separately in 2018 both entitled "Echoes of Exodus"] (something is indeed "[[The modern figural-midrashic renaissance|in the air]]"!). For further back-history research he also has a video on [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HR-NtkDXfUk Who Are James Jordan's Influences?]
** Greg Beale:
*** His (NIGTC) Commentary on Revelation provides an encyclopedia of literary and theological connections between John's Apocalypse and Tanakh, as well as with other Judaic sources including Midrash, Talmud, Targums, etc.
*** "The Temple and the Church's Mission" explores the symbolism of Israel's Temple/Tabernacle and how that applies to the ''mission'' (not the architecture!) of the church
** Meredith Kline's "Kingdom Prologue" (especially if packaged together with Beale's "Temple and ... Mission") is, in some ways, a more densely-packed, seminary-level version of Jordan's [https://biblicalhorizons.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Through-New-Eyes.pdf Through New Eyes] (and indeed is cited in Jordan's Bibliography)
** "[https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/opth-2022-0245 Forward and Reverse Gematria are Very Different Beasts]" proposes to resolve the 666 gematria/isopsephy problem of Revelation 13:18 using a combination of [[intertextuality]] and [[gematria]]
** Matt Harmon's ''The Servant of the Lord and His Servant People: Tracing a Biblical Theme Through the Canon'' makes use of the "vertical context" and related [[hermeneutical choices for the Bible's use of the Bible]]
** [https://bibleproject.com BibleProject™] makes use of some midrashic tools (often implicitly), e.g. when talking about intertextual "hyperlinks"
** Bob Wern [https://www.youtube.com/@thedustyfeet @thedustyfeet] has numerous derivative supercommentary videos following on AlephBeta and BibleProject resources
** The Reformed Biblical theology movement in the 20th century, especially with its emphasis on [[typology]], may be seen as a first stage of the Christian side of this figural-literary interpretive renaissance. Geerhardus Vos is often considered the father of the modern resurgence in seeing Christ as the hermeneutical key and exegetical center of the entire Bible. Edmund Clowney was an influential figure, at least in academic circles, for promoting Christocentric hermeneutics, while books by Graeme Goldsworthy and John R. Cross made some inroads with a broader lay audience.
** The fact that this list of Evangelical authors is heavily Reformed(-leaning) is not random or mere bias on the part of the contributors. The classic Dispensationalist historical-grammatical method strongly commits to a single, stable, authorially anchored meaning in the text (with future referential fulfillment in the case of prophecy), which in many ways is diametrically at odds with this renaissance. Relatively sympathetic figures might include progressive dispensationalism pioneer Darrel Bock (as a contributor to Carson and Beale's ''Commentary on the NT Use of the OT'') and Buist Fanning (esp. his ''Revelation'' commentary). According to ScholarGPT, the work of present day Dallas academics shows awareness of intertextual links and such while remaining cautious regarding what we should with that data. The interesting implication is that within the renaissance this page concerns, the traditionally supercessionist camp of Christians has found a common touchpoint with certain modern Orthodox Jews and their ancient Rabbinic heritage in a manner not shared by the much more Zionist-friendly brethren!
* Islamic
** [https://www.youtube.com/@bayyinah Nouman Ali Khan]; For a short sample see his [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSFd2Uz82bk Connection between Surah Al Fatihah & Surah An-Nas]. His book ''Divine Speech: Exploring Quran as Literature'' provides a lay-accessible presentation of several literary features of the Quran, summarizing recent scholarship from Neal Robinson, Raymond Farrin, etc.
* Cross-pollination
** (Catholic) Bishop Robert Barron and (Eastern Orthodox) Jonathan Pageau discuss [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyMDIvF-I60 Recognizing Patterns] and symbolism in Scripture.
** (EO) Pageau and (Protestant) Roberts also engaged in a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXlVUZeZKVo Rediscovery of Symbolism] cross-stream chat.

==Tools and resources to facilitate learning and using such hermeneutical methods==
* https://mg.alhatorah.org/TanakhLab is a useful for intertextual studies
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talmudical_hermeneutics
* Fohrman's "[https://members.alephbeta.org/course/how-to-read-the-bible The Seven Habits of Highly Intuitive Readers of the Bible]" Course
* Fohrman's "[https://members.alephbeta.org/playlist/midrash-methodology-course Midrash Methodology]" Course
* Beale's ''Handbook on the New Testament use of the Old Testament'' provides interpretive principles with some sample case studies
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgEsLxxDSmI Gary Schnittjer] and Mark Harmon's ''How to Study the Bible’s Use of the Bible'' presents seven [[hermeneutical choices for the Bible's use of the Bible]]. Schnittjer's ''Torah Story'' and ''Old Testament Use of Old Testament'' explore issues of inner-Biblical exegesis and allusions
* André Houssney has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQKSSNdqNws&list=PLTsoW3rZJW-7gd-4JFvNOjZeMmtbB_ciT&index=2 three part series on Biblical symbolism] melding the benefits of Eastern and Western interpretive perspectives
* Richard Hays has multiple resources, including:
** ''Reading the Bible Intertextually'': Hays, Richard B., Alkier, Stefan, and Huizenga, Leroy A.
** His "echoes" books, e.g. ''Echoes of Scripture in the Letters of Paul,'' explain some of the principles behind the hermeneutical technique he employs therein.
* Rabbi/Mathematician Elie Feder's ''Gematria Refigured'' rescues this ancient tool from many of the naive or abusive uses it has been put through which have tended to give it a reputation in the eyes of many thoughtful and careful exegetes. His work greatly helps set [[gematria]] science back on a more firm foundation by providing both persuasive examples and by drawing general interpretive principles from those examples.
* Seth D. Postell, ''The Art of Narrative Analogy: Identifying and Interpreting Parallel Passages in the Bible''
* AI is capable of contributing helpful insights to prompts that guide it towards a novel synthesis of known/established ideas. (Indeed, it is surprisingly better at that sort of task than at some mundane tasks such as its infamous foul up at counting the number of "r"s in the word "strawberry.") With just a little bit of direction it can "see" connections that you suggest, even if those particular associations have not been presented in any existing literature. So its potential as a [[chavruta]] partner for midrashic exegetical research should not be underestimated. Here is one example provided by a student in an [[AlephBeta]] class: https://chatgpt.com/share/67c0116d-1aa4-8005-9f64-c0431105e27c.
* If you are asking yourself, "Is anyone seeing the same amazing things in the Bible that I am?" check out the [[Midrashic Hermeneutical Discussion Communities|midrashic hermeneutical discussion communities]] page for leads on other like-minded people to talk to!

== Additional potential leads (yet to be confirmed for relevance and categorized by Bible Wiki editors...) ==
* Eugene Borowitz - Talmud's Theological Wordgame
* Max Kadushan - Rabbinic Thinking and Organic Thinking
* Sources Rabbi David Fohrman [https://members.alephbeta.org/playlist/rabbi-fohrman-biography has mentioned]:
** Robert Alter, The Art of Biblical Poetry
** Michlelet Herzog and Herzog College
** "The work that we're doing here at Aleph Beta in Tanach, there's other people across the globe that are doing similar kinds of work. Some focus in the Gush in Machon Herzog are, but not just in the Gush. I just had a chareidi fellow over here in Jerusalem giving talks to Chevron and to Ponevezh and he stumbled upon this himself. It's in the air. People are going to find it because the age is right for it."
** [https://members.alephbeta.org/playlist/how-to-learn-torah Rabbi Menachem Leibtag]
* David Daube worked on rabbinic law and NT parallels in the mid-20th century
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillel_Bakis
* [https://hebraicthought.org/podcast/how-scripture-reads-scripture-understanding-biblical-intertextuality-brent-strawn-ep-186 Brent Strawn mentions] Ross Wagner and says that "David Lincicum has a great new book coming out" (regarding intertextual activations). He also speaks about taking a course from Ulrich Mauser in which the main thesis was that any symbol you find in Revelation is not ''de novo'' but originates in the Old Testament or Jewish intertestamental literature.
* [https://www.bemadiscipleship.com BEMA podcast]
* ScholarGPT suggestions on academic resources:
** Jewish literary approach: Meir Sternberg, Adele Berlin, Yair Zakovitch, Shimon Bar-Efrat.
** Inner-biblical exegesis: Michael Fishbane, Benjamin Sommer.
** Christian figural reading: Hans Boersma, Matthew Levering, C. Kavin Rowe, Ephraim Radner, Kevin Vanhoozer.
** Reception history: Ulrich Luz, Christopher Rowland, Frances Young.
** Islamic parallels: Tarif Khalidi on Qurʾānic biblical intertextuality; Mustansir Mir on Qurʾānic narrative patterns.

==References==

[[Category:Midrashic hermeneutics]]
[[Category:Lists]]

The modern midrashic, literary, figural-symbolic, pattern-based hermeneutical renaissance

2026-04-24T19:50:05Z

Zekeriya:

As yet unbeknownst to most Bible students and believers outside the academy, since roughly the 1980s we are presently living on the cusp of arguably the second greatest<ref>The printing press, introduction of Greek texts in the West following the Ottoman conquest of Byzantium, and the popularization of Sola Scriptura, all within a 100 year span, definitely made the biggest impact on Biblical truth going forth to the masses.</ref> hermeneutical renaissance since the first century AD! [[Midrashic Literary Tools|Ancient rabbinic and patristic literary tools]] (e.g. intertextuality, symbolism, chiasms, paronomasia, gematria) are being independently rediscovered among [[Midrashic Hermeneutical Resources|diverse interpretive communities]] including Orthodox Jewish, Cathlo-Orthodox, conservative Evangelical, and liberal scholarship, allowing the “[[derash|midrashic layer]]” of Scripture to once again be seen with new eyes. ''[[Legitimate versus problematic figuralism|Properly employed]]''(!), studies that plumb the deeper ([[derash]]) layer do not reveal novel, strange, or otherwise secret/hidden doctrines, but rather add color, texture, nuance, richness, flavor, insight, and deeper heart-impacting dimensionality to the same foundational truth readily available on the surface ([[peshat]]) layer of the text.

==Quotes and Examples==
* [[Midrashic Hermeneutical Resources]] provides examples of the diversity of streams which are converging in this already-existing-yet-largely-unknown renaissance
* Rabbi David Fohrman: "Now, I do think that we used to have it, but I think it was lost. My theory is that the Rabbis, ''Chazal'' had it. The Sages of the Talmud. They had an actual coherent approach to Biblical study, but they weren't overt about it. They kept it among themselves. It was almost like a secret society. Like this is how Bible is learned. They had ways of doing it. ... I'm happy that I was able to spend the last 20 years on, I think, is actually working on an approach that isn't really so new, but I think it's old. It's a way of uncovering techniques that I think are the oldest techniques that we have in Biblical study. That were the fundamentals of what the Rabbis of those days were using when they made that kind of exegesis."<ref name="FohrmanKoretzky">Fohrman, David and Ari Koretzky. An Interview with Rabbi Fohrman, https://www.alephbeta.org/playlist/rabbi-fohrman-biography, AlephBeta, url citation date: 2023-12-02.</ref>
* "Rabbi Koretzky: How has that approach been received by secular academics? Do they see it as kind of like a bit of a cop out or a sellout and like you're just trying to inject meaning ‑‑ impose meaning where ‑‑ an order where really it's just chaos? Or do people respect it and say, okay, this is a reasonable alternative? Rabbi Fohrman: Look, it depends what you mean by academics. I would say there is a branch of this in academia. It's a small branch in academia. The closest that you have in an academia is guys like Robert Alter. ... I didn't read Robert Alter and he didn't see my thing, but we kind of independently came to similar approaches. So it's there a little bit with Robert Alter. It's there within the Orthodox world, in Israel, in Michlelet Herzog. The whole Herzog College is devoted really to a similar kind of approach. Guys like Yoni Grossman, who's a professor at Bar Ilan, this is his thing."<ref name="FohrmanKoretzky"/>
* In academia, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intertextuality Julia Kristeva is credited with coining the term "intertextuality"] in 1968<ref>analysis of ''Jehan de Saintré'', (in the collective volume ''Théorie d'ensemble'', Paris, Seuil, 1968).</ref> (with Mikhail Bakhtin as her major influence?)
* Regarding the book of Revelation in particular Beale<ref>Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation: A Commentary on the Greek Text. W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press, 1999, p. 76.</ref> observes, "Until the early 1980s the use of the OT in the Apocalypse of John received less attention than the use of the OT elsewhere in the NT—merely two books and six significant articles. Important discussion of the subject could be found in commentaries and other books... . Since the early 1980s, however, six significant books have been written on the topic... . Since the same period, a number of articles on the same subject have appeared," and Allen<ref>Allen, Garrick V. Scriptural Allusions in the Book of Revelation and the Contours of Textual Research 1900-2014: Retrospect and Prospects, Currents in Biblical Research,
volume 14,
number 3,
pages 319--339,
2016,
SAGE Publications Sage UK: London, England</ref> traces some of that history from 1900--2014.
* David Curwin traces the [https://dafaleph.com/s/Orthodox-Literary-Approach.pdf "the Orthodox modern literary approach revolution"]<ref>Curwin, David. "[https://dafaleph.com/s/Orthodox-Literary-Approach.pdf The Orthodox Literary Approach: Opening Doors and Closing Gaps]." https://dafaleph.com. Cited Feb 2, 2025.</ref>, using Robert Alter's 1981 "The Art of Biblical Narrative" as watershed turning point for establishing, or at least beginning the popularization of, the movement.
* John Ahern ponders the legitimacy of the [https://theopolisinstitute.com ]] Theopolitan] interpretive style in his essay "[https://theopolisinstitute.com/a-hermeneutic-of-riddles/ A Hermeneutic of Riddles]." He ends up defending the notion that the Bible's overall genre is as much "riddle" as it is "story."
* Works on Biblical "echoes," both the [[Midrashic_hermeneutical_resources#Tools_and_resources_to_facilitate_learning_and_using_such_hermeneutical_methods|theory]] and [[Midrashic_hermeneutical_resources#Modern_sources_who_make_use_of_midrashic_hermeneutical_methodologies|employed exegetical results thereof]], have increasingly blossomed in the Christian world in the present generation.

==Joining In==
See [[Midrashic hermeneutical discussion communities]].

==Footnotes==
<references />

[[Category:Midrashic hermeneutics]]

Legitimate versus problematic figuralism

2026-04-24T19:49:07Z

Zekeriya: Created page with "Regarding the modern midrashic, literary, figural-symbolic, pattern-based hermeneutical renaissance, ScholarGPT wishes to note that "Your project hinges on this distinction, … Many critics of “allegory” are actually reacting to the right column, not the left." {| class="wikitable" ! Feature ! Legitimate figural / midrashic ! Problematic allegory |- | Trigger | textual features | external ideas |- | Constraint | intra-canonical | conceptual imposition |- | Patt..."

Regarding [[the modern midrashic, literary, figural-symbolic, pattern-based hermeneutical renaissance]], ScholarGPT wishes to note that "Your project hinges on this distinction, … Many critics of “allegory” are actually reacting to the right column, not the left."

{| class="wikitable"
! Feature
! Legitimate figural / midrashic
! Problematic allegory
|-
| Trigger
| textual features
| external ideas
|-
| Constraint
| intra-canonical
| conceptual imposition
|-
| Pattern
| recurring
| ad hoc
|-
| Stability
| referentially anchored
| fluid
|}

Midrashic hermeneutical resources

2026-04-24T19:43:12Z

Zekeriya: /* Ancient and pre-modern sources who make use of midrashic hermeneutical methodologies */

Resources pertaining to [[the modern midrashic, literary, figural-symbolic, pattern-based hermeneutical renaissance]].

==Ancient and pre-modern sources who make use of midrashic hermeneutical methodologies==
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pesher Pesher] demonstrate that the notion of "two levels" to Scripture was already active pre-rabbinically, with the more concealed layer invoking pattern-based rereading to reuse prophetic texts in new contexts.
* The "[[derash|midrashic]]" label as applied to this renaissance on this site originates from the work of [[Chazal]], the Jewish sages responsible for the Mishnah, Midrash, and Talmud, particularly regarding the [[derash]] layer of the [[:Category:Pardes|PaRDeS]] hermeneutic suite.
* Patristic:
** Origin is known for developing a systematic intra-biblical figural reading.
** The hymns of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephrem_the_Syrian Ephrem the Syrian] and the homilies of Gregory of Nyssa often interweave symbols from different parts of Scripture in insightful ways.
** [[Allegory]] is one of Augustine's fourfold senses of Scripture, with his usage thereof having long been controversial. His allegorical interpretation of the Parable of the Good Samaritan is a classically questionable example that has put a bad taste in the mouth of later exegetes toward such methodology. He also puts an intra-canonical figural reading (figura) into practice.
* Rishonim
** Sometimes Rashi. Rabbi David Fohrman has a theory that Rashi alternates between two entirely different approaches in his commentary, and it is important to know which you are dealing with. When his contemporary readers would need help with the [[peshat]] layer of the text, e.g. meanings of archaic Hebrew words, he supplies that. But with texts that are already easy to understand on your own he goes deeper, introducing you to the world of midrash by alluding to the stories, pointing to the [[gunpowder and trigger]], etc.
** Rabbeinu Bachya is one of the more frequent users of midrashic materials (as per ChatGPT).
** Ramban frequently ''interacts'' with the actual Midrash texts, but more from an analytical perspective.
** Ibn Ezra's strong [[peshat]] emphasis would serve as a counter-example to make the point that Rishonim are not universally friendly to all such techniques.
* Puritan "flavoring." Although the Puritans don't generally tend to engage in ''full on'' midrashic-style interpretation, they do nevertheless frequently make ''micro-usage'' of it in colorful illustrations that add spice and memorability to their writings, for example:
** "The tree of the cross being cast into the waters of affliction hath rendered them wholesome and medicinal."<ref>John Owen, Pneumatologia, Book IV, Chap 4, pg 447.</ref>
* Relatively recent precursors:
** Hermann L. Strack and Paul Billerbeck’s ''Commentary on the New Testament from the Talmud and Midrash'' from the 1920s precedes our classification of [[the modern figural-midrashic renaissance]].
** "It is difficult to give a precise date for the inception of the literary approach to biblical study. Many 20th century scholars incorporated elements of this method in their work, including Martin Buber, Franz Rosensweig, Benno Jacob, Umberto Cassuto, and Nehama Leibowitz. More recently though, scholars such as Adele Berlin, Michael Fishbane, Meir Sternberg, and Robert Alter can be credited as the first to fully embody the literary approach as defined above. With Alter being the most well-known of the group, let’s examine his approach. In his seminal work, ''The Art of Biblical Narrative'', Alter [1981] argues that the literary structure and unity of the Torah indicate a deliberate authorial intent..."<ref name=curwin>Curwin, David. "[https://dafaleph.com/s/Orthodox-Literary-Approach.pdf The Orthodox Literary Approach: Opening Doors and Closing Gaps]." https://dafaleph.com. Cited Feb 2, 2025.</ref>

==Modern sources who make use of midrashic hermeneutical methodologies==
[[The modern figural-midrashic renaissance]] page may contain examples or quotes from sources not catalogued here.
* Orthodox Jewish:
** Rabbi David Fohrman and team at [https://alephbeta.org https://alephbeta.org.] The animated videos provide a well-suited introduction to the methodology for both Biblical scholar and school-aged child alike. The podcasts (e.g. [https://members.alephbeta.org/podcasts/book-like-no-other A Book Like No Other]) and seminar courses (in some cases available only to patron members) are as deep and profound as anything you will find in the academic literature. He also has [https://shop.alephbeta.org/collections/books-by-rabbi-fohrman excellent books] available.
** Yonatan Grossman (teaching in Hebrew), a professor of Bible at Bar Ilan University and Herzog College<ref name=curwin/>
* Messianic:
** The [https://ffoz.org First Fruits of Zion] article [https://ffoz.org/messiah/articles/faith-strengthened Answering Anti-Missionaries] addresses some issues pertaining to Midrashic methods of exegesis
** Otto Gershon resources include [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1fh09flfV4&list=PLz8qJcWh7VHntYsCYLWYuuubjY9WZg91G The Otto Zone] video series
** See Seth Postell in the tools section below
* Protestant Evangelical and/or Reformed:
** James B. Jordan and theological heirs:
*** Jordan's [https://biblicalhorizons.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Through-New-Eyes.pdf Through New Eyes] provides a good entry-level introduction to seeing both the world and Scripture through new eyes
*** Peter Leithart and crew: [https://theopolisinstitute.com/ https://theopolisinstitute.com]
*** [https://www.biblematrix.com.au/ Mike Bull] contributes several interesting/unique perspectives, including his emphasis on the "fractal" nature of the Bible
*** [https://argosy.substack.com Alastair Roberts] resources include a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9Z_I6OWzT0&list=PLDtm5aqtLCz0NEa2rg6kW8IYb9ZKfD2zc chapter-by-chapter audio Biblical commentary]. He is co-author of [https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/themelios/review/echoes-of-exodus-tracing-themes-of-redemption-through-scripture one of two distinct books published separately in 2018 both entitled "Echoes of Exodus"] (something is indeed "[[The modern figural-midrashic renaissance|in the air]]"!). For further back-history research he also has a video on [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HR-NtkDXfUk Who Are James Jordan's Influences?]
** Greg Beale:
*** His (NIGTC) Commentary on Revelation provides an encyclopedia of literary and theological connections between John's Apocalypse and Tanakh, as well as with other Judaic sources including Midrash, Talmud, Targums, etc.
*** "The Temple and the Church's Mission" explores the symbolism of Israel's Temple/Tabernacle and how that applies to the ''mission'' (not the architecture!) of the church
** Meredith Kline's "Kingdom Prologue" (especially if packaged together with Beale's "Temple and ... Mission") is, in some ways, a more densely-packed, seminary-level version of Jordan's [https://biblicalhorizons.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Through-New-Eyes.pdf Through New Eyes] (and indeed is cited in Jordan's Bibliography)
** "[https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/opth-2022-0245 Forward and Reverse Gematria are Very Different Beasts]" proposes to resolve the 666 gematria/isopsephy problem of Revelation 13:18 using a combination of [[intertextuality]] and [[gematria]]
** Matt Harmon's ''The Servant of the Lord and His Servant People: Tracing a Biblical Theme Through the Canon'' makes use of the "vertical context" and related [[hermeneutical choices for the Bible's use of the Bible]]
** [https://bibleproject.com BibleProject™] makes use of some midrashic tools (often implicitly), e.g. when talking about intertextual "hyperlinks"
** Bob Wern [https://www.youtube.com/@thedustyfeet @thedustyfeet] has numerous derivative supercommentary videos following on AlephBeta and BibleProject resources
** The Reformed Biblical theology movement in the 20th century, especially with its emphasis on [[typology]], may be seen as a first stage of the Christian side of this figural-literary interpretive renaissance. Geerhardus Vos is often considered the father of the modern resurgence in seeing Christ as the hermeneutical key and exegetical center of the entire Bible. Edmund Clowney was an influential figure, at least in academic circles, for promoting Christocentric hermeneutics, while books by Graeme Goldsworthy and John R. Cross made some inroads with a broader lay audience.
** The fact that this list of Evangelical authors is heavily Reformed(-leaning) is not random or mere bias on the part of the contributors. The classic Dispensationalist historical-grammatical method strongly commits to a single, stable, authorially anchored meaning in the text (with future referential fulfillment in the case of prophecy), which in many ways is diametrically at odds with this renaissance. Relatively sympathetic figures might include progressive dispensationalism pioneer Darrel Bock (as a contributor to Carson and Beale's ''Commentary on the NT Use of the OT'') and Buist Fanning (esp. his ''Revelation'' commentary). According to ScholarGPT, the work of present day Dallas academics shows awareness of intertextual links and such while remaining cautious regarding what we should with that data. The interesting implication is that within the renaissance this page concerns, the traditionally supercessionist camp of Christians has found a common touchpoint with certain modern Orthodox Jews and their ancient Rabbinic heritage in a manner not shared by the much more Zionist-friendly brethren!
* Islamic
** [https://www.youtube.com/@bayyinah Nouman Ali Khan]; For a short sample see his [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSFd2Uz82bk Connection between Surah Al Fatihah & Surah An-Nas]. His book ''Divine Speech: Exploring Quran as Literature'' provides a lay-accessible presentation of several literary features of the Quran, summarizing recent scholarship from Neal Robinson, Raymond Farrin, etc.
* Cross-pollination
** (Catholic) Bishop Robert Barron and (Eastern Orthodox) Jonathan Pageau discuss [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyMDIvF-I60 Recognizing Patterns] and symbolism in Scripture.
** (EO) Pageau and (Protestant) Roberts also engaged in a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXlVUZeZKVo Rediscovery of Symbolism] cross-stream chat.

==Tools and resources to facilitate learning and using such hermeneutical methods==
* https://mg.alhatorah.org/TanakhLab is a useful for intertextual studies
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talmudical_hermeneutics
* Fohrman's "[https://members.alephbeta.org/course/how-to-read-the-bible The Seven Habits of Highly Intuitive Readers of the Bible]" Course
* Fohrman's "[https://members.alephbeta.org/playlist/midrash-methodology-course Midrash Methodology]" Course
* Beale's ''Handbook on the New Testament use of the Old Testament'' provides interpretive principles with some sample case studies
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgEsLxxDSmI Gary Schnittjer] and Mark Harmon's ''How to Study the Bible’s Use of the Bible'' presents seven [[hermeneutical choices for the Bible's use of the Bible]]. Schnittjer's ''Torah Story'' and ''Old Testament Use of Old Testament'' explore issues of inner-Biblical exegesis and allusions
* André Houssney has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQKSSNdqNws&list=PLTsoW3rZJW-7gd-4JFvNOjZeMmtbB_ciT&index=2 three part series on Biblical symbolism] melding the benefits of Eastern and Western interpretive perspectives
* Richard Hays has multiple resources, including:
** ''Reading the Bible Intertextually'': Hays, Richard B., Alkier, Stefan, and Huizenga, Leroy A.
** His "echoes" books, e.g. ''Echoes of Scripture in the Letters of Paul,'' explain some of the principles behind the hermeneutical technique he employs therein.
* Rabbi/Mathematician Elie Feder's ''Gematria Refigured'' rescues this ancient tool from many of the naive or abusive uses it has been put through which have tended to give it a reputation in the eyes of many thoughtful and careful exegetes. His work greatly helps set [[gematria]] science back on a more firm foundation by providing both persuasive examples and by drawing general interpretive principles from those examples.
* Seth D. Postell, ''The Art of Narrative Analogy: Identifying and Interpreting Parallel Passages in the Bible''
* AI is capable of contributing helpful insights to prompts that guide it towards a novel synthesis of known/established ideas. (Indeed, it is surprisingly better at that sort of task than at some mundane tasks such as its infamous foul up at counting the number of "r"s in the word "strawberry.") With just a little bit of direction it can "see" connections that you suggest, even if those particular associations have not been presented in any existing literature. So its potential as a [[chavruta]] partner for midrashic exegetical research should not be underestimated. Here is one example provided by a student in an [[AlephBeta]] class: https://chatgpt.com/share/67c0116d-1aa4-8005-9f64-c0431105e27c.
* If you are asking yourself, "Is anyone seeing the same amazing things in the Bible that I am?" check out the [[Midrashic Hermeneutical Discussion Communities|midrashic hermeneutical discussion communities]] page for leads on other like-minded people to talk to!

== Additional potential leads (yet to be confirmed for relevance and categorized by Bible Wiki editors...) ==
* Eugene Borowitz - Talmud's Theological Wordgame
* Max Kadushan - Rabbinic Thinking and Organic Thinking
* Sources Rabbi David Fohrman [https://members.alephbeta.org/playlist/rabbi-fohrman-biography has mentioned]:
** Robert Alter, The Art of Biblical Poetry
** Michlelet Herzog and Herzog College
** "The work that we're doing here at Aleph Beta in Tanach, there's other people across the globe that are doing similar kinds of work. Some focus in the Gush in Machon Herzog are, but not just in the Gush. I just had a chareidi fellow over here in Jerusalem giving talks to Chevron and to Ponevezh and he stumbled upon this himself. It's in the air. People are going to find it because the age is right for it."
** [https://members.alephbeta.org/playlist/how-to-learn-torah Rabbi Menachem Leibtag]
* David Daube worked on rabbinic law and NT parallels in the mid-20th century
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillel_Bakis
* [https://hebraicthought.org/podcast/how-scripture-reads-scripture-understanding-biblical-intertextuality-brent-strawn-ep-186 Brent Strawn mentions] Ross Wagner and says that "David Lincicum has a great new book coming out" (regarding intertextual activations). He also speaks about taking a course from Ulrich Mauser in which the main thesis was that any symbol you find in Revelation is not ''de novo'' but originates in the Old Testament or Jewish intertestamental literature.
* [https://www.bemadiscipleship.com BEMA podcast]
* ScholarGPT suggestions on academic resources:
** Jewish literary approach: Meir Sternberg, Adele Berlin, Yair Zakovitch, Shimon Bar-Efrat.
** Inner-biblical exegesis: Michael Fishbane, Benjamin Sommer.
** Christian figural reading: Hans Boersma, Matthew Levering, C. Kavin Rowe, Ephraim Radner, Kevin Vanhoozer.
** Reception history: Ulrich Luz, Christopher Rowland, Frances Young.
** Islamic parallels: Tarif Khalidi on Qurʾānic biblical intertextuality; Mustansir Mir on Qurʾānic narrative patterns.

==References==

[[Category:Midrashic hermeneutics]]
[[Category:Lists]]

Midrashic hermeneutical resources

2026-04-24T18:56:54Z

Zekeriya: /* Modern sources who make use of midrashic hermeneutical methodologies */

Resources pertaining to [[the modern midrashic, literary, figural-symbolic, pattern-based hermeneutical renaissance]].

==Ancient and pre-modern sources who make use of midrashic hermeneutical methodologies==
* The "[[derash|midrashic]]" label as applied to this renaissance on this site originates from the work of [[Chazal]], the Jewish sages responsible for the Mishnah, Midrash, and Talmud, particularly regarding the [[derash]] layer of the [[:Category:Pardes|PaRDeS]] hermeneutic suite
* Patristic:
** The hymns of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephrem_the_Syrian Ephrem the Syrian] often interweave symbols from different parts of Scripture in insightful ways.
** [[Allegory]] is one of Augustine's fourfold senses of Scripture, with his usage thereof having long been controversial. His allegorical interpretation of the Parable of the Good Samaritan is a classically questionable example that has put a bad taste in the mouth of later exegetes toward such methodolgy
* Rishonim
** Sometimes Rashi. Rabbi David Fohrman has a theory that Rashi alternates between two entirely different approaches in his commentary, and it is important to know which you are dealing with. When his contemporary readers would need help with the [[peshat]] layer of the text, e.g. meanings of archaic Hebrew words, he supplies that. But with texts that are already easy to understand on your own he goes deeper, introducing you to the world of midrash by alluding to the stories, pointing to the [[gunpowder and trigger]], etc.
** Rabbeinu Bachya is one of the more frequent users of midrashic materials (as per ChatGPT)
** Ramban frequently ''interacts'' with the actual Midrash texts, but more from an analytical perspective
* Puritan "flavoring." Although the Puritans don't generally tend to engage in ''full on'' midrashic-style interpretation, they do nevertheless frequently make ''micro-usage'' of it in colorful illustrations that add spice and memorability to their writings, for example:
** "The tree of the cross being cast into the waters of affliction hath rendered them wholesome and medicinal."<ref>John Owen, Pneumatologia, Book IV, Chap 4, pg 447.</ref>
* Relatively recent precursors:
** Hermann L. Strack and Paul Billerbeck’s ''Commentary on the New Testament from the Talmud and Midrash'' from the 1920s precedes our classification of [[the modern figural-midrashic renaissance]].
** "It is difficult to give a precise date for the inception of the literary approach to biblical study. Many 20th century scholars incorporated elements of this method in their work, including Martin Buber, Franz Rosensweig, Benno Jacob, Umberto Cassuto, and Nehama Leibowitz. More recently though, scholars such as Adele Berlin, Michael Fishbane, Meir Sternberg, and Robert Alter can be credited as the first to fully embody the literary approach as defined above. With Alter being the most well-known of the group, let’s examine his approach. In his seminal work, ''The Art of Biblical Narrative'', Alter [1981] argues that the literary structure and unity of the Torah indicate a deliberate authorial intent..."<ref name=curwin>Curwin, David. "[https://dafaleph.com/s/Orthodox-Literary-Approach.pdf The Orthodox Literary Approach: Opening Doors and Closing Gaps]." https://dafaleph.com. Cited Feb 2, 2025.</ref>

==Modern sources who make use of midrashic hermeneutical methodologies==
[[The modern figural-midrashic renaissance]] page may contain examples or quotes from sources not catalogued here.
* Orthodox Jewish:
** Rabbi David Fohrman and team at [https://alephbeta.org https://alephbeta.org.] The animated videos provide a well-suited introduction to the methodology for both Biblical scholar and school-aged child alike. The podcasts (e.g. [https://members.alephbeta.org/podcasts/book-like-no-other A Book Like No Other]) and seminar courses (in some cases available only to patron members) are as deep and profound as anything you will find in the academic literature. He also has [https://shop.alephbeta.org/collections/books-by-rabbi-fohrman excellent books] available.
** Yonatan Grossman (teaching in Hebrew), a professor of Bible at Bar Ilan University and Herzog College<ref name=curwin/>
* Messianic:
** The [https://ffoz.org First Fruits of Zion] article [https://ffoz.org/messiah/articles/faith-strengthened Answering Anti-Missionaries] addresses some issues pertaining to Midrashic methods of exegesis
** Otto Gershon resources include [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1fh09flfV4&list=PLz8qJcWh7VHntYsCYLWYuuubjY9WZg91G The Otto Zone] video series
** See Seth Postell in the tools section below
* Protestant Evangelical and/or Reformed:
** James B. Jordan and theological heirs:
*** Jordan's [https://biblicalhorizons.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Through-New-Eyes.pdf Through New Eyes] provides a good entry-level introduction to seeing both the world and Scripture through new eyes
*** Peter Leithart and crew: [https://theopolisinstitute.com/ https://theopolisinstitute.com]
*** [https://www.biblematrix.com.au/ Mike Bull] contributes several interesting/unique perspectives, including his emphasis on the "fractal" nature of the Bible
*** [https://argosy.substack.com Alastair Roberts] resources include a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9Z_I6OWzT0&list=PLDtm5aqtLCz0NEa2rg6kW8IYb9ZKfD2zc chapter-by-chapter audio Biblical commentary]. He is co-author of [https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/themelios/review/echoes-of-exodus-tracing-themes-of-redemption-through-scripture one of two distinct books published separately in 2018 both entitled "Echoes of Exodus"] (something is indeed "[[The modern figural-midrashic renaissance|in the air]]"!). For further back-history research he also has a video on [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HR-NtkDXfUk Who Are James Jordan's Influences?]
** Greg Beale:
*** His (NIGTC) Commentary on Revelation provides an encyclopedia of literary and theological connections between John's Apocalypse and Tanakh, as well as with other Judaic sources including Midrash, Talmud, Targums, etc.
*** "The Temple and the Church's Mission" explores the symbolism of Israel's Temple/Tabernacle and how that applies to the ''mission'' (not the architecture!) of the church
** Meredith Kline's "Kingdom Prologue" (especially if packaged together with Beale's "Temple and ... Mission") is, in some ways, a more densely-packed, seminary-level version of Jordan's [https://biblicalhorizons.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Through-New-Eyes.pdf Through New Eyes] (and indeed is cited in Jordan's Bibliography)
** "[https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/opth-2022-0245 Forward and Reverse Gematria are Very Different Beasts]" proposes to resolve the 666 gematria/isopsephy problem of Revelation 13:18 using a combination of [[intertextuality]] and [[gematria]]
** Matt Harmon's ''The Servant of the Lord and His Servant People: Tracing a Biblical Theme Through the Canon'' makes use of the "vertical context" and related [[hermeneutical choices for the Bible's use of the Bible]]
** [https://bibleproject.com BibleProject™] makes use of some midrashic tools (often implicitly), e.g. when talking about intertextual "hyperlinks"
** Bob Wern [https://www.youtube.com/@thedustyfeet @thedustyfeet] has numerous derivative supercommentary videos following on AlephBeta and BibleProject resources
** The Reformed Biblical theology movement in the 20th century, especially with its emphasis on [[typology]], may be seen as a first stage of the Christian side of this figural-literary interpretive renaissance. Geerhardus Vos is often considered the father of the modern resurgence in seeing Christ as the hermeneutical key and exegetical center of the entire Bible. Edmund Clowney was an influential figure, at least in academic circles, for promoting Christocentric hermeneutics, while books by Graeme Goldsworthy and John R. Cross made some inroads with a broader lay audience.
** The fact that this list of Evangelical authors is heavily Reformed(-leaning) is not random or mere bias on the part of the contributors. The classic Dispensationalist historical-grammatical method strongly commits to a single, stable, authorially anchored meaning in the text (with future referential fulfillment in the case of prophecy), which in many ways is diametrically at odds with this renaissance. Relatively sympathetic figures might include progressive dispensationalism pioneer Darrel Bock (as a contributor to Carson and Beale's ''Commentary on the NT Use of the OT'') and Buist Fanning (esp. his ''Revelation'' commentary). According to ScholarGPT, the work of present day Dallas academics shows awareness of intertextual links and such while remaining cautious regarding what we should with that data. The interesting implication is that within the renaissance this page concerns, the traditionally supercessionist camp of Christians has found a common touchpoint with certain modern Orthodox Jews and their ancient Rabbinic heritage in a manner not shared by the much more Zionist-friendly brethren!
* Islamic
** [https://www.youtube.com/@bayyinah Nouman Ali Khan]; For a short sample see his [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSFd2Uz82bk Connection between Surah Al Fatihah & Surah An-Nas]. His book ''Divine Speech: Exploring Quran as Literature'' provides a lay-accessible presentation of several literary features of the Quran, summarizing recent scholarship from Neal Robinson, Raymond Farrin, etc.
* Cross-pollination
** (Catholic) Bishop Robert Barron and (Eastern Orthodox) Jonathan Pageau discuss [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyMDIvF-I60 Recognizing Patterns] and symbolism in Scripture.
** (EO) Pageau and (Protestant) Roberts also engaged in a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXlVUZeZKVo Rediscovery of Symbolism] cross-stream chat.

==Tools and resources to facilitate learning and using such hermeneutical methods==
* https://mg.alhatorah.org/TanakhLab is a useful for intertextual studies
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talmudical_hermeneutics
* Fohrman's "[https://members.alephbeta.org/course/how-to-read-the-bible The Seven Habits of Highly Intuitive Readers of the Bible]" Course
* Fohrman's "[https://members.alephbeta.org/playlist/midrash-methodology-course Midrash Methodology]" Course
* Beale's ''Handbook on the New Testament use of the Old Testament'' provides interpretive principles with some sample case studies
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgEsLxxDSmI Gary Schnittjer] and Mark Harmon's ''How to Study the Bible’s Use of the Bible'' presents seven [[hermeneutical choices for the Bible's use of the Bible]]. Schnittjer's ''Torah Story'' and ''Old Testament Use of Old Testament'' explore issues of inner-Biblical exegesis and allusions
* André Houssney has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQKSSNdqNws&list=PLTsoW3rZJW-7gd-4JFvNOjZeMmtbB_ciT&index=2 three part series on Biblical symbolism] melding the benefits of Eastern and Western interpretive perspectives
* Richard Hays has multiple resources, including:
** ''Reading the Bible Intertextually'': Hays, Richard B., Alkier, Stefan, and Huizenga, Leroy A.
** His "echoes" books, e.g. ''Echoes of Scripture in the Letters of Paul,'' explain some of the principles behind the hermeneutical technique he employs therein.
* Rabbi/Mathematician Elie Feder's ''Gematria Refigured'' rescues this ancient tool from many of the naive or abusive uses it has been put through which have tended to give it a reputation in the eyes of many thoughtful and careful exegetes. His work greatly helps set [[gematria]] science back on a more firm foundation by providing both persuasive examples and by drawing general interpretive principles from those examples.
* Seth D. Postell, ''The Art of Narrative Analogy: Identifying and Interpreting Parallel Passages in the Bible''
* AI is capable of contributing helpful insights to prompts that guide it towards a novel synthesis of known/established ideas. (Indeed, it is surprisingly better at that sort of task than at some mundane tasks such as its infamous foul up at counting the number of "r"s in the word "strawberry.") With just a little bit of direction it can "see" connections that you suggest, even if those particular associations have not been presented in any existing literature. So its potential as a [[chavruta]] partner for midrashic exegetical research should not be underestimated. Here is one example provided by a student in an [[AlephBeta]] class: https://chatgpt.com/share/67c0116d-1aa4-8005-9f64-c0431105e27c.
* If you are asking yourself, "Is anyone seeing the same amazing things in the Bible that I am?" check out the [[Midrashic Hermeneutical Discussion Communities|midrashic hermeneutical discussion communities]] page for leads on other like-minded people to talk to!

== Additional potential leads (yet to be confirmed for relevance and categorized by Bible Wiki editors...) ==
* Eugene Borowitz - Talmud's Theological Wordgame
* Max Kadushan - Rabbinic Thinking and Organic Thinking
* Sources Rabbi David Fohrman [https://members.alephbeta.org/playlist/rabbi-fohrman-biography has mentioned]:
** Robert Alter, The Art of Biblical Poetry
** Michlelet Herzog and Herzog College
** "The work that we're doing here at Aleph Beta in Tanach, there's other people across the globe that are doing similar kinds of work. Some focus in the Gush in Machon Herzog are, but not just in the Gush. I just had a chareidi fellow over here in Jerusalem giving talks to Chevron and to Ponevezh and he stumbled upon this himself. It's in the air. People are going to find it because the age is right for it."
** [https://members.alephbeta.org/playlist/how-to-learn-torah Rabbi Menachem Leibtag]
* David Daube worked on rabbinic law and NT parallels in the mid-20th century
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillel_Bakis
* [https://hebraicthought.org/podcast/how-scripture-reads-scripture-understanding-biblical-intertextuality-brent-strawn-ep-186 Brent Strawn mentions] Ross Wagner and says that "David Lincicum has a great new book coming out" (regarding intertextual activations). He also speaks about taking a course from Ulrich Mauser in which the main thesis was that any symbol you find in Revelation is not ''de novo'' but originates in the Old Testament or Jewish intertestamental literature.
* [https://www.bemadiscipleship.com BEMA podcast]
* ScholarGPT suggestions on academic resources:
** Jewish literary approach: Meir Sternberg, Adele Berlin, Yair Zakovitch, Shimon Bar-Efrat.
** Inner-biblical exegesis: Michael Fishbane, Benjamin Sommer.
** Christian figural reading: Hans Boersma, Matthew Levering, C. Kavin Rowe, Ephraim Radner, Kevin Vanhoozer.
** Reception history: Ulrich Luz, Christopher Rowland, Frances Young.
** Islamic parallels: Tarif Khalidi on Qurʾānic biblical intertextuality; Mustansir Mir on Qurʾānic narrative patterns.

==References==

[[Category:Midrashic hermeneutics]]
[[Category:Lists]]

Midrashic hermeneutical resources

2026-04-24T18:42:00Z

Zekeriya: /* Modern sources who make use of midrashic hermeneutical methodologies */

Resources pertaining to [[the modern midrashic, literary, figural-symbolic, pattern-based hermeneutical renaissance]].

==Ancient and pre-modern sources who make use of midrashic hermeneutical methodologies==
* The "[[derash|midrashic]]" label as applied to this renaissance on this site originates from the work of [[Chazal]], the Jewish sages responsible for the Mishnah, Midrash, and Talmud, particularly regarding the [[derash]] layer of the [[:Category:Pardes|PaRDeS]] hermeneutic suite
* Patristic:
** The hymns of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephrem_the_Syrian Ephrem the Syrian] often interweave symbols from different parts of Scripture in insightful ways.
** [[Allegory]] is one of Augustine's fourfold senses of Scripture, with his usage thereof having long been controversial. His allegorical interpretation of the Parable of the Good Samaritan is a classically questionable example that has put a bad taste in the mouth of later exegetes toward such methodolgy
* Rishonim
** Sometimes Rashi. Rabbi David Fohrman has a theory that Rashi alternates between two entirely different approaches in his commentary, and it is important to know which you are dealing with. When his contemporary readers would need help with the [[peshat]] layer of the text, e.g. meanings of archaic Hebrew words, he supplies that. But with texts that are already easy to understand on your own he goes deeper, introducing you to the world of midrash by alluding to the stories, pointing to the [[gunpowder and trigger]], etc.
** Rabbeinu Bachya is one of the more frequent users of midrashic materials (as per ChatGPT)
** Ramban frequently ''interacts'' with the actual Midrash texts, but more from an analytical perspective
* Puritan "flavoring." Although the Puritans don't generally tend to engage in ''full on'' midrashic-style interpretation, they do nevertheless frequently make ''micro-usage'' of it in colorful illustrations that add spice and memorability to their writings, for example:
** "The tree of the cross being cast into the waters of affliction hath rendered them wholesome and medicinal."<ref>John Owen, Pneumatologia, Book IV, Chap 4, pg 447.</ref>
* Relatively recent precursors:
** Hermann L. Strack and Paul Billerbeck’s ''Commentary on the New Testament from the Talmud and Midrash'' from the 1920s precedes our classification of [[the modern figural-midrashic renaissance]].
** "It is difficult to give a precise date for the inception of the literary approach to biblical study. Many 20th century scholars incorporated elements of this method in their work, including Martin Buber, Franz Rosensweig, Benno Jacob, Umberto Cassuto, and Nehama Leibowitz. More recently though, scholars such as Adele Berlin, Michael Fishbane, Meir Sternberg, and Robert Alter can be credited as the first to fully embody the literary approach as defined above. With Alter being the most well-known of the group, let’s examine his approach. In his seminal work, ''The Art of Biblical Narrative'', Alter [1981] argues that the literary structure and unity of the Torah indicate a deliberate authorial intent..."<ref name=curwin>Curwin, David. "[https://dafaleph.com/s/Orthodox-Literary-Approach.pdf The Orthodox Literary Approach: Opening Doors and Closing Gaps]." https://dafaleph.com. Cited Feb 2, 2025.</ref>

==Modern sources who make use of midrashic hermeneutical methodologies==
[[The modern figural-midrashic renaissance]] page may contain examples or quotes from sources not catalogued here.
* Orthodox Jewish:
** Rabbi David Fohrman and team at [https://alephbeta.org https://alephbeta.org.] The animated videos provide a well-suited introduction to the methodology for both Biblical scholar and school-aged child alike. The podcasts (e.g. [https://members.alephbeta.org/podcasts/book-like-no-other A Book Like No Other]) and seminar courses (in some cases available only to patron members) are as deep and profound as anything you will find in the academic literature. He also has [https://shop.alephbeta.org/collections/books-by-rabbi-fohrman excellent books] available.
** Yonatan Grossman (teaching in Hebrew), a professor of Bible at Bar Ilan University and Herzog College<ref name=curwin/>
* Messianic:
** The [https://ffoz.org First Fruits of Zion] article [https://ffoz.org/messiah/articles/faith-strengthened Answering Anti-Missionaries] addresses some issues pertaining to Midrashic methods of exegesis
** Otto Gershon resources include [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1fh09flfV4&list=PLz8qJcWh7VHntYsCYLWYuuubjY9WZg91G The Otto Zone] video series
** See Seth Postell in the tools section below
* Protestant Evangelical and/or Reformed:
** James B. Jordan and theological heirs:
*** Jordan's [https://biblicalhorizons.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Through-New-Eyes.pdf Through New Eyes] provides a good entry-level introduction to seeing both the world and Scripture through new eyes
*** Peter Leithart and crew: [https://theopolisinstitute.com/ https://theopolisinstitute.com]
*** [https://www.biblematrix.com.au/ Mike Bull] contributes several interesting/unique perspectives, including his emphasis on the "fractal" nature of the Bible
*** [https://argosy.substack.com Alastair Roberts] resources include a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9Z_I6OWzT0&list=PLDtm5aqtLCz0NEa2rg6kW8IYb9ZKfD2zc chapter-by-chapter audio Biblical commentary]. He is co-author of [https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/themelios/review/echoes-of-exodus-tracing-themes-of-redemption-through-scripture one of two distinct books published separately in 2018 both entitled "Echoes of Exodus"] (something is indeed "[[The modern figural-midrashic renaissance|in the air]]"!). For further back-history research he also has a video on [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HR-NtkDXfUk Who Are James Jordan's Influences?]
** Greg Beale:
*** His (NIGTC) Commentary on Revelation provides an encyclopedia of literary and theological connections between John's Apocalypse and Tanakh, as well as with other Judaic sources including Midrash, Talmud, Targums, etc.
*** "The Temple and the Church's Mission" explores the symbolism of Israel's Temple/Tabernacle and how that applies to the ''mission'' (not the architecture!) of the church
** Meredith Kline's "Kingdom Prologue" (especially if packaged together with Beale's "Temple and ... Mission") is, in some ways, a more densely-packed, seminary-level version of Jordan's [https://biblicalhorizons.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Through-New-Eyes.pdf Through New Eyes] (and indeed is cited in Jordan's Bibliography)
** "[https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/opth-2022-0245 Forward and Reverse Gematria are Very Different Beasts]" proposes to resolve the 666 gematria/isopsephy problem of Revelation 13:18 using a combination of [[intertextuality]] and [[gematria]]
** Matt Harmon's ''The Servant of the Lord and His Servant People: Tracing a Biblical Theme Through the Canon'' makes use of the "vertical context" and related [[hermeneutical choices for the Bible's use of the Bible]]
** [https://bibleproject.com BibleProject™] makes use of some midrashic tools (often implicitly), e.g. when talking about intertextual "hyperlinks"
** Bob Wern [https://www.youtube.com/@thedustyfeet @thedustyfeet] has numerous derivative supercommentary videos following on AlephBeta and BibleProject resources
** The Reformed Biblical theology movement in the 20th century, especially with its emphasis on [[typology]], may be seen as a first stage of the Christian side of this figural-literary interpretive renaissance. Geerhardus Vos is often considered the father of the modern resurgence in seeing Christ as the hermeneutical key and exegetical center of the entire Bible. Edmund Clowney was an influential figure, at least in academic circles, for promoting Christocentric hermeneutics, while books by Graeme Goldsworthy and John R. Cross made some inroads with a broader lay audience.
** The fact that this list of Evangelical authors is heavily Reformed(-leaning) is not random or mere bias on the part of the contributors. A classic Dispensationalist hermeneutic strongly commits to a single, stable, authorially anchored meaning in the text (with future referential fulfillment in the case of prophecy), which in many ways is diametrically at odds with this renaissance. Relatively sympathetic dispensationalist figures might include Buist Fanning (esp. his ''Revelation'' commentary) and Darrel Bock (as a contributor to Carson and Beale's ''Commentary on the NT Use of the OT''). According to ScholarGPT, the work of present day Dallas academics shows awareness of intertextual links and such while remaining cautious regarding what we should with that data.
* Islamic
** [https://www.youtube.com/@bayyinah Nouman Ali Khan]; For a short sample see his [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSFd2Uz82bk Connection between Surah Al Fatihah & Surah An-Nas]. His book ''Divine Speech: Exploring Quran as Literature'' provides a lay-accessible presentation of several literary features of the Quran, summarizing recent scholarship from Neal Robinson, Raymond Farrin, etc.
* Cross-pollination
** (Catholic) Bishop Robert Barron and (Eastern Orthodox) Jonathan Pageau discuss [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyMDIvF-I60 Recognizing Patterns] and symbolism in Scripture.
** (EO) Pageau and (Protestant) Roberts also engaged in a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXlVUZeZKVo Rediscovery of Symbolism] cross-stream chat.

==Tools and resources to facilitate learning and using such hermeneutical methods==
* https://mg.alhatorah.org/TanakhLab is a useful for intertextual studies
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talmudical_hermeneutics
* Fohrman's "[https://members.alephbeta.org/course/how-to-read-the-bible The Seven Habits of Highly Intuitive Readers of the Bible]" Course
* Fohrman's "[https://members.alephbeta.org/playlist/midrash-methodology-course Midrash Methodology]" Course
* Beale's ''Handbook on the New Testament use of the Old Testament'' provides interpretive principles with some sample case studies
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgEsLxxDSmI Gary Schnittjer] and Mark Harmon's ''How to Study the Bible’s Use of the Bible'' presents seven [[hermeneutical choices for the Bible's use of the Bible]]. Schnittjer's ''Torah Story'' and ''Old Testament Use of Old Testament'' explore issues of inner-Biblical exegesis and allusions
* André Houssney has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQKSSNdqNws&list=PLTsoW3rZJW-7gd-4JFvNOjZeMmtbB_ciT&index=2 three part series on Biblical symbolism] melding the benefits of Eastern and Western interpretive perspectives
* Richard Hays has multiple resources, including:
** ''Reading the Bible Intertextually'': Hays, Richard B., Alkier, Stefan, and Huizenga, Leroy A.
** His "echoes" books, e.g. ''Echoes of Scripture in the Letters of Paul,'' explain some of the principles behind the hermeneutical technique he employs therein.
* Rabbi/Mathematician Elie Feder's ''Gematria Refigured'' rescues this ancient tool from many of the naive or abusive uses it has been put through which have tended to give it a reputation in the eyes of many thoughtful and careful exegetes. His work greatly helps set [[gematria]] science back on a more firm foundation by providing both persuasive examples and by drawing general interpretive principles from those examples.
* Seth D. Postell, ''The Art of Narrative Analogy: Identifying and Interpreting Parallel Passages in the Bible''
* AI is capable of contributing helpful insights to prompts that guide it towards a novel synthesis of known/established ideas. (Indeed, it is surprisingly better at that sort of task than at some mundane tasks such as its infamous foul up at counting the number of "r"s in the word "strawberry.") With just a little bit of direction it can "see" connections that you suggest, even if those particular associations have not been presented in any existing literature. So its potential as a [[chavruta]] partner for midrashic exegetical research should not be underestimated. Here is one example provided by a student in an [[AlephBeta]] class: https://chatgpt.com/share/67c0116d-1aa4-8005-9f64-c0431105e27c.
* If you are asking yourself, "Is anyone seeing the same amazing things in the Bible that I am?" check out the [[Midrashic Hermeneutical Discussion Communities|midrashic hermeneutical discussion communities]] page for leads on other like-minded people to talk to!

== Additional potential leads (yet to be confirmed for relevance and categorized by Bible Wiki editors...) ==
* Eugene Borowitz - Talmud's Theological Wordgame
* Max Kadushan - Rabbinic Thinking and Organic Thinking
* Sources Rabbi David Fohrman [https://members.alephbeta.org/playlist/rabbi-fohrman-biography has mentioned]:
** Robert Alter, The Art of Biblical Poetry
** Michlelet Herzog and Herzog College
** "The work that we're doing here at Aleph Beta in Tanach, there's other people across the globe that are doing similar kinds of work. Some focus in the Gush in Machon Herzog are, but not just in the Gush. I just had a chareidi fellow over here in Jerusalem giving talks to Chevron and to Ponevezh and he stumbled upon this himself. It's in the air. People are going to find it because the age is right for it."
** [https://members.alephbeta.org/playlist/how-to-learn-torah Rabbi Menachem Leibtag]
* David Daube worked on rabbinic law and NT parallels in the mid-20th century
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillel_Bakis
* [https://hebraicthought.org/podcast/how-scripture-reads-scripture-understanding-biblical-intertextuality-brent-strawn-ep-186 Brent Strawn mentions] Ross Wagner and says that "David Lincicum has a great new book coming out" (regarding intertextual activations). He also speaks about taking a course from Ulrich Mauser in which the main thesis was that any symbol you find in Revelation is not ''de novo'' but originates in the Old Testament or Jewish intertestamental literature.
* [https://www.bemadiscipleship.com BEMA podcast]
* ScholarGPT suggestions on academic resources:
** Jewish literary approach: Meir Sternberg, Adele Berlin, Yair Zakovitch, Shimon Bar-Efrat.
** Inner-biblical exegesis: Michael Fishbane, Benjamin Sommer.
** Christian figural reading: Hans Boersma, Matthew Levering, C. Kavin Rowe, Ephraim Radner, Kevin Vanhoozer.
** Reception history: Ulrich Luz, Christopher Rowland, Frances Young.
** Islamic parallels: Tarif Khalidi on Qurʾānic biblical intertextuality; Mustansir Mir on Qurʾānic narrative patterns.

==References==

[[Category:Midrashic hermeneutics]]
[[Category:Lists]]

Midrashic hermeneutical resources

2026-04-24T18:16:05Z

Zekeriya:

Resources pertaining to [[the modern midrashic, literary, figural-symbolic, pattern-based hermeneutical renaissance]].

==Ancient and pre-modern sources who make use of midrashic hermeneutical methodologies==
* The "[[derash|midrashic]]" label as applied to this renaissance on this site originates from the work of [[Chazal]], the Jewish sages responsible for the Mishnah, Midrash, and Talmud, particularly regarding the [[derash]] layer of the [[:Category:Pardes|PaRDeS]] hermeneutic suite
* Patristic:
** The hymns of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephrem_the_Syrian Ephrem the Syrian] often interweave symbols from different parts of Scripture in insightful ways.
** [[Allegory]] is one of Augustine's fourfold senses of Scripture, with his usage thereof having long been controversial. His allegorical interpretation of the Parable of the Good Samaritan is a classically questionable example that has put a bad taste in the mouth of later exegetes toward such methodolgy
* Rishonim
** Sometimes Rashi. Rabbi David Fohrman has a theory that Rashi alternates between two entirely different approaches in his commentary, and it is important to know which you are dealing with. When his contemporary readers would need help with the [[peshat]] layer of the text, e.g. meanings of archaic Hebrew words, he supplies that. But with texts that are already easy to understand on your own he goes deeper, introducing you to the world of midrash by alluding to the stories, pointing to the [[gunpowder and trigger]], etc.
** Rabbeinu Bachya is one of the more frequent users of midrashic materials (as per ChatGPT)
** Ramban frequently ''interacts'' with the actual Midrash texts, but more from an analytical perspective
* Puritan "flavoring." Although the Puritans don't generally tend to engage in ''full on'' midrashic-style interpretation, they do nevertheless frequently make ''micro-usage'' of it in colorful illustrations that add spice and memorability to their writings, for example:
** "The tree of the cross being cast into the waters of affliction hath rendered them wholesome and medicinal."<ref>John Owen, Pneumatologia, Book IV, Chap 4, pg 447.</ref>
* Relatively recent precursors:
** Hermann L. Strack and Paul Billerbeck’s ''Commentary on the New Testament from the Talmud and Midrash'' from the 1920s precedes our classification of [[the modern figural-midrashic renaissance]].
** "It is difficult to give a precise date for the inception of the literary approach to biblical study. Many 20th century scholars incorporated elements of this method in their work, including Martin Buber, Franz Rosensweig, Benno Jacob, Umberto Cassuto, and Nehama Leibowitz. More recently though, scholars such as Adele Berlin, Michael Fishbane, Meir Sternberg, and Robert Alter can be credited as the first to fully embody the literary approach as defined above. With Alter being the most well-known of the group, let’s examine his approach. In his seminal work, ''The Art of Biblical Narrative'', Alter [1981] argues that the literary structure and unity of the Torah indicate a deliberate authorial intent..."<ref name=curwin>Curwin, David. "[https://dafaleph.com/s/Orthodox-Literary-Approach.pdf The Orthodox Literary Approach: Opening Doors and Closing Gaps]." https://dafaleph.com. Cited Feb 2, 2025.</ref>

==Modern sources who make use of midrashic hermeneutical methodologies==
[[The modern figural-midrashic renaissance]] page may contain examples or quotes from sources not catalogued here.
* Orthodox Jewish:
** Rabbi David Fohrman and team at [https://alephbeta.org https://alephbeta.org.] The animated videos provide a well-suited introduction to the methodology for both Biblical scholar and school-aged child alike. The podcasts (e.g. [https://members.alephbeta.org/podcasts/book-like-no-other A Book Like No Other]) and seminar courses (in some cases available only to patron members) are as deep and profound as anything you will find in the academic literature. He also has [https://shop.alephbeta.org/collections/books-by-rabbi-fohrman excellent books] available.
** Yonatan Grossman (teaching in Hebrew), a professor of Bible at Bar Ilan University and Herzog College<ref name=curwin/>
* Messianic:
** The [https://ffoz.org First Fruits of Zion] article [https://ffoz.org/messiah/articles/faith-strengthened Answering Anti-Missionaries] addresses some issues pertaining to Midrashic methods of exegesis
** Otto Gershon resources include [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1fh09flfV4&list=PLz8qJcWh7VHntYsCYLWYuuubjY9WZg91G The Otto Zone] video series
** See Seth Postell in the tools section below
* Protestant Evangelical and/or Reformed:
** James B. Jordan and theological heirs:
*** Jordan's [https://biblicalhorizons.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Through-New-Eyes.pdf Through New Eyes] provides a good entry-level introduction to seeing both the world and Scripture through new eyes
*** Peter Leithart and crew: [https://theopolisinstitute.com/ https://theopolisinstitute.com]
*** [https://www.biblematrix.com.au/ Mike Bull] contributes several interesting/unique perspectives, including his emphasis on the "fractal" nature of the Bible
*** [https://argosy.substack.com Alastair Roberts] resources include a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9Z_I6OWzT0&list=PLDtm5aqtLCz0NEa2rg6kW8IYb9ZKfD2zc chapter-by-chapter audio Biblical commentary]. He is co-author of [https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/themelios/review/echoes-of-exodus-tracing-themes-of-redemption-through-scripture one of two distinct books published separately in 2018 both entitled "Echoes of Exodus"] (something is indeed "[[The modern figural-midrashic renaissance|in the air]]"!). For further back-history research he also has a video on [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HR-NtkDXfUk Who Are James Jordan's Influences?]
** Greg Beale:
*** His (NIGTC) Commentary on Revelation provides an encyclopedia of literary and theological connections between John's Apocalypse and Tanakh, as well as with other Judaic sources including Midrash, Talmud, Targums, etc.
*** "The Temple and the Church's Mission" explores the symbolism of Israel's Temple/Tabernacle and how that applies to the ''mission'' (not the architecture!) of the church
** Meredith Kline's "Kingdom Prologue" (especially if packaged together with Beale's "Temple and ... Mission") is, in some ways, a more densely-packed, seminary-level version of Jordan's [https://biblicalhorizons.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Through-New-Eyes.pdf Through New Eyes] (and indeed is cited in Jordan's Bibliography)
** "[https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/opth-2022-0245 Forward and Reverse Gematria are Very Different Beasts]" proposes to resolve the 666 gematria/isopsephy problem of Revelation 13:18 using a combination of [[intertextuality]] and [[gematria]]
** Matt Harmon's ''The Servant of the Lord and His Servant People: Tracing a Biblical Theme Through the Canon'' makes use of the "vertical context" and related [[hermeneutical choices for the Bible's use of the Bible]]
** [https://bibleproject.com BibleProject™] makes use of some midrashic tools (often implicitly), e.g. when talking about intertextual "hyperlinks"
** Bob Wern [https://www.youtube.com/@thedustyfeet @thedustyfeet] has numerous derivative supercommentary videos following on AlephBeta and BibleProject resources
** The Reformed Biblical theology movement in the 20th century, especially with its emphasis on [[typology]], may be seen as a first stage of the Christian side of this figural-literary interpretive renaissance. Geerhardus Vos is often considered the father of the modern resurgence in seeing Christ as the hermeneutical key and exegetical center of the entire Bible. Edmund Clowney was an influential figure, at least in academic circles, for promoting Christocentric hermeneutics, while books by Graeme Goldsworthy and John R. Cross made some inroads with a broader lay audience.
* Islamic
** [https://www.youtube.com/@bayyinah Nouman Ali Khan]; For a short sample see his [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSFd2Uz82bk Connection between Surah Al Fatihah & Surah An-Nas]. His book ''Divine Speech: Exploring Quran as Literature'' provides a lay-accessible presentation of several literary features of the Quran, summarizing recent scholarship from Neal Robinson, Raymond Farrin, etc.
* Cross-pollination
** (Catholic) Bishop Robert Barron and (Eastern Orthodox) Jonathan Pageau discuss [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyMDIvF-I60 Recognizing Patterns] and symbolism in Scripture.
** (EO) Pageau and (Protestant) Roberts also engaged in a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXlVUZeZKVo Rediscovery of Symbolism] cross-stream chat.

==Tools and resources to facilitate learning and using such hermeneutical methods==
* https://mg.alhatorah.org/TanakhLab is a useful for intertextual studies
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talmudical_hermeneutics
* Fohrman's "[https://members.alephbeta.org/course/how-to-read-the-bible The Seven Habits of Highly Intuitive Readers of the Bible]" Course
* Fohrman's "[https://members.alephbeta.org/playlist/midrash-methodology-course Midrash Methodology]" Course
* Beale's ''Handbook on the New Testament use of the Old Testament'' provides interpretive principles with some sample case studies
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgEsLxxDSmI Gary Schnittjer] and Mark Harmon's ''How to Study the Bible’s Use of the Bible'' presents seven [[hermeneutical choices for the Bible's use of the Bible]]. Schnittjer's ''Torah Story'' and ''Old Testament Use of Old Testament'' explore issues of inner-Biblical exegesis and allusions
* André Houssney has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQKSSNdqNws&list=PLTsoW3rZJW-7gd-4JFvNOjZeMmtbB_ciT&index=2 three part series on Biblical symbolism] melding the benefits of Eastern and Western interpretive perspectives
* Richard Hays has multiple resources, including:
** ''Reading the Bible Intertextually'': Hays, Richard B., Alkier, Stefan, and Huizenga, Leroy A.
** His "echoes" books, e.g. ''Echoes of Scripture in the Letters of Paul,'' explain some of the principles behind the hermeneutical technique he employs therein.
* Rabbi/Mathematician Elie Feder's ''Gematria Refigured'' rescues this ancient tool from many of the naive or abusive uses it has been put through which have tended to give it a reputation in the eyes of many thoughtful and careful exegetes. His work greatly helps set [[gematria]] science back on a more firm foundation by providing both persuasive examples and by drawing general interpretive principles from those examples.
* Seth D. Postell, ''The Art of Narrative Analogy: Identifying and Interpreting Parallel Passages in the Bible''
* AI is capable of contributing helpful insights to prompts that guide it towards a novel synthesis of known/established ideas. (Indeed, it is surprisingly better at that sort of task than at some mundane tasks such as its infamous foul up at counting the number of "r"s in the word "strawberry.") With just a little bit of direction it can "see" connections that you suggest, even if those particular associations have not been presented in any existing literature. So its potential as a [[chavruta]] partner for midrashic exegetical research should not be underestimated. Here is one example provided by a student in an [[AlephBeta]] class: https://chatgpt.com/share/67c0116d-1aa4-8005-9f64-c0431105e27c.
* If you are asking yourself, "Is anyone seeing the same amazing things in the Bible that I am?" check out the [[Midrashic Hermeneutical Discussion Communities|midrashic hermeneutical discussion communities]] page for leads on other like-minded people to talk to!

== Additional potential leads (yet to be confirmed for relevance and categorized by Bible Wiki editors...) ==
* Eugene Borowitz - Talmud's Theological Wordgame
* Max Kadushan - Rabbinic Thinking and Organic Thinking
* Sources Rabbi David Fohrman [https://members.alephbeta.org/playlist/rabbi-fohrman-biography has mentioned]:
** Robert Alter, The Art of Biblical Poetry
** Michlelet Herzog and Herzog College
** "The work that we're doing here at Aleph Beta in Tanach, there's other people across the globe that are doing similar kinds of work. Some focus in the Gush in Machon Herzog are, but not just in the Gush. I just had a chareidi fellow over here in Jerusalem giving talks to Chevron and to Ponevezh and he stumbled upon this himself. It's in the air. People are going to find it because the age is right for it."
** [https://members.alephbeta.org/playlist/how-to-learn-torah Rabbi Menachem Leibtag]
* David Daube worked on rabbinic law and NT parallels in the mid-20th century
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillel_Bakis
* [https://hebraicthought.org/podcast/how-scripture-reads-scripture-understanding-biblical-intertextuality-brent-strawn-ep-186 Brent Strawn mentions] Ross Wagner and says that "David Lincicum has a great new book coming out" (regarding intertextual activations). He also speaks about taking a course from Ulrich Mauser in which the main thesis was that any symbol you find in Revelation is not ''de novo'' but originates in the Old Testament or Jewish intertestamental literature.
* [https://www.bemadiscipleship.com BEMA podcast]
* ScholarGPT suggestions on academic resources:
** Jewish literary approach: Meir Sternberg, Adele Berlin, Yair Zakovitch, Shimon Bar-Efrat.
** Inner-biblical exegesis: Michael Fishbane, Benjamin Sommer.
** Christian figural reading: Hans Boersma, Matthew Levering, C. Kavin Rowe, Ephraim Radner, Kevin Vanhoozer.
** Reception history: Ulrich Luz, Christopher Rowland, Frances Young.
** Islamic parallels: Tarif Khalidi on Qurʾānic biblical intertextuality; Mustansir Mir on Qurʾānic narrative patterns.

==References==

[[Category:Midrashic hermeneutics]]
[[Category:Lists]]

Midrashic hermeneutical resources

2026-04-24T18:07:24Z

Zekeriya: /* Tools and resources to facilitate learning and using such hermeneutical methods */

==Ancient and pre-modern sources who make use of midrashic hermeneutical methodologies==
* The "[[derash|midrashic]]" label used on this page originates from the work of [[Chazal]], the Jewish sages responsible for the Mishnah, Midrash, and Talmud, particularly regarding the [[derash]] layer of the [[:Category:Pardes|PaRDeS]] hermeneutic suite
* Patristic:
** The hymns of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephrem_the_Syrian Ephrem the Syrian] often interweave symbols from different parts of Scripture in insightful ways.
** [[Allegory]] is one of Augustine's fourfold senses of Scripture, with his usage thereof having long been controversial. His allegorical interpretation of the Parable of the Good Samaritan is a classically questionable example that has put a bad taste in the mouth of later exegetes toward such methodolgy
* Rishonim
** Sometimes Rashi. Rabbi David Fohrman has a theory that Rashi alternates between two entirely different approaches in his commentary, and it is important to know which you are dealing with. When his contemporary readers would need help with the [[peshat]] layer of the text, e.g. meanings of archaic Hebrew words, he supplies that. But with texts that are already easy to understand on your own he goes deeper, introducing you to the world of midrash by alluding to the stories, pointing to the [[gunpowder and trigger]], etc.
** Rabbeinu Bachya is one of the more frequent users of midrashic materials (as per ChatGPT)
** Ramban frequently ''interacts'' with the actual Midrash texts, but more from an analytical perspective
* Puritan "flavoring." Although the Puritans don't generally tend to engage in ''full on'' midrashic-style interpretation, they do nevertheless frequently make ''micro-usage'' of it in colorful illustrations that add spice and memorability to their writings, for example:
** "The tree of the cross being cast into the waters of affliction hath rendered them wholesome and medicinal."<ref>John Owen, Pneumatologia, Book IV, Chap 4, pg 447.</ref>
* Relatively recent precursors:
** Hermann L. Strack and Paul Billerbeck’s ''Commentary on the New Testament from the Talmud and Midrash'' from the 1920s precedes our classification of [[the modern figural-midrashic renaissance]].
** "It is difficult to give a precise date for the inception of the literary approach to biblical study. Many 20th century scholars incorporated elements of this method in their work, including Martin Buber, Franz Rosensweig, Benno Jacob, Umberto Cassuto, and Nehama Leibowitz. More recently though, scholars such as Adele Berlin, Michael Fishbane, Meir Sternberg, and Robert Alter can be credited as the first to fully embody the literary approach as defined above. With Alter being the most well-known of the group, let’s examine his approach. In his seminal work, ''The Art of Biblical Narrative'', Alter [1981] argues that the literary structure and unity of the Torah indicate a deliberate authorial intent..."<ref name=curwin>Curwin, David. "[https://dafaleph.com/s/Orthodox-Literary-Approach.pdf The Orthodox Literary Approach: Opening Doors and Closing Gaps]." https://dafaleph.com. Cited Feb 2, 2025.</ref>

==Modern sources who make use of midrashic hermeneutical methodologies==
[[The modern figural-midrashic renaissance]] page may contain examples or quotes from sources not catalogued here.
* Orthodox Jewish:
** Rabbi David Fohrman and team at [https://alephbeta.org https://alephbeta.org.] The animated videos provide a well-suited introduction to the methodology for both Biblical scholar and school-aged child alike. The podcasts (e.g. [https://members.alephbeta.org/podcasts/book-like-no-other A Book Like No Other]) and seminar courses (in some cases available only to patron members) are as deep and profound as anything you will find in the academic literature. He also has [https://shop.alephbeta.org/collections/books-by-rabbi-fohrman excellent books] available.
** Yonatan Grossman (teaching in Hebrew), a professor of Bible at Bar Ilan University and Herzog College<ref name=curwin/>
* Messianic:
** The [https://ffoz.org First Fruits of Zion] article [https://ffoz.org/messiah/articles/faith-strengthened Answering Anti-Missionaries] addresses some issues pertaining to Midrashic methods of exegesis
** Otto Gershon resources include [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1fh09flfV4&list=PLz8qJcWh7VHntYsCYLWYuuubjY9WZg91G The Otto Zone] video series
** See Seth Postell in the tools section below
* Protestant Evangelical and/or Reformed:
** James B. Jordan and theological heirs:
*** Jordan's [https://biblicalhorizons.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Through-New-Eyes.pdf Through New Eyes] provides a good entry-level introduction to seeing both the world and Scripture through new eyes
*** Peter Leithart and crew: [https://theopolisinstitute.com/ https://theopolisinstitute.com]
*** [https://www.biblematrix.com.au/ Mike Bull] contributes several interesting/unique perspectives, including his emphasis on the "fractal" nature of the Bible
*** [https://argosy.substack.com Alastair Roberts] resources include a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9Z_I6OWzT0&list=PLDtm5aqtLCz0NEa2rg6kW8IYb9ZKfD2zc chapter-by-chapter audio Biblical commentary]. He is co-author of [https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/themelios/review/echoes-of-exodus-tracing-themes-of-redemption-through-scripture one of two distinct books published separately in 2018 both entitled "Echoes of Exodus"] (something is indeed "[[The modern figural-midrashic renaissance|in the air]]"!). For further back-history research he also has a video on [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HR-NtkDXfUk Who Are James Jordan's Influences?]
** Greg Beale:
*** His (NIGTC) Commentary on Revelation provides an encyclopedia of literary and theological connections between John's Apocalypse and Tanakh, as well as with other Judaic sources including Midrash, Talmud, Targums, etc.
*** "The Temple and the Church's Mission" explores the symbolism of Israel's Temple/Tabernacle and how that applies to the ''mission'' (not the architecture!) of the church
** Meredith Kline's "Kingdom Prologue" (especially if packaged together with Beale's "Temple and ... Mission") is, in some ways, a more densely-packed, seminary-level version of Jordan's [https://biblicalhorizons.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Through-New-Eyes.pdf Through New Eyes] (and indeed is cited in Jordan's Bibliography)
** "[https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/opth-2022-0245 Forward and Reverse Gematria are Very Different Beasts]" proposes to resolve the 666 gematria/isopsephy problem of Revelation 13:18 using a combination of [[intertextuality]] and [[gematria]]
** Matt Harmon's ''The Servant of the Lord and His Servant People: Tracing a Biblical Theme Through the Canon'' makes use of the "vertical context" and related [[hermeneutical choices for the Bible's use of the Bible]]
** [https://bibleproject.com BibleProject™] makes use of some midrashic tools (often implicitly), e.g. when talking about intertextual "hyperlinks"
** Bob Wern [https://www.youtube.com/@thedustyfeet @thedustyfeet] has numerous derivative supercommentary videos following on AlephBeta and BibleProject resources
** The Reformed Biblical theology movement in the 20th century, especially with its emphasis on [[typology]], may be seen as a first stage of the Christian side of this figural-literary interpretive renaissance. Geerhardus Vos is often considered the father of the modern resurgence in seeing Christ as the hermeneutical key and exegetical center of the entire Bible. Edmund Clowney was an influential figure, at least in academic circles, for promoting Christocentric hermeneutics, while books by Graeme Goldsworthy and John R. Cross made some inroads with a broader lay audience.
* Islamic
** [https://www.youtube.com/@bayyinah Nouman Ali Khan]; For a short sample see his [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSFd2Uz82bk Connection between Surah Al Fatihah & Surah An-Nas]. His book ''Divine Speech: Exploring Quran as Literature'' provides a lay-accessible presentation of several literary features of the Quran, summarizing recent scholarship from Neal Robinson, Raymond Farrin, etc.
* Cross-pollination
** (Catholic) Bishop Robert Barron and (Eastern Orthodox) Jonathan Pageau discuss [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyMDIvF-I60 Recognizing Patterns] and symbolism in Scripture.
** (EO) Pageau and (Protestant) Roberts also engaged in a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXlVUZeZKVo Rediscovery of Symbolism] cross-stream chat.

==Tools and resources to facilitate learning and using such hermeneutical methods==
* https://mg.alhatorah.org/TanakhLab is a useful for intertextual studies
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talmudical_hermeneutics
* Fohrman's "[https://members.alephbeta.org/course/how-to-read-the-bible The Seven Habits of Highly Intuitive Readers of the Bible]" Course
* Fohrman's "[https://members.alephbeta.org/playlist/midrash-methodology-course Midrash Methodology]" Course
* Beale's ''Handbook on the New Testament use of the Old Testament'' provides interpretive principles with some sample case studies
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgEsLxxDSmI Gary Schnittjer] and Mark Harmon's ''How to Study the Bible’s Use of the Bible'' presents seven [[hermeneutical choices for the Bible's use of the Bible]]. Schnittjer's ''Torah Story'' and ''Old Testament Use of Old Testament'' explore issues of inner-Biblical exegesis and allusions
* André Houssney has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQKSSNdqNws&list=PLTsoW3rZJW-7gd-4JFvNOjZeMmtbB_ciT&index=2 three part series on Biblical symbolism] melding the benefits of Eastern and Western interpretive perspectives
* Richard Hays has multiple resources, including:
** ''Reading the Bible Intertextually'': Hays, Richard B., Alkier, Stefan, and Huizenga, Leroy A.
** His "echoes" books, e.g. ''Echoes of Scripture in the Letters of Paul,'' explain some of the principles behind the hermeneutical technique he employs therein.
* Rabbi/Mathematician Elie Feder's ''Gematria Refigured'' rescues this ancient tool from many of the naive or abusive uses it has been put through which have tended to give it a reputation in the eyes of many thoughtful and careful exegetes. His work greatly helps set [[gematria]] science back on a more firm foundation by providing both persuasive examples and by drawing general interpretive principles from those examples.
* Seth D. Postell, ''The Art of Narrative Analogy: Identifying and Interpreting Parallel Passages in the Bible''
* AI is capable of contributing helpful insights to prompts that guide it towards a novel synthesis of known/established ideas. (Indeed, it is surprisingly better at that sort of task than at some mundane tasks such as its infamous foul up at counting the number of "r"s in the word "strawberry.") With just a little bit of direction it can "see" connections that you suggest, even if those particular associations have not been presented in any existing literature. So its potential as a [[chavruta]] partner for midrashic exegetical research should not be underestimated. Here is one example provided by a student in an [[AlephBeta]] class: https://chatgpt.com/share/67c0116d-1aa4-8005-9f64-c0431105e27c.
* If you are asking yourself, "Is anyone seeing the same amazing things in the Bible that I am?" check out the [[Midrashic Hermeneutical Discussion Communities|midrashic hermeneutical discussion communities]] page for leads on other like-minded people to talk to!

== Additional potential leads (yet to be confirmed for relevance and categorized by Bible Wiki editors...) ==
* Eugene Borowitz - Talmud's Theological Wordgame
* Max Kadushan - Rabbinic Thinking and Organic Thinking
* Sources Rabbi David Fohrman [https://members.alephbeta.org/playlist/rabbi-fohrman-biography has mentioned]:
** Robert Alter, The Art of Biblical Poetry
** Michlelet Herzog and Herzog College
** "The work that we're doing here at Aleph Beta in Tanach, there's other people across the globe that are doing similar kinds of work. Some focus in the Gush in Machon Herzog are, but not just in the Gush. I just had a chareidi fellow over here in Jerusalem giving talks to Chevron and to Ponevezh and he stumbled upon this himself. It's in the air. People are going to find it because the age is right for it."
** [https://members.alephbeta.org/playlist/how-to-learn-torah Rabbi Menachem Leibtag]
* David Daube worked on rabbinic law and NT parallels in the mid-20th century
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillel_Bakis
* [https://hebraicthought.org/podcast/how-scripture-reads-scripture-understanding-biblical-intertextuality-brent-strawn-ep-186 Brent Strawn mentions] Ross Wagner and says that "David Lincicum has a great new book coming out" (regarding intertextual activations). He also speaks about taking a course from Ulrich Mauser in which the main thesis was that any symbol you find in Revelation is not ''de novo'' but originates in the Old Testament or Jewish intertestamental literature.
* [https://www.bemadiscipleship.com BEMA podcast]
* ScholarGPT suggestions on academic resources:
** Jewish literary approach: Meir Sternberg, Adele Berlin, Yair Zakovitch, Shimon Bar-Efrat.
** Inner-biblical exegesis: Michael Fishbane, Benjamin Sommer.
** Christian figural reading: Hans Boersma, Matthew Levering, C. Kavin Rowe, Ephraim Radner, Kevin Vanhoozer.
** Reception history: Ulrich Luz, Christopher Rowland, Frances Young.
** Islamic parallels: Tarif Khalidi on Qurʾānic biblical intertextuality; Mustansir Mir on Qurʾānic narrative patterns.

==References==

[[Category:Midrashic hermeneutics]]
[[Category:Lists]]

The modern midrashic, literary, figural-symbolic, pattern-based hermeneutical renaissance

2026-04-24T16:10:51Z

Zekeriya:

As yet unbeknownst to most Bible students and believers outside the academy, since roughly the 1980s we are presently living on the cusp of arguably the second greatest<ref>The printing press, introduction of Greek texts in the West following the Ottoman conquest of Byzantium, and the popularization of Sola Scriptura, all within a 100 year span, definitely made the biggest impact on Biblical truth going forth to the masses.</ref> hermeneutical renaissance since the first century AD! [[Midrashic Literary Tools|Ancient rabbinic and patristic literary tools]] (e.g. intertextuality, symbolism, chiasms, paronomasia, gematria) are being independently rediscovered among [[Midrashic Hermeneutical Resources|diverse interpretive communities]] including Orthodox Jewish, Cathlo-Orthodox, conservative Evangelical, and liberal scholarship, allowing the “[[derash|midrashic layer]]” of Scripture to once again be seen with new eyes. ''Properly employed''(!), studies that plumb the deeper ([[derash]]) layer do not reveal novel, strange, or otherwise secret/hidden doctrines, but rather add color, texture, nuance, richness, flavor, insight, and deeper heart-impacting dimensionality to the same foundational truth readily available on the surface ([[peshat]]) layer of the text.

==Quotes and Examples==
* [[Midrashic Hermeneutical Resources]] provides examples of the diversity of streams which are converging in this already-existing-yet-largely-unknown renaissance
* Rabbi David Fohrman: "Now, I do think that we used to have it, but I think it was lost. My theory is that the Rabbis, ''Chazal'' had it. The Sages of the Talmud. They had an actual coherent approach to Biblical study, but they weren't overt about it. They kept it among themselves. It was almost like a secret society. Like this is how Bible is learned. They had ways of doing it. ... I'm happy that I was able to spend the last 20 years on, I think, is actually working on an approach that isn't really so new, but I think it's old. It's a way of uncovering techniques that I think are the oldest techniques that we have in Biblical study. That were the fundamentals of what the Rabbis of those days were using when they made that kind of exegesis."<ref name="FohrmanKoretzky">Fohrman, David and Ari Koretzky. An Interview with Rabbi Fohrman, https://www.alephbeta.org/playlist/rabbi-fohrman-biography, AlephBeta, url citation date: 2023-12-02.</ref>
* "Rabbi Koretzky: How has that approach been received by secular academics? Do they see it as kind of like a bit of a cop out or a sellout and like you're just trying to inject meaning ‑‑ impose meaning where ‑‑ an order where really it's just chaos? Or do people respect it and say, okay, this is a reasonable alternative? Rabbi Fohrman: Look, it depends what you mean by academics. I would say there is a branch of this in academia. It's a small branch in academia. The closest that you have in an academia is guys like Robert Alter. ... I didn't read Robert Alter and he didn't see my thing, but we kind of independently came to similar approaches. So it's there a little bit with Robert Alter. It's there within the Orthodox world, in Israel, in Michlelet Herzog. The whole Herzog College is devoted really to a similar kind of approach. Guys like Yoni Grossman, who's a professor at Bar Ilan, this is his thing."<ref name="FohrmanKoretzky"/>
* In academia, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intertextuality Julia Kristeva is credited with coining the term "intertextuality"] in 1968<ref>analysis of ''Jehan de Saintré'', (in the collective volume ''Théorie d'ensemble'', Paris, Seuil, 1968).</ref> (with Mikhail Bakhtin as her major influence?)
* Regarding the book of Revelation in particular Beale<ref>Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation: A Commentary on the Greek Text. W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press, 1999, p. 76.</ref> observes, "Until the early 1980s the use of the OT in the Apocalypse of John received less attention than the use of the OT elsewhere in the NT—merely two books and six significant articles. Important discussion of the subject could be found in commentaries and other books... . Since the early 1980s, however, six significant books have been written on the topic... . Since the same period, a number of articles on the same subject have appeared," and Allen<ref>Allen, Garrick V. Scriptural Allusions in the Book of Revelation and the Contours of Textual Research 1900-2014: Retrospect and Prospects, Currents in Biblical Research,
volume 14,
number 3,
pages 319--339,
2016,
SAGE Publications Sage UK: London, England</ref> traces some of that history from 1900--2014.
* David Curwin traces the [https://dafaleph.com/s/Orthodox-Literary-Approach.pdf "the Orthodox modern literary approach revolution"]<ref>Curwin, David. "[https://dafaleph.com/s/Orthodox-Literary-Approach.pdf The Orthodox Literary Approach: Opening Doors and Closing Gaps]." https://dafaleph.com. Cited Feb 2, 2025.</ref>, using Robert Alter's 1981 "The Art of Biblical Narrative" as watershed turning point for establishing, or at least beginning the popularization of, the movement.
* John Ahern ponders the legitimacy of the [https://theopolisinstitute.com ]] Theopolitan] interpretive style in his essay "[https://theopolisinstitute.com/a-hermeneutic-of-riddles/ A Hermeneutic of Riddles]." He ends up defending the notion that the Bible's overall genre is as much "riddle" as it is "story."
* Works on Biblical "echoes," both the [[Midrashic_hermeneutical_resources#Tools_and_resources_to_facilitate_learning_and_using_such_hermeneutical_methods|theory]] and [[Midrashic_hermeneutical_resources#Modern_sources_who_make_use_of_midrashic_hermeneutical_methodologies|employed exegetical results thereof]], have increasingly blossomed in the Christian world in the present generation.

==Joining In==
See [[Midrashic hermeneutical discussion communities]].

==Footnotes==
<references />

[[Category:Midrashic hermeneutics]]

The modern midrashic, literary, figural-symbolic, pattern-based hermeneutical renaissance

2026-04-24T16:05:57Z

Zekeriya: /* Quotes and Examples */

As yet unbeknownst to most Bible students and believers outside the academy, since roughly the 1980s we are presently living on the cusp of arguably the second greatest<ref>The printing press, introduction of Greek texts in the West following the Ottoman conquest of Byzantium, and the popularization of Sola Scriptura, all within a 100 year span, definitely made the biggest impact on Biblical truth going forth to the masses.</ref> hermeneutical renaissance since the first century AD! [[Midrashic Literary Tools|Ancient rabbinic and patristic literary tools]] (e.g. intertextuality, symbolism, chiasms, paronomasia, gematria) are being independently rediscovered among [[Midrashic Hermeneutical Resources|diverse interpretive communities]] including Orthodox Jewish, Cathlo-Orthodox, conservative Evangelical, and liberal scholarship, allowing the “[[derash|midrashic layer]]” of Scripture to once again be seen with new eyes. ''Properly employed''(!), this does not lead to novel or strange doctrines, but rather adds color, texture, nuance, richness, flavor, insight, and deeper heart-impacting dimensionality to the same truth readily available on the “surface ([[peshat]]) layer” of the text.

==Quotes and Examples==
* [[Midrashic Hermeneutical Resources]] provides examples of the diversity of streams which are converging in this already-existing-yet-largely-unknown renaissance
* Rabbi David Fohrman: "Now, I do think that we used to have it, but I think it was lost. My theory is that the Rabbis, ''Chazal'' had it. The Sages of the Talmud. They had an actual coherent approach to Biblical study, but they weren't overt about it. They kept it among themselves. It was almost like a secret society. Like this is how Bible is learned. They had ways of doing it. ... I'm happy that I was able to spend the last 20 years on, I think, is actually working on an approach that isn't really so new, but I think it's old. It's a way of uncovering techniques that I think are the oldest techniques that we have in Biblical study. That were the fundamentals of what the Rabbis of those days were using when they made that kind of exegesis."<ref name="FohrmanKoretzky">Fohrman, David and Ari Koretzky. An Interview with Rabbi Fohrman, https://www.alephbeta.org/playlist/rabbi-fohrman-biography, AlephBeta, url citation date: 2023-12-02.</ref>
* "Rabbi Koretzky: How has that approach been received by secular academics? Do they see it as kind of like a bit of a cop out or a sellout and like you're just trying to inject meaning ‑‑ impose meaning where ‑‑ an order where really it's just chaos? Or do people respect it and say, okay, this is a reasonable alternative? Rabbi Fohrman: Look, it depends what you mean by academics. I would say there is a branch of this in academia. It's a small branch in academia. The closest that you have in an academia is guys like Robert Alter. ... I didn't read Robert Alter and he didn't see my thing, but we kind of independently came to similar approaches. So it's there a little bit with Robert Alter. It's there within the Orthodox world, in Israel, in Michlelet Herzog. The whole Herzog College is devoted really to a similar kind of approach. Guys like Yoni Grossman, who's a professor at Bar Ilan, this is his thing."<ref name="FohrmanKoretzky"/>
* In academia, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intertextuality Julia Kristeva is credited with coining the term "intertextuality"] in 1968<ref>analysis of ''Jehan de Saintré'', (in the collective volume ''Théorie d'ensemble'', Paris, Seuil, 1968).</ref> (with Mikhail Bakhtin as her major influence?)
* Regarding the book of Revelation in particular Beale<ref>Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation: A Commentary on the Greek Text. W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press, 1999, p. 76.</ref> observes, "Until the early 1980s the use of the OT in the Apocalypse of John received less attention than the use of the OT elsewhere in the NT—merely two books and six significant articles. Important discussion of the subject could be found in commentaries and other books... . Since the early 1980s, however, six significant books have been written on the topic... . Since the same period, a number of articles on the same subject have appeared," and Allen<ref>Allen, Garrick V. Scriptural Allusions in the Book of Revelation and the Contours of Textual Research 1900-2014: Retrospect and Prospects, Currents in Biblical Research,
volume 14,
number 3,
pages 319--339,
2016,
SAGE Publications Sage UK: London, England</ref> traces some of that history from 1900--2014.
* David Curwin traces the [https://dafaleph.com/s/Orthodox-Literary-Approach.pdf "the Orthodox modern literary approach revolution"]<ref>Curwin, David. "[https://dafaleph.com/s/Orthodox-Literary-Approach.pdf The Orthodox Literary Approach: Opening Doors and Closing Gaps]." https://dafaleph.com. Cited Feb 2, 2025.</ref>, using Robert Alter's 1981 "The Art of Biblical Narrative" as watershed turning point for establishing, or at least beginning the popularization of, the movement.
* John Ahern ponders the legitimacy of the [https://theopolisinstitute.com ]] Theopolitan] interpretive style in his essay "[https://theopolisinstitute.com/a-hermeneutic-of-riddles/ A Hermeneutic of Riddles]." He ends up defending the notion that the Bible's overall genre is as much "riddle" as it is "story."
* Works on Biblical "echoes," both the [[Midrashic_hermeneutical_resources#Tools_and_resources_to_facilitate_learning_and_using_such_hermeneutical_methods|theory]] and [[Midrashic_hermeneutical_resources#Modern_sources_who_make_use_of_midrashic_hermeneutical_methodologies|employed exegetical results thereof]], have increasingly blossomed in the Christian world in the present generation.

==Joining In==
See [[Midrashic hermeneutical discussion communities]].

==Footnotes==
<references />

[[Category:Midrashic hermeneutics]]

Midrashic hermeneutical resources

2026-04-24T16:03:15Z

Zekeriya:

==Ancient and pre-modern sources who make use of midrashic hermeneutical methodologies==
* The "[[derash|midrashic]]" label used on this page originates from the work of [[Chazal]], the Jewish sages responsible for the Mishnah, Midrash, and Talmud, particularly regarding the [[derash]] layer of the [[:Category:Pardes|PaRDeS]] hermeneutic suite
* Patristic:
** The hymns of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephrem_the_Syrian Ephrem the Syrian] often interweave symbols from different parts of Scripture in insightful ways.
** [[Allegory]] is one of Augustine's fourfold senses of Scripture, with his usage thereof having long been controversial. His allegorical interpretation of the Parable of the Good Samaritan is a classically questionable example that has put a bad taste in the mouth of later exegetes toward such methodolgy
* Rishonim
** Sometimes Rashi. Rabbi David Fohrman has a theory that Rashi alternates between two entirely different approaches in his commentary, and it is important to know which you are dealing with. When his contemporary readers would need help with the [[peshat]] layer of the text, e.g. meanings of archaic Hebrew words, he supplies that. But with texts that are already easy to understand on your own he goes deeper, introducing you to the world of midrash by alluding to the stories, pointing to the [[gunpowder and trigger]], etc.
** Rabbeinu Bachya is one of the more frequent users of midrashic materials (as per ChatGPT)
** Ramban frequently ''interacts'' with the actual Midrash texts, but more from an analytical perspective
* Puritan "flavoring." Although the Puritans don't generally tend to engage in ''full on'' midrashic-style interpretation, they do nevertheless frequently make ''micro-usage'' of it in colorful illustrations that add spice and memorability to their writings, for example:
** "The tree of the cross being cast into the waters of affliction hath rendered them wholesome and medicinal."<ref>John Owen, Pneumatologia, Book IV, Chap 4, pg 447.</ref>
* Relatively recent precursors:
** Hermann L. Strack and Paul Billerbeck’s ''Commentary on the New Testament from the Talmud and Midrash'' from the 1920s precedes our classification of [[the modern figural-midrashic renaissance]].
** "It is difficult to give a precise date for the inception of the literary approach to biblical study. Many 20th century scholars incorporated elements of this method in their work, including Martin Buber, Franz Rosensweig, Benno Jacob, Umberto Cassuto, and Nehama Leibowitz. More recently though, scholars such as Adele Berlin, Michael Fishbane, Meir Sternberg, and Robert Alter can be credited as the first to fully embody the literary approach as defined above. With Alter being the most well-known of the group, let’s examine his approach. In his seminal work, ''The Art of Biblical Narrative'', Alter [1981] argues that the literary structure and unity of the Torah indicate a deliberate authorial intent..."<ref name=curwin>Curwin, David. "[https://dafaleph.com/s/Orthodox-Literary-Approach.pdf The Orthodox Literary Approach: Opening Doors and Closing Gaps]." https://dafaleph.com. Cited Feb 2, 2025.</ref>

==Modern sources who make use of midrashic hermeneutical methodologies==
[[The modern figural-midrashic renaissance]] page may contain examples or quotes from sources not catalogued here.
* Orthodox Jewish:
** Rabbi David Fohrman and team at [https://alephbeta.org https://alephbeta.org.] The animated videos provide a well-suited introduction to the methodology for both Biblical scholar and school-aged child alike. The podcasts (e.g. [https://members.alephbeta.org/podcasts/book-like-no-other A Book Like No Other]) and seminar courses (in some cases available only to patron members) are as deep and profound as anything you will find in the academic literature. He also has [https://shop.alephbeta.org/collections/books-by-rabbi-fohrman excellent books] available.
** Yonatan Grossman (teaching in Hebrew), a professor of Bible at Bar Ilan University and Herzog College<ref name=curwin/>
* Messianic:
** The [https://ffoz.org First Fruits of Zion] article [https://ffoz.org/messiah/articles/faith-strengthened Answering Anti-Missionaries] addresses some issues pertaining to Midrashic methods of exegesis
** Otto Gershon resources include [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1fh09flfV4&list=PLz8qJcWh7VHntYsCYLWYuuubjY9WZg91G The Otto Zone] video series
** See Seth Postell in the tools section below
* Protestant Evangelical and/or Reformed:
** James B. Jordan and theological heirs:
*** Jordan's [https://biblicalhorizons.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Through-New-Eyes.pdf Through New Eyes] provides a good entry-level introduction to seeing both the world and Scripture through new eyes
*** Peter Leithart and crew: [https://theopolisinstitute.com/ https://theopolisinstitute.com]
*** [https://www.biblematrix.com.au/ Mike Bull] contributes several interesting/unique perspectives, including his emphasis on the "fractal" nature of the Bible
*** [https://argosy.substack.com Alastair Roberts] resources include a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9Z_I6OWzT0&list=PLDtm5aqtLCz0NEa2rg6kW8IYb9ZKfD2zc chapter-by-chapter audio Biblical commentary]. He is co-author of [https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/themelios/review/echoes-of-exodus-tracing-themes-of-redemption-through-scripture one of two distinct books published separately in 2018 both entitled "Echoes of Exodus"] (something is indeed "[[The modern figural-midrashic renaissance|in the air]]"!). For further back-history research he also has a video on [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HR-NtkDXfUk Who Are James Jordan's Influences?]
** Greg Beale:
*** His (NIGTC) Commentary on Revelation provides an encyclopedia of literary and theological connections between John's Apocalypse and Tanakh, as well as with other Judaic sources including Midrash, Talmud, Targums, etc.
*** "The Temple and the Church's Mission" explores the symbolism of Israel's Temple/Tabernacle and how that applies to the ''mission'' (not the architecture!) of the church
** Meredith Kline's "Kingdom Prologue" (especially if packaged together with Beale's "Temple and ... Mission") is, in some ways, a more densely-packed, seminary-level version of Jordan's [https://biblicalhorizons.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Through-New-Eyes.pdf Through New Eyes] (and indeed is cited in Jordan's Bibliography)
** "[https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/opth-2022-0245 Forward and Reverse Gematria are Very Different Beasts]" proposes to resolve the 666 gematria/isopsephy problem of Revelation 13:18 using a combination of [[intertextuality]] and [[gematria]]
** Matt Harmon's ''The Servant of the Lord and His Servant People: Tracing a Biblical Theme Through the Canon'' makes use of the "vertical context" and related [[hermeneutical choices for the Bible's use of the Bible]]
** [https://bibleproject.com BibleProject™] makes use of some midrashic tools (often implicitly), e.g. when talking about intertextual "hyperlinks"
** Bob Wern [https://www.youtube.com/@thedustyfeet @thedustyfeet] has numerous derivative supercommentary videos following on AlephBeta and BibleProject resources
** The Reformed Biblical theology movement in the 20th century, especially with its emphasis on [[typology]], may be seen as a first stage of the Christian side of this figural-literary interpretive renaissance. Geerhardus Vos is often considered the father of the modern resurgence in seeing Christ as the hermeneutical key and exegetical center of the entire Bible. Edmund Clowney was an influential figure, at least in academic circles, for promoting Christocentric hermeneutics, while books by Graeme Goldsworthy and John R. Cross made some inroads with a broader lay audience.
* Islamic
** [https://www.youtube.com/@bayyinah Nouman Ali Khan]; For a short sample see his [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSFd2Uz82bk Connection between Surah Al Fatihah & Surah An-Nas]. His book ''Divine Speech: Exploring Quran as Literature'' provides a lay-accessible presentation of several literary features of the Quran, summarizing recent scholarship from Neal Robinson, Raymond Farrin, etc.
* Cross-pollination
** (Catholic) Bishop Robert Barron and (Eastern Orthodox) Jonathan Pageau discuss [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyMDIvF-I60 Recognizing Patterns] and symbolism in Scripture.
** (EO) Pageau and (Protestant) Roberts also engaged in a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXlVUZeZKVo Rediscovery of Symbolism] cross-stream chat.

==Tools and resources to facilitate learning and using such hermeneutical methods==
* https://mg.alhatorah.org/TanakhLab is a useful for intertextual studies
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talmudical_hermeneutics
* Fohrman's "[https://members.alephbeta.org/course/how-to-read-the-bible The Seven Habits of Highly Intuitive Readers of the Bible]" Course
* Fohrman's "[https://members.alephbeta.org/playlist/midrash-methodology-course Midrash Methodology]" Course
* Beale's "Handbook on the New Testament use of the Old Testament" provides interpretive principles with some sample case studies
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgEsLxxDSmI Gary Schnittjer] and Mark Harmon's ''How to Study the Bible’s Use of the Bible'' presents seven [[hermeneutical choices for the Bible's use of the Bible]]. Schnittjer's ''Torah Story'' and ''Old Testament Use of Old Testament'' explore issues of inner-Biblical exegesis and allusions
* André Houssney has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQKSSNdqNws&list=PLTsoW3rZJW-7gd-4JFvNOjZeMmtbB_ciT&index=2 three part series on Biblical symbolism] melding the benefits of Eastern and Western interpretive perspectives
* Richard Hays has multiple resources, including:
** ''Reading the Bible Intertextually'': Hays, Richard B., Alkier, Stefan, and Huizenga, Leroy A.
** His "echoes" books, e.g. ''Echoes of Scripture in the Letters of Paul,'' explain some of the principles behind the hermeneutical technique he employs therein.
* Rabbi/Mathematician Elie Feder's ''Gematria Refigured'' rescues this ancient tool from many of the naive or abusive uses it has been put through which have tended to give it a reputation in the eyes of many thoughtful and careful exegetes. His work greatly helps set [[gematria]] science back on a more firm foundation by providing both persuasive examples and by drawing general interpretive principles from those examples.
* Seth D. Postell, ''The Art of Narrative Analogy: Identifying and Interpreting Parallel Passages in the Bible''
* AI is capable of contributing helpful insights to prompts that guide it towards a novel synthesis of known/established ideas. (Indeed, it is surprisingly better at that sort of task than at some mundane tasks such as its infamous foul up at counting the number of "r"s in the word "strawberry.") With just a little bit of direction it can "see" connections that you suggest, even if those particular associations have not been presented in any existing literature. So its potential as a [[chavruta]] partner for midrashic exegetical research should not be underestimated. Here is one example provided by a student in an [[AlephBeta]] class: https://chatgpt.com/share/67c0116d-1aa4-8005-9f64-c0431105e27c.
* If you are asking yourself, "Is anyone seeing the same amazing things in the Bible that I am?" check out the [[Midrashic Hermeneutical Discussion Communities|midrashic hermeneutical discussion communities]] page for leads on other like-minded people to talk to!

== Additional potential leads (yet to be confirmed for relevance and categorized by Bible Wiki editors...) ==
* Eugene Borowitz - Talmud's Theological Wordgame
* Max Kadushan - Rabbinic Thinking and Organic Thinking
* Sources Rabbi David Fohrman [https://members.alephbeta.org/playlist/rabbi-fohrman-biography has mentioned]:
** Robert Alter, The Art of Biblical Poetry
** Michlelet Herzog and Herzog College
** "The work that we're doing here at Aleph Beta in Tanach, there's other people across the globe that are doing similar kinds of work. Some focus in the Gush in Machon Herzog are, but not just in the Gush. I just had a chareidi fellow over here in Jerusalem giving talks to Chevron and to Ponevezh and he stumbled upon this himself. It's in the air. People are going to find it because the age is right for it."
** [https://members.alephbeta.org/playlist/how-to-learn-torah Rabbi Menachem Leibtag]
* David Daube worked on rabbinic law and NT parallels in the mid-20th century
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillel_Bakis
* [https://hebraicthought.org/podcast/how-scripture-reads-scripture-understanding-biblical-intertextuality-brent-strawn-ep-186 Brent Strawn mentions] Ross Wagner and says that "David Lincicum has a great new book coming out" (regarding intertextual activations). He also speaks about taking a course from Ulrich Mauser in which the main thesis was that any symbol you find in Revelation is not ''de novo'' but originates in the Old Testament or Jewish intertestamental literature.
* [https://www.bemadiscipleship.com BEMA podcast]
* ScholarGPT suggestions on academic resources:
** Jewish literary approach: Meir Sternberg, Adele Berlin, Yair Zakovitch, Shimon Bar-Efrat.
** Inner-biblical exegesis: Michael Fishbane, Benjamin Sommer.
** Christian figural reading: Hans Boersma, Matthew Levering, C. Kavin Rowe, Ephraim Radner, Kevin Vanhoozer.
** Reception history: Ulrich Luz, Christopher Rowland, Frances Young.
** Islamic parallels: Tarif Khalidi on Qurʾānic biblical intertextuality; Mustansir Mir on Qurʾānic narrative patterns.

==References==

[[Category:Midrashic hermeneutics]]
[[Category:Lists]]

Midrashic hermeneutical resources

2026-04-24T15:57:20Z

Zekeriya: /* Tools and resources to facilitate learning and using such hermeneutical methods */

==Ancient and pre-modern sources who make use of midrashic hermeneutical methodologies==
* The "[[derash|midrashic]]" label used on this page originates from the work of [[Chazal]], the Jewish sages responsible for the Mishnah, Midrash, and Talmud, particularly regarding the [[derash]] layer of the [[:Category:Pardes|PaRDeS]] hermeneutic suite
* Patristic:
** The hymns of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephrem_the_Syrian Ephrem the Syrian] often interweave symbols from different parts of Scripture in insightful ways.
** [[Allegory]] is one of Augustine's fourfold senses of Scripture, with his usage thereof having long been controversial. His allegorical interpretation of the Parable of the Good Samaritan is a classically questionable example that has put a bad taste in the mouth of later exegetes toward such methodolgy
* Rishonim
** Sometimes Rashi. Rabbi David Fohrman has a theory that Rashi alternates between two entirely different approaches in his commentary, and it is important to know which you are dealing with. When his contemporary readers would need help with the [[peshat]] layer of the text, e.g. meanings of archaic Hebrew words, he supplies that. But with texts that are already easy to understand on your own he goes deeper, introducing you to the world of midrash by alluding to the stories, pointing to the [[gunpowder and trigger]], etc.
** Rabbeinu Bachya is one of the more frequent users of midrashic materials (as per ChatGPT)
** Ramban frequently ''interacts'' with the actual Midrash texts, but more from an analytical perspective
* Puritan "flavoring." Although the Puritans don't generally tend to engage in ''full on'' midrashic-style interpretation, they do nevertheless frequently make ''micro-usage'' of it in colorful illustrations that add spice and memorability to their writings, for example:
** "The tree of the cross being cast into the waters of affliction hath rendered them wholesome and medicinal."<ref>John Owen, Pneumatologia, Book IV, Chap 4, pg 447.</ref>
* Relatively recent precursors:
** Hermann L. Strack and Paul Billerbeck’s ''Commentary on the New Testament from the Talmud and Midrash'' from the 1920s precedes our classification of [[the modern figural-midrashic renaissance]].
** "It is difficult to give a precise date for the inception of the literary approach to biblical study. Many 20th century scholars incorporated elements of this method in their work, including Martin Buber, Franz Rosensweig, Benno Jacob, Umberto Cassuto, and Nehama Leibowitz. More recently though, scholars such as Adele Berlin, Michael Fishbane, Meir Sternberg, and Robert Alter can be credited as the first to fully embody the literary approach as defined above. With Alter being the most well-known of the group, let’s examine his approach. In his seminal work, ''The Art of Biblical Narrative'', Alter [1981] argues that the literary structure and unity of the Torah indicate a deliberate authorial intent..."<ref name=curwin>Curwin, David. "[https://dafaleph.com/s/Orthodox-Literary-Approach.pdf The Orthodox Literary Approach: Opening Doors and Closing Gaps]." https://dafaleph.com. Cited Feb 2, 2025.</ref>

==Modern sources who make use of midrashic hermeneutical methodologies==
[[The modern figural-midrashic renaissance]] page may contain examples or quotes from sources not catalogued here.
* Orthodox Jewish:
** Rabbi David Fohrman and team at [https://alephbeta.org https://alephbeta.org.] The animated videos provide a well-suited introduction to the methodology for both Biblical scholar and school-aged child alike. The podcasts (e.g. [https://members.alephbeta.org/podcasts/book-like-no-other A Book Like No Other]) and seminar courses (in some cases available only to patron members) are as deep and profound as anything you will find in the academic literature. He also has [https://shop.alephbeta.org/collections/books-by-rabbi-fohrman excellent books] available.
** Yonatan Grossman (teaching in Hebrew), a professor of Bible at Bar Ilan University and Herzog College<ref name=curwin/>
* Messianic:
** The [https://ffoz.org First Fruits of Zion] article [https://ffoz.org/messiah/articles/faith-strengthened Answering Anti-Missionaries] addresses some issues pertaining to Midrashic methods of exegesis
** Otto Gershon resources include [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1fh09flfV4&list=PLz8qJcWh7VHntYsCYLWYuuubjY9WZg91G The Otto Zone] video series
** See Seth Postell in the tools section below
* Protestant Evangelical and/or Reformed:
** James B. Jordan and theological heirs:
*** Jordan's [https://biblicalhorizons.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Through-New-Eyes.pdf Through New Eyes] provides a good entry-level introduction to seeing both the world and Scripture through new eyes
*** Peter Leithart and crew: [https://theopolisinstitute.com/ https://theopolisinstitute.com]
*** [https://www.biblematrix.com.au/ Mike Bull] contributes several interesting/unique perspectives, including his emphasis on the "fractal" nature of the Bible
*** [https://argosy.substack.com Alastair Roberts] resources include a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9Z_I6OWzT0&list=PLDtm5aqtLCz0NEa2rg6kW8IYb9ZKfD2zc chapter-by-chapter audio Biblical commentary]. He is co-author of [https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/themelios/review/echoes-of-exodus-tracing-themes-of-redemption-through-scripture one of two distinct books published separately in 2018 both entitled "Echoes of Exodus"] (something is indeed "[[The modern figural-midrashic renaissance|in the air]]"!). For further back-history research he also has a video on [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HR-NtkDXfUk Who Are James Jordan's Influences?]
** Greg Beale:
*** His (NIGTC) Commentary on Revelation provides an encyclopedia of literary and theological connections between John's Apocalypse and Tanakh, as well as with other Judaic sources including Midrash, Talmud, Targums, etc.
*** "The Temple and the Church's Mission" explores the symbolism of Israel's Temple/Tabernacle and how that applies to the ''mission'' (not the architecture!) of the church
** Meredith Kline's "Kingdom Prologue" (especially if packaged together with Beale's "Temple and ... Mission") is, in some ways, a more densely-packed, seminary-level version of Jordan's [https://biblicalhorizons.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Through-New-Eyes.pdf Through New Eyes] (and indeed is cited in Jordan's Bibliography)
** "[https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/opth-2022-0245 Forward and Reverse Gematria are Very Different Beasts]" proposes to resolve the 666 gematria/isopsephy problem of Revelation 13:18 using a combination of [[intertextuality]] and [[gematria]]
** Matt Harmon's ''The Servant of the Lord and His Servant People: Tracing a Biblical Theme Through the Canon'' makes use of the "vertical context" and related [[hermeneutical choices for the Bible's use of the Bible]]
** [https://bibleproject.com BibleProject™] makes use of some midrashic tools (often implicitly), e.g. when talking about intertextual "hyperlinks"
** Bob Wern [https://www.youtube.com/@thedustyfeet @thedustyfeet] has numerous derivative supercommentary videos following on AlephBeta and BibleProject resources
** The Reformed Biblical theology movement in the 20th century, especially with its emphasis on [[typology]], may be seen as a first stage of the Christian side of this figural-literary interpretive renaissance. Geerhardus Vos is often considered the father of the modern resurgence in seeing Christ as the hermeneutical key and exegetical center of the entire Bible. Edmund Clowney was an influential figure, at least in academic circles, for promoting Christocentric hermeneutics, while books by Graeme Goldsworthy and John R. Cross made some inroads with a broader lay audience.
* Islamic
** [https://www.youtube.com/@bayyinah Nouman Ali Khan]; For a short sample see his [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSFd2Uz82bk Connection between Surah Al Fatihah & Surah An-Nas]. His book ''Divine Speech: Exploring Quran as Literature'' provides a lay-accessible presentation of several literary features of the Quran, summarizing recent scholarship from Neal Robinson, Raymond Farrin, etc.
* Cross-pollination
** (Catholic) Bishop Robert Barron and (Eastern Orthodox) Jonathan Pageau discuss [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyMDIvF-I60 Recognizing Patterns] and symbolism in Scripture.
** (EO) Pageau and (Protestant) Roberts also engaged in a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXlVUZeZKVo Rediscovery of Symbolism] cross-stream chat.

==Tools and resources to facilitate learning and using such hermeneutical methods==
* https://mg.alhatorah.org/TanakhLab is a useful for intertextual studies
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talmudical_hermeneutics
* Fohrman's "[https://members.alephbeta.org/course/how-to-read-the-bible The Seven Habits of Highly Intuitive Readers of the Bible]" Course
* Fohrman's "[https://members.alephbeta.org/playlist/midrash-methodology-course Midrash Methodology]" Course
* Beale's "Handbook on the New Testament use of the Old Testament" provides interpretive principles with some sample case studies
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgEsLxxDSmI Gary Schnittjer] and Mark Harmon's ''How to Study the Bible’s Use of the Bible'' presents seven [[hermeneutical choices for the Bible's use of the Bible]]. Schnittjer's ''Torah Story'' and ''Old Testament Use of Old Testament'' explore issues of inner-Biblical exegesis and allusions
* André Houssney has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQKSSNdqNws&list=PLTsoW3rZJW-7gd-4JFvNOjZeMmtbB_ciT&index=2 three part series on Biblical symbolism] melding the benefits of Eastern and Western interpretive perspectives
* ''Reading the Bible Intertextually'': Hays, Richard B., Alkier, Stefan, and Huizenga, Leroy A.
* Rabbi/Mathematician Elie Feder's ''Gematria Refigured'' rescues this ancient tool from many of the naive or abusive uses it has been put through which have tended to give it a reputation in the eyes of many thoughtful and careful exegetes. His work greatly helps set [[gematria]] science back on a more firm foundation by providing both persuasive examples and by drawing general interpretive principles from those examples.
* Seth D. Postell, ''The Art of Narrative Analogy: Identifying and Interpreting Parallel Passages in the Bible''
* AI is capable of contributing helpful insights to prompts that guide it towards a novel synthesis of known/established ideas. (Indeed, it is surprisingly better at that sort of task than at some mundane tasks such as its infamous foul up at counting the number of "r"s in the word "strawberry.") With just a little bit of direction it can "see" connections that you suggest, even if those particular associations have not been presented in any existing literature. So its potential as a [[chavruta]] partner for midrashic exegetical research should not be underestimated. Here is one example provided by a student in an [[AlephBeta]] class: https://chatgpt.com/share/67c0116d-1aa4-8005-9f64-c0431105e27c.
* If you are asking yourself, "Is anyone seeing the same amazing things in the Bible that I am?" check out the [[Midrashic Hermeneutical Discussion Communities|midrashic hermeneutical discussion communities]] page for leads on other like-minded people to talk to!

== Additional potential leads (yet to be confirmed for relevance and categorized by Bible Wiki editors...) ==
* Eugene Borowitz - Talmud's Theological Wordgame
* Max Kadushan - Rabbinic Thinking and Organic Thinking
* Sources Rabbi David Fohrman [https://members.alephbeta.org/playlist/rabbi-fohrman-biography has mentioned]:
** Robert Alter, The Art of Biblical Poetry
** Michlelet Herzog and Herzog College
** "The work that we're doing here at Aleph Beta in Tanach, there's other people across the globe that are doing similar kinds of work. Some focus in the Gush in Machon Herzog are, but not just in the Gush. I just had a chareidi fellow over here in Jerusalem giving talks to Chevron and to Ponevezh and he stumbled upon this himself. It's in the air. People are going to find it because the age is right for it."
** [https://members.alephbeta.org/playlist/how-to-learn-torah Rabbi Menachem Leibtag]
* David Daube worked on rabbinic law and NT parallels in the mid-20th century
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillel_Bakis
* Richard Hays has two "echoes" books and "Reading the Bible Intertextually"
* [https://hebraicthought.org/podcast/how-scripture-reads-scripture-understanding-biblical-intertextuality-brent-strawn-ep-186 Brent Strawn mentions] Ross Wagner and says that "David Lincicum has a great new book coming out" (regarding intertextual activations). He also speaks about taking a course from Ulrich Mauser in which the main thesis was that any symbol you find in Revelation is not ''de novo'' but originates in the Old Testament or Jewish intertestamental literature.
* [https://www.bemadiscipleship.com BEMA podcast]
* ScholarGPT suggestions on academic resources:
** Jewish literary approach: Meir Sternberg, Adele Berlin, Yair Zakovitch, Shimon Bar-Efrat.
** Inner-biblical exegesis: Michael Fishbane, Benjamin Sommer.
** Christian figural reading: Hans Boersma, Matthew Levering, C. Kavin Rowe, Ephraim Radner, Kevin Vanhoozer.
** Reception history: Ulrich Luz, Christopher Rowland, Frances Young.
** Islamic parallels: Tarif Khalidi on Qurʾānic biblical intertextuality; Mustansir Mir on Qurʾānic narrative patterns.

==References==

[[Category:Midrashic hermeneutics]]
[[Category:Lists]]

User:Zekeriya

2026-03-08T12:01:39Z

Zekeriya:

[[User talk:Zekeriya|Bible Wiki founder]]. [https://music.youtube.com/browse/UCjeB8GtYDlb-SJOXWa_jWJA Worshipper]. [https://www.youtube.com/@zacharyharris633 Lampstand and Kingdom-first seeker]. Father of two [https://www.linkedin.com/in/arrow-harris-2662a6253 smart] [https://www.instagram.com/stonelifts powerlifters]. [https://nus.academia.edu/ZacharyHarris Published academic author]. [https://www.linkedin.com/in/drzacharyharris Mathematician and cybersecurity specialist]. [https://calledtogether.us/members/herrnhut Unmarried].

==Unpublished Writings==
* [https://hasteningthecomingofthedayofgod.blog Hastening the Coming of the Day of God Blog]
* [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CDGkl1mlsK1oN-0qGLVyADJAoum63yrw Come, Lord Jesus!]
* [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1butkjkck8vhx2s-6qRB-V_g6V8KTFAfL EXPANDED version] of [https://degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/opth-2022-0245 Forward and Reverse Gematria are Very Different Beasts] (published in DeGruyter's Open Theology regarding 666 in Revelation 13)
* [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BZHsRJNVHup_X9gDOrkSOpQvaLr-h2g6/view Brief statement on Christian Nationalism]
* [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lfghA3TtOu-05E0L8WBB09U8jC87mKEu Towards a Biblical Understanding of Trauma]
* [https://caseagainstsecrecyinmissionszah.tiiny.site My Case Against Crypto-Missions and Crypto-Christianity] which is an expanded version of [https://www.academia.edu/117549534/Theological_Critique_Of_Security Theological Critique of Security] published in July 2004 EMQ
* [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1i8YDT1FgTdFPg49ikEPa33J4F-tqnPJD/view Recruiting other lampstand seekers]
* [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TobmJG6m0PH1Zt35Q6U_dkazToi7FXkM/view Acts 1:8 Power for a Purpose Vow]
* [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bi48LtcqNFxcaSZRywc3B2HtWVD1LaJY/view Modern "translation" of John Owen on the Preparatory Work of the Spirit]


==Compiled Resources==
* [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jje4kfJqbwGkpD2_hyITyIOQjTJOBB7c/view?usp=drive_link "In/on/with the heart" passage list]
* [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hVgXp1jzRxu9LdfrQNNkWqsmVsBhDaP8/view Compendium of notable quotes] from stuff I've read

User:Zekeriya

2026-03-07T19:50:44Z

Zekeriya: /* Unpublished Writings */

[[User talk:Zekeriya|Bible Wiki founder]]. [https://music.youtube.com/browse/UCjeB8GtYDlb-SJOXWa_jWJA Worshipper]. [https://www.youtube.com/@zacharyharris633 Lampstand and Kingdom-first seeker]. Father of two [https://www.linkedin.com/in/arrow-harris-2662a6253 smart] [https://www.instagram.com/stonelifts powerlifters]. [https://nus.academia.edu/ZacharyHarris Published academic author]. [https://www.linkedin.com/in/drzacharyharris Mathematician and cybersecurity specialist]. [https://calledtogether.us/members/herrnhut Single].

==Unpublished Writings==
* [https://hasteningthecomingofthedayofgod.blog Hastening the Coming of the Day of God Blog]
* [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CDGkl1mlsK1oN-0qGLVyADJAoum63yrw Come, Lord Jesus!]
* [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1butkjkck8vhx2s-6qRB-V_g6V8KTFAfL EXPANDED version] of [https://degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/opth-2022-0245 Forward and Reverse Gematria are Very Different Beasts] (published in DeGruyter's Open Theology regarding 666 in Revelation 13)
* [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BZHsRJNVHup_X9gDOrkSOpQvaLr-h2g6/view Brief statement on Christian Nationalism]
* [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lfghA3TtOu-05E0L8WBB09U8jC87mKEu Towards a Biblical Understanding of Trauma]
* [https://caseagainstsecrecyinmissionszah.tiiny.site My Case Against Crypto-Missions and Crypto-Christianity] which is an expanded version of [https://www.academia.edu/117549534/Theological_Critique_Of_Security Theological Critique of Security] published in July 2004 EMQ
* [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1i8YDT1FgTdFPg49ikEPa33J4F-tqnPJD/view Recruiting other lampstand seekers]
* [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TobmJG6m0PH1Zt35Q6U_dkazToi7FXkM/view Acts 1:8 Power for a Purpose Vow]
* [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bi48LtcqNFxcaSZRywc3B2HtWVD1LaJY/view Modern "translation" of John Owen on the Preparatory Work of the Spirit]


==Compiled Resources==
* [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jje4kfJqbwGkpD2_hyITyIOQjTJOBB7c/view?usp=drive_link "In/on/with the heart" passage list]
* [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hVgXp1jzRxu9LdfrQNNkWqsmVsBhDaP8/view Compendium of notable quotes] from stuff I've read

Main Page

2026-03-05T17:44:25Z

Zekeriya: /* Participate easily! */

== Highlight: [[The modern figural-midrashic renaissance]] ==
Although this wiki covers anything and everything Bible, the primary inspiration that got us started was [[the modern midrashic, literary, figural-symbolic, pattern-based hermeneutical renaissance]] which been rising within academia since around the 1980s and is now [[Midrashic hermeneutical resources#Modern_sources_who_make_use_of_midrashic_hermeneutical_methodologies|increasingly beginning to reach the laity]] largely via the help of video/podcast material favorably accessible to the modern information consumer. Learn from [[midrashic hermeneutical resources]] or participate in [[midrashic hermeneutical discussion communities]].

== Participate easily! ==
One quick and easy way to help build this knowledgebase is to '''simply add a bullet point''' to one of our existing [[:Category:Lists|lists]] such as:
* [[List of chiasms]] in the Bible, from meta-high-level (e.g. Genesis+Exodus, the book of Leviticus, John+Revelation) to micro-level (e.g. Mark 2:27)
* List of [[literary tools]] for Biblical interpretation (e.g. [[intertextuality]], [[List of chiasms|chiasm]], juxtaposition, parallelism)
* List of [[midrashic hermeneutical resources]] (e.g. [https://https://www.alephbeta.org AlephBeta], [https://theopolisinstitute.com Theopolis], [http://bibleproject.com BibleProject])
* [[List of numbers with possible significance]] (e.g. 153, 318, 613, [[666]], 1260)

"Wiki" means "quick." The process is supposed to be fast and painless. On Bible Wiki you need not even write a complete sentence! Just include enough information that other Bible Wiki editors and researchers, or your future self, can understand what is intended and flesh it out more fully later, if necessary. DUMP YOUR DATA HERE PLEASE!

== Deeper participation ==
This wiki is new and we are taking a gradual approach to opening up the configuration parameters so as not to become overcome by spambots and whatnot before the technical and personnel guardrails are in place to prevent such nuisances. Anonymous users can read the entire site, add to or edit existing pages, and create new Talk/Discussion pages, but for now you need an [[User_talk:Zekeriya|admin to create an account for you]] if you wish to create new (article) pages.

List of numbers with possible significance

2026-02-26T13:42:54Z

Zekeriya:

When a word or phrase is given with no explanation, the number is the (Hebrew) [[gematria]] or (Greek) [[isopsephy]] value of that word.

1 = Hear, O Israel: YWHW our God, YWHW is one.

2 = Minimum number of witnesses to establish a legal case

3 = Divine perfection (one of four "perfect" numbers: 3, 7, 10, 12)

3.5 = Half of seven is important in Dan 7:25, 12:7, 1 Kgs. 18:1; Luke 4:25; Jas. 5:17 (Cmp. Rev 11:6), Rev 11:9,11; 12:14

4 = Corners/directions (world, altar, winds); Triangular root of 10

5 = Books in Torah

6 = Triangular expansion of 3

7 = Spiritual perfection (one of four "perfect" numbers: 3, 7, 10, 12); Days of creation; Egypt's years of plenty/famine; Years Jacob worked for each wife

8 = Triangular root of 36

10 = Triangular expansion of 4; Ordinal perfection (one of four "perfect" numbers: 3, 7, 10, 12); Commandments/words at Sinai; Plagues on Egypt; Virgins in parable; Days of Smyrna testing; Days of Daniel fast testing; generations in genealogies from creation to flood and flood to Abraham; human universality; clauses in the Lord’s Prayer; Tithes (tenths) representing complete recognition of God’s claims; trials of Abraham’s faith; Ten people in the Bible who said “I have sinned”, demonstrating the widespread nature of human sin; the "full round" of anything; used as a multiplier with other numbers to emphasize or escalate their sense of bigness: e.g. 12*12*10^3

12 = זה (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> 9b); Governmental perfection (one of four "perfect" numbers: 3, 7, 10, 12)

14 = David (Heb); Years Jacob worked to earn his wives

15 = Triangular expansion of 5 and triangular root of 120

17 = Triangular root of 153; Joseph's age when he dreamt

21 = Triangular expansion of 6; Days of Daniel's fast

24 = Books in Tanakh

25 = κε (standard form and abbrev for κύριε=535, which see)

26 = YHVH (also يهوه)

27 = Books in New Testament<ref>Almost all branches agree. See 35 for Ethiopian exception.</ref>

28 = Triangular expansion of 7; Number of Babylonian merchandise items in Rev 18:12-13 (see Beale); Generations from Abraham to the deportation to Babylon; Years of Jehu's reign; 28:42::666:1260 (Harris<ref name=FRGexpanded>Harris, Zachary. [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1butkjkck8vhx2s-6qRB-V_g6V8KTFAfL Unpublished expanded and updated version] of "Forward and Reverse Gematria."</ref>)

30 = יהיה hence default period of Nazirite<ref name=Feder>Rabbi Elie Feder. Gematria Refigured, Mosaica Press, 2022.</ref>

34 = בבל (Babel)

35 = Books in Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church

36 = Triangular expansion of 8 and triangular root of 666

40 = Years of wilderness wandering; Jesus in desert; ... etc.!

42 = "Great" (גדלה) Gen 10:12; אלוה ("god", Dan 11:38); 14x3 generations (Mt 1); 42 Months = 3.5 years (Rev 11-13); See also 3.5

51 = Na ("please")<ref name=Feder/>; Books in Tanakh + New Testament

52 = "Son" (anagram of standard form) and "with everything" (Genesis 24:1) see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 1; Gematria of Elijah (Heb); Years of Uzziah's reign (2 Chron 26:3); בְּהֵמָ֔ה

58 = Noah/grace [anagrams of standard form]

59 = Havilah

60 = Trapezoidal block of pebble diagram<ref name=FRGexpanded/>; 60x60 temple plans (Ezra 6:3, see also 3600)

62 = Age of Darius (Dan 5:31)<ref name=Bejon/>

66 = Value of "Allah" in standard Abjad; בֶּן־דָּוִ֔ד; Books in Protestant Bible

70 = ὁ (Greek nom sg definite article, can be added to some of the titles listed here); elders of Israel; nations in Gen 10; disciples sent out in Luke 10:1-12 [or 72]

72 = Disciples sent out in Luke 10:1-12 [or 70]

77 = Gihon (Gen 4:24)

83 = Age of Aaron when confronting Pharaoh

86 = Elohim

88 = Age of Moses when confronting Pharaoh (Ex 6)

91 = Mene, מלכא, and האלהים along with several other connections to Daniel 5<ref name ="Bejon">James Bejon, Belshazzar’s Riddle (Part II), https://jamesbejon.substack.com/p/belshazzars-riddle-part-ii</ref>

99 = Amen (grk); Number of sheep shepherd leaves behind to search for one lost; See footnote 57 in Blumall<ref name="Blumell"/> regarding Irenaeus and the "Marcosians" on this number's isopsephies

110 = Years of Joseph

120 = למלך (to the king OR to Molech in 1 Kings) and Solomon's gold (1 Kings 9:14; 10:10; 2 Chr 9:9); limit on man's lifespan (Gen 6:3, cf. Deut 31:2; 34:7); years of Moses; Darius' satraps (Dan 6:1); disciples in upper room; triangular expansion of 15

123 = Goliath (LXX)

125 = מסכה (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 9a)

127 = Years of Sarah and provinces of Eshter (this connection is famously addressed by Rabbi Akiva(?) as per AlephBeta video; see also Targum Rishon on Esther

130 = Age of Jacob when he went to Egypt; חִזְקִיָּ֬ה, and the sayings attributed to Hezekiah’s men in Prov 25–29 number about 130 (cmp. 375)<ref name=Hubbard>Hubbard, D. A. “Proverbs, Book Of.” The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised, edited by Geoffrey W. Bromiley, vol. 3, Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1979–1988, p. 1016.</ref>

133 = Years of Kohath (Moses' Gpa)

137 = Years of Levi and Amram (Moses' dad)

142 = Tigris

144 = Width in cubits of New Jerusalem's walls; See also 144000

147 = Years of Jacob

153 = Triangular expansion of 17; Number of fish (John 21:11); μέρη (John 21:6); חלקיה (Hilkiah, but see also 666); ANTICHRISTVS (but see 154)

154 = Liber Genealogus' claimed value of ANTICHRISTVS (= 616/4)

165 = The Tree/Money (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 7 on Esther); Naamah (Heb) - the only wife of Solomon who is named in Scripture (see also "the silver" in 1 Kings 10:27) and also sister of Tubal-Cain (Gen 4:22)

182 = "Mene, Mene"; Yakov (Heb.)

191 = ﺲﻠﻴﻣﺎﻧ in standard Abjad

208 = ורב (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 8)

212 = Number of gatekeepers in 1 Chronicles 9:22 (4*53 seems to correspond with vs 24-26; four leaders for each week of the year)

247 = θηρίον "beast" (Painchaud<ref name=Painchaud>Painchaud, Louis. "The Dragon, the Beasts, and the Gold: The Number of the Beast in the Apocalypse of John," in '"Who is Sitting on Which Beast?" Interpretative Issues in the Book of Revelation', Lupieri, Edmondo and Louis Painchaud, eds., Brepols Publishers, 2023</ref>)

248 = Abram (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 11); 613-365 = number of positive "do" mitzvot = number of bones in human body (Rabbi Simlai)

276 = Persons on wrecked ship (Acts 27:37); Triangular expansion of 23

288 = Singers (1 Chron 25:7); Gematria of Uzziah (LXX)

294 = קוסטנטין (as Ibn Ezra on Dan 11:36)

314 = Shaddai [anagram of standard form] and Metatron (Talmud) see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 12

318 = Number of Abram's servants in Genesis 14:14 and gematria of “Eliezer” in 15:2

345 = מֹשֶׁ֛ה

350 = פרסי and קרן<ref name=Bejon/>

351 = Γαλατεία (graffito)

365 = 613-248 = number of negative "do not" mitzvot; days in a solar year

374 = כשדים

375 = שלמה; said to match the number of Proverbs of Solomon, Prov 10:1–22:16 (cmp. 130)<ref name=Hubbard/>

380 = Egypt (Heb)

385 = Σόδομα, (מצרימה) to Egypt

390 = Days "equal to the number of the years of their punishment" (Eze 4:5)

392 = "All the temple servants and the sons of Solomon’s servants were 392" (Ezra 2:58; Nehemiah 7:60)

400 = Value of the letter ת which is the "mark" in Ezek 9:4,6; Virgins of Jabesh-gilead taken at Shiloh to repopulate Benjamin; Prophets of Asherah (1 Kings 18:19)

401 = Aleph Tav (cmp. 801)

406 = תָּ֜ו (see 400)

417 = Gematria of בתיה (Bithia = Batya = Pharaoh's daughter) in 1 Chron 4:17

420 = שלמן (Hos 10:14; see also pebble diagram<ref name=FRGexpanded/>); Amount of Solomon's gold (1 Kings 9:28); ממצרים (1 Kings 8:16,51,53; 10:28–29)

422 = Nebuchadnezzar (Heb)

430 = Years of Israel in Egypt (Ex 12:40-41, Gal 3:17); Years Eber lived after fathering Peleg (Gen 11:17); Rameses (Gen 47:11, Ex 12:37)

431 = ﺲﻠﻴﻣﺎﻧ in Maghribi Abjad

443 = Goliath (Heb)

446 = Pishon

450 = Talents of gold (2 Chron 8:18) and prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:19,22)

451 = Isopsephy of Nicolaus (as in Nicolatians)

460 = קֹ֖דֶשׁ לַֽיהוָֽה

475 = ᾅδης (Mt 18:18; gen. Hades)

480 = Nebuchadnezzar + Noah (Heb); Years from exodus to beginning of Temple construction (1 Kings 6:1)

485 = γυναίκα (Rev 2:20; [12:13;] 17:3, 6; [21:9,27] = βδελυγμα = πολις η μεγαλη (Gen 10:12; Rev 16:19; 17:[5, in pl!], 18; 18:10, 16, 19) = Ἰούδα (Judas/Lk 22:48; Judah/Rev 5:5); "To Succoth" (place in Gen 33:17, Ex 12:37, etc.)

486 = "Succoth" (place in Gen 33:17)

486 = πέτρᾳ (Mt 18:18)

520 = דָּרְיָוֶשׁ and כֹּרֶשׁ<ref name=Bejon/>

521 = Ἀλέξανδρος

525 = יהוָ֥ה צְבָא֖וֹת

526 = כּ֫וֹרֶשׁ

535 = κύριε ("Christians also associated the number 535 [along with 800] with Lord, but in the vocative form"<ref name=Blumell>Blumell and Wayment, The 'Number of the Beast,' in Kraus and Sommer, eds., Book of Seven Seals</ref>); standard form is φλε hence shorthand for κύριε as above (see also φίλε [545] in Harris<ref name=FRGexpanded/>, see also φιλάνθρωπε=1585); קֹהֶ֣לֶת

545 = Pompeii graffito:<ref name=FRGexpanded/>: Μπεκυ ("Pompei Becky"), παρθενικός, γυναικιαν, φίλε

586 = Jerusalem (Heb)

597 = θηρίου "of [the] beast"<ref name=Painchaud/>

600 = ציצת with 8 (knots) and 5 (strings) comes to 613<ref name=Feder/>; trapezoidal block of pebble diagram<ref name=FRGexpanded/>; Six 600's associated with Solomon as per triangle in pebble diagram<ref name=FRGexpanded/>: 1 Kings 10:14, 16; 2 Chron 2:2, 17; 9:13, 15; Six 600's of David: 1 Sam 23:13; 27:2; 30:9; 1 Chron 7:2; 21:25; 2 Chron 2:17

606 = Ruth

611 = תורה

613 = Traditional number of mitzvot in Torah; Ruth (606) + 7 Noahide laws; Torah given to Moses (see 611) + 2 mitzvot given directly to all Israel; גרתי (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> 10a); 248+365 (see each); 600+8+5 (see 600 for explanation)

616 = [Standard form: χιϛ; תרי"ו (or תרט"ז)] "עתה יגדל-נא כח הי" and "Rehoboth" (Gen 26:22); נרו קסר; Anagrams of Heb standard form = [Jethro (also "and the rest/excellence" Gen 49:3/Deut 3:13, "let/leave" Ex 16:19, and "shall remain" Ex 29:34) or "they spied" (Num 13:21)]; תריו which sounds like θηρίου; χιϛ as abbreviation for Christ (Jesus) and/or rearranged to form Chi-Rho; Possible graffito answers: Φαίδρα, Οφέλια, Ασυδια, Μαρουδα, and Ρουδάμα; Γαιος Καισαρ; Καῖσαρ θεός

620 = Shinar

636 = Value of نيرو قيصر in Maghribi Abjad

638 = Θεοδόσιος

647 = Χαλδαία

665 = Appears in one manuscript of Rev 13:18; See also Harris pebble chart and analysis<ref name=FRGexpanded/>; "אֶרֶץ כַּשְׂדִּים"

666 = [Standard form: χξϛ; תרס"ו;] Solomon's gold; Rev 13:18; Triangular expansion of 36; sons of Adonikam (Ezra 2:13, but also see 667); ἑλκύσαι (John 21:6); Χελκια (Hilkiah LXX, but see also 153); "עתה יגדל-נא כח אדני" (Num 14:17, see notes); DCLXVI; נרון קסר; Anagrams of standard form = ["Without" (Pr 11:22); "you should destroy" ("tarsu", cmp. Amos 6:11); Sethur; תסור (Deut 17:11)]; Mea Shearim; Irenaeus gives: Ευανθας, Λατεινος, Τειταν..., Μαομέτις; Counter-Reformers give: לולתר, ,Λουθερανα; Scripture has: הנהרות, הראיתים, הרימותה, והרתיהם, ויתרן, ולמקצת, ולפרשים, ולשלש, ולשעירים, ומשנער, וסרת, וסתר, וצעקת, ורמתך, ותמכר, ותסר, יתפלצון, יתרון, לעצמותיך, לשלוש, מיתריו, מנפצות, נחרבות, נפוצתם, נפצותם, סתור, סתרו, ענקתמו, צעקתו, רמותך, תורין, תחגרנה, תמכרו, תסור, תסרו, תצעקו, תראינה, απολλυμεθα, διασπορας, δυνασαι, ειχαν, εκελευσα, ελκυσαι, εντολαις, εποτισα, ευπορια, ηγνικοτες, κατεπεσεν, λευκαις, πεντακις, πλευραν, σκαπτειν, συναγαγη, τερασιν, and τετελεκα; while the Septuagint further adds: απειρου, απεκυλιον, αποστει, αφειλον, δραμουμαι, δρασαντι, ειλκυσα, εκζητειται, εκλυσαι, ενκατελιπομεν, ενπεσειται, εξαπατησαι, εξαπεστει, επαιρου, επαυριο, επτερνικαμεν, ετασμον, θαυμασει, καιομενου, κεραμικου, μετοικισαι, μισησης, νευσαι, οικουμενα, προειλατο, προσαγαγης, σκοτειναι, στειραν, Συήνη, and υπομειναι; Ιαπετός, (ירימות) Jerimoth, e.g. 2 Chron 11:18—an otherwise unknown “son of David!”), Βεέλτεθμος (Beltethmus, 1 Esdras 2:15/16), and Ἰαχεὶμ (Jachin, Gen 46:10); Value of نيرو قيصر in standard Abjad; תריון sounds like θηρίον (Painchaud 2023, citing Hadorn 1920); Κλαυδίας (Nelson 2025)

667 = Sons of Adonikam (Nehemiah 7:18, but also see 666)

676 = נרון קיסר

680 = Euphrates (see Aramaic Targum of Rishon Esther 1:4)

685 = Ἰούδας

686 = נירון קיסר and نيرون قيصر in Maghribi Abjad

699 = Isopsephy of Nicolatian

729 = Κηφᾶς; "וּלְקַדִּישֵׁ֥י עֶלְיוֹנִ֖ין יְבַלֵּ֑א"

731 = Ανθούσα (Smyrna graffito, as per Bagnall)

755 = Πέτρος (Mt 18:18)

765 = Adonikam (Heb)

770 = Μέγας Αλέξανδρος

790 = Κύρος

800 = κύριος = πίστις (cmp. 2 Thes 3:2-3 as noted by early Christians<ref name=Blumell/>)

801 = Alpha (and) Omega

810 = χις (with terminal sigma; cmp 616)

813 = Φλάβιος

840 = Αλέξανδρος ο Μέγας

852 = ונושנתם <ref name=Feder/>

855 = Noah (LXX/NT)

860 = χξς (with terminal sigma; cmp 666)

864 = Ἰερουσαλήμ (Rev); ἁγίων

888 = Ἰησοῦς

892 = Εὐσέβιος

926 = Adonikam (LXX), Ἰεροσόλυμα (1 Macc 1:20, John 12:12)

961 = גֹּאֲלֵנוּ יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת שְׁמוֹ (Isa 47:4)<ref name=Bejon/>

1000 = See Numbers 31:5 at 12000; κυρίου (e.g. 1 Kings 10:1)

1005 = Νέρων; number of Solomon's songs

1025 = Isopsephy of "ἑξακόσιοι ἑξήκοντα ἕξ"

1038 = Ευελπίστη (Symrna graffito)

1064 = Αἴγυπτος

1071 = Ιωναθας

1112 = "Mene, Mene, Tekel, Parsin"

1118 = "Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Parsin"

1120 = Ηρώδης

1121 = Ηρώδης Α΄

1132 = Κύριος Καῖσαρ

1178 = μυστήριον

1195 = Εὐστάθιος ("Constantine" equivalent meaning, not transliterated, into Greek)

1251 = Απφους

1256 = Ἁγίασμα κυρίου

1260 = Σολομων (NT)<ref name=FRG>Harris, Zachary. "[https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/opth-2022-0245/pdf?licenseType=open-access Forward and Reverse Gematria are Very Different Beasts]." Open Theology 10.1 (2024). See also [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1butkjkck8vhx2s-6qRB-V_g6V8KTFAfL unpublished expanded and updated version].</ref>; "Rectangular" expansion of 36 (see Bauckham citation in Harris); LCM of the first nine triangular numbers, viz. 1, 3, 6, 10, 15, 21, 28, 36 and 45 and multiple of a further three (105, 210 and 630) [Vernon Jenkins]; See also 3.5; Appears in the bounds of an elegant inequality for rational approximation of pi<ref>Dalzell, D. P. "On 22/7." Journal of the London Mathematical Society v 19, issue 75 Part 3 (1944), pp. 133–134, as summarized at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proof_that_22/7_exceeds_%CF%80#Quick_upper_and_lower_bounds</ref>

1264 = Ἐκκλησιαστοῦ

1269 = πιστὸς καὶ ἀληθινός

1285 = Βαβυλὼν

1301 = Αντίοχος

1305 = Αντίοχος Δ΄

1310 = ανθρωπος (Hooper's theory on Rev 13:18)

1337 = Νέρων Καῖσαρ

1341 = Νικολαϊτῶν

1367 = "τοῦ θηρίου"

1380 = Βαβυλὼν ἡ μεγάλη

1439 = Ηρώδης ο Μέγας

1440 = Ηρώδης Α΄ ο Μέγας

1514 = Αλέξανδρος Γ΄ ο Μακεδών

1530 = Σολομωνος

1585 = φιλάνθρωπε (see φλε at 535) — there may have been an inscription in an ancient Palestinian church that said "[φιλάνθρωπε μνήσθητι] | τοῦ Δούλου σοῦ"<ref name=Yonah>Avi-Yonah, M. Art in Ancient Palestine: Selected Studies. Edited by Hannah Katzenstein and Yoram Tsafrir, Magnes Press, 1981, p. 301.</ref>

1656 = Years from creation to flood as per Ussher's reading of the Hebrew (Masoretic) text

1688 = Κύριος Ἰησοῦς

1757 = Nebuchadnezzar (LXX)

1835 = Ἰούδας Ἰσκαριὼθ

1841 = ἀντίχριστος

1921 = Σαλωμων (LXX)

1946 = Βασιλεὺς βασιλέων

2006 = Ἐν Τούτῳ Νίκα

2013 = Σύγχυσις

2051 = Κωνσταντῖνος

2095 = "ὁ ἔχων νοῦν" (Rev 13:18) and σοφώτερον (1 Cor 1:25)!

2159 = Αντίοχος Δ΄ Επιφανής

2180= κύριος κυρίων

2188 = "Ναί, ἔρχομαι ταχύ"

2190 = ἄνθρωπος τῆς ἀνομίας

2239 = Gregorian year AD when 6000AM (seventh millennium of the world) begins

2252 = εἰκὼν τοῦ θηρίου

2300 = Dan 8:14; Number of balls in a 23-sided triangular pyramid (23*(23+1)*(23+2)/6)

2303 = Gematria value of "שֵׁ֥שׁ מֵא֛וֹת שִׁשִּׁ֥ים וָשֵׁ֖שׁ"

2315 = υἱὸς τῆς ἀπωλείας

2334 = Ἰούδας Ἰσκαριώτης

2398 = ἔρχου κύριε Ἰησοῦ

2445 = ψευδοπροφήτης, Μωϋσέως

2463 = μυστήριον Βαβυλὼν (2463)

2558 = μυστήριον Βαβυλὼν ἡ μεγάλη

2612 = Nebuchadnezzar + Noah (LXX)

2641 = Κωνσταντινούπολις

2659 = ψευδόχριστος

2701 = Value of Gen 1:1; Triangular (73)

3000 = Number of Solomon's proverbs

3039 = "μνήσθητι τοῦ δούλου σου," a common liturgical and biblical prayer formula in Greek, especially in the Septuagint and Orthodox liturgy (see 535 and 1585)

3600 = Taskmasters Solomon appointed (2 Chronicles 2:2,18); six*600 message encoded in pebble triangle<ref name=FRGexpanded/>; 60x60 temple plans (Ezra 6:3)

3750 = Φλάβιος Οὐαλέριος Κωνσταντῖνος

4157 = Βασιλεὺς βασιλέων καὶ κύριος κυρίων

7000 = Did not bow knee to Baal (1 Kings 19; Rom 11); Army of Israel in times of Ahab (1 Kings 20:15) and Nebuchadnezzar (2 Kings 24:16); Killed in great earthquake (Rev 11:13)

12000 = Israeli troops who defeated Midian, 1000 from each tribe (Numbers 31:5); Fallen population of Ai (Josh 8:25); Israeli fighters against Jabesh-gilead (Judges 21:10); Ahithophel's proposal for troops to defeat David (2 Sam 17:1); Solomon's horsemen; Edomites Joab struck down in the valley of salt (Ps 60:title); Troops in each tribe of the Lamb's army; Dimensions in stadia of the cubic New Jerusalem (Rev 21:16)

14700 = Died in the grumbling plague of Num 16

144000 = Troops in Lamb's army; See also 144

==References==

[[Category:Lists]]
[[Category:Symbolism of particular numbers]]

List of numbers with possible significance

2026-02-22T18:24:29Z

Zekeriya:

When a word or phrase is given with no explanation, the number is the (Hebrew) [[gematria]] or (Greek) [[isopsephy]] value of that word.

1 = Hear, O Israel: YWHW our God, YWHW is one.

2 = Minimum number of witnesses to establish a legal case

3 = Divine perfection (one of four "perfect" numbers: 3, 7, 10, 12)

3.5 = Half of seven is important in Dan 7:25, 12:7, 1 Kgs. 18:1; Luke 4:25; Jas. 5:17 (Cmp. Rev 11:6), Rev 11:9,11; 12:14

4 = Corners/directions (world, altar, winds); Triangular root of 10

5 = Books in Torah

6 = Triangular expansion of 3

7 = Spiritual perfection (one of four "perfect" numbers: 3, 7, 10, 12); Days of creation; Egypt's years of plenty/famine; Years Jacob worked for each wife

8 = Triangular root of 36

10 = Triangular expansion of 4; Ordinal perfection (one of four "perfect" numbers: 3, 7, 10, 12); Commandments/words at Sinai; Plagues on Egypt; Virgins in parable; Days of Smyrna testing; Days of Daniel fast testing; generations in genealogies from creation to flood and flood to Abraham; human universality; clauses in the Lord’s Prayer; Tithes (tenths) representing complete recognition of God’s claims; trials of Abraham’s faith; Ten people in the Bible who said “I have sinned”, demonstrating the widespread nature of human sin; the "full round" of anything; used as a multiplier with other numbers to emphasize or escalate their sense of bigness: e.g. 12*12*10^3

12 = זה (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> 9b); Governmental perfection (one of four "perfect" numbers: 3, 7, 10, 12)

14 = David (Heb); Years Jacob worked to earn his wives

15 = Triangular expansion of 5 and triangular root of 120

17 = Triangular root of 153; Joseph's age when he dreamt

21 = Triangular expansion of 6; Days of Daniel's fast

24 = Books in Tanakh

25 = κε (standard form and abbrev for κύριε=535, which see)

26 = YHVH (also يهوه)

27 = Books in New Testament<ref>Almost all branches agree. See 35 for Ethiopian exception.</ref>

28 = Triangular expansion of 7; Number of Babylonian merchandise items in Rev 18:12-13 (see Beale); Generations from Abraham to the deportation to Babylon; Years of Jehu's reign; 28:42::666:1260 (Harris<ref name=FRGexpanded>Harris, Zachary. [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1butkjkck8vhx2s-6qRB-V_g6V8KTFAfL Unpublished expanded and updated version] of "Forward and Reverse Gematria."</ref>)

30 = יהיה hence default period of Nazirite<ref name=Feder>Rabbi Elie Feder. Gematria Refigured, Mosaica Press, 2022.</ref>

34 = בבל (Babel)

35 = Books in Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church

36 = Triangular expansion of 8 and triangular root of 666

40 = Years of wilderness wandering; Jesus in desert; ... etc.!

42 = "Great" (גדלה) Gen 10:12; אלוה ("god", Dan 11:38); 14x3 generations (Mt 1); 42 Months = 3.5 years (Rev 11-13); See also 3.5

51 = Na ("please")<ref name=Feder/>; Books in Tanakh + New Testament

52 = "Son" (anagram of standard form) and "with everything" (Genesis 24:1) see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 1; Gematria of Elijah (Heb); Years of Uzziah's reign (2 Chron 26:3); בְּהֵמָ֔ה

58 = Noah/grace [anagrams of standard form]

59 = Havilah

60 = Trapezoidal block of pebble diagram<ref name=FRGexpanded/>; 60x60 temple plans (Ezra 6:3, see also 3600)

62 = Age of Darius (Dan 5:31)<ref name=Bejon/>

66 = Value of "Allah" in standard Abjad; בֶּן־דָּוִ֔ד; Books in Protestant Bible

70 = ὁ (Greek nom sg definite article, can be added to some of the titles listed here); elders of Israel; nations in Gen 10; disciples sent out in Luke 10:1-12 [or 72]

72 = Disciples sent out in Luke 10:1-12 [or 70]

77 = Gihon (Gen 4:24)

83 = Age of Aaron when confronting Pharaoh

86 = Elohim

88 = Age of Moses when confronting Pharaoh (Ex 6)

91 = Mene, מלכא, and האלהים along with several other connections to Daniel 5<ref name ="Bejon">James Bejon, Belshazzar’s Riddle (Part II), https://jamesbejon.substack.com/p/belshazzars-riddle-part-ii</ref>

99 = Amen (grk); Number of sheep shepherd leaves behind to search for one lost; See footnote 57 in Blumall<ref name="Blumell"/> regarding Irenaeus and the "Marcosians" on this number's isopsephies

110 = Years of Joseph

120 = למלך (to the king OR to Molech in 1 Kings) and Solomon's gold (1 Kings 9:14; 10:10; 2 Chr 9:9); limit on man's lifespan (Gen 6:3, cf. Deut 31:2; 34:7); years of Moses; Darius' satraps (Dan 6:1); disciples in upper room; triangular expansion of 15

123 = Goliath (LXX)

125 = מסכה (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 9a)

127 = Years of Sarah and provinces of Eshter (this connection is famously addressed by Rabbi Akiva(?) as per AlephBeta video; see also Targum Rishon on Esther

130 = Age of Jacob when he went to Egypt; חִזְקִיָּ֬ה, and the sayings attributed to Hezekiah’s men in Prov 25–29 number about 130 (cmp. 375)<ref name=Hubbard>Hubbard, D. A. “Proverbs, Book Of.” The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised, edited by Geoffrey W. Bromiley, vol. 3, Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1979–1988, p. 1016.</ref>

133 = Years of Kohath (Moses' Gpa)

137 = Years of Levi and Amram (Moses' dad)

142 = Tigris

144 = Width in cubits of New Jerusalem's walls; See also 144000

147 = Years of Jacob

153 = Triangular expansion of 17; Number of fish (John 21:11); μέρη (John 21:6); חלקיה (Hilkiah, but see also 666); ANTICHRISTVS (but see 154)

154 = Liber Genealogus' claimed value of ANTICHRISTVS (= 616/4)

165 = The Tree/Money (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 7 on Esther); Naamah (Heb) - the only wife of Solomon who is named in Scripture (see also "the silver" in 1 Kings 10:27) and also sister of Tubal-Cain (Gen 4:22)

182 = "Mene, Mene"; Yakov (Heb.)

191 = ﺲﻠﻴﻣﺎﻧ in standard Abjad

208 = ורב (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 8)

212 = Number of gatekeepers in 1 Chronicles 9:22 (4*53 seems to correspond with vs 24-26; four leaders for each week of the year)

247 = θηρίον "beast" (Painchaud<ref name=Painchaud>Painchaud, Louis. "The Dragon, the Beasts, and the Gold: The Number of the Beast in the Apocalypse of John," in '"Who is Sitting on Which Beast?" Interpretative Issues in the Book of Revelation', Lupieri, Edmondo and Louis Painchaud, eds., Brepols Publishers, 2023</ref>)

248 = Abram (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 11); 613-365 = number of positive "do" mitzvot = number of bones in human body (Rabbi Simlai)

276 = Persons on wrecked ship (Acts 27:37); Triangular expansion of 23

288 = Singers (1 Chron 25:7); Gematria of Uzziah (LXX)

294 = קוסטנטין (as Ibn Ezra on Dan 11:36)

314 = Shaddai [anagram of standard form] and Metatron (Talmud) see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 12

318 = Number of Abram's servants in Genesis 14:14 and gematria of “Eliezer” in 15:2

345 = מֹשֶׁ֛ה

350 = פרסי and קרן<ref name=Bejon/>

351 = Γαλατεία (graffito)

365 = 613-248 = number of negative "do not" mitzvot; days in a solar year

374 = כשדים

375 = שלמה; said to match the number of Proverbs of Solomon, Prov 10:1–22:16 (cmp. 130)<ref name=Hubbard/>

380 = Egypt (Heb)

385 = Σόδομα, (מצרימה) to Egypt

390 = Days "equal to the number of the years of their punishment" (Eze 4:5)

392 = "All the temple servants and the sons of Solomon’s servants were 392" (Ezra 2:58; Nehemiah 7:60)

400 = Value of the letter ת which is the "mark" in Ezek 9:4,6; Virgins of Jabesh-gilead taken at Shiloh to repopulate Benjamin; Prophets of Asherah (1 Kings 18:19)

401 = Aleph Tav (cmp. 801)

406 = תָּ֜ו (see 400)

417 = Gematria of בתיה (Bithia = Batya = Pharaoh's daughter) in 1 Chron 4:17

420 = שלמן (Hos 10:14; see also pebble diagram<ref name=FRGexpanded/>); Amount of Solomon's gold (1 Kings 9:28); ממצרים (1 Kings 8:16,51,53; 10:28–29)

422 = Nebuchadnezzar (Heb)

430 = Years of Israel in Egypt (Ex 12:40-41, Gal 3:17); Years Eber lived after fathering Peleg (Gen 11:17); Rameses (Gen 47:11, Ex 12:37)

431 = ﺲﻠﻴﻣﺎﻧ in Maghribi Abjad

443 = Goliath (Heb)

446 = Pishon

450 = Talents of gold (2 Chron 8:18) and prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:19,22)

451 = Isopsephy of Nicolaus (as in Nicolatians)

460 = קֹ֖דֶשׁ לַֽיהוָֽה

475 = ᾅδης (Mt 18:18; gen. Hades)

480 = Nebuchadnezzar + Noah (Heb); Years from exodus to beginning of Temple construction (1 Kings 6:1)

485 = γυναίκα (Rev 2:20; [12:13;] 17:3, 6; [21:9,27] = βδελυγμα = πολις η μεγαλη (Gen 10:12; Rev 16:19; 17:[5, in pl!], 18; 18:10, 16, 19) = Ἰούδα (Judas/Lk 22:48; Judah/Rev 5:5); "To Succoth" (place in Gen 33:17, Ex 12:37, etc.)

486 = "Succoth" (place in Gen 33:17)

486 = πέτρᾳ (Mt 18:18)

520 = דָּרְיָוֶשׁ and כֹּרֶשׁ<ref name=Bejon/>

521 = Ἀλέξανδρος

525 = יהוָ֥ה צְבָא֖וֹת

526 = כּ֫וֹרֶשׁ

535 = κύριε ("Christians also associated the number 535 [along with 800] with Lord, but in the vocative form"<ref name=Blumell>Blumell and Wayment, The 'Number of the Beast,' in Kraus and Sommer, eds., Book of Seven Seals</ref>); standard form is φλε hence shorthand for κύριε as above (see also φίλε [545] in Harris<ref name=FRGexpanded/>, see also φιλάνθρωπε=1585); קֹהֶ֣לֶת

545 = Pompeii graffito:<ref name=FRGexpanded/>: Μπεκυ ("Pompei Becky"), παρθενικός, γυναικιαν, φίλε

586 = Jerusalem (Heb)

597 = θηρίου "of [the] beast"<ref name=Painchaud/>

600 = ציצת with 8 (knots) and 5 (strings) comes to 613<ref name=Feder/>; trapezoidal block of pebble diagram<ref name=FRGexpanded/>; Six 600's associated with Solomon as per triangle in pebble diagram<ref name=FRGexpanded/>: 1 Kings 10:14, 16; 2 Chron 2:2, 17; 9:13, 15; Six 600's of David: 1 Sam 23:13; 27:2; 30:9; 1 Chron 7:2; 21:25; 2 Chron 2:17

606 = Ruth

611 = תורה

613 = Traditional number of mitzvot in Torah; Ruth (606) + 7 Noahide laws; Torah given to Moses (see 611) + 2 mitzvot given directly to all Israel; גרתי (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> 10a); 248+365 (see each); 600+8+5 (see 600 for explanation)

616 = [Standard form: χιϛ; תרי"ו (or תרט"ז)] "עתה יגדל-נא כח הי" and "Rehoboth" (Gen 26:22); נרו קסר; Anagrams of Heb standard form = [Jethro (also "and the rest/excellence" Gen 49:3/Deut 3:13, "let/leave" Ex 16:19, and "shall remain" Ex 29:34) or "they spied" (Num 13:21)]; תריו which sounds like θηρίου; χιϛ as abbreviation for Christ (Jesus) and/or rearranged to form Chi-Rho; Possible graffito answers: Φαίδρα, Οφέλια, Ασυδια, Μαρουδα, and Ρουδάμα; Γαιος Καισαρ; Καῖσαρ θεός

620 = Shinar

636 = Value of نيرو قيصر in Maghribi Abjad

638 = Θεοδόσιος

647 = Χαλδαία

665 = Appears in one manuscript of Rev 13:18; See also Harris pebble chart and analysis<ref name=FRGexpanded/>; "אֶרֶץ כַּשְׂדִּים"

666 = [Standard form: χξϛ; תרס"ו;] Solomon's gold; Rev 13:18; Triangular expansion of 36; sons of Adonikam (Ezra 2:13, but also see 667); ἑλκύσαι (John 21:6); Χελκια (Hilkiah LXX, but see also 153); "עתה יגדל-נא כח אדני" (Num 14:17, see notes); DCLXVI; נרון קסר; Anagrams of standard form = ["Without" (Pr 11:22); "you should destroy" ("tarsu", cmp. Amos 6:11); Sethur; תסור (Deut 17:11)]; Mea Shearim; Irenaeus gives: Ευανθας, Λατεινος, Τειταν..., Μαομέτις; Counter-Reformers give: לולתר, ,Λουθερανα; Scripture has: הנהרות, הראיתים, הרימותה, והרתיהם, ויתרן, ולמקצת, ולפרשים, ולשלש, ולשעירים, ומשנער, וסרת, וסתר, וצעקת, ורמתך, ותמכר, ותסר, יתפלצון, יתרון, לעצמותיך, לשלוש, מיתריו, מנפצות, נחרבות, נפוצתם, נפצותם, סתור, סתרו, ענקתמו, צעקתו, רמותך, תורין, תחגרנה, תמכרו, תסור, תסרו, תצעקו, תראינה, απολλυμεθα, διασπορας, δυνασαι, ειχαν, εκελευσα, ελκυσαι, εντολαις, εποτισα, ευπορια, ηγνικοτες, κατεπεσεν, λευκαις, πεντακις, πλευραν, σκαπτειν, συναγαγη, τερασιν, and τετελεκα; while the Septuagint further adds: απειρου, απεκυλιον, αποστει, αφειλον, δραμουμαι, δρασαντι, ειλκυσα, εκζητειται, εκλυσαι, ενκατελιπομεν, ενπεσειται, εξαπατησαι, εξαπεστει, επαιρου, επαυριο, επτερνικαμεν, ετασμον, θαυμασει, καιομενου, κεραμικου, μετοικισαι, μισησης, νευσαι, οικουμενα, προειλατο, προσαγαγης, σκοτειναι, στειραν, Συήνη, and υπομειναι; Ιαπετός, (ירימות) Jerimoth, e.g. 2 Chron 11:18—an otherwise unknown “son of David!”), Βεέλτεθμος (Beltethmus, 1 Esdras 2:15/16), and Ἰαχεὶμ (Jachin, Gen 46:10); Value of نيرو قيصر in standard Abjad; תריון sounds like θηρίον (Painchaud 2023, citing Hadorn 1920); Κλαυδίας (Nelson 2025)

667 = Sons of Adonikam (Nehemiah 7:18, but also see 666)

676 = נרון קיסר

680 = Euphrates (see Aramaic Targum of Rishon Esther 1:4)

685 = Ἰούδας

686 = נירון קיסר and نيرون قيصر in Maghribi Abjad

699 = Isopsephy of Nicolatian

729 = Κηφᾶς; "וּלְקַדִּישֵׁ֥י עֶלְיוֹנִ֖ין יְבַלֵּ֑א"

731 = Ανθούσα (Smyrna graffito, as per Bagnall)

755 = Πέτρος (Mt 18:18)

765 = Adonikam (Heb)

770 = Μέγας Αλέξανδρος

790 = Κύρος

800 = κύριος = πίστις (cmp. 2 Thes 3:2-3 as noted by early Christians<ref name=Blumell/>)

801 = Alpha (and) Omega

810 = χις (with terminal sigma; cmp 616)

813 = Φλάβιος

840 = Αλέξανδρος ο Μέγας

852 = ונושנתם <ref name=Feder/>

855 = Noah (LXX/NT)

860 = χξς (with terminal sigma; cmp 666)

864 = Ἰερουσαλήμ (Rev); ἁγίων

888 = Ἰησοῦς

892 = Εὐσέβιος

926 = Adonikam (LXX), Ἰεροσόλυμα (1 Macc 1:20, John 12:12)

961 = גֹּאֲלֵנוּ יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת שְׁמוֹ (Isa 47:4)<ref name=Bejon/>

1000 = See Numbers 31:5 at 12000

1005 = Νέρων; number of Solomon's songs

1025 = Isopsephy of "ἑξακόσιοι ἑξήκοντα ἕξ"

1038 = Ευελπίστη (Symrna graffito)

1064 = Αἴγυπτος

1071 = Ιωναθας

1112 = "Mene, Mene, Tekel, Parsin"

1118 = "Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Parsin"

1120 = Ηρώδης

1121 = Ηρώδης Α΄

1132 = Κύριος Καῖσαρ

1178 = μυστήριον

1195 = Εὐστάθιος ("Constantine" equivalent meaning, not transliterated, into Greek)

1251 = Απφους

1256 = Ἁγίασμα κυρίου

1260 = Σολομων (NT)<ref name=FRG>Harris, Zachary. "[https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/opth-2022-0245/pdf?licenseType=open-access Forward and Reverse Gematria are Very Different Beasts]." Open Theology 10.1 (2024). See also [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1butkjkck8vhx2s-6qRB-V_g6V8KTFAfL unpublished expanded and updated version].</ref>; "Rectangular" expansion of 36 (see Bauckham citation in Harris); LCM of the first nine triangular numbers, viz. 1, 3, 6, 10, 15, 21, 28, 36 and 45 and multiple of a further three (105, 210 and 630) [Vernon Jenkins]; See also 3.5; Appears in the bounds of an elegant inequality for rational approximation of pi<ref>Dalzell, D. P. "On 22/7." Journal of the London Mathematical Society v 19, issue 75 Part 3 (1944), pp. 133–134, as summarized at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proof_that_22/7_exceeds_%CF%80#Quick_upper_and_lower_bounds</ref>

1264 = Ἐκκλησιαστοῦ

1269 = πιστὸς καὶ ἀληθινός

1285 = Βαβυλὼν

1301 = Αντίοχος

1305 = Αντίοχος Δ΄

1310 = ανθρωπος (Hooper's theory on Rev 13:18)

1337 = Νέρων Καῖσαρ

1341 = Νικολαϊτῶν

1367 = "τοῦ θηρίου"

1380 = Βαβυλὼν ἡ μεγάλη

1439 = Ηρώδης ο Μέγας

1440 = Ηρώδης Α΄ ο Μέγας

1514 = Αλέξανδρος Γ΄ ο Μακεδών

1530 = Σολομωνος

1585 = φιλάνθρωπε (see φλε at 535) — there may have been an inscription in an ancient Palestinian church that said "[φιλάνθρωπε μνήσθητι] | τοῦ Δούλου σοῦ"<ref name=Yonah>Avi-Yonah, M. Art in Ancient Palestine: Selected Studies. Edited by Hannah Katzenstein and Yoram Tsafrir, Magnes Press, 1981, p. 301.</ref>

1656 = Years from creation to flood as per Ussher's reading of the Hebrew (Masoretic) text

1688 = Κύριος Ἰησοῦς

1757 = Nebuchadnezzar (LXX)

1835 = Ἰούδας Ἰσκαριὼθ

1841 = ἀντίχριστος

1921 = Σαλωμων (LXX)

1946 = Βασιλεὺς βασιλέων

2006 = Ἐν Τούτῳ Νίκα

2013 = Σύγχυσις

2051 = Κωνσταντῖνος

2095 = "ὁ ἔχων νοῦν" (Rev 13:18) and σοφώτερον (1 Cor 1:25)!

2159 = Αντίοχος Δ΄ Επιφανής

2180= κύριος κυρίων

2188 = "Ναί, ἔρχομαι ταχύ"

2190 = ἄνθρωπος τῆς ἀνομίας

2239 = Gregorian year AD when 6000AM (seventh millennium of the world) begins

2252 = εἰκὼν τοῦ θηρίου

2300 = Dan 8:14; Number of balls in a 23-sided triangular pyramid (23*(23+1)*(23+2)/6)

2303 = Gematria value of "שֵׁ֥שׁ מֵא֛וֹת שִׁשִּׁ֥ים וָשֵׁ֖שׁ"

2315 = υἱὸς τῆς ἀπωλείας

2334 = Ἰούδας Ἰσκαριώτης

2398 = ἔρχου κύριε Ἰησοῦ

2445 = ψευδοπροφήτης, Μωϋσέως

2463 = μυστήριον Βαβυλὼν (2463)

2558 = μυστήριον Βαβυλὼν ἡ μεγάλη

2612 = Nebuchadnezzar + Noah (LXX)

2641 = Κωνσταντινούπολις

2659 = ψευδόχριστος

2701 = Value of Gen 1:1; Triangular (73)

3000 = Number of Solomon's proverbs

3039 = "μνήσθητι τοῦ δούλου σου," a common liturgical and biblical prayer formula in Greek, especially in the Septuagint and Orthodox liturgy (see 535 and 1585)

3600 = Taskmasters Solomon appointed (2 Chronicles 2:2,18); six*600 message encoded in pebble triangle<ref name=FRGexpanded/>; 60x60 temple plans (Ezra 6:3)

3750 = Φλάβιος Οὐαλέριος Κωνσταντῖνος

4157 = Βασιλεὺς βασιλέων καὶ κύριος κυρίων

7000 = Did not bow knee to Baal (1 Kings 19; Rom 11); Army of Israel in times of Ahab (1 Kings 20:15) and Nebuchadnezzar (2 Kings 24:16); Killed in great earthquake (Rev 11:13)

12000 = Israeli troops who defeated Midian, 1000 from each tribe (Numbers 31:5); Fallen population of Ai (Josh 8:25); Israeli fighters against Jabesh-gilead (Judges 21:10); Ahithophel's proposal for troops to defeat David (2 Sam 17:1); Solomon's horsemen; Edomites Joab struck down in the valley of salt (Ps 60:title); Troops in each tribe of the Lamb's army; Dimensions in stadia of the cubic New Jerusalem (Rev 21:16)

14700 = Died in the grumbling plague of Num 16

144000 = Troops in Lamb's army; See also 144

==References==

[[Category:Lists]]
[[Category:Symbolism of particular numbers]]

List of numbers with possible significance

2026-02-21T11:10:38Z

Zekeriya:

When a word or phrase is given with no explanation, the number is the (Hebrew) [[gematria]] or (Greek) [[isopsephy]] value of that word.

1 = Hear, O Israel: YWHW our God, YWHW is one.

2 = Minimum number of witnesses to establish a legal case

3 = Divine perfection (one of four "perfect" numbers: 3, 7, 10, 12)

3.5 = Half of seven is important in Dan 7:25, 12:7, 1 Kgs. 18:1; Luke 4:25; Jas. 5:17 (Cmp. Rev 11:6), Rev 11:9,11; 12:14

4 = Corners/directions (world, altar, winds); Triangular root of 10

5 = Books in Torah

6 = Triangular expansion of 3

7 = Spiritual perfection (one of four "perfect" numbers: 3, 7, 10, 12); Days of creation; Egypt's years of plenty/famine; Years Jacob worked for each wife

8 = Triangular root of 36

10 = Triangular expansion of 4; Ordinal perfection (one of four "perfect" numbers: 3, 7, 10, 12); Commandments/words at Sinai; Plagues on Egypt; Virgins in parable; Days of Smyrna testing; Days of Daniel fast testing; generations in genealogies from creation to flood and flood to Abraham; human universality; clauses in the Lord’s Prayer; Tithes (tenths) representing complete recognition of God’s claims; trials of Abraham’s faith; Ten people in the Bible who said “I have sinned”, demonstrating the widespread nature of human sin; the "full round" of anything; used as a multiplier with other numbers to emphasize or escalate their sense of bigness: e.g. 12*12*10^3

12 = זה (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> 9b); Governmental perfection (one of four "perfect" numbers: 3, 7, 10, 12)

14 = David (Heb); Years Jacob worked to earn his wives

15 = Triangular expansion of 5 and triangular root of 120

17 = Triangular root of 153; Joseph's age when he dreamt

21 = Triangular expansion of 6; Days of Daniel's fast

24 = Books in Tanakh

25 = κε (standard form and abbrev for κύριε=535, which see)

26 = YHVH (also يهوه)

27 = Books in New Testament<ref>Almost all branches agree. See 35 for Ethiopian exception.</ref>

28 = Triangular expansion of 7; Number of Babylonian merchandise items in Rev 18:12-13 (see Beale); Generations from Abraham to the deportation to Babylon; Years of Jehu's reign; 28:42::666:1260 (Harris<ref name=FRGexpanded>Harris, Zachary. [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1butkjkck8vhx2s-6qRB-V_g6V8KTFAfL Unpublished expanded and updated version] of "Forward and Reverse Gematria."</ref>)

30 = יהיה hence default period of Nazirite<ref name=Feder>Rabbi Elie Feder. Gematria Refigured, Mosaica Press, 2022.</ref>

34 = בבל (Babel)

35 = Books in Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church

36 = Triangular expansion of 8 and triangular root of 666

40 = Years of wilderness wandering; Jesus in desert; ... etc.!

42 = "Great" (גדלה) Gen 10:12; אלוה ("god", Dan 11:38); 14x3 generations (Mt 1); 42 Months = 3.5 years (Rev 11-13); See also 3.5

51 = Na ("please")<ref name=Feder/>; Books in Tanakh + New Testament

52 = "Son" (anagram of standard form) and "with everything" (Genesis 24:1) see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 1; Gematria of Elijah (Heb); Years of Uzziah's reign (2 Chron 26:3); בְּהֵמָ֔ה

58 = Noah/grace [anagrams of standard form]

59 = Havilah

60 = Trapezoidal block of pebble diagram<ref name=FRGexpanded/>; 60x60 temple plans (Ezra 6:3, see also 3600)

62 = Age of Darius (Dan 5:31)<ref name=Bejon/>

66 = Value of "Allah" in standard Abjad; בֶּן־דָּוִ֔ד; Books in Protestant Bible

70 = ὁ (Greek nom sg definite article, can be added to some of the titles listed here); elders of Israel; nations in Gen 10; disciples sent out in Luke 10:1-12 [or 72]

72 = Disciples sent out in Luke 10:1-12 [or 70]

77 = Gihon (Gen 4:24)

83 = Age of Aaron when confronting Pharaoh

86 = Elohim

88 = Age of Moses when confronting Pharaoh (Ex 6)

91 = Mene, מלכא, and האלהים along with several other connections to Daniel 5<ref name ="Bejon">James Bejon, Belshazzar’s Riddle (Part II), https://jamesbejon.substack.com/p/belshazzars-riddle-part-ii</ref>

99 = Amen (grk); Number of sheep shepherd leaves behind to search for one lost; See footnote 57 in Blumall<ref name="Blumell"/> regarding Irenaeus and the "Marcosians" on this number's isopsephies

110 = Years of Joseph

120 = למלך (to the king OR to Molech in 1 Kings) and Solomon's gold (1 Kings 9:14; 10:10; 2 Chr 9:9); limit on man's lifespan (Gen 6:3, cf. Deut 31:2; 34:7); years of Moses; Darius' satraps (Dan 6:1); disciples in upper room; triangular expansion of 15

123 = Goliath (LXX)

125 = מסכה (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 9a)

127 = Years of Sarah and provinces of Eshter (this connection is famously addressed by Rabbi Akiva(?) as per AlephBeta video; see also Targum Rishon on Esther

130 = Age of Jacob when he went to Egypt; חִזְקִיָּ֬ה, and the sayings attributed to Hezekiah’s men in Prov 25–29 number about 130 (cmp. 375)<ref name=Hubbard>Hubbard, D. A. “Proverbs, Book Of.” The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised, edited by Geoffrey W. Bromiley, vol. 3, Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1979–1988, p. 1016.</ref>

133 = Years of Kohath (Moses' Gpa)

137 = Years of Levi and Amram (Moses' dad)

142 = Tigris

144 = Width in cubits of New Jerusalem's walls; See also 144000

147 = Years of Jacob

153 = Triangular expansion of 17; Number of fish (John 21:11); μέρη (John 21:6); חלקיה (Hilkiah, but see also 666); ANTICHRISTVS (but see 154)

154 = Liber Genealogus' claimed value of ANTICHRISTVS (= 616/4)

165 = The Tree/Money (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 7 on Esther); Naamah (Heb) - the only wife of Solomon who is named in Scripture (see also "the silver" in 1 Kings 10:27) and also sister of Tubal-Cain (Gen 4:22)

182 = "Mene, Mene"; Yakov (Heb.)

191 = ﺲﻠﻴﻣﺎﻧ in standard Abjad

208 = ורב (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 8)

212 = Number of gatekeepers in 1 Chronicles 9:22 (4*53 seems to correspond with vs 24-26; four leaders for each week of the year)

247 = θηρίον "beast" (Painchaud<ref name=Painchaud>Painchaud, Louis. "The Dragon, the Beasts, and the Gold: The Number of the Beast in the Apocalypse of John," in '"Who is Sitting on Which Beast?" Interpretative Issues in the Book of Revelation', Lupieri, Edmondo and Louis Painchaud, eds., Brepols Publishers, 2023</ref>)

248 = Abram (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 11); 613-365 = number of positive "do" mitzvot = number of bones in human body (Rabbi Simlai)

276 = Persons on wrecked ship (Acts 27:37); Triangular expansion of 23

288 = Singers (1 Chron 25:7); Gematria of Uzziah (LXX)

294 = קוסטנטין (as Ibn Ezra on Dan 11:36)

314 = Shaddai [anagram of standard form] and Metatron (Talmud) see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 12

318 = Number of Abram's servants in Genesis 14:14 and gematria of “Eliezer” in 15:2

345 = מֹשֶׁ֛ה

350 = פרסי and קרן<ref name=Bejon/>

351 = Γαλατεία (graffito)

365 = 613-248 = number of negative "do not" mitzvot; days in a solar year

374 = כשדים

375 = שלמה; said to match the number of Proverbs of Solomon, Prov 10:1–22:16 (cmp. 130)<ref name=Hubbard/>

380 = Egypt (Heb)

385 = Σόδομα, (מצרימה) to Egypt

390 = Days "equal to the number of the years of their punishment" (Eze 4:5)

392 = "All the temple servants and the sons of Solomon’s servants were 392" (Ezra 2:58; Nehemiah 7:60)

400 = Value of the letter ת which is the "mark" in Ezek 9:4,6; Virgins of Jabesh-gilead taken at Shiloh to repopulate Benjamin; Prophets of Asherah (1 Kings 18:19)

401 = Aleph Tav (cmp. 801)

406 = תָּ֜ו (see 400)

417 = Gematria of בתיה (Bithia = Batya = Pharaoh's daughter) in 1 Chron 4:17

420 = שלמן (Hos 10:14; see also pebble diagram<ref name=FRGexpanded/>); Amount of Solomon's gold (1 Kings 9:28); ממצרים (1 Kings 8:16,51,53; 10:28–29)

422 = Nebuchadnezzar (Heb)

430 = Years of Israel in Egypt (Ex 12:40-41, Gal 3:17); Years Eber lived after fathering Peleg (Gen 11:17); Rameses (Gen 47:11, Ex 12:37)

431 = ﺲﻠﻴﻣﺎﻧ in Maghribi Abjad

443 = Goliath (Heb)

446 = Pishon

450 = Talents of gold (2 Chron 8:18) and prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:19,22)

451 = Isopsephy of Nicolaus (as in Nicolatians)

460 = קֹ֖דֶשׁ לַֽיהוָֽה

475 = ᾅδης (Mt 18:18; gen. Hades)

480 = Nebuchadnezzar + Noah (Heb); Years from exodus to beginning of Temple construction (1 Kings 6:1)

485 = γυναίκα (Rev 2:20; [12:13;] 17:3, 6; [21:9,27] = βδελυγμα = πολις η μεγαλη (Gen 10:12; Rev 16:19; 17:[5, in pl!], 18; 18:10, 16, 19) = Ἰούδα (Judas/Lk 22:48; Judah/Rev 5:5); "To Succoth" (place in Gen 33:17, Ex 12:37, etc.)

486 = "Succoth" (place in Gen 33:17)

486 = πέτρᾳ (Mt 18:18)

520 = דָּרְיָוֶשׁ and כֹּרֶשׁ<ref name=Bejon/>

521 = Ἀλέξανδρος

525 = יהוָ֥ה צְבָא֖וֹת

526 = כּ֫וֹרֶשׁ

535 = κύριε ("Christians also associated the number 535 [along with 800] with Lord, but in the vocative form"<ref name=Blumell>Blumell and Wayment, The 'Number of the Beast,' in Kraus and Sommer, eds., Book of Seven Seals</ref>); standard form is φλε hence shorthand for κύριε as above (see also φίλε [545] in Harris<ref name=FRGexpanded/>, see also φιλάνθρωπε=1585); קֹהֶ֣לֶת

545 = Pompeii graffito:<ref name=FRGexpanded/>: Μπεκυ ("Pompei Becky"), παρθενικός, γυναικιαν, φίλε

586 = Jerusalem (Heb)

597 = θηρίου "of [the] beast"<ref name=Painchaud/>

600 = ציצת with 8 (knots) and 5 (strings) comes to 613<ref name=Feder/>; trapezoidal block of pebble diagram<ref name=FRGexpanded/>; Six 600's associated with Solomon as per triangle in pebble diagram<ref name=FRGexpanded/>: 1 Kings 10:14, 16; 2 Chron 2:2, 17; 9:13, 15; Six 600's of David: 1 Sam 23:13; 27:2; 30:9; 1 Chron 7:2; 21:25; 2 Chron 2:17

606 = Ruth

611 = תורה

613 = Traditional number of mitzvot in Torah; Ruth (606) + 7 Noahide laws; Torah given to Moses (see 611) + 2 mitzvot given directly to all Israel; גרתי (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> 10a); 248+365 (see each); 600+8+5 (see 600 for explanation)

616 = [Standard form: χιϛ; תרי"ו (or תרט"ז)] "עתה יגדל-נא כח הי" and "Rehoboth" (Gen 26:22); נרו קסר; Anagrams of Heb standard form = [Jethro (also "and the rest/excellence" Gen 49:3/Deut 3:13, "let/leave" Ex 16:19, and "shall remain" Ex 29:34) or "they spied" (Num 13:21)]; תריו which sounds like θηρίου; χιϛ as abbreviation for Christ (Jesus) and/or rearranged to form Chi-Rho; Possible graffito answers: Φαίδρα, Οφέλια, Ασυδια, Μαρουδα, and Ρουδάμα; Γαιος Καισαρ; Καῖσαρ θεός

620 = Shinar

636 = Value of نيرو قيصر in Maghribi Abjad

638 = Θεοδόσιος

647 = Χαλδαία

665 = Appears in one manuscript of Rev 13:18; See also Harris pebble chart and analysis<ref name=FRGexpanded/>; "אֶרֶץ כַּשְׂדִּים"

666 = [Standard form: χξϛ; תרס"ו;] Solomon's gold; Rev 13:18; Triangular expansion of 36; sons of Adonikam (Ezra 2:13, but also see 667); ἑλκύσαι (John 21:6); Χελκια (Hilkiah LXX, but see also 153); "עתה יגדל-נא כח אדני" (Num 14:17, see notes); DCLXVI; נרון קסר; Anagrams of standard form = ["Without" (Pr 11:22); "you should destroy" ("tarsu", cmp. Amos 6:11); Sethur; תסור (Deut 17:11)]; Mea Shearim; Irenaeus gives: Ευανθας, Λατεινος, Τειταν..., Μαομέτις; Counter-Reformers give: לולתר, ,Λουθερανα; Scripture has: הנהרות, הראיתים, הרימותה, והרתיהם, ויתרן, ולמקצת, ולפרשים, ולשלש, ולשעירים, ומשנער, וסרת, וסתר, וצעקת, ורמתך, ותמכר, ותסר, יתפלצון, יתרון, לעצמותיך, לשלוש, מיתריו, מנפצות, נחרבות, נפוצתם, נפצותם, סתור, סתרו, ענקתמו, צעקתו, רמותך, תורין, תחגרנה, תמכרו, תסור, תסרו, תצעקו, תראינה, απολλυμεθα, διασπορας, δυνασαι, ειχαν, εκελευσα, ελκυσαι, εντολαις, εποτισα, ευπορια, ηγνικοτες, κατεπεσεν, λευκαις, πεντακις, πλευραν, σκαπτειν, συναγαγη, τερασιν, and τετελεκα; while the Septuagint further adds: απειρου, απεκυλιον, αποστει, αφειλον, δραμουμαι, δρασαντι, ειλκυσα, εκζητειται, εκλυσαι, ενκατελιπομεν, ενπεσειται, εξαπατησαι, εξαπεστει, επαιρου, επαυριο, επτερνικαμεν, ετασμον, θαυμασει, καιομενου, κεραμικου, μετοικισαι, μισησης, νευσαι, οικουμενα, προειλατο, προσαγαγης, σκοτειναι, στειραν, Συήνη, and υπομειναι; Ιαπετός, (ירימות) Jerimoth, e.g. 2 Chron 11:18—an otherwise unknown “son of David!”), Βεέλτεθμος (Beltethmus, 1 Esdras 2:15/16), and Ἰαχεὶμ (Jachin, Gen 46:10); Value of نيرو قيصر in standard Abjad; תריון sounds like θηρίον (Painchaud 2023, citing Hadorn 1920); Κλαυδίας (Nelson 2025)

667 = Sons of Adonikam (Nehemiah 7:18, but also see 666)

676 = נרון קיסר

680 = Euphrates (see Aramaic Targum of Rishon Esther 1:4)

685 = Ἰούδας

686 = נירון קיסר and نيرون قيصر in Maghribi Abjad

699 = Isopsephy of Nicolatian

729 = Κηφᾶς; "וּלְקַדִּישֵׁ֥י עֶלְיוֹנִ֖ין יְבַלֵּ֑א"

731 = Ανθούσα (Smyrna graffito, as per Bagnall)

755 = Πέτρος (Mt 18:18)

765 = Adonikam (Heb)

770 = Μέγας Αλέξανδρος

790 = Κύρος

800 = κύριος = πίστις (cmp. 2 Thes 3:2-3 as noted by early Christians<ref name=Blumell/>)

801 = Alpha (and) Omega

810 = χις (with terminal sigma; cmp 616)

813 = Φλάβιος

840 = Αλέξανδρος ο Μέγας

852 = ונושנתם <ref name=Feder/>

855 = Noah (LXX/NT)

860 = χξς (with terminal sigma; cmp 666)

864 = Ἰερουσαλήμ (Rev); ἁγίων

888 = Ἰησοῦς

892 = Εὐσέβιος

926 = Adonikam (LXX), Ἰεροσόλυμα (1 Macc 1:20, John 12:12)

961 = גֹּאֲלֵנוּ יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת שְׁמוֹ (Isa 47:4)<ref name=Bejon/>

1000 = See Numbers 31:5 at 12000

1005 = Νέρων; number of Solomon's songs

1025 = Isopsephy of "ἑξακόσιοι ἑξήκοντα ἕξ"

1038 = Ευελπίστη (Symrna graffito)

1064 = Αἴγυπτος

1071 = Ιωναθας

1112 = "Mene, Mene, Tekel, Parsin"

1118 = "Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Parsin"

1120 = Ηρώδης

1121 = Ηρώδης Α΄

1132 = Κύριος Καῖσαρ

1178 = μυστήριον

1195 = Εὐστάθιος ("Constantine" equivalent meaning, not transliterated, into Greek)

1251 = Απφους

1256 = Ἁγίασμα κυρίου

1260 = Σολομων (NT)<ref name=FRG>Harris, Zachary. "[https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/opth-2022-0245/pdf?licenseType=open-access Forward and Reverse Gematria are Very Different Beasts]." Open Theology 10.1 (2024). See also [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1butkjkck8vhx2s-6qRB-V_g6V8KTFAfL unpublished expanded and updated version].</ref>; "Rectangular" expansion of 36 (see Bauckham citation in Harris); LCM of the first nine triangular numbers, viz. 1, 3, 6, 10, 15, 21, 28, 36 and 45 and multiple of a further three (105, 210 and 630) [Vernon Jenkins]; See also 3.5; Appears in the bounds of an elegant inequality for rational approximation of pi<ref>Dalzell, D. P. "On 22/7." Journal of the London Mathematical Society v 19, issue 75 Part 3 (1944), pp. 133–134, as summarized at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proof_that_22/7_exceeds_%CF%80#Quick_upper_and_lower_bounds</ref>

1264 = Ἐκκλησιαστοῦ

1269 = πιστὸς καὶ ἀληθινός

1285 = Βαβυλὼν

1301 = Αντίοχος

1305 = Αντίοχος Δ΄

1310 = ανθρωπος (Hooper's theory on Rev 13:18)

1337 = Νέρων Καῖσαρ

1341 = Νικολαϊτῶν

1367 = "τοῦ θηρίου"

1380 = Βαβυλὼν ἡ μεγάλη

1439 = Ηρώδης ο Μέγας

1440 = Ηρώδης Α΄ ο Μέγας

1514 = Αλέξανδρος Γ΄ ο Μακεδών

1530 = Σολομωνος

1585 = φιλάνθρωπε (see φλε at 535) — there may have been an inscription in an ancient Palestinian church that said "[φιλάνθρωπε μνήσθητι] | τοῦ Δούλου σοῦ"<ref name=Yonah>Avi-Yonah, M. Art in Ancient Palestine: Selected Studies. Edited by Hannah Katzenstein and Yoram Tsafrir, Magnes Press, 1981, p. 301.</ref>

1656 = Years from creation to flood as per Ussher's reading of the Hebrew (Masoretic) text

1688 = Κύριος Ἰησοῦς

1757 = Nebuchadnezzar (LXX)

1835 = Ἰούδας Ἰσκαριὼθ

1841 = ἀντίχριστος

1921 = Σαλωμων (LXX)

1946 = Βασιλεὺς βασιλέων

2006 = Ἐν Τούτῳ Νίκα

2051 = Κωνσταντῖνος

2095 = "ὁ ἔχων νοῦν" (Rev 13:18) and σοφώτερον (1 Cor 1:25)!

2159 = Αντίοχος Δ΄ Επιφανής

2180= κύριος κυρίων

2188 = "Ναί, ἔρχομαι ταχύ"

2190 = ἄνθρωπος τῆς ἀνομίας

2239 = Gregorian year AD when 6000AM (seventh millennium of the world) begins

2252 = εἰκὼν τοῦ θηρίου

2300 = Dan 8:14; Number of balls in a 23-sided triangular pyramid (23*(23+1)*(23+2)/6)

2303 = Gematria value of "שֵׁ֥שׁ מֵא֛וֹת שִׁשִּׁ֥ים וָשֵׁ֖שׁ"

2315 = υἱὸς τῆς ἀπωλείας

2334 = Ἰούδας Ἰσκαριώτης

2398 = ἔρχου κύριε Ἰησοῦ

2445 = ψευδοπροφήτης, Μωϋσέως

2463 = μυστήριον Βαβυλὼν (2463)

2558 = μυστήριον Βαβυλὼν ἡ μεγάλη

2612 = Nebuchadnezzar + Noah (LXX)

2641 = Κωνσταντινούπολις

2659 = ψευδόχριστος

2701 = Value of Gen 1:1; Triangular (73)

3000 = Number of Solomon's proverbs

3039 = "μνήσθητι τοῦ δούλου σου," a common liturgical and biblical prayer formula in Greek, especially in the Septuagint and Orthodox liturgy (see 535 and 1585)

3600 = Taskmasters Solomon appointed (2 Chronicles 2:2,18); six*600 message encoded in pebble triangle<ref name=FRGexpanded/>; 60x60 temple plans (Ezra 6:3)

3750 = Φλάβιος Οὐαλέριος Κωνσταντῖνος

4157 = Βασιλεὺς βασιλέων καὶ κύριος κυρίων

7000 = Did not bow knee to Baal (1 Kings 19; Rom 11); Army of Israel in times of Ahab (1 Kings 20:15) and Nebuchadnezzar (2 Kings 24:16); Killed in great earthquake (Rev 11:13)

12000 = Israeli troops who defeated Midian, 1000 from each tribe (Numbers 31:5); Fallen population of Ai (Josh 8:25); Israeli fighters against Jabesh-gilead (Judges 21:10); Ahithophel's proposal for troops to defeat David (2 Sam 17:1); Solomon's horsemen; Edomites Joab struck down in the valley of salt (Ps 60:title); Troops in each tribe of the Lamb's army; Dimensions in stadia of the cubic New Jerusalem (Rev 21:16)

14700 = Died in the grumbling plague of Num 16

144000 = Troops in Lamb's army; See also 144

==References==

[[Category:Lists]]
[[Category:Symbolism of particular numbers]]

List of numbers with possible significance

2026-02-21T10:50:47Z

Zekeriya:

When a word or phrase is given with no explanation, the number is the (Hebrew) [[gematria]] or (Greek) [[isopsephy]] value of that word.

1 = Hear, O Israel: YWHW our God, YWHW is one.

2 = Minimum number of witnesses to establish a legal case

3 = Divine perfection (one of four "perfect" numbers: 3, 7, 10, 12)

3.5 = Half of seven is important in Dan 7:25, 12:7, 1 Kgs. 18:1; Luke 4:25; Jas. 5:17 (Cmp. Rev 11:6), Rev 11:9,11; 12:14

4 = Triangular root of 10

5 = Books in Torah

6 = Triangular expansion of 3

7 = Spiritual perfection (one of four "perfect" numbers: 3, 7, 10, 12); Days of creation; Egypt's years of plenty/famine; Years Jacob worked for each wife

8 = Triangular root of 36

10 = Triangular expansion of 4; Ordinal perfection (one of four "perfect" numbers: 3, 7, 10, 12); Commandments/words at Sinai; Plagues on Egypt; Virgins in parable; Days of Smyrna testing; Days of Daniel fast testing; generations in genealogies from creation to flood and flood to Abraham; human universality; clauses in the Lord’s Prayer; Tithes (tenths) representing complete recognition of God’s claims; trials of Abraham’s faith; Ten people in the Bible who said “I have sinned”, demonstrating the widespread nature of human sin; the "full round" of anything; used as a multiplier with other numbers to emphasize or escalate their sense of bigness: e.g. 12*12*10^3

12 = זה (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> 9b); Governmental perfection (one of four "perfect" numbers: 3, 7, 10, 12)

14 = David (Heb); Years Jacob worked to earn his wives

15 = Triangular expansion of 5 and triangular root of 120

17 = Triangular root of 153; Joseph's age when he dreamt

21 = Triangular expansion of 6; Days of Daniel's fast

24 = Books in Tanakh

25 = κε (standard form and abbrev for κύριε=535, which see)

26 = YHVH (also يهوه)

27 = Books in New Testament<ref>Almost all branches agree. See 35 for Ethiopian exception.</ref>

28 = Triangular expansion of 7; Number of Babylonian merchandise items in Rev 18:12-13 (see Beale); Generations from Abraham to the deportation to Babylon; Years of Jehu's reign; 28:42::666:1260 (Harris<ref name=FRGexpanded>Harris, Zachary. [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1butkjkck8vhx2s-6qRB-V_g6V8KTFAfL Unpublished expanded and updated version] of "Forward and Reverse Gematria."</ref>)

30 = יהיה hence default period of Nazirite<ref name=Feder>Rabbi Elie Feder. Gematria Refigured, Mosaica Press, 2022.</ref>

34 = בבל (Babel)

35 = Books in Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church

36 = Triangular expansion of 8 and triangular root of 666

40 = Years of wilderness wandering; Jesus in desert; ... etc.!

42 = "Great" (גדלה) Gen 10:12; אלוה ("god", Dan 11:38); 14x3 generations (Mt 1); 42 Months = 3.5 years (Rev 11-13); See also 3.5

51 = Na ("please")<ref name=Feder/>; Books in Tanakh + New Testament

52 = "Son" (anagram of standard form) and "with everything" (Genesis 24:1) see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 1; Gematria of Elijah (Heb); Years of Uzziah's reign (2 Chron 26:3); בְּהֵמָ֔ה

58 = Noah/grace [anagrams of standard form]

59 = Havilah

60 = Trapezoidal block of pebble diagram<ref name=FRGexpanded/>; 60x60 temple plans (Ezra 6:3, see also 3600)

62 = Age of Darius (Dan 5:31)<ref name=Bejon/>

66 = Value of "Allah" in standard Abjad; בֶּן־דָּוִ֔ד; Books in Protestant Bible

70 = ὁ (Greek nom sg definite article, can be added to some of the titles listed here); elders of Israel; nations in Gen 10; disciples sent out in Luke 10:1-12 [or 72]

72 = Disciples sent out in Luke 10:1-12 [or 70]

77 = Gihon (Gen 4:24)

83 = Age of Aaron when confronting Pharaoh

86 = Elohim

88 = Age of Moses when confronting Pharaoh (Ex 6)

91 = Mene, מלכא, and האלהים along with several other connections to Daniel 5<ref name ="Bejon">James Bejon, Belshazzar’s Riddle (Part II), https://jamesbejon.substack.com/p/belshazzars-riddle-part-ii</ref>

99 = Amen (grk); Number of sheep shepherd leaves behind to search for one lost; See footnote 57 in Blumall<ref name="Blumell"/> regarding Irenaeus and the "Marcosians" on this number's isopsephies

110 = Years of Joseph

120 = למלך (to the king OR to Molech in 1 Kings) and Solomon's gold (1 Kings 9:14; 10:10; 2 Chr 9:9); limit on man's lifespan (Gen 6:3, cf. Deut 31:2; 34:7); years of Moses; Darius' satraps (Dan 6:1); disciples in upper room; triangular expansion of 15

123 = Goliath (LXX)

125 = מסכה (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 9a)

127 = Years of Sarah and provinces of Eshter (this connection is famously addressed by Rabbi Akiva(?) as per AlephBeta video; see also Targum Rishon on Esther

130 = Age of Jacob when he went to Egypt; חִזְקִיָּ֬ה, and the sayings attributed to Hezekiah’s men in Prov 25–29 number about 130 (cmp. 375)<ref name=Hubbard>Hubbard, D. A. “Proverbs, Book Of.” The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised, edited by Geoffrey W. Bromiley, vol. 3, Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1979–1988, p. 1016.</ref>

133 = Years of Kohath (Moses' Gpa)

137 = Years of Levi and Amram (Moses' dad)

142 = Tigris

144 = Width in cubits of New Jerusalem's walls; See also 144000

147 = Years of Jacob

153 = Triangular expansion of 17; Number of fish (John 21:11); μέρη (John 21:6); חלקיה (Hilkiah, but see also 666); ANTICHRISTVS (but see 154)

154 = Liber Genealogus' claimed value of ANTICHRISTVS (= 616/4)

165 = The Tree/Money (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 7 on Esther); Naamah (Heb) - the only wife of Solomon who is named in Scripture (see also "the silver" in 1 Kings 10:27) and also sister of Tubal-Cain (Gen 4:22)

182 = "Mene, Mene"; Yakov (Heb.)

191 = ﺲﻠﻴﻣﺎﻧ in standard Abjad

208 = ורב (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 8)

212 = Number of gatekeepers in 1 Chronicles 9:22 (4*53 seems to correspond with vs 24-26; four leaders for each week of the year)

247 = θηρίον "beast" (Painchaud<ref name=Painchaud>Painchaud, Louis. "The Dragon, the Beasts, and the Gold: The Number of the Beast in the Apocalypse of John," in '"Who is Sitting on Which Beast?" Interpretative Issues in the Book of Revelation', Lupieri, Edmondo and Louis Painchaud, eds., Brepols Publishers, 2023</ref>)

248 = Abram (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 11); 613-365 = number of positive "do" mitzvot = number of bones in human body (Rabbi Simlai)

276 = Persons on wrecked ship (Acts 27:37); Triangular expansion of 23

288 = Singers (1 Chron 25:7); Gematria of Uzziah (LXX)

294 = קוסטנטין (as Ibn Ezra on Dan 11:36)

314 = Shaddai [anagram of standard form] and Metatron (Talmud) see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 12

318 = Number of Abram's servants in Genesis 14:14 and gematria of “Eliezer” in 15:2

345 = מֹשֶׁ֛ה

350 = פרסי and קרן<ref name=Bejon/>

351 = Γαλατεία (graffito)

365 = 613-248 = number of negative "do not" mitzvot; days in a solar year

374 = כשדים

375 = שלמה; said to match the number of Proverbs of Solomon, Prov 10:1–22:16 (cmp. 130)<ref name=Hubbard/>

380 = Egypt (Heb)

385 = Σόδομα, (מצרימה) to Egypt

390 = Days "equal to the number of the years of their punishment" (Eze 4:5)

392 = "All the temple servants and the sons of Solomon’s servants were 392" (Ezra 2:58; Nehemiah 7:60)

400 = Value of the letter ת which is the "mark" in Ezek 9:4,6; Virgins of Jabesh-gilead taken at Shiloh to repopulate Benjamin; Prophets of Asherah (1 Kings 18:19)

401 = Aleph Tav (cmp. 801)

406 = תָּ֜ו (see 400)

417 = Gematria of בתיה (Bithia = Batya = Pharaoh's daughter) in 1 Chron 4:17

420 = שלמן (Hos 10:14; see also pebble diagram<ref name=FRGexpanded/>); Amount of Solomon's gold (1 Kings 9:28); ממצרים (1 Kings 8:16,51,53; 10:28–29)

422 = Nebuchadnezzar (Heb)

430 = Years of Israel in Egypt (Ex 12:40-41, Gal 3:17); Years Eber lived after fathering Peleg (Gen 11:17); Rameses (Gen 47:11, Ex 12:37)

431 = ﺲﻠﻴﻣﺎﻧ in Maghribi Abjad

443 = Goliath (Heb)

446 = Pishon

450 = Talents of gold (2 Chron 8:18) and prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:19,22)

451 = Isopsephy of Nicolaus (as in Nicolatians)

460 = קֹ֖דֶשׁ לַֽיהוָֽה

475 = ᾅδης (Mt 18:18; gen. Hades)

480 = Nebuchadnezzar + Noah (Heb); Years from exodus to beginning of Temple construction (1 Kings 6:1)

485 = γυναίκα (Rev 2:20; [12:13;] 17:3, 6; [21:9,27] = βδελυγμα = πολις η μεγαλη (Gen 10:12; Rev 16:19; 17:[5, in pl!], 18; 18:10, 16, 19) = Ἰούδα (Judas/Lk 22:48; Judah/Rev 5:5); "To Succoth" (place in Gen 33:17, Ex 12:37, etc.)

486 = "Succoth" (place in Gen 33:17)

486 = πέτρᾳ (Mt 18:18)

520 = דָּרְיָוֶשׁ and כֹּרֶשׁ<ref name=Bejon/>

521 = Ἀλέξανδρος

525 = יהוָ֥ה צְבָא֖וֹת

526 = כּ֫וֹרֶשׁ

535 = κύριε ("Christians also associated the number 535 [along with 800] with Lord, but in the vocative form"<ref name=Blumell>Blumell and Wayment, The 'Number of the Beast,' in Kraus and Sommer, eds., Book of Seven Seals</ref>); standard form is φλε hence shorthand for κύριε as above (see also φίλε [545] in Harris<ref name=FRGexpanded/>, see also φιλάνθρωπε=1585); קֹהֶ֣לֶת

545 = Pompeii graffito:<ref name=FRGexpanded/>: Μπεκυ ("Pompei Becky"), παρθενικός, γυναικιαν, φίλε

586 = Jerusalem (Heb)

597 = θηρίου "of [the] beast"<ref name=Painchaud/>

600 = ציצת with 8 (knots) and 5 (strings) comes to 613<ref name=Feder/>; trapezoidal block of pebble diagram<ref name=FRGexpanded/>; Six 600's associated with Solomon as per triangle in pebble diagram<ref name=FRGexpanded/>: 1 Kings 10:14, 16; 2 Chron 2:2, 17; 9:13, 15; Six 600's of David: 1 Sam 23:13; 27:2; 30:9; 1 Chron 7:2; 21:25; 2 Chron 2:17

606 = Ruth

611 = תורה

613 = Traditional number of mitzvot in Torah; Ruth (606) + 7 Noahide laws; Torah given to Moses (see 611) + 2 mitzvot given directly to all Israel; גרתי (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> 10a); 248+365 (see each); 600+8+5 (see 600 for explanation)

616 = [Standard form: χιϛ; תרי"ו (or תרט"ז)] "עתה יגדל-נא כח הי" and "Rehoboth" (Gen 26:22); נרו קסר; Anagrams of Heb standard form = [Jethro (also "and the rest/excellence" Gen 49:3/Deut 3:13, "let/leave" Ex 16:19, and "shall remain" Ex 29:34) or "they spied" (Num 13:21)]; תריו which sounds like θηρίου; χιϛ as abbreviation for Christ (Jesus) and/or rearranged to form Chi-Rho; Possible graffito answers: Φαίδρα, Οφέλια, Ασυδια, Μαρουδα, and Ρουδάμα; Γαιος Καισαρ; Καῖσαρ θεός

620 = Shinar

636 = Value of نيرو قيصر in Maghribi Abjad

638 = Θεοδόσιος

647 = Χαλδαία

665 = Appears in one manuscript of Rev 13:18; See also Harris pebble chart and analysis<ref name=FRGexpanded/>; "אֶרֶץ כַּשְׂדִּים"

666 = [Standard form: χξϛ; תרס"ו;] Solomon's gold; Rev 13:18; Triangular expansion of 36; sons of Adonikam (Ezra 2:13, but also see 667); ἑλκύσαι (John 21:6); Χελκια (Hilkiah LXX, but see also 153); "עתה יגדל-נא כח אדני" (Num 14:17, see notes); DCLXVI; נרון קסר; Anagrams of standard form = ["Without" (Pr 11:22); "you should destroy" ("tarsu", cmp. Amos 6:11); Sethur; תסור (Deut 17:11)]; Mea Shearim; Irenaeus gives: Ευανθας, Λατεινος, Τειταν..., Μαομέτις; Counter-Reformers give: לולתר, ,Λουθερανα; Scripture has: הנהרות, הראיתים, הרימותה, והרתיהם, ויתרן, ולמקצת, ולפרשים, ולשלש, ולשעירים, ומשנער, וסרת, וסתר, וצעקת, ורמתך, ותמכר, ותסר, יתפלצון, יתרון, לעצמותיך, לשלוש, מיתריו, מנפצות, נחרבות, נפוצתם, נפצותם, סתור, סתרו, ענקתמו, צעקתו, רמותך, תורין, תחגרנה, תמכרו, תסור, תסרו, תצעקו, תראינה, απολλυμεθα, διασπορας, δυνασαι, ειχαν, εκελευσα, ελκυσαι, εντολαις, εποτισα, ευπορια, ηγνικοτες, κατεπεσεν, λευκαις, πεντακις, πλευραν, σκαπτειν, συναγαγη, τερασιν, and τετελεκα; while the Septuagint further adds: απειρου, απεκυλιον, αποστει, αφειλον, δραμουμαι, δρασαντι, ειλκυσα, εκζητειται, εκλυσαι, ενκατελιπομεν, ενπεσειται, εξαπατησαι, εξαπεστει, επαιρου, επαυριο, επτερνικαμεν, ετασμον, θαυμασει, καιομενου, κεραμικου, μετοικισαι, μισησης, νευσαι, οικουμενα, προειλατο, προσαγαγης, σκοτειναι, στειραν, Συήνη, and υπομειναι; Ιαπετός, (ירימות) Jerimoth, e.g. 2 Chron 11:18—an otherwise unknown “son of David!”), Βεέλτεθμος (Beltethmus, 1 Esdras 2:15/16), and Ἰαχεὶμ (Jachin, Gen 46:10); Value of نيرو قيصر in standard Abjad; תריון sounds like θηρίον (Painchaud 2023, citing Hadorn 1920); Κλαυδίας (Nelson 2025)

667 = Sons of Adonikam (Nehemiah 7:18, but also see 666)

676 = נרון קיסר

680 = Euphrates (see Aramaic Targum of Rishon Esther 1:4)

685 = Ἰούδας

686 = נירון קיסר and نيرون قيصر in Maghribi Abjad

699 = Isopsephy of Nicolatian

729 = Κηφᾶς; "וּלְקַדִּישֵׁ֥י עֶלְיוֹנִ֖ין יְבַלֵּ֑א"

731 = Ανθούσα (Smyrna graffito, as per Bagnall)

755 = Πέτρος (Mt 18:18)

765 = Adonikam (Heb)

770 = Μέγας Αλέξανδρος

790 = Κύρος

800 = κύριος = πίστις (cmp. 2 Thes 3:2-3 as noted by early Christians<ref name=Blumell/>)

801 = Alpha (and) Omega

810 = χις (with terminal sigma; cmp 616)

813 = Φλάβιος

840 = Αλέξανδρος ο Μέγας

852 = ונושנתם <ref name=Feder/>

855 = Noah (LXX/NT)

860 = χξς (with terminal sigma; cmp 666)

864 = Ἰερουσαλήμ (Rev); ἁγίων

888 = Ἰησοῦς

892 = Εὐσέβιος

926 = Adonikam (LXX), Ἰεροσόλυμα (1 Macc 1:20, John 12:12)

961 = גֹּאֲלֵנוּ יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת שְׁמוֹ (Isa 47:4)<ref name=Bejon/>

1000 = See Numbers 31:5 at 12000

1005 = Νέρων; number of Solomon's songs

1025 = Isopsephy of "ἑξακόσιοι ἑξήκοντα ἕξ"

1038 = Ευελπίστη (Symrna graffito)

1064 = Αἴγυπτος

1071 = Ιωναθας

1112 = "Mene, Mene, Tekel, Parsin"

1118 = "Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Parsin"

1120 = Ηρώδης

1121 = Ηρώδης Α΄

1132 = Κύριος Καῖσαρ

1178 = μυστήριον

1195 = Εὐστάθιος ("Constantine" equivalent meaning, not transliterated, into Greek)

1251 = Απφους

1256 = Ἁγίασμα κυρίου

1260 = Σολομων (NT)<ref name=FRG>Harris, Zachary. "[https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/opth-2022-0245/pdf?licenseType=open-access Forward and Reverse Gematria are Very Different Beasts]." Open Theology 10.1 (2024). See also [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1butkjkck8vhx2s-6qRB-V_g6V8KTFAfL unpublished expanded and updated version].</ref>; "Rectangular" expansion of 36 (see Bauckham citation in Harris); LCM of the first nine triangular numbers, viz. 1, 3, 6, 10, 15, 21, 28, 36 and 45 and multiple of a further three (105, 210 and 630) [Vernon Jenkins]; See also 3.5; Appears in the bounds of an elegant inequality for rational approximation of pi<ref>Dalzell, D. P. "On 22/7." Journal of the London Mathematical Society v 19, issue 75 Part 3 (1944), pp. 133–134, as summarized at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proof_that_22/7_exceeds_%CF%80#Quick_upper_and_lower_bounds</ref>

1264 = Ἐκκλησιαστοῦ

1269 = πιστὸς καὶ ἀληθινός

1285 = Βαβυλὼν

1301 = Αντίοχος

1305 = Αντίοχος Δ΄

1310 = ανθρωπος (Hooper's theory on Rev 13:18)

1337 = Νέρων Καῖσαρ

1341 = Νικολαϊτῶν

1367 = "τοῦ θηρίου"

1380 = Βαβυλὼν ἡ μεγάλη

1439 = Ηρώδης ο Μέγας

1440 = Ηρώδης Α΄ ο Μέγας

1514 = Αλέξανδρος Γ΄ ο Μακεδών

1530 = Σολομωνος

1585 = φιλάνθρωπε (see φλε at 535) — there may have been an inscription in an ancient Palestinian church that said "[φιλάνθρωπε μνήσθητι] | τοῦ Δούλου σοῦ"<ref name=Yonah>Avi-Yonah, M. Art in Ancient Palestine: Selected Studies. Edited by Hannah Katzenstein and Yoram Tsafrir, Magnes Press, 1981, p. 301.</ref>

1656 = Years from creation to flood as per Ussher's reading of the Hebrew (Masoretic) text

1688 = Κύριος Ἰησοῦς

1757 = Nebuchadnezzar (LXX)

1835 = Ἰούδας Ἰσκαριὼθ

1841 = ἀντίχριστος

1921 = Σαλωμων (LXX)

1946 = Βασιλεὺς βασιλέων

2006 = Ἐν Τούτῳ Νίκα

2051 = Κωνσταντῖνος

2095 = "ὁ ἔχων νοῦν" (Rev 13:18) and σοφώτερον (1 Cor 1:25)!

2159 = Αντίοχος Δ΄ Επιφανής

2180= κύριος κυρίων

2188 = "Ναί, ἔρχομαι ταχύ"

2190 = ἄνθρωπος τῆς ἀνομίας

2239 = Gregorian year AD when 6000AM (seventh millennium of the world) begins

2252 = εἰκὼν τοῦ θηρίου

2300 = Dan 8:14; Number of balls in a 23-sided triangular pyramid (23*(23+1)*(23+2)/6)

2303 = Gematria value of "שֵׁ֥שׁ מֵא֛וֹת שִׁשִּׁ֥ים וָשֵׁ֖שׁ"

2315 = υἱὸς τῆς ἀπωλείας

2334 = Ἰούδας Ἰσκαριώτης

2398 = ἔρχου κύριε Ἰησοῦ

2445 = ψευδοπροφήτης, Μωϋσέως

2463 = μυστήριον Βαβυλὼν (2463)

2558 = μυστήριον Βαβυλὼν ἡ μεγάλη

2612 = Nebuchadnezzar + Noah (LXX)

2641 = Κωνσταντινούπολις

2659 = ψευδόχριστος

2701 = Value of Gen 1:1; Triangular (73)

3000 = Number of Solomon's proverbs

3039 = "μνήσθητι τοῦ δούλου σου," a common liturgical and biblical prayer formula in Greek, especially in the Septuagint and Orthodox liturgy (see 535 and 1585)

3600 = Taskmasters Solomon appointed (2 Chronicles 2:2,18); six*600 message encoded in pebble triangle<ref name=FRGexpanded/>; 60x60 temple plans (Ezra 6:3)

3750 = Φλάβιος Οὐαλέριος Κωνσταντῖνος

4157 = Βασιλεὺς βασιλέων καὶ κύριος κυρίων

7000 = Did not bow knee to Baal (1 Kings 19; Rom 11); Army of Israel in times of Ahab (1 Kings 20:15) and Nebuchadnezzar (2 Kings 24:16); Killed in great earthquake (Rev 11:13)

12000 = Israeli troops who defeated Midian, 1000 from each tribe (Numbers 31:5); Fallen population of Ai (Josh 8:25); Israeli fighters against Jabesh-gilead (Judges 21:10); Ahithophel's proposal for troops to defeat David (2 Sam 17:1); Solomon's horsemen; Edomites Joab struck down in the valley of salt (Ps 60:title); Troops in each tribe of the Lamb's army; Dimensions in stadia of the cubic New Jerusalem (Rev 21:16)

14700 = Died in the grumbling plague of Num 16

144000 = Troops in Lamb's army; See also 144

==References==

[[Category:Lists]]
[[Category:Symbolism of particular numbers]]

List of numbers with possible significance

2026-02-18T03:53:47Z

Zekeriya:

When a word or phrase is given with no explanation, the number is the (Hebrew) [[gematria]] or (Greek) [[isopsephy]] value of that word.

2 = Minimum number of witnesses to establish a legal case

3 = Divine perfection (one of four "perfect" numbers: 3, 7, 10, 12)

3.5 = Half of seven is important in Dan 7:25, 12:7, 1 Kgs. 18:1; Luke 4:25; Jas. 5:17 (Cmp. Rev 11:6), Rev 11:9,11; 12:14

4 = Triangular root of 10

5 = Books in Torah

6 = Triangular expansion of 3

7 = Spiritual perfection (one of four "perfect" numbers: 3, 7, 10, 12); Days of creation; Egypt's years of plenty/famine; Years Jacob worked for each wife

8 = Triangular root of 36

10 = Triangular expansion of 4; Ordinal perfection (one of four "perfect" numbers: 3, 7, 10, 12); Commandments/words at Sinai; Plagues on Egypt; Virgins in parable; Days of Smyrna testing; Days of Daniel fast testing; generations in genealogies from creation to flood and flood to Abraham; human universality; clauses in the Lord’s Prayer; Tithes (tenths) representing complete recognition of God’s claims; trials of Abraham’s faith; Ten people in the Bible who said “I have sinned”, demonstrating the widespread nature of human sin; the "full round" of anything; used as a multiplier with other numbers to emphasize or escalate their sense of bigness: e.g. 12*12*10^3

12 = זה (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> 9b); Governmental perfection (one of four "perfect" numbers: 3, 7, 10, 12)

14 = David (Heb); Years Jacob worked to earn his wives

15 = Triangular expansion of 5 and triangular root of 120

17 = Triangular root of 153; Joseph's age when he dreamt

21 = Triangular expansion of 6; Days of Daniel's fast

24 = Books in Tanakh

25 = κε (standard form and abbrev for κύριε=535, which see)

26 = YHVH (also يهوه)

27 = Books in New Testament<ref>Almost all branches agree. See 35 for Ethiopian exception.</ref>

28 = Triangular expansion of 7; Number of Babylonian merchandise items in Rev 18:12-13 (see Beale); Generations from Abraham to the deportation to Babylon; Years of Jehu's reign; 28:42::666:1260 (Harris<ref name=FRGexpanded>Harris, Zachary. [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1butkjkck8vhx2s-6qRB-V_g6V8KTFAfL Unpublished expanded and updated version] of "Forward and Reverse Gematria."</ref>)

30 = יהיה hence default period of Nazirite<ref name=Feder>Rabbi Elie Feder. Gematria Refigured, Mosaica Press, 2022.</ref>

34 = בבל (Babel)

35 = Books in Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church

36 = Triangular expansion of 8 and triangular root of 666

40 = Years of wilderness wandering; Jesus in desert; ... etc.!

42 = "Great" (גדלה) Gen 10:12; אלוה ("god", Dan 11:38); 14x3 generations (Mt 1); 42 Months = 3.5 years (Rev 11-13); See also 3.5

51 = Na ("please")<ref name=Feder/>; Books in Tanakh + New Testament

52 = "Son" (anagram of standard form) and "with everything" (Genesis 24:1) see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 1; Gematria of Elijah (Heb); Years of Uzziah's reign (2 Chron 26:3); בְּהֵמָ֔ה

58 = Noah/grace [anagrams of standard form]

59 = Havilah

60 = Trapezoidal block of pebble diagram<ref name=FRGexpanded/>; 60x60 temple plans (Ezra 6:3, see also 3600)

62 = Age of Darius (Dan 5:31)<ref name=Bejon/>

66 = Value of "Allah" in standard Abjad; בֶּן־דָּוִ֔ד; Books in Protestant Bible

70 = ὁ (Greek nom sg definite article, can be added to some of the titles listed here); elders of Israel; nations in Gen 10; disciples sent out in Luke 10:1-12 [or 72]

72 = Disciples sent out in Luke 10:1-12 [or 70]

77 = Gihon (Gen 4:24)

83 = Age of Aaron when confronting Pharaoh

86 = Elohim

88 = Age of Moses when confronting Pharaoh (Ex 6)

91 = Mene, מלכא, and האלהים along with several other connections to Daniel 5<ref name ="Bejon">James Bejon, Belshazzar’s Riddle (Part II), https://jamesbejon.substack.com/p/belshazzars-riddle-part-ii</ref>

99 = Amen (grk); Number of sheep shepherd leaves behind to search for one lost; See footnote 57 in Blumall<ref name="Blumell"/> regarding Irenaeus and the "Marcosians" on this number's isopsephies

110 = Years of Joseph

120 = למלך (to the king OR to Molech in 1 Kings) and Solomon's gold (1 Kings 9:14; 10:10; 2 Chr 9:9); limit on man's lifespan (Gen 6:3, cf. Deut 31:2; 34:7); years of Moses; Darius' satraps (Dan 6:1); disciples in upper room; triangular expansion of 15

123 = Goliath (LXX)

125 = מסכה (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 9a)

127 = Years of Sarah and provinces of Eshter (this connection is famously addressed by Rabbi Akiva(?) as per AlephBeta video; see also Targum Rishon on Esther

130 = Age of Jacob when he went to Egypt; חִזְקִיָּ֬ה, and the sayings attributed to Hezekiah’s men in Prov 25–29 number about 130 (cmp. 375)<ref name=Hubbard>Hubbard, D. A. “Proverbs, Book Of.” The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised, edited by Geoffrey W. Bromiley, vol. 3, Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1979–1988, p. 1016.</ref>

133 = Years of Kohath (Moses' Gpa)

137 = Years of Levi and Amram (Moses' dad)

142 = Tigris

144 = Width in cubits of New Jerusalem's walls; See also 144000

147 = Years of Jacob

153 = Triangular expansion of 17; Number of fish (John 21:11); μέρη (John 21:6); חלקיה (Hilkiah, but see also 666); ANTICHRISTVS (but see 154)

154 = Liber Genealogus' claimed value of ANTICHRISTVS (= 616/4)

165 = The Tree/Money (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 7 on Esther); Naamah (Heb) - the only wife of Solomon who is named in Scripture (see also "the silver" in 1 Kings 10:27) and also sister of Tubal-Cain (Gen 4:22)

182 = "Mene, Mene"; Yakov (Heb.)

191 = ﺲﻠﻴﻣﺎﻧ in standard Abjad

208 = ורב (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 8)

212 = Number of gatekeepers in 1 Chronicles 9:22 (4*53 seems to correspond with vs 24-26; four leaders for each week of the year)

247 = θηρίον "beast" (Painchaud<ref name=Painchaud>Painchaud, Louis. "The Dragon, the Beasts, and the Gold: The Number of the Beast in the Apocalypse of John," in '"Who is Sitting on Which Beast?" Interpretative Issues in the Book of Revelation', Lupieri, Edmondo and Louis Painchaud, eds., Brepols Publishers, 2023</ref>)

248 = Abram (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 11); 613-365 = number of positive "do" mitzvot = number of bones in human body (Rabbi Simlai)

276 = Persons on wrecked ship (Acts 27:37); Triangular expansion of 23

288 = Singers (1 Chron 25:7); Gematria of Uzziah (LXX)

294 = קוסטנטין (as Ibn Ezra on Dan 11:36)

314 = Shaddai [anagram of standard form] and Metatron (Talmud) see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 12

318 = Number of Abram's servants in Genesis 14:14 and gematria of “Eliezer” in 15:2

345 = מֹשֶׁ֛ה

350 = פרסי and קרן<ref name=Bejon/>

351 = Γαλατεία (graffito)

365 = 613-248 = number of negative "do not" mitzvot; days in a solar year

374 = כשדים

375 = שלמה; said to match the number of Proverbs of Solomon, Prov 10:1–22:16 (cmp. 130)<ref name=Hubbard/>

380 = Egypt (Heb)

385 = Σόδομα, (מצרימה) to Egypt

390 = Days "equal to the number of the years of their punishment" (Eze 4:5)

392 = "All the temple servants and the sons of Solomon’s servants were 392" (Ezra 2:58; Nehemiah 7:60)

400 = Value of the letter ת which is the "mark" in Ezek 9:4,6; Virgins of Jabesh-gilead taken at Shiloh to repopulate Benjamin; Prophets of Asherah (1 Kings 18:19)

401 = Aleph Tav (cmp. 801)

406 = תָּ֜ו (see 400)

417 = Gematria of בתיה (Bithia = Batya = Pharaoh's daughter) in 1 Chron 4:17

420 = שלמן (Hos 10:14; see also pebble diagram<ref name=FRGexpanded/>); Amount of Solomon's gold (1 Kings 9:28); ממצרים (1 Kings 8:16,51,53; 10:28–29)

422 = Nebuchadnezzar (Heb)

430 = Years of Israel in Egypt (Ex 12:40-41, Gal 3:17); Years Eber lived after fathering Peleg (Gen 11:17); Rameses (Gen 47:11, Ex 12:37)

431 = ﺲﻠﻴﻣﺎﻧ in Maghribi Abjad

443 = Goliath (Heb)

446 = Pishon

450 = Talents of gold (2 Chron 8:18) and prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:19,22)

451 = Isopsephy of Nicolaus (as in Nicolatians)

460 = קֹ֖דֶשׁ לַֽיהוָֽה

475 = ᾅδης (Mt 18:18; gen. Hades)

480 = Nebuchadnezzar + Noah (Heb); Years from exodus to beginning of Temple construction (1 Kings 6:1)

485 = γυναίκα (Rev 2:20; [12:13;] 17:3, 6; [21:9,27] = βδελυγμα = πολις η μεγαλη (Gen 10:12; Rev 16:19; 17:[5, in pl!], 18; 18:10, 16, 19) = Ἰούδα (Judas/Lk 22:48; Judah/Rev 5:5); "To Succoth" (place in Gen 33:17, Ex 12:37, etc.)

486 = "Succoth" (place in Gen 33:17)

486 = πέτρᾳ (Mt 18:18)

520 = דָּרְיָוֶשׁ and כֹּרֶשׁ<ref name=Bejon/>

521 = Ἀλέξανδρος

525 = יהוָ֥ה צְבָא֖וֹת

526 = כּ֫וֹרֶשׁ

535 = κύριε ("Christians also associated the number 535 [along with 800] with Lord, but in the vocative form"<ref name=Blumell>Blumell and Wayment, The 'Number of the Beast,' in Kraus and Sommer, eds., Book of Seven Seals</ref>); standard form is φλε hence shorthand for κύριε as above (see also φίλε [545] in Harris<ref name=FRGexpanded/>, see also φιλάνθρωπε=1585); קֹהֶ֣לֶת

545 = Pompeii graffito:<ref name=FRGexpanded/>: Μπεκυ ("Pompei Becky"), παρθενικός, γυναικιαν, φίλε

586 = Jerusalem (Heb)

597 = θηρίου "of [the] beast"<ref name=Painchaud/>

600 = ציצת with 8 (knots) and 5 (strings) comes to 613<ref name=Feder/>; trapezoidal block of pebble diagram<ref name=FRGexpanded/>; Six 600's associated with Solomon as per triangle in pebble diagram<ref name=FRGexpanded/>: 1 Kings 10:14, 16; 2 Chron 2:2, 17; 9:13, 15; Six 600's of David: 1 Sam 23:13; 27:2; 30:9; 1 Chron 7:2; 21:25; 2 Chron 2:17

606 = Ruth

611 = תורה

613 = Traditional number of mitzvot in Torah; Ruth (606) + 7 Noahide laws; Torah given to Moses (see 611) + 2 mitzvot given directly to all Israel; גרתי (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> 10a); 248+365 (see each); 600+8+5 (see 600 for explanation)

616 = [Standard form: χιϛ; תרי"ו (or תרט"ז)] "עתה יגדל-נא כח הי" and "Rehoboth" (Gen 26:22); נרו קסר; Anagrams of Heb standard form = [Jethro (also "and the rest/excellence" Gen 49:3/Deut 3:13, "let/leave" Ex 16:19, and "shall remain" Ex 29:34) or "they spied" (Num 13:21)]; תריו which sounds like θηρίου; χιϛ as abbreviation for Christ (Jesus) and/or rearranged to form Chi-Rho; Possible graffito answers: Φαίδρα, Οφέλια, Ασυδια, Μαρουδα, and Ρουδάμα; Γαιος Καισαρ; Καῖσαρ θεός

620 = Shinar

636 = Value of نيرو قيصر in Maghribi Abjad

638 = Θεοδόσιος

647 = Χαλδαία

665 = Appears in one manuscript of Rev 13:18; See also Harris pebble chart and analysis<ref name=FRGexpanded/>; "אֶרֶץ כַּשְׂדִּים"

666 = [Standard form: χξϛ; תרס"ו;] Solomon's gold; Rev 13:18; Triangular expansion of 36; sons of Adonikam (Ezra 2:13, but also see 667); ἑλκύσαι (John 21:6); Χελκια (Hilkiah LXX, but see also 153); "עתה יגדל-נא כח אדני" (Num 14:17, see notes); DCLXVI; נרון קסר; Anagrams of standard form = ["Without" (Pr 11:22); "you should destroy" ("tarsu", cmp. Amos 6:11); Sethur; תסור (Deut 17:11)]; Mea Shearim; Irenaeus gives: Ευανθας, Λατεινος, Τειταν..., Μαομέτις; Counter-Reformers give: לולתר, ,Λουθερανα; Scripture has: הנהרות, הראיתים, הרימותה, והרתיהם, ויתרן, ולמקצת, ולפרשים, ולשלש, ולשעירים, ומשנער, וסרת, וסתר, וצעקת, ורמתך, ותמכר, ותסר, יתפלצון, יתרון, לעצמותיך, לשלוש, מיתריו, מנפצות, נחרבות, נפוצתם, נפצותם, סתור, סתרו, ענקתמו, צעקתו, רמותך, תורין, תחגרנה, תמכרו, תסור, תסרו, תצעקו, תראינה, απολλυμεθα, διασπορας, δυνασαι, ειχαν, εκελευσα, ελκυσαι, εντολαις, εποτισα, ευπορια, ηγνικοτες, κατεπεσεν, λευκαις, πεντακις, πλευραν, σκαπτειν, συναγαγη, τερασιν, and τετελεκα; while the Septuagint further adds: απειρου, απεκυλιον, αποστει, αφειλον, δραμουμαι, δρασαντι, ειλκυσα, εκζητειται, εκλυσαι, ενκατελιπομεν, ενπεσειται, εξαπατησαι, εξαπεστει, επαιρου, επαυριο, επτερνικαμεν, ετασμον, θαυμασει, καιομενου, κεραμικου, μετοικισαι, μισησης, νευσαι, οικουμενα, προειλατο, προσαγαγης, σκοτειναι, στειραν, Συήνη, and υπομειναι; Ιαπετός, (ירימות) Jerimoth, e.g. 2 Chron 11:18—an otherwise unknown “son of David!”), Βεέλτεθμος (Beltethmus, 1 Esdras 2:15/16), and Ἰαχεὶμ (Jachin, Gen 46:10); Value of نيرو قيصر in standard Abjad; תריון sounds like θηρίον (Painchaud 2023, citing Hadorn 1920); Κλαυδίας (Nelson 2025)

667 = Sons of Adonikam (Nehemiah 7:18, but also see 666)

676 = נרון קיסר

680 = Euphrates (see Aramaic Targum of Rishon Esther 1:4)

685 = Ἰούδας

686 = נירון קיסר and نيرون قيصر in Maghribi Abjad

699 = Isopsephy of Nicolatian

729 = Κηφᾶς; "וּלְקַדִּישֵׁ֥י עֶלְיוֹנִ֖ין יְבַלֵּ֑א"

731 = Ανθούσα (Smyrna graffito, as per Bagnall)

755 = Πέτρος (Mt 18:18)

765 = Adonikam (Heb)

770 = Μέγας Αλέξανδρος

790 = Κύρος

800 = κύριος = πίστις (cmp. 2 Thes 3:2-3 as noted by early Christians<ref name=Blumell/>)

801 = Alpha (and) Omega

810 = χις (with terminal sigma; cmp 616)

813 = Φλάβιος

840 = Αλέξανδρος ο Μέγας

852 = ונושנתם <ref name=Feder/>

855 = Noah (LXX/NT)

860 = χξς (with terminal sigma; cmp 666)

864 = Ἰερουσαλήμ (Rev); ἁγίων

888 = Ἰησοῦς

892 = Εὐσέβιος

926 = Adonikam (LXX), Ἰεροσόλυμα (1 Macc 1:20, John 12:12)

961 = גֹּאֲלֵנוּ יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת שְׁמוֹ (Isa 47:4)<ref name=Bejon/>

1000 = See Numbers 31:5 at 12000

1005 = Νέρων; number of Solomon's songs

1025 = Isopsephy of "ἑξακόσιοι ἑξήκοντα ἕξ"

1038 = Ευελπίστη (Symrna graffito)

1064 = Αἴγυπτος

1071 = Ιωναθας

1112 = "Mene, Mene, Tekel, Parsin"

1118 = "Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Parsin"

1120 = Ηρώδης

1121 = Ηρώδης Α΄

1132 = Κύριος Καῖσαρ

1178 = μυστήριον

1195 = Εὐστάθιος ("Constantine" equivalent meaning, not transliterated, into Greek)

1251 = Απφους

1256 = Ἁγίασμα κυρίου

1260 = Σολομων (NT)<ref name=FRG>Harris, Zachary. "[https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/opth-2022-0245/pdf?licenseType=open-access Forward and Reverse Gematria are Very Different Beasts]." Open Theology 10.1 (2024). See also [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1butkjkck8vhx2s-6qRB-V_g6V8KTFAfL unpublished expanded and updated version].</ref>; "Rectangular" expansion of 36 (see Bauckham citation in Harris); LCM of the first nine triangular numbers, viz. 1, 3, 6, 10, 15, 21, 28, 36 and 45 and multiple of a further three (105, 210 and 630) [Vernon Jenkins]; See also 3.5; Appears in the bounds of an elegant inequality for rational approximation of pi<ref>Dalzell, D. P. "On 22/7." Journal of the London Mathematical Society v 19, issue 75 Part 3 (1944), pp. 133–134, as summarized at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proof_that_22/7_exceeds_%CF%80#Quick_upper_and_lower_bounds</ref>

1264 = Ἐκκλησιαστοῦ

1269 = πιστὸς καὶ ἀληθινός

1285 = Βαβυλὼν

1301 = Αντίοχος

1305 = Αντίοχος Δ΄

1310 = ανθρωπος (Hooper's theory on Rev 13:18)

1337 = Νέρων Καῖσαρ

1341 = Νικολαϊτῶν

1367 = "τοῦ θηρίου"

1380 = Βαβυλὼν ἡ μεγάλη

1439 = Ηρώδης ο Μέγας

1440 = Ηρώδης Α΄ ο Μέγας

1514 = Αλέξανδρος Γ΄ ο Μακεδών

1530 = Σολομωνος

1585 = φιλάνθρωπε (see φλε at 535) — there may have been an inscription in an ancient Palestinian church that said "[φιλάνθρωπε μνήσθητι] | τοῦ Δούλου σοῦ"<ref name=Yonah>Avi-Yonah, M. Art in Ancient Palestine: Selected Studies. Edited by Hannah Katzenstein and Yoram Tsafrir, Magnes Press, 1981, p. 301.</ref>

1688 = Κύριος Ἰησοῦς

1757 = Nebuchadnezzar (LXX)

1835 = Ἰούδας Ἰσκαριὼθ

1841 = ἀντίχριστος

1921 = Σαλωμων (LXX)

1946 = Βασιλεὺς βασιλέων

2006 = Ἐν Τούτῳ Νίκα

2051 = Κωνσταντῖνος

2095 = "ὁ ἔχων νοῦν" (Rev 13:18) and σοφώτερον (1 Cor 1:25)!

2159 = Αντίοχος Δ΄ Επιφανής

2180= κύριος κυρίων

2188 = "Ναί, ἔρχομαι ταχύ"

2190 = ἄνθρωπος τῆς ἀνομίας

2239 = Gregorian year AD when 6000AM (seventh millennium of the world) begins

2252 = εἰκὼν τοῦ θηρίου

2300 = Dan 8:14; Number of balls in a 23-sided triangular pyramid (23*(23+1)*(23+2)/6)

2303 = Gematria value of "שֵׁ֥שׁ מֵא֛וֹת שִׁשִּׁ֥ים וָשֵׁ֖שׁ"

2315 = υἱὸς τῆς ἀπωλείας

2334 = Ἰούδας Ἰσκαριώτης

2398 = ἔρχου κύριε Ἰησοῦ

2445 = ψευδοπροφήτης, Μωϋσέως

2463 = μυστήριον Βαβυλὼν (2463)

2558 = μυστήριον Βαβυλὼν ἡ μεγάλη

2612 = Nebuchadnezzar + Noah (LXX)

2641 = Κωνσταντινούπολις

2659 = ψευδόχριστος

2701 = Value of Gen 1:1; Triangular (73)

3000 = Number of Solomon's proverbs

3039 = "μνήσθητι τοῦ δούλου σου," a common liturgical and biblical prayer formula in Greek, especially in the Septuagint and Orthodox liturgy (see 535 and 1585)

3600 = Taskmasters Solomon appointed (2 Chronicles 2:2,18); six*600 message encoded in pebble triangle<ref name=FRGexpanded/>; 60x60 temple plans (Ezra 6:3)

3750 = Φλάβιος Οὐαλέριος Κωνσταντῖνος

4157 = Βασιλεὺς βασιλέων καὶ κύριος κυρίων

7000 = Did not bow knee to Baal (1 Kings 19; Rom 11); Army of Israel in times of Ahab (1 Kings 20:15) and Nebuchadnezzar (2 Kings 24:16); Killed in great earthquake (Rev 11:13)

12000 = Israeli troops who defeated Midian, 1000 from each tribe (Numbers 31:5); Fallen population of Ai (Josh 8:25); Israeli fighters against Jabesh-gilead (Judges 21:10); Ahithophel's proposal for troops to defeat David (2 Sam 17:1); Solomon's horsemen; Edomites Joab struck down in the valley of salt (Ps 60:title); Troops in each tribe of the Lamb's army; Dimensions in stadia of the cubic New Jerusalem (Rev 21:16)

14700 = Died in the grumbling plague of Num 16

144000 = Troops in Lamb's army; See also 144

==References==

[[Category:Lists]]
[[Category:Symbolism of particular numbers]]

List of numbers with possible significance

2026-02-13T13:57:03Z

Zekeriya:

When a word or phrase is given with no explanation, the number is the (Hebrew) [[gematria]] or (Greek) [[isopsephy]] value of that word.

2 = Minimum number of witnesses to establish a legal case

3 = Divine perfection (one of four "perfect" numbers: 3, 7, 10, 12)

3.5 = Half of seven is important in Dan 7:25, 12:7, 1 Kgs. 18:1; Luke 4:25; Jas. 5:17 (Cmp. Rev 11:6), Rev 11:9,11; 12:14

4 = Triangular root of 10

5 = Books in Torah

6 = Triangular expansion of 3

7 = Spiritual perfection (one of four "perfect" numbers: 3, 7, 10, 12); Days of creation; Egypt's years of plenty/famine; Years Jacob worked for each wife

8 = Triangular root of 36

10 = Triangular expansion of 4; Ordinal perfection (one of four "perfect" numbers: 3, 7, 10, 12); Commandments/words at Sinai; Plagues on Egypt; Virgins in parable; Days of Smyrna testing; Days of Daniel fast testing; generations in genealogies from creation to flood and flood to Abraham; human universality; clauses in the Lord’s Prayer; Tithes (tenths) representing complete recognition of God’s claims; trials of Abraham’s faith; Ten people in the Bible who said “I have sinned”, demonstrating the widespread nature of human sin; the "full round" of anything; used as a multiplier with other numbers to emphasize or escalate their sense of bigness: e.g. 12*12*10^3

12 = זה (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> 9b); Governmental perfection (one of four "perfect" numbers: 3, 7, 10, 12)

14 = David (Heb); Years Jacob worked to earn his wives

15 = Triangular expansion of 5 and triangular root of 120

17 = Triangular root of 153; Joseph's age when he dreamt

21 = Triangular expansion of 6; Days of Daniel's fast

24 = Books in Tanakh

25 = κε (standard form and abbrev for κύριε=535, which see)

26 = YHVH (also يهوه)

27 = Books in New Testament<ref>Almost all branches agree. See 35 for Ethiopian exception.</ref>

28 = Triangular expansion of 7; Number of Babylonian merchandise items in Rev 18:12-13 (see Beale); Generations from Abraham to the deportation to Babylon; Years of Jehu's reign; 28:42::666:1260 (Harris<ref name=FRGexpanded>Harris, Zachary. [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1butkjkck8vhx2s-6qRB-V_g6V8KTFAfL Unpublished expanded and updated version] of "Forward and Reverse Gematria."</ref>)

30 = יהיה hence default period of Nazirite<ref name=Feder>Rabbi Elie Feder. Gematria Refigured, Mosaica Press, 2022.</ref>

34 = בבל (Babel)

35 = Books in Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church

36 = Triangular expansion of 8 and triangular root of 666

40 = Years of wilderness wandering; Jesus in desert; ... etc.!

42 = "Great" (גדלה) Gen 10:12; אלוה ("god", Dan 11:38); 14x3 generations (Mt 1); 42 Months = 3.5 years (Rev 11-13); See also 3.5

51 = Na ("please")<ref name=Feder/>; Books in Tanakh + New Testament

52 = "Son" (anagram of standard form) and "with everything" (Genesis 24:1) see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 1; Gematria of Elijah (Heb); Years of Uzziah's reign (2 Chron 26:3); בְּהֵמָ֔ה

58 = Noah/grace [anagrams of standard form]

59 = Havilah

60 = Trapezoidal block of pebble diagram<ref name=FRGexpanded/>; 60x60 temple plans (Ezra 6:3, see also 3600)

62 = Age of Darius (Dan 5:31)<ref name=Bejon/>

66 = Value of "Allah" in standard Abjad; בֶּן־דָּוִ֔ד; Books in Protestant Bible

70 = ὁ (Greek nom sg definite article, can be added to some of the titles listed here); elders of Israel; nations in Gen 10; disciples sent out in Luke 10:1-12 [or 72]

72 = Disciples sent out in Luke 10:1-12 [or 70]

77 = Gihon (Gen 4:24)

83 = Age of Aaron when confronting Pharaoh

86 = Elohim

88 = Age of Moses when confronting Pharaoh (Ex 6)

91 = Mene, מלכא, and האלהים along with several other connections to Daniel 5<ref name ="Bejon">James Bejon, Belshazzar’s Riddle (Part II), https://jamesbejon.substack.com/p/belshazzars-riddle-part-ii</ref>

99 = Amen (grk); Number of sheep shepherd leaves behind to search for one lost; See footnote 57 in Blumall<ref name="Blumell"/> regarding Irenaeus and the "Marcosians" on this number's isopsephies

110 = Years of Joseph

120 = למלך (to the king OR to Molech in 1 Kings) and Solomon's gold (1 Kings 9:14; 10:10; 2 Chr 9:9); limit on man's lifespan (Gen 6:3, cf. Deut 31:2; 34:7); years of Moses; Darius' satraps (Dan 6:1); disciples in upper room; triangular expansion of 15

123 = Goliath (LXX)

125 = מסכה (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 9a)

127 = Years of Sarah and provinces of Eshter (this connection is famously addressed by Rabbi Akiva(?) as per AlephBeta video; see also Targum Rishon on Esther

130 = Age of Jacob when he went to Egypt; חִזְקִיָּ֬ה, and the sayings attributed to Hezekiah’s men in Prov 25–29 number about 130 (cmp. 375)<ref name=Hubbard>Hubbard, D. A. “Proverbs, Book Of.” The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised, edited by Geoffrey W. Bromiley, vol. 3, Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1979–1988, p. 1016.</ref>

133 = Years of Kohath (Moses' Gpa)

137 = Years of Levi and Amram (Moses' dad)

142 = Tigris

144 = Width in cubits of New Jerusalem's walls; See also 144000

147 = Years of Jacob

153 = Triangular expansion of 17; Number of fish (John 21:11); μέρη (John 21:6); חלקיה (Hilkiah, but see also 666); ANTICHRISTVS (but see 154)

154 = Liber Genealogus' claimed value of ANTICHRISTVS (= 616/4)

165 = The Tree/Money (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 7 on Esther); Naamah (Heb) - the only wife of Solomon who is named in Scripture (see also "the silver" in 1 Kings 10:27) and also sister of Tubal-Cain (Gen 4:22)

182 = "Mene, Mene"; Yakov (Heb.)

191 = ﺲﻠﻴﻣﺎﻧ in standard Abjad

208 = ורב (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 8)

212 = Number of gatekeepers in 1 Chronicles 9:22 (4*53 seems to correspond with vs 24-26; four leaders for each week of the year)

247 = θηρίον "beast" (Painchaud<ref name=Painchaud>Painchaud, Louis. "The Dragon, the Beasts, and the Gold: The Number of the Beast in the Apocalypse of John," in '"Who is Sitting on Which Beast?" Interpretative Issues in the Book of Revelation', Lupieri, Edmondo and Louis Painchaud, eds., Brepols Publishers, 2023</ref>)

248 = Abram (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 11); 613-365 = number of positive "do" mitzvot = number of bones in human body (Rabbi Simlai)

276 = Persons on wrecked ship (Acts 27:37); Triangular expansion of 23

288 = Singers (1 Chron 25:7); Gematria of Uzziah (LXX)

294 = קוסטנטין (as Ibn Ezra on Dan 11:36)

314 = Shaddai [anagram of standard form] and Metatron (Talmud) see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 12

318 = Number of Abram's servants in Genesis 14:14 and gematria of “Eliezer” in 15:2

345 = מֹשֶׁ֛ה

350 = פרסי and קרן<ref name=Bejon/>

351 = Γαλατεία (graffito)

365 = 613-248 = number of negative "do not" mitzvot; days in a solar year

374 = כשדים

375 = שלמה; said to match the number of Proverbs of Solomon, Prov 10:1–22:16 (cmp. 130)<ref name=Hubbard/>

380 = Egypt (Heb)

385 = Σόδομα, (מצרימה) to Egypt

390 = Days "equal to the number of the years of their punishment" (Eze 4:5)

392 = "All the temple servants and the sons of Solomon’s servants were 392" (Ezra 2:58; Nehemiah 7:60)

400 = Value of the letter ת which is the "mark" in Ezek 9:4,6; Virgins of Jabesh-gilead taken at Shiloh to repopulate Benjamin; Prophets of Asherah (1 Kings 18:19)

406 = תָּ֜ו (see 400)

417 = Gematria of בתיה (Bithia = Batya = Pharaoh's daughter) in 1 Chron 4:17

420 = שלמן (Hos 10:14; see also pebble diagram<ref name=FRGexpanded/>); Amount of Solomon's gold (1 Kings 9:28); ממצרים (1 Kings 8:16,51,53; 10:28–29)

422 = Nebuchadnezzar (Heb)

430 = Years of Israel in Egypt (Ex 12:40-41, Gal 3:17); Years Eber lived after fathering Peleg (Gen 11:17); Rameses (Gen 47:11, Ex 12:37)

431 = ﺲﻠﻴﻣﺎﻧ in Maghribi Abjad

443 = Goliath (Heb)

446 = Pishon

450 = Talents of gold (2 Chron 8:18) and prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:19,22)

451 = Isopsephy of Nicolaus (as in Nicolatians)

460 = קֹ֖דֶשׁ לַֽיהוָֽה

475 = ᾅδης (Mt 18:18; gen. Hades)

480 = Nebuchadnezzar + Noah (Heb); Years from exodus to beginning of Temple construction (1 Kings 6:1)

485 = γυναίκα (Rev 2:20; [12:13;] 17:3, 6; [21:9,27] = βδελυγμα = πολις η μεγαλη (Gen 10:12; Rev 16:19; 17:[5, in pl!], 18; 18:10, 16, 19) = Ἰούδα (Judas/Lk 22:48; Judah/Rev 5:5); "To Succoth" (place in Gen 33:17, Ex 12:37, etc.)

486 = "Succoth" (place in Gen 33:17)

486 = πέτρᾳ (Mt 18:18)

520 = דָּרְיָוֶשׁ and כֹּרֶשׁ<ref name=Bejon/>

521 = Ἀλέξανδρος

525 = יהוָ֥ה צְבָא֖וֹת

526 = כּ֫וֹרֶשׁ

535 = κύριε ("Christians also associated the number 535 [along with 800] with Lord, but in the vocative form"<ref name=Blumell>Blumell and Wayment, The 'Number of the Beast,' in Kraus and Sommer, eds., Book of Seven Seals</ref>); standard form is φλε hence shorthand for κύριε as above (see also φίλε [545] in Harris<ref name=FRGexpanded/>, see also φιλάνθρωπε=1585); קֹהֶ֣לֶת

545 = Pompeii graffito:<ref name=FRGexpanded/>: Μπεκυ ("Pompei Becky"), παρθενικός, γυναικιαν, φίλε

586 = Jerusalem (Heb)

597 = θηρίου "of [the] beast"<ref name=Painchaud/>

600 = ציצת with 8 (knots) and 5 (strings) comes to 613<ref name=Feder/>; trapezoidal block of pebble diagram<ref name=FRGexpanded/>; Six 600's associated with Solomon as per triangle in pebble diagram<ref name=FRGexpanded/>: 1 Kings 10:14, 16; 2 Chron 2:2, 17; 9:13, 15; Six 600's of David: 1 Sam 23:13; 27:2; 30:9; 1 Chron 7:2; 21:25; 2 Chron 2:17

606 = Ruth

611 = תורה

613 = Traditional number of mitzvot in Torah; Ruth (606) + 7 Noahide laws; Torah given to Moses (see 611) + 2 mitzvot given directly to all Israel; גרתי (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> 10a); 248+365 (see each); 600+8+5 (see 600 for explanation)

616 = "עתה יגדל-נא כח הי" and "Rehoboth" (Gen 26:22); נרו קסר; Anagrams of Heb standard form = [Jethro (also "and the rest/excellence" Gen 49:3/Deut 3:13, "let/leave" Ex 16:19, and "shall remain" Ex 29:34) or "they spied" (Num 13:21)]; תריו which sounds like θηρίου; χιϛ as abbreviation for Christ (Jesus) and/or rearranged to form Chi-Rho; Possible graffito answers: Φαίδρα, Οφέλια, Ασυδια, Μαρουδα, and Ρουδάμα; Γαιος Καισαρ; Καῖσαρ θεός

620 = Shinar

636 = Value of نيرو قيصر in Maghribi Abjad

638 = Θεοδόσιος

647 = Χαλδαία

665 = Appears in one manuscript of Rev 13:18; See also Harris pebble chart and analysis<ref name=FRGexpanded/>; "אֶרֶץ כַּשְׂדִּים"

666 = Solomon's gold; Rev 13:18; Triangular expansion of 36; sons of Adonikam (Ezra 2:13, but also see 667); ἑλκύσαι (John 21:6); Χελκια (Hilkiah LXX, but see also 153); "עתה יגדל-נא כח אדני" (Num 14:17, see notes); DCLXVI; נרון קסר; Anagrams of standard form = ["Without" (Pr 11:22); "you should destroy" ("tarsu", cmp. Amos 6:11); Sethur; תסור (Deut 17:11)]; Mea Shearim; Irenaeus gives: Ευανθας, Λατεινος, Τειταν..., Μαομέτις; Counter-Reformers give: לולתר, ,Λουθερανα; Scripture has: הנהרות, הראיתים, הרימותה, והרתיהם, ויתרן, ולמקצת, ולפרשים, ולשלש, ולשעירים, ומשנער, וסרת, וסתר, וצעקת, ורמתך, ותמכר, ותסר, יתפלצון, יתרון, לעצמותיך, לשלוש, מיתריו, מנפצות, נחרבות, נפוצתם, נפצותם, סתור, סתרו, ענקתמו, צעקתו, רמותך, תורין, תחגרנה, תמכרו, תסור, תסרו, תצעקו, תראינה, απολλυμεθα, διασπορας, δυνασαι, ειχαν, εκελευσα, ελκυσαι, εντολαις, εποτισα, ευπορια, ηγνικοτες, κατεπεσεν, λευκαις, πεντακις, πλευραν, σκαπτειν, συναγαγη, τερασιν, and τετελεκα; while the Septuagint further adds: απειρου, απεκυλιον, αποστει, αφειλον, δραμουμαι, δρασαντι, ειλκυσα, εκζητειται, εκλυσαι, ενκατελιπομεν, ενπεσειται, εξαπατησαι, εξαπεστει, επαιρου, επαυριο, επτερνικαμεν, ετασμον, θαυμασει, καιομενου, κεραμικου, μετοικισαι, μισησης, νευσαι, οικουμενα, προειλατο, προσαγαγης, σκοτειναι, στειραν, Συήνη, and υπομειναι; Ιαπετός, (ירימות) Jerimoth, e.g. 2 Chron 11:18—an otherwise unknown “son of David!”), Βεέλτεθμος (Beltethmus, 1 Esdras 2:15/16), and Ἰαχεὶμ (Jachin, Gen 46:10); Value of نيرو قيصر in standard Abjad; תריון sounds like θηρίον (Painchaud 2023, citing Hadorn 1920); Κλαυδίας (Nelson 2025)

667 = Sons of Adonikam (Nehemiah 7:18, but also see 666)

676 = נרון קיסר

680 = Euphrates (see Aramaic Targum of Rishon Esther 1:4)

685 = Ἰούδας

686 = נירון קיסר and نيرون قيصر in Maghribi Abjad

699 = Isopsephy of Nicolatian

729 = Κηφᾶς; "וּלְקַדִּישֵׁ֥י עֶלְיוֹנִ֖ין יְבַלֵּ֑א"

731 = Ανθούσα (Smyrna graffito, as per Bagnall)

755 = Πέτρος (Mt 18:18)

765 = Adonikam (Heb)

770 = Μέγας Αλέξανδρος

790 = Κύρος

800 = κύριος = πίστις (cmp. 2 Thes 3:2-3 as noted by early Christians<ref name=Blumell/>)

801 = Alpha and Omega

810 = χις (with terminal sigma)

813 = Φλάβιος

840 = Αλέξανδρος ο Μέγας

852 = ונושנתם <ref name=Feder/>

855 = Noah (LXX/NT)

860 = χξς (with terminal sigma)

864 = Ἰερουσαλήμ (Rev); ἁγίων

888 = Ἰησοῦς

892 = Εὐσέβιος

926 = Adonikam (LXX), Ἰεροσόλυμα (1 Macc 1:20, John 12:12)

961 = גֹּאֲלֵנוּ יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת שְׁמוֹ (Isa 47:4)<ref name=Bejon/>

1000 = See Numbers 31:5 at 12000

1005 = Νέρων; number of Solomon's songs

1025 = Isopsephy of "ἑξακόσιοι ἑξήκοντα ἕξ"

1038 = Ευελπίστη (Symrna graffito)

1064 = Αἴγυπτος

1071 = Ιωναθας

1112 = "Mene, Mene, Tekel, Parsin"

1118 = "Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Parsin"

1120 = Ηρώδης

1121 = Ηρώδης Α΄

1132 = Κύριος Καῖσαρ

1178 = μυστήριον

1195 = Εὐστάθιος ("Constantine" equivalent meaning, not transliterated, into Greek)

1251 = Απφους

1256 = Ἁγίασμα κυρίου

1260 = Σολομων (NT)<ref name=FRG>Harris, Zachary. "[https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/opth-2022-0245/pdf?licenseType=open-access Forward and Reverse Gematria are Very Different Beasts]." Open Theology 10.1 (2024). See also [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1butkjkck8vhx2s-6qRB-V_g6V8KTFAfL unpublished expanded and updated version].</ref>; "Rectangular" expansion of 36 (see Bauckham citation in Harris); LCM of the first nine triangular numbers, viz. 1, 3, 6, 10, 15, 21, 28, 36 and 45 and multiple of a further three (105, 210 and 630) [Vernon Jenkins]; See also 3.5; Appears in the bounds of an elegant inequality for rational approximation of pi<ref>Dalzell, D. P. "On 22/7." Journal of the London Mathematical Society v 19, issue 75 Part 3 (1944), pp. 133–134, as summarized at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proof_that_22/7_exceeds_%CF%80#Quick_upper_and_lower_bounds</ref>

1264 = Ἐκκλησιαστοῦ

1269 = πιστὸς καὶ ἀληθινός

1285 = Βαβυλὼν

1301 = Αντίοχος

1305 = Αντίοχος Δ΄

1310 = ανθρωπος (Hooper's theory on Rev 13:18)

1337 = Νέρων Καῖσαρ

1341 = Νικολαϊτῶν

1367 = "τοῦ θηρίου"

1380 = Βαβυλὼν ἡ μεγάλη

1439 = Ηρώδης ο Μέγας

1440 = Ηρώδης Α΄ ο Μέγας

1514 = Αλέξανδρος Γ΄ ο Μακεδών

1530 = Σολομωνος

1585 = φιλάνθρωπε (see φλε at 535) — there may have been an inscription in an ancient Palestinian church that said "[φιλάνθρωπε μνήσθητι] | τοῦ Δούλου σοῦ"<ref name=Yonah>Avi-Yonah, M. Art in Ancient Palestine: Selected Studies. Edited by Hannah Katzenstein and Yoram Tsafrir, Magnes Press, 1981, p. 301.</ref>

1688 = Κύριος Ἰησοῦς

1757 = Nebuchadnezzar (LXX)

1835 = Ἰούδας Ἰσκαριὼθ

1841 = ἀντίχριστος

1921 = Σαλωμων (LXX)

1946 = Βασιλεὺς βασιλέων

2006 = Ἐν Τούτῳ Νίκα

2051 = Κωνσταντῖνος

2095 = "ὁ ἔχων νοῦν" (Rev 13:18) and σοφώτερον (1 Cor 1:25)!

2159 = Αντίοχος Δ΄ Επιφανής

2180= κύριος κυρίων

2188 = "Ναί, ἔρχομαι ταχύ"

2190 = ἄνθρωπος τῆς ἀνομίας

2239 = Gregorian year AD when 6000AM (seventh millennium of the world) begins

2252 = εἰκὼν τοῦ θηρίου

2300 = Dan 8:14; Number of balls in a 23-sided triangular pyramid (23*(23+1)*(23+2)/6)

2303 = Gematria value of "שֵׁ֥שׁ מֵא֛וֹת שִׁשִּׁ֥ים וָשֵׁ֖שׁ"

2315 = υἱὸς τῆς ἀπωλείας

2334 = Ἰούδας Ἰσκαριώτης

2398 = ἔρχου κύριε Ἰησοῦ

2445 = ψευδοπροφήτης, Μωϋσέως

2463 = μυστήριον Βαβυλὼν (2463)

2558 = μυστήριον Βαβυλὼν ἡ μεγάλη

2612 = Nebuchadnezzar + Noah (LXX)

2641 = Κωνσταντινούπολις

2659 = ψευδόχριστος

2701 = Value of Gen 1:1; Triangular (73)

3000 = Number of Solomon's proverbs

3039 = "μνήσθητι τοῦ δούλου σου," a common liturgical and biblical prayer formula in Greek, especially in the Septuagint and Orthodox liturgy (see 535 and 1585)

3600 = Taskmasters Solomon appointed (2 Chronicles 2:2,18); six*600 message encoded in pebble triangle<ref name=FRGexpanded/>; 60x60 temple plans (Ezra 6:3)

3750 = Φλάβιος Οὐαλέριος Κωνσταντῖνος

4157 = Βασιλεὺς βασιλέων καὶ κύριος κυρίων

7000 = Did not bow knee to Baal (1 Kings 19; Rom 11); Army of Israel in times of Ahab (1 Kings 20:15) and Nebuchadnezzar (2 Kings 24:16); Killed in great earthquake (Rev 11:13)

12000 = Israeli troops who defeated Midian, 1000 from each tribe (Numbers 31:5); Fallen population of Ai (Josh 8:25); Israeli fighters against Jabesh-gilead (Judges 21:10); Ahithophel's proposal for troops to defeat David (2 Sam 17:1); Solomon's horsemen; Edomites Joab struck down in the valley of salt (Ps 60:title); Troops in each tribe of the Lamb's army; Dimensions in stadia of the cubic New Jerusalem (Rev 21:16)

14700 = Died in the grumbling plague of Num 16

144000 = Troops in Lamb's army; See also 144

==References==

[[Category:Lists]]
[[Category:Symbolism of particular numbers]]

List of numbers with possible significance

2026-02-13T12:34:51Z

Zekeriya:

When a word or phrase is given with no explanation, the number is the (Hebrew) [[gematria]] or (Greek) [[isopsephy]] value of that word.

2 = Minimum number of witnesses to establish a legal case

3 = Divine perfection (one of four "perfect" numbers: 3, 7, 10, 12)

3.5 = Half of seven is important in Dan 7:25, 12:7, 1 Kgs. 18:1; Luke 4:25; Jas. 5:17 (Cmp. Rev 11:6), Rev 11:9,11; 12:14

4 = Triangular root of 10

5 = Books in Torah

6 = Triangular expansion of 3

7 = Spiritual perfection (one of four "perfect" numbers: 3, 7, 10, 12); Days of creation; Egypt's years of plenty/famine; Years Jacob worked for each wife

8 = Triangular root of 36

10 = Triangular expansion of 4; Ordinal perfection (one of four "perfect" numbers: 3, 7, 10, 12); Commandments/words at Sinai; Plagues on Egypt; Virgins in parable; Days of Smyrna testing; Days of Daniel fast testing; generations in genealogies from creation to flood and flood to Abraham; human universality; clauses in the Lord’s Prayer; Tithes (tenths) representing complete recognition of God’s claims; trials of Abraham’s faith; Ten people in the Bible who said “I have sinned”, demonstrating the widespread nature of human sin; the "full round" of anything; used as a multiplier with other numbers to emphasize or escalate their sense of bigness: e.g. 12*12*10^3

12 = זה (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> 9b); Governmental perfection (one of four "perfect" numbers: 3, 7, 10, 12)

14 = David (Heb); Years Jacob worked to earn his wives

15 = Triangular expansion of 5 and triangular root of 120

17 = Triangular root of 153; Joseph's age when he dreamt

21 = Triangular expansion of 6; Days of Daniel's fast

24 = Books in Tanakh

25 = κε (standard form and abbrev for κύριε=535, which see)

26 = YHVH (also يهوه)

27 = Books in New Testament<ref>Almost all branches agree. See 35 for Ethiopian exception.</ref>

28 = Triangular expansion of 7; Number of Babylonian merchandise items in Rev 18:12-13 (see Beale); Generations from Abraham to the deportation to Babylon; Years of Jehu's reign; 28:42::666:1260 (Harris<ref name=FRGexpanded>Harris, Zachary. [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1butkjkck8vhx2s-6qRB-V_g6V8KTFAfL Unpublished expanded and updated version] of "Forward and Reverse Gematria."</ref>)

30 = יהיה hence default period of Nazirite<ref name=Feder>Rabbi Elie Feder. Gematria Refigured, Mosaica Press, 2022.</ref>

34 = בבל (Babel)

35 = Books in Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church

36 = Triangular expansion of 8 and triangular root of 666

40 = Years of wilderness wandering; Jesus in desert; ... etc.!

42 = "Great" (גדלה) Gen 10:12; אלוה ("god", Dan 11:38); 14x3 generations (Mt 1); 42 Months = 3.5 years (Rev 11-13); See also 3.5

51 = Na ("please")<ref name=Feder/>; Books in Tanakh + New Testament

52 = "Son" (anagram of standard form) and "with everything" (Genesis 24:1) see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 1; Gematria of Elijah (Heb); Years of Uzziah's reign (2 Chron 26:3); בְּהֵמָ֔ה

58 = Noah/grace [anagrams of standard form]

59 = Havilah

60 = Trapezoidal block of pebble diagram<ref name=FRGexpanded/>; 60x60 temple plans (Ezra 6:3, see also 3600)

62 = Age of Darius (Dan 5:31)<ref name=Bejon/>

66 = Value of "Allah" in standard Abjad; בֶּן־דָּוִ֔ד; Books in Protestant Bible

70 = ὁ (Greek nom sg definite article, can be added to some of the titles listed here); elders of Israel; nations in Gen 10; disciples sent out in Luke 10:1-12 [or 72]

72 = Disciples sent out in Luke 10:1-12 [or 70]

77 = Gihon (Gen 4:24)

83 = Age of Aaron when confronting Pharaoh

86 = Elohim

88 = Age of Moses when confronting Pharaoh (Ex 6)

91 = Mene, מלכא, and האלהים along with several other connections to Daniel 5<ref name ="Bejon">James Bejon, Belshazzar’s Riddle (Part II), https://jamesbejon.substack.com/p/belshazzars-riddle-part-ii</ref>

99 = Amen (grk); Number of sheep shepherd leaves behind to search for one lost; See footnote 57 in Blumall<ref name="Blumell"/> regarding Irenaeus and the "Marcosians" on this number's isopsephies

110 = Years of Joseph

120 = למלך (to the king OR to Molech in 1 Kings) and Solomon's gold (1 Kings 9:14; 10:10; 2 Chr 9:9); limit on man's lifespan (Gen 6:3, cf. Deut 31:2; 34:7); years of Moses; Darius' satraps (Dan 6:1); disciples in upper room; triangular expansion of 15

123 = Goliath (LXX)

125 = מסכה (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 9a)

127 = Years of Sarah and provinces of Eshter (this connection is famously addressed by Rabbi Akiva(?) as per AlephBeta video; see also Targum Rishon on Esther

130 = Age of Jacob when he went to Egypt; חִזְקִיָּ֬ה, and the sayings attributed to Hezekiah’s men in Prov 25–29 number about 130 (cmp. 375)<ref name=Hubbard>Hubbard, D. A. “Proverbs, Book Of.” The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised, edited by Geoffrey W. Bromiley, vol. 3, Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1979–1988, p. 1016.</ref>

133 = Years of Kohath (Moses' Gpa)

137 = Years of Levi and Amram (Moses' dad)

142 = Tigris

144 = Width of New Jerusalem's walls; See also 144000

147 = Years of Jacob

153 = Triangular expansion of 17; Number of fish (John 21:11); μέρη (John 21:6); חלקיה (Hilkiah, but see also 666); ANTICHRISTVS (but see 154)

154 = Liber Genealogus' claimed value of ANTICHRISTVS (= 616/4)

165 = The Tree/Money (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 7 on Esther); Naamah (Heb) - the only wife of Solomon who is named in Scripture (see also "the silver" in 1 Kings 10:27) and also sister of Tubal-Cain (Gen 4:22)

182 = "Mene, Mene"; Yakov (Heb.)

191 = ﺲﻠﻴﻣﺎﻧ in standard Abjad

208 = ורב (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 8)

212 = Number of gatekeepers in 1 Chronicles 9:22 (4*53 seems to correspond with vs 24-26; four leaders for each week of the year)

247 = θηρίον "beast" (Painchaud<ref name=Painchaud>Painchaud, Louis. "The Dragon, the Beasts, and the Gold: The Number of the Beast in the Apocalypse of John," in '"Who is Sitting on Which Beast?" Interpretative Issues in the Book of Revelation', Lupieri, Edmondo and Louis Painchaud, eds., Brepols Publishers, 2023</ref>)

248 = Abram (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 11); 613-365 = number of positive "do" mitzvot = number of bones in human body (Rabbi Simlai)

276 = Persons on wrecked ship (Acts 27:37); Triangular expansion of 23

288 = Singers (1 Chron 25:7); Gematria of Uzziah (LXX)

294 = קוסטנטין (as Ibn Ezra on Dan 11:36)

314 = Shaddai [anagram of standard form] and Metatron (Talmud) see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 12

318 = Number of Abram's servants in Genesis 14:14 and gematria of “Eliezer” in 15:2

345 = מֹשֶׁ֛ה

350 = פרסי and קרן<ref name=Bejon/>

351 = Γαλατεία (graffito)

365 = 613-248 = number of negative "do not" mitzvot; days in a solar year

374 = כשדים

375 = שלמה; said to match the number of Proverbs of Solomon, Prov 10:1–22:16 (cmp. 130)<ref name=Hubbard/>

380 = Egypt (Heb)

385 = Σόδομα, (מצרימה) to Egypt

390 = Days "equal to the number of the years of their punishment" (Eze 4:5)

392 = "All the temple servants and the sons of Solomon’s servants were 392" (Ezra 2:58; Nehemiah 7:60)

400 = Value of the letter ת which is the "mark" in Ezek 9:4,6; Virgins of Jabesh-gilead taken at Shiloh to repopulate Benjamin; Prophets of Asherah (1 Kings 18:19)

406 = תָּ֜ו (see 400)

417 = Gematria of בתיה (Bithia = Batya = Pharaoh's daughter) in 1 Chron 4:17

420 = שלמן (Hos 10:14; see also pebble diagram<ref name=FRGexpanded/>); Amount of Solomon's gold (1 Kings 9:28); ממצרים (1 Kings 8:16,51,53; 10:28–29)

422 = Nebuchadnezzar (Heb)

430 = Years of Israel in Egypt (Ex 12:40-41, Gal 3:17); Years Eber lived after fathering Peleg (Gen 11:17); Rameses (Gen 47:11, Ex 12:37)

431 = ﺲﻠﻴﻣﺎﻧ in Maghribi Abjad

443 = Goliath (Heb)

446 = Pishon

450 = Talents of gold (2 Chron 8:18) and prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:19,22)

451 = Isopsephy of Nicolaus (as in Nicolatians)

460 = קֹ֖דֶשׁ לַֽיהוָֽה

475 = ᾅδης (Mt 18:18; gen. Hades)

480 = Nebuchadnezzar + Noah (Heb); Years from exodus to beginning of Temple construction (1 Kings 6:1)

485 = γυναίκα (Rev 2:20; [12:13;] 17:3, 6; [21:9,27] = βδελυγμα = πολις η μεγαλη (Gen 10:12; Rev 16:19; 17:[5, in pl!], 18; 18:10, 16, 19) = Ἰούδα (Judas/Lk 22:48; Judah/Rev 5:5); "To Succoth" (place in Gen 33:17, Ex 12:37, etc.)

486 = "Succoth" (place in Gen 33:17)

486 = πέτρᾳ (Mt 18:18)

520 = דָּרְיָוֶשׁ and כֹּרֶשׁ<ref name=Bejon/>

521 = Ἀλέξανδρος

525 = יהוָ֥ה צְבָא֖וֹת

526 = כּ֫וֹרֶשׁ

535 = κύριε ("Christians also associated the number 535 [along with 800] with Lord, but in the vocative form"<ref name=Blumell>Blumell and Wayment, The 'Number of the Beast,' in Kraus and Sommer, eds., Book of Seven Seals</ref>); standard form is φλε hence shorthand for κύριε as above (see also φίλε [545] in Harris<ref name=FRGexpanded/>, see also φιλάνθρωπε=1585); קֹהֶ֣לֶת

545 = Pompeii graffito:<ref name=FRGexpanded/>: Μπεκυ ("Pompei Becky"), παρθενικός, γυναικιαν, φίλε

586 = Jerusalem (Heb)

597 = θηρίου "of [the] beast"<ref name=Painchaud/>

600 = ציצת with 8 (knots) and 5 (strings) comes to 613<ref name=Feder/>; trapezoidal block of pebble diagram<ref name=FRGexpanded/>; Six 600's associated with Solomon as per triangle in pebble diagram<ref name=FRGexpanded/>: 1 Kings 10:14, 16; 2 Chron 2:2, 17; 9:13, 15; Six 600's of David: 1 Sam 23:13; 27:2; 30:9; 1 Chron 7:2; 21:25; 2 Chron 2:17

606 = Ruth

611 = תורה

613 = Traditional number of mitzvot in Torah; Ruth (606) + 7 Noahide laws; Torah given to Moses (see 611) + 2 mitzvot given directly to all Israel; גרתי (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> 10a); 248+365 (see each); 600+8+5 (see 600 for explanation)

616 = "עתה יגדל-נא כח הי" and "Rehoboth" (Gen 26:22); נרו קסר; Anagrams of Heb standard form = [Jethro (also "and the rest/excellence" Gen 49:3/Deut 3:13, "let/leave" Ex 16:19, and "shall remain" Ex 29:34) or "they spied" (Num 13:21)]; תריו which sounds like θηρίου; χιϛ as abbreviation for Christ (Jesus) and/or rearranged to form Chi-Rho; Possible graffito answers: Φαίδρα, Οφέλια, Ασυδια, Μαρουδα, and Ρουδάμα; Γαιος Καισαρ; Καῖσαρ θεός

620 = Shinar

636 = Value of نيرو قيصر in Maghribi Abjad

638 = Θεοδόσιος

647 = Χαλδαία

665 = Appears in one manuscript of Rev 13:18; See also Harris pebble chart and analysis<ref name=FRGexpanded/>; "אֶרֶץ כַּשְׂדִּים"

666 = Solomon's gold; Rev 13:18; Triangular expansion of 36; sons of Adonikam (Ezra 2:13, but also see 667); ἑλκύσαι (John 21:6); Χελκια (Hilkiah LXX, but see also 153); "עתה יגדל-נא כח אדני" (Num 14:17, see notes); DCLXVI; נרון קסר; Anagrams of standard form = ["Without" (Pr 11:22); "you should destroy" ("tarsu", cmp. Amos 6:11); Sethur; תסור (Deut 17:11)]; Mea Shearim; Irenaeus gives: Ευανθας, Λατεινος, Τειταν..., Μαομέτις; Counter-Reformers give: לולתר, ,Λουθερανα; Scripture has: הנהרות, הראיתים, הרימותה, והרתיהם, ויתרן, ולמקצת, ולפרשים, ולשלש, ולשעירים, ומשנער, וסרת, וסתר, וצעקת, ורמתך, ותמכר, ותסר, יתפלצון, יתרון, לעצמותיך, לשלוש, מיתריו, מנפצות, נחרבות, נפוצתם, נפצותם, סתור, סתרו, ענקתמו, צעקתו, רמותך, תורין, תחגרנה, תמכרו, תסור, תסרו, תצעקו, תראינה, απολλυμεθα, διασπορας, δυνασαι, ειχαν, εκελευσα, ελκυσαι, εντολαις, εποτισα, ευπορια, ηγνικοτες, κατεπεσεν, λευκαις, πεντακις, πλευραν, σκαπτειν, συναγαγη, τερασιν, and τετελεκα; while the Septuagint further adds: απειρου, απεκυλιον, αποστει, αφειλον, δραμουμαι, δρασαντι, ειλκυσα, εκζητειται, εκλυσαι, ενκατελιπομεν, ενπεσειται, εξαπατησαι, εξαπεστει, επαιρου, επαυριο, επτερνικαμεν, ετασμον, θαυμασει, καιομενου, κεραμικου, μετοικισαι, μισησης, νευσαι, οικουμενα, προειλατο, προσαγαγης, σκοτειναι, στειραν, Συήνη, and υπομειναι; Ιαπετός, (ירימות) Jerimoth, e.g. 2 Chron 11:18—an otherwise unknown “son of David!”), Βεέλτεθμος (Beltethmus, 1 Esdras 2:15/16), and Ἰαχεὶμ (Jachin, Gen 46:10); Value of نيرو قيصر in standard Abjad; תריון sounds like θηρίον (Painchaud 2023, citing Hadorn 1920); Κλαυδίας (Nelson 2025)

667 = Sons of Adonikam (Nehemiah 7:18, but also see 666)

676 = נרון קיסר

680 = Euphrates (see Aramaic Targum of Rishon Esther 1:4)

685 = Ἰούδας

686 = נירון קיסר and نيرون قيصر in Maghribi Abjad

699 = Isopsephy of Nicolatian

729 = Κηφᾶς; "וּלְקַדִּישֵׁ֥י עֶלְיוֹנִ֖ין יְבַלֵּ֑א"

731 = Ανθούσα (Smyrna graffito, as per Bagnall)

755 = Πέτρος (Mt 18:18)

765 = Adonikam (Heb)

770 = Μέγας Αλέξανδρος

790 = Κύρος

800 = κύριος = πίστις (cmp. 2 Thes 3:2-3 as noted by early Christians<ref name=Blumell/>)

801 = Alpha and Omega

810 = χις (with terminal sigma)

813 = Φλάβιος

840 = Αλέξανδρος ο Μέγας

852 = ונושנתם <ref name=Feder/>

855 = Noah (LXX/NT)

860 = χξς (with terminal sigma)

864 = Ἰερουσαλήμ (Rev); ἁγίων

888 = Ἰησοῦς

892 = Εὐσέβιος

926 = Adonikam (LXX), Ἰεροσόλυμα (1 Macc 1:20, John 12:12)

961 = גֹּאֲלֵנוּ יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת שְׁמוֹ (Isa 47:4)<ref name=Bejon/>

1005 = Νέρων; number of Solomon's songs

1025 = Isopsephy of "ἑξακόσιοι ἑξήκοντα ἕξ"

1038 = Ευελπίστη (Symrna graffito)

1064 = Αἴγυπτος

1071 = Ιωναθας

1112 = "Mene, Mene, Tekel, Parsin"

1118 = "Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Parsin"

1120 = Ηρώδης

1121 = Ηρώδης Α΄

1132 = Κύριος Καῖσαρ

1178 = μυστήριον

1195 = Εὐστάθιος ("Constantine" equivalent meaning, not transliterated, into Greek)

1251 = Απφους

1256 = Ἁγίασμα κυρίου

1260 = Σολομων (NT)<ref name=FRG>Harris, Zachary. "[https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/opth-2022-0245/pdf?licenseType=open-access Forward and Reverse Gematria are Very Different Beasts]." Open Theology 10.1 (2024). See also [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1butkjkck8vhx2s-6qRB-V_g6V8KTFAfL unpublished expanded and updated version].</ref>; "Rectangular" expansion of 36 (see Bauckham citation in Harris); LCM of the first nine triangular numbers, viz. 1, 3, 6, 10, 15, 21, 28, 36 and 45 and multiple of a further three (105, 210 and 630) [Vernon Jenkins]; See also 3.5; Appears in the bounds of an elegant inequality for rational approximation of pi<ref>Dalzell, D. P. "On 22/7." Journal of the London Mathematical Society v 19, issue 75 Part 3 (1944), pp. 133–134, as summarized at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proof_that_22/7_exceeds_%CF%80#Quick_upper_and_lower_bounds</ref>

1264 = Ἐκκλησιαστοῦ

1269 = πιστὸς καὶ ἀληθινός

1285 = Βαβυλὼν

1301 = Αντίοχος

1305 = Αντίοχος Δ΄

1310 = ανθρωπος (Hooper's theory on Rev 13:18)

1337 = Νέρων Καῖσαρ

1341 = Νικολαϊτῶν

1367 = "τοῦ θηρίου"

1380 = Βαβυλὼν ἡ μεγάλη

1439 = Ηρώδης ο Μέγας

1440 = Ηρώδης Α΄ ο Μέγας

1514 = Αλέξανδρος Γ΄ ο Μακεδών

1530 = Σολομωνος

1585 = φιλάνθρωπε (see φλε at 535) — there may have been an inscription in an ancient Palestinian church that said "[φιλάνθρωπε μνήσθητι] | τοῦ Δούλου σοῦ"<ref name=Yonah>Avi-Yonah, M. Art in Ancient Palestine: Selected Studies. Edited by Hannah Katzenstein and Yoram Tsafrir, Magnes Press, 1981, p. 301.</ref>

1688 = Κύριος Ἰησοῦς

1757 = Nebuchadnezzar (LXX)

1835 = Ἰούδας Ἰσκαριὼθ

1841 = ἀντίχριστος

1921 = Σαλωμων (LXX)

1946 = Βασιλεὺς βασιλέων

2006 = Ἐν Τούτῳ Νίκα

2051 = Κωνσταντῖνος

2095 = "ὁ ἔχων νοῦν" (Rev 13:18) and σοφώτερον (1 Cor 1:25)!

2159 = Αντίοχος Δ΄ Επιφανής

2180= κύριος κυρίων

2188 = "Ναί, ἔρχομαι ταχύ"

2190 = ἄνθρωπος τῆς ἀνομίας

2239 = Gregorian year AD when 6000AM (seventh millennium of the world) begins

2252 = εἰκὼν τοῦ θηρίου

2300 = Dan 8:14; Number of balls in a 23-sided triangular pyramid (23*(23+1)*(23+2)/6)

2303 = Gematria value of "שֵׁ֥שׁ מֵא֛וֹת שִׁשִּׁ֥ים וָשֵׁ֖שׁ"

2315 = υἱὸς τῆς ἀπωλείας

2334 = Ἰούδας Ἰσκαριώτης

2398 = ἔρχου κύριε Ἰησοῦ

2445 = ψευδοπροφήτης, Μωϋσέως

2463 = μυστήριον Βαβυλὼν (2463)

2558 = μυστήριον Βαβυλὼν ἡ μεγάλη

2612 = Nebuchadnezzar + Noah (LXX)

2641 = Κωνσταντινούπολις

2659 = ψευδόχριστος

2701 = Value of Gen 1:1; Triangular (73)

3000 = Number of Solomon's proverbs

3039 = "μνήσθητι τοῦ δούλου σου," a common liturgical and biblical prayer formula in Greek, especially in the Septuagint and Orthodox liturgy (see 535 and 1585)

3600 = Taskmasters Solomon appointed (2 Chronicles 2:2,18); six*600 message encoded in pebble triangle<ref name=FRGexpanded/>; 60x60 temple plans (Ezra 6:3)

3750 = Φλάβιος Οὐαλέριος Κωνσταντῖνος

4157 = Βασιλεὺς βασιλέων καὶ κύριος κυρίων

7000 = Did not bow knee to Baal (1 Kings 19; Rom 11); Army of Israel in times of Ahab (1 Kings 20:15) and Nebuchadnezzar (2 Kings 24:16); Killed in great earthquake (Rev 11:13)

14700 = Died in the grumbling plague of Num 16

144000 = Troops in lamb's army; See also 144

==References==

[[Category:Lists]]
[[Category:Symbolism of particular numbers]]

List of numbers with possible significance

2026-02-13T05:14:26Z

Zekeriya:

When a word or phrase is given with no explanation, the number is the (Hebrew) [[gematria]] or (Greek) [[isopsephy]] value of that word.

2 = Minimum number of witnesses to establish a legal case

3 = Divine perfection (one of four "perfect" numbers: 3, 7, 10, 12)

3.5 = Half of seven is important in Dan 7:25, 12:7, 1 Kgs. 18:1; Luke 4:25; Jas. 5:17 (Cmp. Rev 11:6), Rev 11:9,11; 12:14

4 = Triangular root of 10

5 = Books in Torah

6 = Triangular expansion of 3

7 = Spiritual perfection (one of four "perfect" numbers: 3, 7, 10, 12); Days of creation; Egypt's years of plenty/famine; Years Jacob worked for each wife

8 = Triangular root of 36

10 = Triangular expansion of 4; Ordinal perfection (one of four "perfect" numbers: 3, 7, 10, 12); Commandments/words at Sinai; Plagues on Egypt; Virgins in parable; Days of Smyrna testing; Days of Daniel fast testing; generations in genealogies from creation to flood and flood to Abraham; human universality; clauses in the Lord’s Prayer; Tithes (tenths) representing complete recognition of God’s claims; trials of Abraham’s faith; Ten people in the Bible who said “I have sinned”, demonstrating the widespread nature of human sin; the "full round" of anything; used as a multiplier with other numbers to emphasize or escalate their sense of bigness: e.g. 12*12*10^3

12 = זה (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> 9b); Governmental perfection (one of four "perfect" numbers: 3, 7, 10, 12)

14 = David (Heb); Years Jacob worked to earn his wives

15 = Triangular expansion of 5 and triangular root of 120

17 = Triangular root of 153; Joseph's age when he dreamt

21 = Triangular expansion of 6; Days of Daniel's fast

24 = Books in Tanakh

25 = κε (standard form and abbrev for κύριε=535, which see)

26 = YHVH (also يهوه)

27 = Books in New Testament<ref>Almost all branches agree. See 35 for Ethiopian exception.</ref>

28 = Triangular expansion of 7; Number of Babylonian merchandise items in Rev 18:12-13 (see Beale); Generations from Abraham to the deportation to Babylon; Years of Jehu's reign; 28:42::666:1260 (Harris<ref name=FRGexpanded>Harris, Zachary. [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1butkjkck8vhx2s-6qRB-V_g6V8KTFAfL Unpublished expanded and updated version] of "Forward and Reverse Gematria."</ref>)

30 = יהיה hence default period of Nazirite<ref name=Feder>Rabbi Elie Feder. Gematria Refigured, Mosaica Press, 2022.</ref>

34 = בבל (Babel)

35 = Books in Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church

36 = Triangular expansion of 8 and triangular root of 666

40 = Years of wilderness wandering; Jesus in desert; ... etc.!

42 = "Great" (גדלה) Gen 10:12; אלוה ("god", Dan 11:38); 14x3 generations (Mt 1); 42 Months = 3.5 years (Rev 11-13); See also 3.5

51 = Na ("please")<ref name=Feder/>; Books in Tanakh + New Testament

52 = "Son" (anagram of standard form) and "with everything" (Genesis 24:1) see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 1; Gematria of Elijah (Heb); Years of Uzziah's reign (2 Chron 26:3); בְּהֵמָ֔ה

58 = Noah/grace [anagrams of standard form]

59 = Havilah

60 = Trapezoidal block of pebble diagram<ref name=FRGexpanded/>; 60x60 temple plans (Ezra 6:3, see also 3600)

62 = Age of Darius (Dan 5:31)<ref name=Bejon/>

66 = Value of "Allah" in standard Abjad; בֶּן־דָּוִ֔ד; Books in Protestant Bible

70 = ὁ (Greek nom sg definite article, can be added to some of the titles listed here); elders of Israel; nations in Gen 10; disciples sent out in Luke 10:1-12 [or 72]

72 = Disciples sent out in Luke 10:1-12 [or 70]

77 = Gihon (Gen 4:24)

83 = Age of Aaron when confronting Pharaoh

86 = Elohim

88 = Age of Moses when confronting Pharaoh (Ex 6)

91 = Mene, מלכא, and האלהים along with several other connections to Daniel 5<ref name ="Bejon">James Bejon, Belshazzar’s Riddle (Part II), https://jamesbejon.substack.com/p/belshazzars-riddle-part-ii</ref>

99 = Amen (grk); Number of sheep shepherd leaves behind to search for one lost; See footnote 57 in Blumall<ref name="Blumell"/> regarding Irenaeus and the "Marcosians" on this number's isopsephies

110 = Years of Joseph

120 = למלך (to the king OR to Molech in 1 Kings) and Solomon's gold (1 Kings 9:14; 10:10; 2 Chr 9:9); limit on man's lifespan (Gen 6:3, cf. Deut 31:2; 34:7); years of Moses; Darius' satraps (Dan 6:1); disciples in upper room; triangular expansion of 15

123 = Goliath (LXX)

125 = מסכה (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 9a)

127 = Years of Sarah and provinces of Eshter (this connection is famously addressed by Rabbi Akiva(?) as per AlephBeta video; see also Targum Rishon on Esther

130 = Age of Jacob when he went to Egypt; חִזְקִיָּ֬ה, and the sayings attributed to Hezekiah’s men in Prov 25–29 number about 130 (cmp. 375)<ref name=Hubbard>Hubbard, D. A. “Proverbs, Book Of.” The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised, edited by Geoffrey W. Bromiley, vol. 3, Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1979–1988, p. 1016.</ref>

133 = Years of Kohath (Moses' Gpa)

137 = Years of Levi and Amram (Moses' dad)

142 = Tigris

144 = Width of New Jerusalem's walls; See also 144000

147 = Years of Jacob

153 = Triangular expansion of 17; Number of fish (John 21:11); μέρη (John 21:6); חלקיה (Hilkiah, but see also 666); ANTICHRISTVS (but see 154)

154 = Liber Genealogus' claimed value of ANTICHRISTVS (= 616/4)

165 = The Tree/Money (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 7 on Esther); Naamah (Heb) - the only wife of Solomon who is named in Scripture (see also "the silver" in 1 Kings 10:27) and also sister of Tubal-Cain (Gen 4:22)

182 = "Mene, Mene"; Yakov (Heb.)

191 = ﺲﻠﻴﻣﺎﻧ in standard Abjad

208 = ורב (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 8)

212 = Number of gatekeepers in 1 Chronicles 9:22 (4*53 seems to correspond with vs 24-26; four leaders for each week of the year)

247 = θηρίον "beast" (Painchaud<ref name=Painchaud>Painchaud, Louis. "The Dragon, the Beasts, and the Gold: The Number of the Beast in the Apocalypse of John," in '"Who is Sitting on Which Beast?" Interpretative Issues in the Book of Revelation', Lupieri, Edmondo and Louis Painchaud, eds., Brepols Publishers, 2023</ref>)

248 = Abram (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 11); 613-365 = number of positive "do" mitzvot = number of bones in human body (Rabbi Simlai)

276 = Persons on wrecked ship (Acts 27:37); Triangular expansion of 23

288 = Singers (1 Chron 25:7); Gematria of Uzziah (LXX)

294 = קוסטנטין (as Ibn Ezra on Dan 11:36)

314 = Shaddai [anagram of standard form] and Metatron (Talmud) see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 12

318 = Number of Abram's servants in Genesis 14:14 and gematria of “Eliezer” in 15:2

345 = מֹשֶׁ֛ה

350 = פרסי and קרן<ref name=Bejon/>

351 = Γαλατεία (graffito)

365 = 613-248 = number of negative "do not" mitzvot; days in a solar year

374 = כשדים

375 = שלמה; said to match the number of Proverbs of Solomon, Prov 10:1–22:16 (cmp. 130)<ref name=Hubbard/>

380 = Egypt (Heb)

385 = Σόδομα, (מצרימה) to Egypt

390 = Days "equal to the number of the years of their punishment" (Eze 4:5)

392 = "All the temple servants and the sons of Solomon’s servants were 392" (Ezra 2:58; Nehemiah 7:60)

400 = Value of the letter ת which is the "mark" in Ezek 9:4,6; Virgins of Jabesh-gilead taken at Shiloh to repopulate Benjamin; Prophets of Asherah (1 Kings 18:19)

406 = תָּ֜ו (see 400)

417 = Gematria of בתיה (Bithia = Batya = Pharaoh's daughter) in 1 Chron 4:17

420 = שלמן (Hos 10:14; see also pebble diagram<ref name=FRGexpanded/>); Amount of Solomon's gold (1 Kings 9:28); ממצרים (1 Kings 8:16,51,53; 10:28–29)

422 = Nebuchadnezzar (Heb)

430 = Years of Israel in Egypt (Ex 12:40-41, Gal 3:17); Years Eber lived after fathering Peleg (Gen 11:17); Rameses (Gen 47:11, Ex 12:37)

431 = ﺲﻠﻴﻣﺎﻧ in Maghribi Abjad

443 = Goliath (Heb)

446 = Pishon

450 = Talents of gold (2 Chron 8:18) and prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:19,22)

451 = Isopsephy of Nicolaus (as in Nicolatians)

460 = קֹ֖דֶשׁ לַֽיהוָֽה

475 = ᾅδης (Mt 18:18; gen. Hades)

480 = Nebuchadnezzar + Noah (Heb); Years from exodus to beginning of Temple construction (1 Kings 6:1)

485 = γυναίκα (Rev 2:20; [12:13;] 17:3, 6; [21:9,27] = βδελυγμα = πολις η μεγαλη (Gen 10:12; Rev 16:19; 17:[5, in pl!], 18; 18:10, 16, 19) = Ἰούδα (Judas/Lk 22:48; Judah/Rev 5:5); "To Succoth" (place in Gen 33:17, Ex 12:37, etc.)

486 = "Succoth" (place in Gen 33:17)

486 = πέτρᾳ (Mt 18:18)

520 = דָּרְיָוֶשׁ and כֹּרֶשׁ<ref name=Bejon/>

521 = Ἀλέξανδρος

525 = יהוָ֥ה צְבָא֖וֹת

526 = כּ֫וֹרֶשׁ

535 = κύριε ("Christians also associated the number 535 [along with 800] with Lord, but in the vocative form"<ref name=Blumell>Blumell and Wayment, The 'Number of the Beast,' in Kraus and Sommer, eds., Book of Seven Seals</ref>); standard form is φλε hence shorthand for κύριε as above (see also φίλε [545] in Harris<ref name=FRGexpanded/>, see also φιλάνθρωπε=1585); קֹהֶ֣לֶת

545 = Pompeii graffito:<ref name=FRGexpanded/>: Μπεκυ ("Pompei Becky"), παρθενικός, γυναικιαν, φίλε

586 = Jerusalem (Heb)

597 = θηρίου "of [the] beast"<ref name=Painchaud/>

600 = ציצת with 8 (knots) and 5 (strings) comes to 613<ref name=Feder/>; trapezoidal block of pebble diagram<ref name=FRGexpanded/>; Six 600's associated with Solomon as per triangle in pebble diagram<ref name=FRGexpanded/>: 1 Kings 10:14, 16; 2 Chron 2:2, 17; 9:13, 15; Six 600's of David: 1 Sam 23:13; 27:2; 30:9; 1 Chron 7:2; 21:25; 2 Chron 2:17

606 = Ruth

611 = תורה

613 = Traditional number of mitzvot in Torah; Ruth (606) + 7 Noahide laws; Torah given to Moses (see 611) + 2 mitzvot given directly to all Israel; גרתי (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> 10a); 248+365 (see each); 600+8+5 (see 600 for explanation)

616 = "עתה יגדל-נא כח הי" and "Rehoboth" (Gen 26:22); נרו קסר; Anagrams of Heb standard form = [Jethro (also "and the rest/excellence" Gen 49:3/Deut 3:13, "let/leave" Ex 16:19, and "shall remain" Ex 29:34) or "they spied" (Num 13:21)]; תריו which sounds like θηρίου; χιϛ as abbreviation for Christ (Jesus) and/or rearranged to form Chi-Rho; Possible graffito answers: Φαίδρα, Οφέλια, Ασυδια, Μαρουδα, and Ρουδάμα; Γαιος Καισαρ; Καῖσαρ θεός

620 = Shinar

636 = Value of نيرو قيصر in Maghribi Abjad

638 = Θεοδόσιος

647 = Χαλδαία

665 = Appears in one manuscript of Rev 13:18; See also Harris pebble chart and analysis<ref name=FRGexpanded/>; "אֶרֶץ כַּשְׂדִּים"

666 = Solomon's gold; Rev 13:18; Triangular expansion of 36; sons of Adonikam (Ezra 2:13, but also see 667); ἑλκύσαι (John 21:6); Χελκια (Hilkiah LXX, but see also 153); "עתה יגדל-נא כח אדני" (Num 14:17, see notes); DCLXVI; נרון קסר; Anagrams of standard form = ["Without" (Pr 11:22); "you should destroy" ("tarsu", cmp. Amos 6:11); Sethur; תסור (Deut 17:11)]; Mea Shearim; Irenaeus gives: Ευανθας, Λατεινος, Τειταν..., Μαομέτις; Counter-Reformers give: לולתר, ,Λουθερανα; Scripture has: הנהרות, הראיתים, הרימותה, והרתיהם, ויתרן, ולמקצת, ולפרשים, ולשלש, ולשעירים, ומשנער, וסרת, וסתר, וצעקת, ורמתך, ותמכר, ותסר, יתפלצון, יתרון, לעצמותיך, לשלוש, מיתריו, מנפצות, נחרבות, נפוצתם, נפצותם, סתור, סתרו, ענקתמו, צעקתו, רמותך, תורין, תחגרנה, תמכרו, תסור, תסרו, תצעקו, תראינה, απολλυμεθα, διασπορας, δυνασαι, ειχαν, εκελευσα, ελκυσαι, εντολαις, εποτισα, ευπορια, ηγνικοτες, κατεπεσεν, λευκαις, πεντακις, πλευραν, σκαπτειν, συναγαγη, τερασιν, and τετελεκα; while the Septuagint further adds: απειρου, απεκυλιον, αποστει, αφειλον, δραμουμαι, δρασαντι, ειλκυσα, εκζητειται, εκλυσαι, ενκατελιπομεν, ενπεσειται, εξαπατησαι, εξαπεστει, επαιρου, επαυριο, επτερνικαμεν, ετασμον, θαυμασει, καιομενου, κεραμικου, μετοικισαι, μισησης, νευσαι, οικουμενα, προειλατο, προσαγαγης, σκοτειναι, στειραν, Συήνη, and υπομειναι; Ιαπετός, (ירימות) Jerimoth, e.g. 2 Chron 11:18—an otherwise unknown “son of David!”), Βεέλτεθμος (Beltethmus, 1 Esdras 2:15/16), and Ἰαχεὶμ (Jachin, Gen 46:10); Value of نيرو قيصر in standard Abjad; תריון sounds like θηρίον (Painchaud 2023, citing Hadorn 1920); Κλαυδίας (Nelson 2025)

667 = Sons of Adonikam (Nehemiah 7:18, but also see 666)

676 = נרון קיסר

680 = Euphrates (see Aramaic Targum of Rishon Esther 1:4)

685 = Ἰούδας

686 = נירון קיסר and نيرون قيصر in Maghribi Abjad

699 = Isopsephy of Nicolatian

729 = Κηφᾶς; "וּלְקַדִּישֵׁ֥י עֶלְיוֹנִ֖ין יְבַלֵּ֑א"

731 = Ανθούσα (Smyrna graffito, as per Bagnall)

755 = Πέτρος (Mt 18:18)

765 = Adonikam (Heb)

770 = Μέγας Αλέξανδρος

790 = Κύρος

800 = κύριος = πίστις (cmp. 2 Thes 3:2-3 as noted by early Christians<ref name=Blumell/>)

801 = Alpha and Omega

810 = χις (with terminal sigma)

813 = Φλάβιος

840 = Αλέξανδρος ο Μέγας

852 = ונושנתם <ref name=Feder/>

855 = Noah (LXX/NT)

860 = χξς (with terminal sigma)

864 = Ἰερουσαλήμ (Rev); ἁγίων

888 = Ἰησοῦς

892 = Εὐσέβιος

926 = Adonikam (LXX), Ἰεροσόλυμα (1 Macc 1:20, John 12:12)

961 = גֹּאֲלֵנוּ יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת שְׁמוֹ (Isa 47:4)<ref name=Bejon/>

1005 = Νέρων; number of Solomon's songs

1025 = Isopsephy of "ἑξακόσιοι ἑξήκοντα ἕξ"

1038 = Ευελπίστη (Symrna graffito)

1064 = Αἴγυπτος

1071 = Ιωναθας

1112 = "Mene, Mene, Tekel, Parsin"

1118 = "Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Parsin"

1120 = Ηρώδης

1121 = Ηρώδης Α΄

1132 = Κύριος Καῖσαρ

1178 = μυστήριον

1195 = Εὐστάθιος ("Constantine" equivalent meaning, not transliterated, into Greek)

1251 = Απφους

1256 = Ἁγίασμα κυρίου

1260 = Σολομων (NT)<ref name=FRG>Harris, Zachary. "[https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/opth-2022-0245/pdf?licenseType=open-access Forward and Reverse Gematria are Very Different Beasts]." Open Theology 10.1 (2024). See also [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1butkjkck8vhx2s-6qRB-V_g6V8KTFAfL unpublished expanded and updated version].</ref>; "Rectangular" expansion of 36 (see Bauckham citation in Harris); LCM of the first nine triangular numbers, viz. 1, 3, 6, 10, 15, 21, 28, 36 and 45 and multiple of a further three (105, 210 and 630) [Vernon Jenkins]; See also 3.5; Appears in the bounds of an elegant inequality for rational approximation of pi<ref>Dalzell, D. P. "On 22/7." Journal of the London Mathematical Society v 19, issue 75 Part 3 (1944), pp. 133–134, as summarized at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proof_that_22/7_exceeds_%CF%80#Quick_upper_and_lower_bounds</ref>

1264 = Ἐκκλησιαστοῦ

1269 = πιστὸς καὶ ἀληθινός

1285 = Βαβυλὼν

1301 = Αντίοχος

1305 = Αντίοχος Δ΄

1310 = ανθρωπος (Hooper's theory on Rev 13:18)

1337 = Νέρων Καῖσαρ

1341 = Νικολαϊτῶν

1367 = "τοῦ θηρίου"

1380 = Βαβυλὼν ἡ μεγάλη

1439 = Ηρώδης ο Μέγας

1440 = Ηρώδης Α΄ ο Μέγας

1514 = Αλέξανδρος Γ΄ ο Μακεδών

1530 = Σολομωνος

1585 = φιλάνθρωπε (see φλε at 535) — there may have been an inscription in an ancient Palestinian church that said "[φιλάνθρωπε μνήσθητι] | τοῦ Δούλου σοῦ"<ref name=Yonah>Avi-Yonah, M. Art in Ancient Palestine: Selected Studies. Edited by Hannah Katzenstein and Yoram Tsafrir, Magnes Press, 1981, p. 301.</ref>

1688 = Κύριος Ἰησοῦς

1757 = Nebuchadnezzar (LXX)

1835 = Ἰούδας Ἰσκαριὼθ

1841 = ἀντίχριστος

1921 = Σαλωμων (LXX)

1946 = Βασιλεὺς βασιλέων

2006 = Ἐν Τούτῳ Νίκα

2051 = Κωνσταντῖνος

2095 = "ὁ ἔχων νοῦν" (Rev 13:18) and σοφώτερον (1 Cor 1:25)!

2159 = Αντίοχος Δ΄ Επιφανής

2180= κύριος κυρίων

2188 = "Ναί, ἔρχομαι ταχύ"

2190 = ἄνθρωπος τῆς ἀνομίας

2239 = Gregorian year AD when 6000AM (seventh millennium of the world) begins

2252 = εἰκὼν τοῦ θηρίου

2300 = Dan 8:14; Number of balls in a 23-sided triangular pyramid (23*(23+1)*(23+2)/6)

2303 = Gematria value of "שֵׁ֥שׁ מֵא֛וֹת שִׁשִּׁ֥ים וָשֵׁ֖שׁ"

2315 = υἱὸς τῆς ἀπωλείας

2334 = Ἰούδας Ἰσκαριώτης

2398 = ἔρχου κύριε Ἰησοῦ

2445 = ψευδοπροφήτης, Μωϋσέως

2463 = μυστήριον Βαβυλὼν (2463)

2558 = μυστήριον Βαβυλὼν ἡ μεγάλη

2612 = Nebuchadnezzar + Noah (LXX)

2641 = Κωνσταντινούπολις

2659 = ψευδόχριστος

2701 = Value of Gen 1:1; Triangular (73)

3000 = Number of Solomon's proverbs

3039 = "μνήσθητι τοῦ δούλου σου," a common liturgical and biblical prayer formula in Greek, especially in the Septuagint and Orthodox liturgy (see 535 and 1585)

3600 = Taskmasters Solomon appointed (2 Chronicles 2:2,18); six*600 message encoded in pebble triangle<ref name=FRGexpanded/>; 60x60 temple plans (Ezra 6:3)

3750 = Φλάβιος Οὐαλέριος Κωνσταντῖνος

4157 = Βασιλεὺς βασιλέων καὶ κύριος κυρίων

7000 = Did not bow knee to Baal (1 Kings 19; Rom 11); Army of Israel in times of Ahab (1 Kings 20:15) and Nebuchadnezzar (2 Kings 24:16); Killed in great earthquake (Rev 11:13)

144000 = Troops in lamb's army; See also 144

==References==

[[Category:Lists]]
[[Category:Symbolism of particular numbers]]

List of numbers with possible significance

2026-02-12T15:43:19Z

Zekeriya:

When a word or phrase is given with no explanation, the number is the (Hebrew) [[gematria]] or (Greek) [[isopsephy]] value of that word.

2 = Minimum number of witnesses to establish a legal case

3 = Divine perfection (one of four "perfect" numbers: 3, 7, 10, 12)

3.5 = Half of seven is important in Dan 7:25, 12:7, 1 Kgs. 18:1; Luke 4:25; Jas. 5:17 (Cmp. Rev 11:6), Rev 11:9,11; 12:14

4 = Triangular root of 10

5 = Books in Torah

6 = Triangular expansion of 3

7 = Spiritual perfection (one of four "perfect" numbers: 3, 7, 10, 12); Days of creation; Egypt's years of plenty/famine; Years Jacob worked for each wife

8 = Triangular root of 36

10 = Triangular expansion of 4; Ordinal perfection (one of four "perfect" numbers: 3, 7, 10, 12); Commandments/words at Sinai; Plagues on Egypt; Virgins in parable; Days of Smyrna testing; Days of Daniel fast testing; generations in genealogies from creation to flood and flood to Abraham; human universality; clauses in the Lord’s Prayer; Tithes (tenths) representing complete recognition of God’s claims; trials of Abraham’s faith; Ten people in the Bible who said “I have sinned”, demonstrating the widespread nature of human sin; the "full round" of anything; used as a multiplier with other numbers to emphasize or escalate their sense of bigness: e.g. 12*12*10^3

12 = זה (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> 9b); Governmental perfection (one of four "perfect" numbers: 3, 7, 10, 12)

14 = David (Heb); Years Jacob worked to earn his wives

15 = Triangular expansion of 5 and triangular root of 120

17 = Triangular root of 153; Joseph's age when he dreamt

21 = Triangular expansion of 6; Days of Daniel's fast

24 = Books in Tanakh

25 = κε (standard form and abbrev for κύριε=535, which see)

26 = YHVH (also يهوه)

27 = Books in New Testament<ref>Almost all branches agree. See 35 for Ethiopian exception.</ref>

28 = Triangular expansion of 7; Number of Babylonian merchandise items in Rev 18:12-13 (see Beale); Generations from Abraham to the deportation to Babylon; Years of Jehu's reign; 28:42::666:1260 (Harris<ref name=FRGexpanded>Harris, Zachary. [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1butkjkck8vhx2s-6qRB-V_g6V8KTFAfL Unpublished expanded and updated version] of "Forward and Reverse Gematria."</ref>)

30 = יהיה hence default period of Nazirite<ref name=Feder>Rabbi Elie Feder. Gematria Refigured, Mosaica Press, 2022.</ref>

34 = בבל (Babel)

35 = Books in Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church

36 = Triangular expansion of 8 and triangular root of 666

40 = Years of wilderness wandering; Jesus in desert; ... etc.!

42 = "Great" (גדלה) Gen 10:12; אלוה ("god", Dan 11:38); 14x3 generations (Mt 1); 42 Months = 3.5 years (Rev 11-13); See also 3.5

51 = Na ("please")<ref name=Feder/>; Books in Tanakh + New Testament

52 = "Son" (anagram of standard form) and "with everything" (Genesis 24:1) see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 1; Gematria of Elijah (Heb); Years of Uzziah's reign (2 Chron 26:3); בְּהֵמָ֔ה

58 = Noah/grace [anagrams of standard form]

59 = Havilah

60 = Trapezoidal block of pebble diagram<ref name=FRGexpanded/>; 60x60 temple plans (Ezra 6:3, see also 3600)

62 = Age of Darius (Dan 5:31)<ref name=Bejon/>

66 = Value of "Allah" in standard Abjad; בֶּן־דָּוִ֔ד; Books in Protestant Bible

70 = ὁ (Greek nom sg definite article, can be added to some of the titles listed here); elders of Israel; nations in Gen 10; disciples sent out in Luke 10:1-12 [or 72]

72 = Disciples sent out in Luke 10:1-12 [or 70]

77 = Gihon (Gen 4:24)

83 = Age of Aaron when confronting Pharaoh

86 = Elohim

88 = Age of Moses when confronting Pharaoh (Ex 6)

91 = Mene, מלכא, and האלהים along with several other connections to Daniel 5<ref name ="Bejon">James Bejon, Belshazzar’s Riddle (Part II), https://jamesbejon.substack.com/p/belshazzars-riddle-part-ii</ref>

99 = Amen (grk); Number of sheep shepherd leaves behind to search for one lost; See footnote 57 in Blumall<ref name="Blumell"/> regarding Irenaeus and the "Marcosians" on this number's isopsephies

110 = Years of Joseph

120 = למלך (to the king OR to Molech in 1 Kings) and Solomon's gold (1 Kings 9:14; 10:10; 2 Chr 9:9); limit on man's lifespan (Gen 6:3, cf. Deut 31:2; 34:7); years of Moses; Darius' satraps (Dan 6:1); disciples in upper room; triangular expansion of 15

123 = Goliath (LXX)

125 = מסכה (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 9a)

127 = Years of Sarah and provinces of Eshter (this connection is famously addressed by Rabbi Akiva(?) as per AlephBeta video; see also Targum Rishon on Esther

130 = Age of Jacob when he went to Egypt; חִזְקִיָּ֬ה, and the sayings attributed to Hezekiah’s men in Prov 25–29 number about 130 (cmp. 375)<ref name=Hubbard>Hubbard, D. A. “Proverbs, Book Of.” The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised, edited by Geoffrey W. Bromiley, vol. 3, Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1979–1988, p. 1016.</ref>

133 = Years of Kohath (Moses' Gpa)

137 = Years of Levi and Amram (Moses' dad)

142 = Tigris

144 = Width of New Jerusalem's walls; See also 144000

147 = Years of Jacob

153 = Triangular expansion of 17; Number of fish (John 21:11); μέρη (John 21:6); חלקיה (Hilkiah, but see also 666); ANTICHRISTVS (but see 154)

154 = Liber Genealogus' claimed value of ANTICHRISTVS (= 616/4)

165 = The Tree/Money (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 7 on Esther); Naamah (Heb) - the only wife of Solomon who is named in Scripture (see also "the silver" in 1 Kings 10:27) and also sister of Tubal-Cain (Gen 4:22)

182 = "Mene, Mene"; Yakov (Heb.)

191 = ﺲﻠﻴﻣﺎﻧ in standard Abjad

208 = ורב (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 8)

212 = Number of gatekeepers in 1 Chronicles 9:22 (4*53 seems to correspond with vs 24-26; four leaders for each week of the year)

247 = θηρίον "beast" (Painchaud<ref name=Painchaud>Painchaud, Louis. "The Dragon, the Beasts, and the Gold: The Number of the Beast in the Apocalypse of John," in '"Who is Sitting on Which Beast?" Interpretative Issues in the Book of Revelation', Lupieri, Edmondo and Louis Painchaud, eds., Brepols Publishers, 2023</ref>)

248 = Abram (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 11); 613-365 = number of positive "do" mitzvot = number of bones in human body (Rabbi Simlai)

276 = Persons on wrecked ship (Acts 27:37); Triangular expansion of 23

288 = Singers (1 Chron 25:7); Gematria of Uzziah (LXX)

294 = קוסטנטין (as Ibn Ezra on Dan 11:36)

314 = Shaddai [anagram of standard form] and Metatron (Talmud) see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 12

318 = Number of Abram's servants in Genesis 14:14 and gematria of “Eliezer” in 15:2

345 = מֹשֶׁ֛ה

350 = פרסי and קרן<ref name=Bejon/>

351 = Γαλατεία (graffito)

365 = 613-248 = number of negative "do not" mitzvot; days in a solar year

374 = כשדים

375 = שלמה; said to match the number of Proverbs of Solomon, Prov 10:1–22:16 (cmp. 130)<ref name=Hubbard/>

380 = Egypt (Heb)

385 = Σόδομα, (מצרימה) to Egypt

390 = Days "equal to the number of the years of their punishment" (Eze 4:5)

392 = "All the temple servants and the sons of Solomon’s servants were 392" (Ezra 2:58; Nehemiah 7:60)

400 = Value of the letter ת which is the "mark" in Ezek 9:4,6; Virgins of Jabesh-gilead taken at Shiloh to repopulate Benjamin; Prophets of Asherah (1 Kings 18:19)

406 = תָּ֜ו (see 400)

417 = Gematria of בתיה (Bithia = Batya = Pharaoh's daughter) in 1 Chron 4:17

420 = שלמן (Hos 10:14; see also pebble diagram<ref name=FRGexpanded/>); Amount of Solomon's gold (1 Kings 9:28); ממצרים (1 Kings 8:16,51,53; 10:28–29)

422 = Nebuchadnezzar (Heb)

430 = Years of Israel in Egypt (Ex 12:40-41, Gal 3:17); Years Eber lived after fathering Peleg (Gen 11:17); Rameses (Gen 47:11, Ex 12:37)

431 = ﺲﻠﻴﻣﺎﻧ in Maghribi Abjad

443 = Goliath (Heb)

446 = Pishon

450 = Talents of gold (2 Chron 8:18) and prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:19,22)

451 = Isopsephy of Nicolaus (as in Nicolatians)

460 = קֹ֖דֶשׁ לַֽיהוָֽה

475 = ᾅδης (Mt 18:18; gen. Hades)

480 = Nebuchadnezzar + Noah (Heb); Years from exodus to beginning of Temple construction (1 Kings 6:1)

485 = γυναίκα (Rev 2:20; [12:13;] 17:3, 6; [21:9,27] = βδελυγμα = πολις η μεγαλη (Gen 10:12; Rev 16:19; 17:[5, in pl!], 18; 18:10, 16, 19) = Ἰούδα (Judas/Lk 22:48; Judah/Rev 5:5); "To Succoth" (place in Gen 33:17, Ex 12:37, etc.)

486 = "Succoth" (place in Gen 33:17)

486 = πέτρᾳ (Mt 18:18)

520 = דָּרְיָוֶשׁ and כֹּרֶשׁ<ref name=Bejon/>

521 = Ἀλέξανδρος

525 = יהוָ֥ה צְבָא֖וֹת

526 = כּ֫וֹרֶשׁ

535 = κύριε ("Christians also associated the number 535 [along with 800] with Lord, but in the vocative form"<ref name=Blumell>Blumell and Wayment, The 'Number of the Beast,' in Kraus and Sommer, eds., Book of Seven Seals</ref>); standard form is φλε hence shorthand for κύριε as above (see also φίλε [545] in Harris<ref name=FRGexpanded/>, see also φιλάνθρωπε=1585); קֹהֶ֣לֶת

545 = Pompeii graffito:<ref name=FRGexpanded/>: Μπεκυ ("Pompei Becky"), παρθενικός, γυναικιαν, φίλε

586 = Jerusalem (Heb)

597 = θηρίου "of [the] beast"<ref name=Painchaud/>

600 = ציצת with 8 (knots) and 5 (strings) comes to 613<ref name=Feder/>; trapezoidal block of pebble diagram<ref name=FRGexpanded/>; Six 600's associated with Solomon as per triangle in pebble diagram<ref name=FRGexpanded/>: 1 Kings 10:14, 16; 2 Chron 2:2, 17; 9:13, 15; Six 600's of David: 1 Sam 23:13; 27:2; 30:9; 1 Chron 7:2; 21:25; 2 Chron 2:17

606 = Ruth

611 = תורה

613 = Traditional number of mitzvot in Torah; Ruth (606) + 7 Noahide laws; Torah given to Moses (see 611) + 2 mitzvot given directly to all Israel; גרתי (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> 10a); 248+365 (see each); 600+8+5 (see 600 for explanation)

616 = "עתה יגדל-נא כח הי" and "Rehoboth" (Gen 26:22); נרו קסר; Anagrams of Heb standard form = [Jethro (also "and the rest/excellence" Gen 49:3/Deut 3:13, "let/leave" Ex 16:19, and "shall remain" Ex 29:34) or "they spied" (Num 13:21)]; תריו which sounds like θηρίου; χιϛ as abbreviation for Christ (Jesus) and/or rearranged to form Chi-Rho; Possible graffito answers: Φαίδρα, Οφέλια, Ασυδια, Μαρουδα, and Ρουδάμα; Γαιος Καισαρ; Καῖσαρ θεός

620 = Shinar

636 = Value of نيرو قيصر in Maghribi Abjad

638 = Θεοδόσιος

647 = Χαλδαία

665 = Appears in one manuscript of Rev 13:18; See also Harris pebble chart and analysis<ref name=FRGexpanded/>; "אֶרֶץ כַּשְׂדִּים"

666 = Solomon's gold; Rev 13:18; Triangular expansion of 36; sons of Adonikam (Ezra 2:13, but also see 667); ἑλκύσαι (John 21:6); Χελκια (Hilkiah LXX, but see also 153); "עתה יגדל-נא כח אדני" (Num 14:17, see notes); DCLXVI; נרון קסר; Anagrams of standard form = ["Without" (Pr 11:22); "you should destroy" ("tarsu", cmp. Amos 6:11); Sethur; תסור (Deut 17:11)]; Mea Shearim; Irenaeus gives: Ευανθας, Λατεινος, Τειταν..., Μαομέτις; Counter-Reformers give: לולתר, ,Λουθερανα; Scripture has: הנהרות, הראיתים, הרימותה, והרתיהם, ויתרן, ולמקצת, ולפרשים, ולשלש, ולשעירים, ומשנער, וסרת, וסתר, וצעקת, ורמתך, ותמכר, ותסר, יתפלצון, יתרון, לעצמותיך, לשלוש, מיתריו, מנפצות, נחרבות, נפוצתם, נפצותם, סתור, סתרו, ענקתמו, צעקתו, רמותך, תורין, תחגרנה, תמכרו, תסור, תסרו, תצעקו, תראינה, απολλυμεθα, διασπορας, δυνασαι, ειχαν, εκελευσα, ελκυσαι, εντολαις, εποτισα, ευπορια, ηγνικοτες, κατεπεσεν, λευκαις, πεντακις, πλευραν, σκαπτειν, συναγαγη, τερασιν, and τετελεκα; while the Septuagint further adds: απειρου, απεκυλιον, αποστει, αφειλον, δραμουμαι, δρασαντι, ειλκυσα, εκζητειται, εκλυσαι, ενκατελιπομεν, ενπεσειται, εξαπατησαι, εξαπεστει, επαιρου, επαυριο, επτερνικαμεν, ετασμον, θαυμασει, καιομενου, κεραμικου, μετοικισαι, μισησης, νευσαι, οικουμενα, προειλατο, προσαγαγης, σκοτειναι, στειραν, Συήνη, and υπομειναι; Ιαπετός, (ירימות) Jerimoth, e.g. 2 Chron 11:18—an otherwise unknown “son of David!”), Βεέλτεθμος (Beltethmus, 1 Esdras 2:15/16), and Ἰαχεὶμ (Jachin, Gen 46:10); Value of نيرو قيصر in standard Abjad; תריון sounds like θηρίον (Painchaud 2023, citing Hadorn 1920); Κλαυδίας (Nelson 2025)

667 = Sons of Adonikam (Nehemiah 7:18, but also see 666)

676 = נרון קיסר

680 = Euphrates (see Aramaic Targum of Rishon Esther 1:4)

685 = Ἰούδας

686 = נירון קיסר and نيرون قيصر in Maghribi Abjad

699 = Isopsephy of Nicolatian

729 = Κηφᾶς; "וּלְקַדִּישֵׁ֥י עֶלְיוֹנִ֖ין יְבַלֵּ֑א"

731 = Ανθούσα (Smyrna graffito, as per Bagnall)

755 = Πέτρος (Mt 18:18)

765 = Adonikam (Heb)

770 = Μέγας Αλέξανδρος

790 = Κύρος

800 = κύριος = πίστις (cmp. 2 Thes 3:2-3 as noted by early Christians<ref name=Blumell/>)

801 = Alpha and Omega

810 = χις (with terminal sigma)

813 = Φλάβιος

840 = Αλέξανδρος ο Μέγας

852 = ונושנתם <ref name=Feder/>

855 = Noah (LXX/NT)

860 = χξς (with terminal sigma)

864 = Ἰερουσαλήμ (Rev); ἁγίων

888 = Ἰησοῦς

892 = Εὐσέβιος

926 = Adonikam (LXX), Ἰεροσόλυμα (1 Macc 1:20, John 12:12)

961 = גֹּאֲלֵנוּ יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת שְׁמוֹ (Isa 47:4)<ref name=Bejon/>

1005 = Νέρων; number of Solomon's songs

1025 = Isopsephy of "ἑξακόσιοι ἑξήκοντα ἕξ"

1038 = Ευελπίστη (Symrna graffito)

1064 = Αἴγυπτος

1071 = Ιωναθας

1112 = "Mene, Mene, Tekel, Parsin"

1118 = "Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Parsin"

1120 = Ηρώδης

1121 = Ηρώδης Α΄

1132 = Κύριος Καῖσαρ

1178 = μυστήριον

1195 = Εὐστάθιος ("Constantine" equivalent meaning, not transliterated, into Greek)

1251 = Απφους

1256 = Ἁγίασμα κυρίου

1260 = Σολομων (NT)<ref name=FRG>Harris, Zachary. "[https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/opth-2022-0245/pdf?licenseType=open-access Forward and Reverse Gematria are Very Different Beasts]." Open Theology 10.1 (2024). See also [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1butkjkck8vhx2s-6qRB-V_g6V8KTFAfL unpublished expanded and updated version].</ref>; "Rectangular" expansion of 36 (see Bauckham citation in Harris); LCM of the first nine triangular numbers, viz. 1, 3, 6, 10, 15, 21, 28, 36 and 45 and multiple of a further three (105, 210 and 630) [Vernon Jenkins]; See also 3.5; Appears in the bounds of an elegant inequality for rational approximation of pi<ref>Dalzell, D. P. "On 22/7." Journal of the London Mathematical Society v 19, issue 75 Part 3 (1944), pp. 133–134, as summarized at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proof_that_22/7_exceeds_%CF%80#Quick_upper_and_lower_bounds</ref>

1264 = Ἐκκλησιαστοῦ

1269 = πιστὸς καὶ ἀληθινός

1285 = Βαβυλὼν

1301 = Αντίοχος

1305 = Αντίοχος Δ΄

1310 = ανθρωπος (Hooper's theory on Rev 13:18)

1337 = Νέρων Καῖσαρ

1341 = Νικολαϊτῶν

1367 = "τοῦ θηρίου"

1380 = Βαβυλὼν ἡ μεγάλη

1439 = Ηρώδης ο Μέγας

1440 = Ηρώδης Α΄ ο Μέγας

1514 = Αλέξανδρος Γ΄ ο Μακεδών

1530 = Σολομωνος

1585 = φιλάνθρωπε (see φλε at 535) — there may have been an inscription in an ancient Palestinian church that said "[φιλάνθρωπε μνήσθητι] | τοῦ Δούλου σοῦ"<ref name=Yonah>Avi-Yonah, M. Art in Ancient Palestine: Selected Studies. Edited by Hannah Katzenstein and Yoram Tsafrir, Magnes Press, 1981, p. 301.</ref>

1688 = Κύριος Ἰησοῦς

1757 = Nebuchadnezzar (LXX)

1835 = Ἰούδας Ἰσκαριὼθ

1841 = ἀντίχριστος

1921 = Σαλωμων (LXX)

1946 = Βασιλεὺς βασιλέων

2006 = Ἐν Τούτῳ Νίκα

2051 = Κωνσταντῖνος

2095 = "ὁ ἔχων νοῦν" (Rev 13:18) and σοφώτερον (1 Cor 1:25)!

2159 = Αντίοχος Δ΄ Επιφανής

2180= κύριος κυρίων

2190 = ἄνθρωπος τῆς ἀνομίας

2252 = εἰκὼν τοῦ θηρίου

2300 = Dan 8:14; Number of balls in a 23-sided triangular pyramid (23*(23+1)*(23+2)/6)

2303 = Gematria value of "שֵׁ֥שׁ מֵא֛וֹת שִׁשִּׁ֥ים וָשֵׁ֖שׁ"

2315 = υἱὸς τῆς ἀπωλείας

2334 = Ἰούδας Ἰσκαριώτης

2445 = ψευδοπροφήτης, Μωϋσέως

2463 = μυστήριον Βαβυλὼν (2463)

2558 = μυστήριον Βαβυλὼν ἡ μεγάλη

2612 = Nebuchadnezzar + Noah (LXX)

2641 = Κωνσταντινούπολις

2659 = ψευδόχριστος

2701 = Value of Gen 1:1; Triangular (73)

3000 = Number of Solomon's proverbs

3039 = "μνήσθητι τοῦ δούλου σου," a common liturgical and biblical prayer formula in Greek, especially in the Septuagint and Orthodox liturgy (see 535 and 1585)

3600 = Taskmasters Solomon appointed (2 Chronicles 2:2,18); six*600 message encoded in pebble triangle<ref name=FRGexpanded/>; 60x60 temple plans (Ezra 6:3)

3750 = Φλάβιος Οὐαλέριος Κωνσταντῖνος

4157 = Βασιλεὺς βασιλέων καὶ κύριος κυρίων

7000 = Did not bow knee to Baal (1 Kings 19; Rom 11); Army of Israel in times of Ahab (1 Kings 20:15) and Nebuchadnezzar (2 Kings 24:16); Killed in great earthquake (Rev 11:13)

144000 = Troops in lamb's army; See also 144

==References==

[[Category:Lists]]
[[Category:Symbolism of particular numbers]]

List of numbers with possible significance

2026-02-12T15:24:22Z

Zekeriya:

When a word or phrase is given with no explanation, the number is the (Hebrew) [[gematria]] or (Greek) [[isopsephy]] value of that word.

2 = Minimum number of witnesses to establish a legal case

3 = Divine perfection (one of four "perfect" numbers: 3, 7, 10, 12)

3.5 = Half of seven is important in Dan 7:25, 12:7, 1 Kgs. 18:1; Luke 4:25; Jas. 5:17 (Cmp. Rev 11:6), Rev 11:9,11; 12:14

4 = Triangular root of 10

5 = Books in Torah

6 = Triangular expansion of 3

7 = Spiritual perfection (one of four "perfect" numbers: 3, 7, 10, 12); Days of creation; Egypt's years of plenty/famine; Years Jacob worked for each wife

8 = Triangular root of 36

10 = Triangular expansion of 4; Ordinal perfection (one of four "perfect" numbers: 3, 7, 10, 12); Commandments/words at Sinai; Plagues on Egypt; Virgins in parable; Days of Smyrna testing; Days of Daniel fast testing; generations in genealogies from creation to flood and flood to Abraham; human universality; clauses in the Lord’s Prayer; Tithes (tenths) representing complete recognition of God’s claims; trials of Abraham’s faith; Ten people in the Bible who said “I have sinned”, demonstrating the widespread nature of human sin; the "full round" of anything; used as a multiplier with other numbers to emphasize or escalate their sense of bigness: e.g. 12*12*10^3

12 = זה (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> 9b); Governmental perfection (one of four "perfect" numbers: 3, 7, 10, 12)

14 = David (Heb); Years Jacob worked to earn his wives

15 = Triangular expansion of 5 and triangular root of 120

17 = Triangular root of 153; Joseph's age when he dreamt

21 = Triangular expansion of 6; Days of Daniel's fast

24 = Books in Tanakh

25 = κε (standard form and abbrev for κύριε=535, which see)

26 = YHVH (also يهوه)

27 = Books in New Testament<ref>Almost all branches agree. See 35 for Ethiopian exception.</ref>

28 = Triangular expansion of 7; Number of Babylonian merchandise items in Rev 18:12-13 (see Beale); Generations from Abraham to the deportation to Babylon; Years of Jehu's reign; 28:42::666:1260 (Harris<ref name=FRGexpanded>Harris, Zachary. [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1butkjkck8vhx2s-6qRB-V_g6V8KTFAfL Unpublished expanded and updated version] of "Forward and Reverse Gematria."</ref>)

30 = יהיה hence default period of Nazirite<ref name=Feder>Rabbi Elie Feder. Gematria Refigured, Mosaica Press, 2022.</ref>

34 = בבל (Babel)

35 = Books in Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church

36 = Triangular expansion of 8 and triangular root of 666

40 = Years of wilderness wandering; Jesus in desert; ... etc.!

42 = "Great" (גדלה) Gen 10:12; אלוה ("god", Dan 11:38); 14x3 generations (Mt 1); 42 Months = 3.5 years (Rev 11-13); See also 3.5

51 = Na ("please")<ref name=Feder/>; Books in Tanakh + New Testament

52 = "Son" (anagram of standard form) and "with everything" (Genesis 24:1) see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 1; Gematria of Elijah (Heb); Years of Uzziah's reign (2 Chron 26:3); בְּהֵמָ֔ה

58 = Noah/grace [anagrams of standard form]

59 = Havilah

60 = Trapezoidal block of pebble diagram<ref name=FRGexpanded/>; 60x60 temple plans (Ezra 6:3, see also 3600)

62 = Age of Darius (Dan 5:31)<ref name=Bejon/>

66 = Value of "Allah" in standard Abjad; בֶּן־דָּוִ֔ד; Books in Protestant Bible

70 = ὁ (Greek nom sg definite article, can be added to some of the titles listed here); elders of Israel; nations in Gen 10; disciples sent out in Luke 10:1-12 [or 72]

72 = Disciples sent out in Luke 10:1-12 [or 70]

77 = Gihon (Gen 4:24)

83 = Age of Aaron when confronting Pharaoh

86 = Elohim

88 = Age of Moses when confronting Pharaoh (Ex 6)

91 = Mene, מלכא, and האלהים along with several other connections to Daniel 5<ref name ="Bejon">James Bejon, Belshazzar’s Riddle (Part II), https://jamesbejon.substack.com/p/belshazzars-riddle-part-ii</ref>

99 = Amen (grk); Number of sheep shepherd leaves behind to search for one lost; See footnote 57 in Blumall<ref name="Blumell"/> regarding Irenaeus and the "Marcosians" on this number's isopsephies

110 = Years of Joseph

120 = למלך (to the king OR to Molech in 1 Kings) and Solomon's gold (1 Kings 9:14; 10:10; 2 Chr 9:9); limit on man's lifespan (Gen 6:3, cf. Deut 31:2; 34:7); years of Moses; Darius' satraps (Dan 6:1); disciples in upper room; triangular expansion of 15

123 = Goliath (LXX)

125 = מסכה (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 9a)

127 = Years of Sarah and provinces of Eshter (this connection is famously addressed by Rabbi Akiva(?) as per AlephBeta video; see also Targum Rishon on Esther

130 = Age of Jacob when he went to Egypt; חִזְקִיָּ֬ה, and the sayings attributed to Hezekiah’s men in Prov 25–29 number about 130 (cmp. 375)<ref name=Hubbard>Hubbard, D. A. “Proverbs, Book Of.” The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised, edited by Geoffrey W. Bromiley, vol. 3, Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1979–1988, p. 1016.</ref>

133 = Years of Kohath (Moses' Gpa)

137 = Years of Levi and Amram (Moses' dad)

142 = Tigris

144 = Width of New Jerusalem's walls; See also 144000

147 = Years of Jacob

153 = Triangular expansion of 17; Number of fish (John 21:11); μέρη (John 21:6); חלקיה (Hilkiah, but see also 666); ANTICHRISTVS (but see 154)

154 = Liber Genealogus' claimed value of ANTICHRISTVS (= 616/4)

165 = The Tree/Money (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 7 on Esther); Naamah (Heb) - the only wife of Solomon who is named in Scripture (see also "the silver" in 1 Kings 10:27) and also sister of Tubal-Cain (Gen 4:22)

182 = "Mene, Mene"; Yakov (Heb.)

191 = ﺲﻠﻴﻣﺎﻧ in standard Abjad

208 = ורב (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 8)

212 = Number of gatekeepers in 1 Chronicles 9:22 (4*53 seems to correspond with vs 24-26; four leaders for each week of the year)

247 = θηρίον "beast" (Painchaud<ref name=Painchaud>Painchaud, Louis. "The Dragon, the Beasts, and the Gold: The Number of the Beast in the Apocalypse of John," in '"Who is Sitting on Which Beast?" Interpretative Issues in the Book of Revelation', Lupieri, Edmondo and Louis Painchaud, eds., Brepols Publishers, 2023</ref>)

248 = Abram (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 11); 613-365 = number of positive "do" mitzvot, number of bones in human body?

276 = Persons on wrecked ship (Acts 27:37); Triangular expansion of 23

288 = Singers (1 Chron 25:7); Gematria of Uzziah (LXX)

294 = קוסטנטין (as Ibn Ezra on Dan 11:36)

314 = Shaddai [anagram of standard form] and Metatron (Talmud) see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 12

318 = Number of Abram's servants in Genesis 14:14 and gematria of “Eliezer” in 15:2

345 = מֹשֶׁ֛ה

350 = פרסי and קרן<ref name=Bejon/>

351 = Γαλατεία (graffito)

365 = 613-248 = number of negative "do not" mitzvot

374 = כשדים

375 = שלמה; said to match the number of Proverbs of Solomon, Prov 10:1–22:16 (cmp. 130)<ref name=Hubbard/>

380 = Egypt (Heb)

385 = Σόδομα, (מצרימה) to Egypt

390 = Days "equal to the number of the years of their punishment" (Eze 4:5)

392 = "All the temple servants and the sons of Solomon’s servants were 392" (Ezra 2:58; Nehemiah 7:60)

400 = Value of the letter ת which is the "mark" in Ezek 9:4,6; Virgins of Jabesh-gilead taken at Shiloh to repopulate Benjamin; Prophets of Asherah (1 Kings 18:19)

406 = תָּ֜ו (see 400)

417 = Gematria of בתיה (Bithia = Batya = Pharaoh's daughter) in 1 Chron 4:17

420 = שלמן (Hos 10:14; see also pebble diagram<ref name=FRGexpanded/>); Amount of Solomon's gold (1 Kings 9:28); ממצרים (1 Kings 8:16,51,53; 10:28–29)

422 = Nebuchadnezzar (Heb)

430 = Years of Israel in Egypt (Ex 12:40-41, Gal 3:17); Years Eber lived after fathering Peleg (Gen 11:17); Rameses (Gen 47:11, Ex 12:37)

431 = ﺲﻠﻴﻣﺎﻧ in Maghribi Abjad

443 = Goliath (Heb)

446 = Pishon

450 = Talents of gold (2 Chron 8:18) and prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:19,22)

451 = Isopsephy of Nicolaus (as in Nicolatians)

460 = קֹ֖דֶשׁ לַֽיהוָֽה

475 = ᾅδης (Mt 18:18; gen. Hades)

480 = Nebuchadnezzar + Noah (Heb); Years from exodus to beginning of Temple construction (1 Kings 6:1)

485 = γυναίκα (Rev 2:20; [12:13;] 17:3, 6; [21:9,27] = βδελυγμα = πολις η μεγαλη (Gen 10:12; Rev 16:19; 17:[5, in pl!], 18; 18:10, 16, 19) = Ἰούδα (Judas/Lk 22:48; Judah/Rev 5:5); "To Succoth" (place in Gen 33:17, Ex 12:37, etc.)

486 = "Succoth" (place in Gen 33:17)

486 = πέτρᾳ (Mt 18:18)

520 = דָּרְיָוֶשׁ and כֹּרֶשׁ<ref name=Bejon/>

521 = Ἀλέξανδρος

525 = יהוָ֥ה צְבָא֖וֹת

526 = כּ֫וֹרֶשׁ

535 = κύριε ("Christians also associated the number 535 [along with 800] with Lord, but in the vocative form"<ref name=Blumell>Blumell and Wayment, The 'Number of the Beast,' in Kraus and Sommer, eds., Book of Seven Seals</ref>); standard form is φλε hence shorthand for κύριε as above (see also φίλε [545] in Harris<ref name=FRGexpanded/>, see also φιλάνθρωπε=1585); קֹהֶ֣לֶת

545 = Pompeii graffito:<ref name=FRGexpanded/>: Μπεκυ ("Pompei Becky"), παρθενικός, γυναικιαν, φίλε

586 = Jerusalem (Heb)

597 = θηρίου "of [the] beast"<ref name=Painchaud/>

600 = ציצת with 8 (knots) and 5 (strings) comes to 613<ref name=Feder/>; trapezoidal block of pebble diagram<ref name=FRGexpanded/>; Six 600's associated with Solomon as per triangle in pebble diagram<ref name=FRGexpanded/>: 1 Kings 10:14, 16; 2 Chron 2:2, 17; 9:13, 15; Six 600's of David: 1 Sam 23:13; 27:2; 30:9; 1 Chron 7:2; 21:25; 2 Chron 2:17

606 = Ruth

611 = Torah

613 = Ruth + 7 Noahide laws; Torah given to Moses + 2 mitzvot given directly to all Israel; גרתי (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> 10a); 248+365; 606+7; 611+2; 600+8+5

616 = "עתה יגדל-נא כח הי" and "Rehoboth" (Gen 26:22); נרו קסר; Anagrams of Heb standard form = [Jethro (also "and the rest/excellence" Gen 49:3/Deut 3:13, "let/leave" Ex 16:19, and "shall remain" Ex 29:34) or "they spied" (Num 13:21)]; תריו which sounds like θηρίου; χιϛ as abbreviation for Christ (Jesus) and/or rearranged to form Chi-Rho; Possible graffito answers: Φαίδρα, Οφέλια, Ασυδια, Μαρουδα, and Ρουδάμα; Γαιος Καισαρ; Καῖσαρ θεός

620 = Shinar

636 = Value of نيرو قيصر in Maghribi Abjad

638 = Θεοδόσιος

647 = Χαλδαία

665 = Appears in one manuscript of Rev 13:18; See also Harris pebble chart and analysis<ref name=FRGexpanded/>; "אֶרֶץ כַּשְׂדִּים"

666 = Solomon's gold; Rev 13:18; Triangular expansion of 36; sons of Adonikam (Ezra 2:13, but also see 667); ἑλκύσαι (John 21:6); Χελκια (Hilkiah LXX, but see also 153); "עתה יגדל-נא כח אדני" (Num 14:17, see notes); DCLXVI; נרון קסר; Anagrams of standard form = ["Without" (Pr 11:22); "you should destroy" ("tarsu", cmp. Amos 6:11); Sethur; תסור (Deut 17:11)]; Mea Shearim; Irenaeus gives: Ευανθας, Λατεινος, Τειταν..., Μαομέτις; Counter-Reformers give: לולתר, ,Λουθερανα; Scripture has: הנהרות, הראיתים, הרימותה, והרתיהם, ויתרן, ולמקצת, ולפרשים, ולשלש, ולשעירים, ומשנער, וסרת, וסתר, וצעקת, ורמתך, ותמכר, ותסר, יתפלצון, יתרון, לעצמותיך, לשלוש, מיתריו, מנפצות, נחרבות, נפוצתם, נפצותם, סתור, סתרו, ענקתמו, צעקתו, רמותך, תורין, תחגרנה, תמכרו, תסור, תסרו, תצעקו, תראינה, απολλυμεθα, διασπορας, δυνασαι, ειχαν, εκελευσα, ελκυσαι, εντολαις, εποτισα, ευπορια, ηγνικοτες, κατεπεσεν, λευκαις, πεντακις, πλευραν, σκαπτειν, συναγαγη, τερασιν, and τετελεκα; while the Septuagint further adds: απειρου, απεκυλιον, αποστει, αφειλον, δραμουμαι, δρασαντι, ειλκυσα, εκζητειται, εκλυσαι, ενκατελιπομεν, ενπεσειται, εξαπατησαι, εξαπεστει, επαιρου, επαυριο, επτερνικαμεν, ετασμον, θαυμασει, καιομενου, κεραμικου, μετοικισαι, μισησης, νευσαι, οικουμενα, προειλατο, προσαγαγης, σκοτειναι, στειραν, Συήνη, and υπομειναι; Ιαπετός, (ירימות) Jerimoth, e.g. 2 Chron 11:18—an otherwise unknown “son of David!”), Βεέλτεθμος (Beltethmus, 1 Esdras 2:15/16), and Ἰαχεὶμ (Jachin, Gen 46:10); Value of نيرو قيصر in standard Abjad; תריון sounds like θηρίον (Painchaud 2023, citing Hadorn 1920); Κλαυδίας (Nelson 2025)

667 = Sons of Adonikam (Nehemiah 7:18, but also see 666)

676 = נרון קיסר

680 = Euphrates (see Aramaic Targum of Rishon Esther 1:4)

685 = Ἰούδας

686 = נירון קיסר and نيرون قيصر in Maghribi Abjad

699 = Isopsephy of Nicolatian

729 = Κηφᾶς; "וּלְקַדִּישֵׁ֥י עֶלְיוֹנִ֖ין יְבַלֵּ֑א"

731 = Ανθούσα (Smyrna graffito, as per Bagnall)

755 = Πέτρος (Mt 18:18)

765 = Adonikam (Heb)

770 = Μέγας Αλέξανδρος

790 = Κύρος

800 = κύριος = πίστις (cmp. 2 Thes 3:2-3 as noted by early Christians<ref name=Blumell/>)

801 = Alpha and Omega

810 = χις (with terminal sigma)

813 = Φλάβιος

840 = Αλέξανδρος ο Μέγας

852 = ונושנתם <ref name=Feder/>

855 = Noah (LXX/NT)

860 = χξς (with terminal sigma)

864 = Ἰερουσαλήμ (Rev); ἁγίων

888 = Ἰησοῦς

892 = Εὐσέβιος

926 = Adonikam (LXX), Ἰεροσόλυμα (1 Macc 1:20, John 12:12)

961 = גֹּאֲלֵנוּ יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת שְׁמוֹ (Isa 47:4)<ref name=Bejon/>

1005 = Νέρων; number of Solomon's songs

1025 = Isopsephy of "ἑξακόσιοι ἑξήκοντα ἕξ"

1038 = Ευελπίστη (Symrna graffito)

1064 = Αἴγυπτος

1071 = Ιωναθας

1112 = "Mene, Mene, Tekel, Parsin"

1118 = "Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Parsin"

1120 = Ηρώδης

1121 = Ηρώδης Α΄

1132 = Κύριος Καῖσαρ

1178 = μυστήριον

1195 = Εὐστάθιος ("Constantine" equivalent meaning, not transliterated, into Greek)

1251 = Απφους

1256 = Ἁγίασμα κυρίου

1260 = Σολομων (NT)<ref name=FRG>Harris, Zachary. "[https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/opth-2022-0245/pdf?licenseType=open-access Forward and Reverse Gematria are Very Different Beasts]." Open Theology 10.1 (2024). See also [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1butkjkck8vhx2s-6qRB-V_g6V8KTFAfL unpublished expanded and updated version].</ref>; "Rectangular" expansion of 36 (see Bauckham citation in Harris); LCM of the first nine triangular numbers, viz. 1, 3, 6, 10, 15, 21, 28, 36 and 45 and multiple of a further three (105, 210 and 630) [Vernon Jenkins]; See also 3.5; Appears in the bounds of an elegant inequality for rational approximation of pi<ref>Dalzell, D. P. "On 22/7." Journal of the London Mathematical Society v 19, issue 75 Part 3 (1944), pp. 133–134, as summarized at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proof_that_22/7_exceeds_%CF%80#Quick_upper_and_lower_bounds</ref>

1264 = Ἐκκλησιαστοῦ

1269 = πιστὸς καὶ ἀληθινός

1285 = Βαβυλὼν

1301 = Αντίοχος

1305 = Αντίοχος Δ΄

1310 = ανθρωπος (Hooper's theory on Rev 13:18)

1337 = Νέρων Καῖσαρ

1341 = Νικολαϊτῶν

1367 = "τοῦ θηρίου"

1380 = Βαβυλὼν ἡ μεγάλη

1439 = Ηρώδης ο Μέγας

1440 = Ηρώδης Α΄ ο Μέγας

1514 = Αλέξανδρος Γ΄ ο Μακεδών

1530 = Σολομωνος

1585 = φιλάνθρωπε (see φλε at 535) — there may have been an inscription in an ancient Palestinian church that said "[φιλάνθρωπε μνήσθητι] | τοῦ Δούλου σοῦ"<ref name=Yonah>Avi-Yonah, M. Art in Ancient Palestine: Selected Studies. Edited by Hannah Katzenstein and Yoram Tsafrir, Magnes Press, 1981, p. 301.</ref>

1688 = Κύριος Ἰησοῦς

1757 = Nebuchadnezzar (LXX)

1835 = Ἰούδας Ἰσκαριὼθ

1841 = ἀντίχριστος

1921 = Σαλωμων (LXX)

1946 = Βασιλεὺς βασιλέων

2006 = Ἐν Τούτῳ Νίκα

2051 = Κωνσταντῖνος

2095 = "ὁ ἔχων νοῦν" (Rev 13:18) and σοφώτερον (1 Cor 1:25)!

2159 = Αντίοχος Δ΄ Επιφανής

2180= κύριος κυρίων

2190 = ἄνθρωπος τῆς ἀνομίας

2252 = εἰκὼν τοῦ θηρίου

2300 = Dan 8:14; Number of balls in a 23-sided triangular pyramid (23*(23+1)*(23+2)/6)

2303 = Gematria value of "שֵׁ֥שׁ מֵא֛וֹת שִׁשִּׁ֥ים וָשֵׁ֖שׁ"

2315 = υἱὸς τῆς ἀπωλείας

2334 = Ἰούδας Ἰσκαριώτης

2445 = ψευδοπροφήτης, Μωϋσέως

2463 = μυστήριον Βαβυλὼν (2463)

2558 = μυστήριον Βαβυλὼν ἡ μεγάλη

2612 = Nebuchadnezzar + Noah (LXX)

2641 = Κωνσταντινούπολις

2659 = ψευδόχριστος

2701 = Value of Gen 1:1; Triangular (73)

3000 = Number of Solomon's proverbs

3039 = "μνήσθητι τοῦ δούλου σου," a common liturgical and biblical prayer formula in Greek, especially in the Septuagint and Orthodox liturgy (see 535 and 1585)

3600 = Taskmasters Solomon appointed (2 Chronicles 2:2,18); six*600 message encoded in pebble triangle<ref name=FRGexpanded/>; 60x60 temple plans (Ezra 6:3)

3750 = Φλάβιος Οὐαλέριος Κωνσταντῖνος

4157 = Βασιλεὺς βασιλέων καὶ κύριος κυρίων

7000 = Did not bow knee to Baal (1 Kings 19; Rom 11); Army of Israel in times of Ahab (1 Kings 20:15) and Nebuchadnezzar (2 Kings 24:16); Killed in great earthquake (Rev 11:13)

144000 = Troops in lamb's army; See also 144

==References==

[[Category:Lists]]
[[Category:Symbolism of particular numbers]]

List of numbers with possible significance

2026-02-11T23:31:51Z

Zekeriya:

When a word or phrase is given with no explanation, the number is the (Hebrew) [[gematria]] or (Greek) [[isopsephy]] value of that word.

2 = Minimum number of witnesses to establish a legal case

3 = Divine perfection (one of four "perfect" numbers: 3, 7, 10, 12)

3.5 = Half of seven is important in Dan 7:25, 12:7, 1 Kgs. 18:1; Luke 4:25; Jas. 5:17 (Cmp. Rev 11:6), Rev 11:9,11; 12:14

4 = Triangular root of 10

6 = Triangular expansion of 3

7 = Spiritual perfection (one of four "perfect" numbers: 3, 7, 10, 12); Days of creation; Egypt's years of plenty/famine; Years Jacob worked for each wife

8 = Triangular root of 36

10 = Triangular expansion of 4; Ordinal perfection (one of four "perfect" numbers: 3, 7, 10, 12); Commandments/words at Sinai; Plagues on Egypt; Virgins in parable; Days of Smyrna testing; Days of Daniel fast testing; generations in genealogies from creation to flood and flood to Abraham; human universality; clauses in the Lord’s Prayer; Tithes (tenths) representing complete recognition of God’s claims; trials of Abraham’s faith; Ten people in the Bible who said “I have sinned”, demonstrating the widespread nature of human sin; the "full round" of anything; used as a multiplier with other numbers to emphasize or escalate their sense of bigness: e.g. 12*12*10^3

12 = זה (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> 9b); Governmental perfection (one of four "perfect" numbers: 3, 7, 10, 12)

14 = David (Heb); Years Jacob worked to earn his wives

15 = Triangular expansion of 5 and triangular root of 120

17 = Triangular root of 153; Joseph's age when he dreamt

21 = Triangular expansion of 6; Days of Daniel's fast

25 = κε (standard form and abbrev for κύριε=535, which see)

26 = YHVH (also يهوه)

28 = Triangular expansion of 7; Number of Babylonian merchandise items in Rev 18:12-13 (see Beale); Generations from Abraham to the deportation to Babylon; Years of Jehu's reign; 28:42::666:1260 (Harris<ref name=FRGexpanded>Harris, Zachary. [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1butkjkck8vhx2s-6qRB-V_g6V8KTFAfL Unpublished expanded and updated version] of "Forward and Reverse Gematria."</ref>)

30 = יהיה hence default period of Nazirite<ref name=Feder>Rabbi Elie Feder. Gematria Refigured, Mosaica Press, 2022.</ref>

34 = בבל (Babel)

36 = Triangular expansion of 8 and triangular root of 666

40 = Years of wilderness wandering; Jesus in desert; ... etc.!

42 = "Great" (גדלה) Gen 10:12; אלוה ("god", Dan 11:38); 14x3 generations (Mt 1); 42 Months = 3.5 years (Rev 11-13); See also 3.5

51 = Na ("please")<ref name=Feder/>

52 = "Son" (anagram of standard form) and "with everything" (Genesis 24:1) see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 1; Gematria of Elijah (Heb); Years of Uzziah's reign (2 Chron 26:3); בְּהֵמָ֔ה

58 = Noah/grace [anagrams of standard form]

59 = Havilah

60 = Trapezoidal block of pebble diagram<ref name=FRGexpanded/>; 60x60 temple plans (Ezra 6:3, see also 3600)

62 = Age of Darius (Dan 5:31)<ref name=Bejon/>

66 = Value of "Allah" in standard Abjad; בֶּן־דָּוִ֔ד

70 = ὁ (Greek nom sg definite article, can be added to some of the titles listed here); elders of Israel; nations in Gen 10; disciples sent out in Luke 10:1-12 [or 72]

72 = Disciples sent out in Luke 10:1-12 [or 70]

77 = Gihon (Gen 4:24)

83 = Age of Aaron when confronting Pharaoh

86 = Elohim

88 = Age of Moses when confronting Pharaoh (Ex 6)

91 = Mene, מלכא, and האלהים along with several other connections to Daniel 5<ref name ="Bejon">James Bejon, Belshazzar’s Riddle (Part II), https://jamesbejon.substack.com/p/belshazzars-riddle-part-ii</ref>

99 = Amen (grk); Number of sheep shepherd leaves behind to search for one lost; See footnote 57 in Blumall<ref name="Blumell"/> regarding Irenaeus and the "Marcosians" on this number's isopsephies

110 = Years of Joseph

120 = למלך (to the king OR to Molech in 1 Kings) and Solomon's gold (1 Kings 9:14; 10:10; 2 Chr 9:9); limit on man's lifespan (Gen 6:3, cf. Deut 31:2; 34:7); years of Moses; Darius' satraps (Dan 6:1); disciples in upper room; triangular expansion of 15

123 = Goliath (LXX)

125 = מסכה (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 9a)

127 = Years of Sarah and provinces of Eshter (this connection is famously addressed by Rabbi Akiva(?) as per AlephBeta video; see also Targum Rishon on Esther

130 = Age of Jacob when he went to Egypt; חִזְקִיָּ֬ה, and the sayings attributed to Hezekiah’s men in Prov 25–29 number about 130 (cmp. 375)<ref name=Hubbard>Hubbard, D. A. “Proverbs, Book Of.” The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised, edited by Geoffrey W. Bromiley, vol. 3, Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1979–1988, p. 1016.</ref>

133 = Years of Kohath (Moses' Gpa)

137 = Years of Levi and Amram (Moses' dad)

142 = Tigris

144 = Width of New Jerusalem's walls; See also 144000

147 = Years of Jacob

153 = Triangular expansion of 17; Number of fish (John 21:11); μέρη (John 21:6); חלקיה (Hilkiah, but see also 666); ANTICHRISTVS (but see 154)

154 = Liber Genealogus' claimed value of ANTICHRISTVS (= 616/4)

165 = The Tree/Money (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 7 on Esther); Naamah (Heb) - the only wife of Solomon who is named in Scripture (see also "the silver" in 1 Kings 10:27) and also sister of Tubal-Cain (Gen 4:22)

182 = "Mene, Mene"; Yakov (Heb.)

191 = ﺲﻠﻴﻣﺎﻧ in standard Abjad

208 = ורב (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 8)

212 = Number of gatekeepers in 1 Chronicles 9:22 (4*53 seems to correspond with vs 24-26; four leaders for each week of the year)

247 = θηρίον "beast" (Painchaud<ref name=Painchaud>Painchaud, Louis. "The Dragon, the Beasts, and the Gold: The Number of the Beast in the Apocalypse of John," in '"Who is Sitting on Which Beast?" Interpretative Issues in the Book of Revelation', Lupieri, Edmondo and Louis Painchaud, eds., Brepols Publishers, 2023</ref>)

248 = Abram (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 11); 613-365 = number of positive "do" mitzvot, number of bones in human body?

276 = Persons on wrecked ship (Acts 27:37); Triangular expansion of 23

288 = Singers (1 Chron 25:7); Gematria of Uzziah (LXX)

294 = קוסטנטין (as Ibn Ezra on Dan 11:36)

314 = Shaddai [anagram of standard form] and Metatron (Talmud) see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 12

318 = Number of Abram's servants in Genesis 14:14 and gematria of “Eliezer” in 15:2

345 = מֹשֶׁ֛ה

350 = פרסי and קרן<ref name=Bejon/>

351 = Γαλατεία (graffito)

365 = 613-248 = number of negative "do not" mitzvot

374 = כשדים

375 = שלמה; said to match the number of Proverbs of Solomon, Prov 10:1–22:16 (cmp. 130)<ref name=Hubbard/>

380 = Egypt (Heb)

385 = Σόδομα, (מצרימה) to Egypt

390 = Days "equal to the number of the years of their punishment" (Eze 4:5)

392 = "All the temple servants and the sons of Solomon’s servants were 392" (Ezra 2:58; Nehemiah 7:60)

400 = Value of the letter ת which is the "mark" in Ezek 9:4,6; Virgins of Jabesh-gilead taken at Shiloh to repopulate Benjamin; Prophets of Asherah (1 Kings 18:19)

406 = תָּ֜ו (see 400)

417 = Gematria of בתיה (Bithia = Batya = Pharaoh's daughter) in 1 Chron 4:17

420 = שלמן (Hos 10:14; see also pebble diagram<ref name=FRGexpanded/>); Amount of Solomon's gold (1 Kings 9:28); ממצרים (1 Kings 8:16,51,53; 10:28–29)

422 = Nebuchadnezzar (Heb)

430 = Years of Israel in Egypt (Ex 12:40-41, Gal 3:17); Years Eber lived after fathering Peleg (Gen 11:17); Rameses (Gen 47:11, Ex 12:37)

431 = ﺲﻠﻴﻣﺎﻧ in Maghribi Abjad

443 = Goliath (Heb)

446 = Pishon

450 = Talents of gold (2 Chron 8:18) and prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:19,22)

451 = Isopsephy of Nicolaus (as in Nicolatians)

460 = קֹ֖דֶשׁ לַֽיהוָֽה

475 = ᾅδης (Mt 18:18; gen. Hades)

480 = Nebuchadnezzar + Noah (Heb); Years from exodus to beginning of Temple construction (1 Kings 6:1)

485 = γυναίκα (Rev 2:20; [12:13;] 17:3, 6; [21:9,27] = βδελυγμα = πολις η μεγαλη (Gen 10:12; Rev 16:19; 17:[5, in pl!], 18; 18:10, 16, 19) = Ἰούδα (Judas/Lk 22:48; Judah/Rev 5:5); "To Succoth" (place in Gen 33:17, Ex 12:37, etc.)

486 = "Succoth" (place in Gen 33:17)

486 = πέτρᾳ (Mt 18:18)

520 = דָּרְיָוֶשׁ and כֹּרֶשׁ<ref name=Bejon/>

521 = Ἀλέξανδρος

525 = יהוָ֥ה צְבָא֖וֹת

526 = כּ֫וֹרֶשׁ

535 = κύριε ("Christians also associated the number 535 [along with 800] with Lord, but in the vocative form"<ref name=Blumell>Blumell and Wayment, The 'Number of the Beast,' in Kraus and Sommer, eds., Book of Seven Seals</ref>); standard form is φλε hence shorthand for κύριε as above (see also φίλε [545] in Harris<ref name=FRGexpanded/>, see also φιλάνθρωπε=1585); קֹהֶ֣לֶת

545 = Pompeii graffito:<ref name=FRGexpanded/>: Μπεκυ ("Pompei Becky"), παρθενικός, γυναικιαν, φίλε

586 = Jerusalem (Heb)

597 = θηρίου "of [the] beast"<ref name=Painchaud/>

600 = ציצת with 8 (knots) and 5 (strings) comes to 613<ref name=Feder/>; trapezoidal block of pebble diagram<ref name=FRGexpanded/>; Six 600's associated with Solomon as per triangle in pebble diagram<ref name=FRGexpanded/>: 1 Kings 10:14, 16; 2 Chron 2:2, 17; 9:13, 15; Six 600's of David: 1 Sam 23:13; 27:2; 30:9; 1 Chron 7:2; 21:25; 2 Chron 2:17

606 = Ruth

611 = Torah

613 = Ruth + 7 Noahide laws; Torah given to Moses + 2 mitzvot given directly to all Israel; גרתי (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> 10a); 248+365; 606+7; 611+2; 600+8+5

616 = "עתה יגדל-נא כח הי" and "Rehoboth" (Gen 26:22); נרו קסר; Anagrams of Heb standard form = [Jethro (also "and the rest/excellence" Gen 49:3/Deut 3:13, "let/leave" Ex 16:19, and "shall remain" Ex 29:34) or "they spied" (Num 13:21)]; תריו which sounds like θηρίου; χιϛ as abbreviation for Christ (Jesus) and/or rearranged to form Chi-Rho; Possible graffito answers: Φαίδρα, Οφέλια, Ασυδια, Μαρουδα, and Ρουδάμα; Γαιος Καισαρ; Καῖσαρ θεός

620 = Shinar

636 = Value of نيرو قيصر in Maghribi Abjad

638 = Θεοδόσιος

647 = Χαλδαία

665 = Appears in one manuscript of Rev 13:18; See also Harris pebble chart and analysis<ref name=FRGexpanded/>; "אֶרֶץ כַּשְׂדִּים"

666 = Solomon's gold; Rev 13:18; Triangular expansion of 36; sons of Adonikam (Ezra 2:13, but also see 667); ἑλκύσαι (John 21:6); Χελκια (Hilkiah LXX, but see also 153); "עתה יגדל-נא כח אדני" (Num 14:17, see notes); DCLXVI; נרון קסר; Anagrams of standard form = ["Without" (Pr 11:22); "you should destroy" ("tarsu", cmp. Amos 6:11); Sethur; תסור (Deut 17:11)]; Mea Shearim; Irenaeus gives: Ευανθας, Λατεινος, Τειταν..., Μαομέτις; Counter-Reformers give: לולתר, ,Λουθερανα; Scripture has: הנהרות, הראיתים, הרימותה, והרתיהם, ויתרן, ולמקצת, ולפרשים, ולשלש, ולשעירים, ומשנער, וסרת, וסתר, וצעקת, ורמתך, ותמכר, ותסר, יתפלצון, יתרון, לעצמותיך, לשלוש, מיתריו, מנפצות, נחרבות, נפוצתם, נפצותם, סתור, סתרו, ענקתמו, צעקתו, רמותך, תורין, תחגרנה, תמכרו, תסור, תסרו, תצעקו, תראינה, απολλυμεθα, διασπορας, δυνασαι, ειχαν, εκελευσα, ελκυσαι, εντολαις, εποτισα, ευπορια, ηγνικοτες, κατεπεσεν, λευκαις, πεντακις, πλευραν, σκαπτειν, συναγαγη, τερασιν, and τετελεκα; while the Septuagint further adds: απειρου, απεκυλιον, αποστει, αφειλον, δραμουμαι, δρασαντι, ειλκυσα, εκζητειται, εκλυσαι, ενκατελιπομεν, ενπεσειται, εξαπατησαι, εξαπεστει, επαιρου, επαυριο, επτερνικαμεν, ετασμον, θαυμασει, καιομενου, κεραμικου, μετοικισαι, μισησης, νευσαι, οικουμενα, προειλατο, προσαγαγης, σκοτειναι, στειραν, Συήνη, and υπομειναι; Ιαπετός, (ירימות) Jerimoth, e.g. 2 Chron 11:18—an otherwise unknown “son of David!”), Βεέλτεθμος (Beltethmus, 1 Esdras 2:15/16), and Ἰαχεὶμ (Jachin, Gen 46:10); Value of نيرو قيصر in standard Abjad; תריון sounds like θηρίον (Painchaud 2023, citing Hadorn 1920); Κλαυδίας (Nelson 2025)

667 = Sons of Adonikam (Nehemiah 7:18, but also see 666)

676 = נרון קיסר

680 = Euphrates (see Aramaic Targum of Rishon Esther 1:4)

685 = Ἰούδας

686 = נירון קיסר and نيرون قيصر in Maghribi Abjad

699 = Isopsephy of Nicolatian

729 = Κηφᾶς; "וּלְקַדִּישֵׁ֥י עֶלְיוֹנִ֖ין יְבַלֵּ֑א"

731 = Ανθούσα (Smyrna graffito, as per Bagnall)

755 = Πέτρος (Mt 18:18)

765 = Adonikam (Heb)

770 = Μέγας Αλέξανδρος

790 = Κύρος

800 = κύριος = πίστις (cmp. 2 Thes 3:2-3 as noted by early Christians<ref name=Blumell/>)

801 = Alpha and Omega

810 = χις (with terminal sigma)

813 = Φλάβιος

840 = Αλέξανδρος ο Μέγας

852 = ונושנתם <ref name=Feder/>

855 = Noah (LXX/NT)

860 = χξς (with terminal sigma)

864 = Ἰερουσαλήμ (Rev); ἁγίων

888 = Ἰησοῦς

892 = Εὐσέβιος

926 = Adonikam (LXX), Ἰεροσόλυμα (1 Macc 1:20, John 12:12)

961 = גֹּאֲלֵנוּ יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת שְׁמוֹ (Isa 47:4)<ref name=Bejon/>

1005 = Νέρων; number of Solomon's songs

1025 = Isopsephy of "ἑξακόσιοι ἑξήκοντα ἕξ"

1038 = Ευελπίστη (Symrna graffito)

1064 = Αἴγυπτος

1071 = Ιωναθας

1112 = "Mene, Mene, Tekel, Parsin"

1118 = "Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Parsin"

1120 = Ηρώδης

1121 = Ηρώδης Α΄

1132 = Κύριος Καῖσαρ

1178 = μυστήριον

1195 = Εὐστάθιος ("Constantine" equivalent meaning, not transliterated, into Greek)

1251 = Απφους

1256 = Ἁγίασμα κυρίου

1260 = Σολομων (NT)<ref name=FRG>Harris, Zachary. "[https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/opth-2022-0245/pdf?licenseType=open-access Forward and Reverse Gematria are Very Different Beasts]." Open Theology 10.1 (2024). See also [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1butkjkck8vhx2s-6qRB-V_g6V8KTFAfL unpublished expanded and updated version].</ref>; "Rectangular" expansion of 36 (see Bauckham citation in Harris); LCM of the first nine triangular numbers, viz. 1, 3, 6, 10, 15, 21, 28, 36 and 45 and multiple of a further three (105, 210 and 630) [Vernon Jenkins]; See also 3.5; Appears in the bounds of an elegant inequality for rational approximation of pi<ref>Dalzell, D. P. "On 22/7." Journal of the London Mathematical Society v 19, issue 75 Part 3 (1944), pp. 133–134, as summarized at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proof_that_22/7_exceeds_%CF%80#Quick_upper_and_lower_bounds</ref>

1264 = Ἐκκλησιαστοῦ

1269 = πιστὸς καὶ ἀληθινός

1285 = Βαβυλὼν

1301 = Αντίοχος

1305 = Αντίοχος Δ΄

1310 = ανθρωπος (Hooper's theory on Rev 13:18)

1337 = Νέρων Καῖσαρ

1341 = Νικολαϊτῶν

1367 = "τοῦ θηρίου"

1380 = Βαβυλὼν ἡ μεγάλη

1439 = Ηρώδης ο Μέγας

1440 = Ηρώδης Α΄ ο Μέγας

1514 = Αλέξανδρος Γ΄ ο Μακεδών

1530 = Σολομωνος

1585 = φιλάνθρωπε (see φλε at 535) — there may have been an inscription in an ancient Palestinian church that said "[φιλάνθρωπε μνήσθητι] | τοῦ Δούλου σοῦ"<ref name=Yonah>Avi-Yonah, M. Art in Ancient Palestine: Selected Studies. Edited by Hannah Katzenstein and Yoram Tsafrir, Magnes Press, 1981, p. 301.</ref>

1688 = Κύριος Ἰησοῦς

1757 = Nebuchadnezzar (LXX)

1835 = Ἰούδας Ἰσκαριὼθ

1841 = ἀντίχριστος

1921 = Σαλωμων (LXX)

1946 = Βασιλεὺς βασιλέων

2006 = Ἐν Τούτῳ Νίκα

2051 = Κωνσταντῖνος

2095 = "ὁ ἔχων νοῦν" (Rev 13:18) and σοφώτερον (1 Cor 1:25)!

2159 = Αντίοχος Δ΄ Επιφανής

2180= κύριος κυρίων

2190 = ἄνθρωπος τῆς ἀνομίας

2252 = εἰκὼν τοῦ θηρίου

2300 = Dan 8:14; Number of balls in a 23-sided triangular pyramid (23*(23+1)*(23+2)/6)

2303 = Gematria value of "שֵׁ֥שׁ מֵא֛וֹת שִׁשִּׁ֥ים וָשֵׁ֖שׁ"

2315 = υἱὸς τῆς ἀπωλείας

2334 = Ἰούδας Ἰσκαριώτης

2445 = ψευδοπροφήτης, Μωϋσέως

2463 = μυστήριον Βαβυλὼν (2463)

2558 = μυστήριον Βαβυλὼν ἡ μεγάλη

2612 = Nebuchadnezzar + Noah (LXX)

2641 = Κωνσταντινούπολις

2659 = ψευδόχριστος

2701 = Value of Gen 1:1; Triangular (73)

3000 = Number of Solomon's proverbs

3039 = "μνήσθητι τοῦ δούλου σου," a common liturgical and biblical prayer formula in Greek, especially in the Septuagint and Orthodox liturgy (see 535 and 1585)

3600 = Taskmasters Solomon appointed (2 Chronicles 2:2,18); six*600 message encoded in pebble triangle<ref name=FRGexpanded/>; 60x60 temple plans (Ezra 6:3)

3750 = Φλάβιος Οὐαλέριος Κωνσταντῖνος

4157 = Βασιλεὺς βασιλέων καὶ κύριος κυρίων

7000 = Did not bow knee to Baal (1 Kings 19; Rom 11); Army of Israel in times of Ahab (1 Kings 20:15) and Nebuchadnezzar (2 Kings 24:16); Killed in great earthquake (Rev 11:13)

144000 = Troops in lamb's army; See also 144

==References==

[[Category:Lists]]
[[Category:Symbolism of particular numbers]]

Category:Symbolism of particular numbers

2026-02-11T23:31:05Z

Zekeriya: Created page with "Category:Numerical symbolism Category:Midrashic hermeneutics"

[[Category:Numerical symbolism]]
[[Category:Midrashic hermeneutics]]

666

2026-02-11T23:30:52Z

Zekeriya:

Abstract of "[https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/opth-2022-0245 Forward and Reverse Gematria are Very Different Beasts]," Open Theology 10.1 (2024):

Though a relatively quiet minority, some commentators since the eighth-century Bede have suggested that the notorious “666” of Revelation 13:18 alludes to the measurement of King Solomon’s excessive gold accumulation which immediately precedes his idolatrous downfall in the Biblical narrative. We now bolster that hypothesis with the observation that the letters of Solomon’s (New Testament Greek) name add up to 1,260, thereby linking this passage with the repeated references to “1,260 days” and related time durations in the preceding sections of the Apocalypse. We go on to adduce a diverse array of reasons to confirm Solomon as the intended solution over against competing candidates such as Nero Caesar and against other types of interpretations such as the purely symbolic. This approach to John’s “calculate the number” riddle – ''[[intertextuality]]'' feeding into ''forward [[gematria]]'' feeding into further intertextuality – has hermeneutical, exegetical, spiritual, canonical, geometrical, logical, and aesthetic advantages over popular ''reverse [[gematria]]'' attempts to search for a (generally extra-Biblical) name producing the value 666.

[[Category:Symbolism of particular numbers]]

666

2026-02-11T23:29:38Z

Zekeriya: Created page with "Abstract of "[https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/opth-2022-0245 Forward and Reverse Gematria are Very Different Beasts]," Open Theology 10.1 (2024): Though a relatively quiet minority, some commentators since the eighth-century Bede have suggested that the notorious “666” of Revelation 13:18 alludes to the measurement of King Solomon’s excessive gold accumulation which immediately precedes his idolatrous downfall in the Biblical narrative. We now bol..."

Main Page

2026-02-11T23:21:00Z

Zekeriya: /* Participate easily! */

== Highlight: [[The modern figural-midrashic renaissance]] ==
Although this wiki covers anything and everything Bible, the primary inspiration that got us started was [[the modern midrashic, literary, figural-symbolic, pattern-based hermeneutical renaissance]] which been rising within academia since around the 1980s and is now [[Midrashic hermeneutical resources#Modern_sources_who_make_use_of_midrashic_hermeneutical_methodologies|increasingly beginning to reach the laity]] largely via the help of video/podcast material favorably accessible to the modern information consumer. Learn from [[midrashic hermeneutical resources]] or participate in [[midrashic hermeneutical discussion communities]].

== Participate easily! ==
One quick and easy way to help build this knowledgebase is to '''simply add a bullet point''' to one of our existing [[:Category:Lists|lists]] such as:
* [[List of chiasms]] in the Bible, from meta-high-level (e.g. Genesis+Exodus, the book of Leviticus, John+Revelation) to micro-level (e.g. Mark 2:27)
* List of [[literary tools]] for Biblical interpretation (e.g. [[intertextuality]], [[List of chiasms|chiasm]], juxtaposition, parallelism)
* List of [[midrashic hermeneutical resources]] (e.g. [https://https://www.alephbeta.org AlephBeta], [https://theopolisinstitute.com Theopolis], [http://bibleproject.com BibleProject])
* [[List of numbers with possible significance]] (e.g. 153, 318, 613, [[666]], 1260)

"Wiki" is a Hawaiian word meaning "quick." The process is supposed to be fast and painless. On Bible Wiki you need not even write a complete sentence! Just include enough information that other Bible Wiki editors and researchers, or your future self, can understand what is intended and flesh it out more fully later, if necessary. DUMP YOUR DATA HERE PLEASE!

== Deeper participation ==
This wiki is new and we are taking a gradual approach to opening up the configuration parameters so as not to become overcome by spambots and whatnot before the technical and personnel guardrails are in place to prevent such nuisances. Anonymous users can read the entire site, add to or edit existing pages, and create new Talk/Discussion pages, but for now you need an [[User_talk:Zekeriya|admin to create an account for you]] if you wish to create new (article) pages.

Midrashic hermeneutical discussion communities

2026-02-11T23:18:45Z

Zekeriya: /* Christian */

==Jewish/Torah-Focused==
* The Patrons/Producers Circle at [https://AlephBeta.org AlephBeta] has an ongoing discussion group, and occasional Zoom classes during which participants can interact with Rabbi Fohrman and each other. Patron's Circle does require a paid subscription, but people from any religious background can join (with respectful understanding that it is a Jewish-run group).
* [https://AlephBeta.org AlephBeta] also has WhatsApp discussion groups for ordinary members.

==Christian==
* AlephBeta Nazarenes (Unofficial) is a WhatsApp discussion group for fans of AlephBeta who want to extend what they are learning from that site, and employ AlephBeta methodologies, applied to the inclusion of the additional Christian canon as well. People from any religious background are welcome to join (with respectful understanding that it is the Christian Bible which is open for discussion). Contact [[User:Zekeriya]] to be added!
* Theopolis Institute has a [https://theopolisinstitute.com/fellows-program Fellows Program] in which you can network with other folks who (among other things) utilize Theopolitian exegetical approaches in the lineage of Peter Leithart and James B. Jordan.
* It has been said that there is a BibleProject [http://slack.com Slack] group which interfaces with AlephBeta material. TODO: If someone has a direct link, or steps to find that group, please edit this line accordingly.
* [https://www.bemadiscipleship.com BEMA podcast], which [https://www.bemadiscipleship.com/search?term=AlephBeta sometimes interacts with AlephBeta material] has [https://www.bemadiscipleship.com/groups discussion groups] in various places around the world
* [https://thedustyfeet.com TheDustyFeet] is "a gathering place for individuals who have a deep love and appreciation for Scripture," with a special appreciation for discussing AlephBeta, BibleProject, and The Chosen material

[[Category:Midrashic hermeneutics]]
[[Category:Lists]]

Midrashic hermeneutical discussion communities

2026-02-11T23:17:35Z

Zekeriya: /* Jewish/Torah-Focused */

==Jewish/Torah-Focused==
* The Patrons/Producers Circle at [https://AlephBeta.org AlephBeta] has an ongoing discussion group, and occasional Zoom classes during which participants can interact with Rabbi Fohrman and each other. Patron's Circle does require a paid subscription, but people from any religious background can join (with respectful understanding that it is a Jewish-run group).
* [https://AlephBeta.org AlephBeta] also has WhatsApp discussion groups for ordinary members.

==Christian==
* AlephBeta Nazarenes (Unofficial) is a WhatsApp discussion group for fans of AlephBeta who want to extend what they are learning from that site, and employ AlephBeta methodologies, applied to the inclusion of the additional Christian canon as well. People from any religious background are welcome to join (with respectful understanding that it is the Christian Bible which is open for discussion). Contact [[User:Zekeriya]] to be added!
* Theopolis Institute has a [https://theopolisinstitute.com/fellows-program Fellows Program] in which you can network with other folks who (among other things) utilize Theopolitian exegetical approaches in the lineage of Peter Leithart and James B. Jordan.
* Word is there is a BibleProject Slack group which interfaces with AlephBeta material. TODO: If someone has a direct link, or steps to find that group, please edit this line accordingly.
* [https://www.bemadiscipleship.com BEMA podcast], which [https://www.bemadiscipleship.com/search?term=AlephBeta sometimes interacts with AlephBeta material] has [https://www.bemadiscipleship.com/groups discussion groups] in various places around the world
* [https://thedustyfeet.com TheDustyFeet] is "a gathering place for individuals who have a deep love and appreciation for Scripture," with a special appreciation for discussing AlephBeta, BibleProject, and The Chosen material

[[Category:Midrashic hermeneutics]]
[[Category:Lists]]

List of chiasms

2026-02-11T23:07:27Z

Zekeriya:

Some Biblical chiasms, classified by size.

==Resources==
* Numerous (proposed) chiasms are catalogued at https://www.chiasmusxchange.com

==Multi-book chiasms==
* Genesis through Exodus: David Schwartz proposes that [https://hakirah.org/Vol29Schwartz.pdf Half the Torah is a Chiasm] (the 38*2+1=77 item chart takes up the last three pages of the pdf). Notably, God making a space for us in His world (Gen 1) maps to His people making a space for Him to occupy in our world (Ex 40). Numerous links proceed inwardly from there. AlephBeta has [https://members.alephbeta.org/video/torah-chiasm/half-the-torah-is-a-chiasm an interview with Schwartz] on this matter.
* Since Leviticus is the center of the Torah, and Leviticus itself is chiasmic (see below), some have proposed<ref>L. Michael Morales, ''Who Shall Ascend the Mountain of the Lord?'', 23-34.</ref><ref>Jennifer H MacRae Howie, [https://www.ancient-hebrew.org/poetry/chiasm-in-torah.htm Chiasm in Torah].</ref> that the five books of Moses form a chiasm with Yom Kippur at the center.
* Gospel of John + Revelation: E.g. https://ancientinsights.wordpress.com/2022/01/06/the-chiasm-of-john-revelation-and-its-implications and https://preterism.org/john-revelation-project-part-two

==Whole-book chiasms==
* Leviticus (regarding which there seems to be consensus that Yom Kippur is central):
** https://members.alephbeta.org/playlist/book-of-leviticus-meaning
** https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/leviticus

==Other large, structural chiasms==
* The entire [https://members.alephbeta.org/playlist/understanding-shmot-through-chiasms second half of the book of Exodus]

=="Average-sized" chiasms (from a couple/few verses up to single pericope) ==
* Joel 3:17-21, as summarized on the [https://www.gotquestions.org/chiasm-chiastic.html GotQuestions page about chiastic structure]

==Micro-chiasms==
* Genesis 9:6
* Mark 2:27

==References==

[[Category:Chiasms]]
[[Category:Lists]]

List of chiasms

2026-02-11T23:06:03Z

Zekeriya: /* Multi-book chiasms */

List of numbers with possible significance

2026-02-07T22:50:27Z

Zekeriya:

When a word or phrase is given with no explanation, the number is the (Hebrew) [[gematria]] or (Greek) [[isopsephy]] value of that word.

2 = Minimum number of witnesses to establish a legal case

3 = Divine perfection (one of four "perfect" numbers: 3, 7, 10, 12)

3.5 = Half of seven is important in Dan 7:25, 12:7, 1 Kgs. 18:1; Luke 4:25; Jas. 5:17 (Cmp. Rev 11:6), Rev 11:9,11; 12:14

4 = Triangular root of 10

6 = Triangular expansion of 3

7 = Spiritual perfection (one of four "perfect" numbers: 3, 7, 10, 12); Days of creation; Egypt's years of plenty/famine; Years Jacob worked for each wife

8 = Triangular root of 36

10 = Triangular expansion of 4; Ordinal perfection (one of four "perfect" numbers: 3, 7, 10, 12); Commandments/words at Sinai; Plagues on Egypt; Virgins in parable; Days of Smyrna testing; Days of Daniel fast testing; generations in genealogies from creation to flood and flood to Abraham; human universality; clauses in the Lord’s Prayer; Tithes (tenths) representing complete recognition of God’s claims; trials of Abraham’s faith; Ten people in the Bible who said “I have sinned”, demonstrating the widespread nature of human sin; the "full round" of anything; used as a multiplier with other numbers to emphasize or escalate their sense of bigness: e.g. 12*12*10^3

12 = זה (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> 9b); Governmental perfection (one of four "perfect" numbers: 3, 7, 10, 12)

14 = David (Heb); Years Jacob worked to earn his wives

15 = Triangular expansion of 5 and triangular root of 120

17 = Triangular root of 153; Joseph's age when he dreamt

21 = Triangular expansion of 6; Days of Daniel's fast

25 = κε (standard form and abbrev for κύριε=535, which see)

26 = YHVH (also يهوه)

28 = Triangular expansion of 7; Number of Babylonian merchandise items in Rev 18:12-13 (see Beale); Generations from Abraham to the deportation to Babylon; Years of Jehu's reign; 28:42::666:1260 (Harris<ref name=FRGexpanded>Harris, Zachary. [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1butkjkck8vhx2s-6qRB-V_g6V8KTFAfL Unpublished expanded and updated version] of "Forward and Reverse Gematria."</ref>)

30 = יהיה hence default period of Nazirite<ref name=Feder>Rabbi Elie Feder. Gematria Refigured, Mosaica Press, 2022.</ref>

34 = בבל (Babel)

36 = Triangular expansion of 8 and triangular root of 666

40 = Years of wilderness wandering; Jesus in desert; ... etc.!

42 = "Great" (גדלה) Gen 10:12; אלוה ("god", Dan 11:38); 14x3 generations (Mt 1); 42 Months = 3.5 years (Rev 11-13); See also 3.5

51 = Na ("please")<ref name=Feder/>

52 = "Son" (anagram of standard form) and "with everything" (Genesis 24:1) see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 1; Gematria of Elijah (Heb); Years of Uzziah's reign (2 Chron 26:3); בְּהֵמָ֔ה

58 = Noah/grace [anagrams of standard form]

59 = Havilah

60 = Trapezoidal block of pebble diagram<ref name=FRGexpanded/>; 60x60 temple plans (Ezra 6:3, see also 3600)

62 = Age of Darius (Dan 5:31)<ref name=Bejon/>

66 = Value of "Allah" in standard Abjad; בֶּן־דָּוִ֔ד

70 = ὁ (Greek nom sg definite article, can be added to some of the titles listed here); elders of Israel; nations in Gen 10; disciples sent out in Luke 10:1-12 [or 72]

72 = Disciples sent out in Luke 10:1-12 [or 70]

77 = Gihon (Gen 4:24)

83 = Age of Aaron when confronting Pharaoh

86 = Elohim

88 = Age of Moses when confronting Pharaoh (Ex 6)

91 = Mene, מלכא, and האלהים along with several other connections to Daniel 5<ref name ="Bejon">James Bejon, Belshazzar’s Riddle (Part II), https://jamesbejon.substack.com/p/belshazzars-riddle-part-ii</ref>

99 = Amen (grk); Number of sheep shepherd leaves behind to search for one lost; See footnote 57 in Blumall<ref name="Blumell"/> regarding Irenaeus and the "Marcosians" on this number's isopsephies

110 = Years of Joseph

120 = למלך (to the king OR to Molech in 1 Kings) and Solomon's gold (1 Kings 9:14; 10:10; 2 Chr 9:9); limit on man's lifespan (Gen 6:3, cf. Deut 31:2; 34:7); years of Moses; Darius' satraps (Dan 6:1); disciples in upper room; triangular expansion of 15

123 = Goliath (LXX)

125 = מסכה (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 9a)

127 = Years of Sarah and provinces of Eshter (this connection is famously addressed by Rabbi Akiva(?) as per AlephBeta video; see also Targum Rishon on Esther

130 = Age of Jacob when he went to Egypt; חִזְקִיָּ֬ה, and the sayings attributed to Hezekiah’s men in Prov 25–29 number about 130 (cmp. 375)<ref name=Hubbard>Hubbard, D. A. “Proverbs, Book Of.” The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised, edited by Geoffrey W. Bromiley, vol. 3, Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1979–1988, p. 1016.</ref>

133 = Years of Kohath (Moses' Gpa)

137 = Years of Levi and Amram (Moses' dad)

142 = Tigris

144 = Width of New Jerusalem's walls; See also 144000

147 = Years of Jacob

153 = Triangular expansion of 17; Number of fish (John 21:11); μέρη (John 21:6); חלקיה (Hilkiah, but see also 666); ANTICHRISTVS (but see 154)

154 = Liber Genealogus' claimed value of ANTICHRISTVS (= 616/4)

165 = The Tree/Money (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 7 on Esther); Naamah (Heb) - the only wife of Solomon who is named in Scripture (see also "the silver" in 1 Kings 10:27) and also sister of Tubal-Cain (Gen 4:22)

182 = "Mene, Mene"; Yakov (Heb.)

191 = ﺲﻠﻴﻣﺎﻧ in standard Abjad

208 = ורב (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 8)

212 = Number of gatekeepers in 1 Chronicles 9:22 (4*53 seems to correspond with vs 24-26; four leaders for each week of the year)

247 = θηρίον "beast" (Painchaud<ref name=Painchaud>Painchaud, Louis. "The Dragon, the Beasts, and the Gold: The Number of the Beast in the Apocalypse of John," in '"Who is Sitting on Which Beast?" Interpretative Issues in the Book of Revelation', Lupieri, Edmondo and Louis Painchaud, eds., Brepols Publishers, 2023</ref>)

248 = Abram (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 11); 613-365 = number of positive "do" mitzvot, number of bones in human body?

276 = Persons on wrecked ship (Acts 27:37); Triangular expansion of 23

288 = Singers (1 Chron 25:7); Gematria of Uzziah (LXX)

294 = קוסטנטין (as Ibn Ezra on Dan 11:36)

314 = Shaddai [anagram of standard form] and Metatron (Talmud) see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 12

318 = Number of Abram's servants in Genesis 14:14 and gematria of “Eliezer” in 15:2

345 = מֹשֶׁ֛ה

350 = פרסי and קרן<ref name=Bejon/>

351 = Γαλατεία (graffito)

365 = 613-248 = number of negative "do not" mitzvot

374 = כשדים

375 = שלמה; said to match the number of Proverbs of Solomon, Prov 10:1–22:16 (cmp. 130)<ref name=Hubbard/>

380 = Egypt (Heb)

385 = Σόδομα, (מצרימה) to Egypt

390 = Days "equal to the number of the years of their punishment" (Eze 4:5)

392 = "All the temple servants and the sons of Solomon’s servants were 392" (Ezra 2:58; Nehemiah 7:60)

400 = Value of the letter ת which is the "mark" in Ezek 9:4,6; Virgins of Jabesh-gilead taken at Shiloh to repopulate Benjamin; Prophets of Asherah (1 Kings 18:19)

406 = תָּ֜ו (see 400)

417 = Gematria of בתיה (Bithia = Batya = Pharaoh's daughter) in 1 Chron 4:17

420 = שלמן (Hos 10:14; see also pebble diagram<ref name=FRGexpanded/>); Amount of Solomon's gold (1 Kings 9:28); ממצרים (1 Kings 8:16,51,53; 10:28–29)

422 = Nebuchadnezzar (Heb)

430 = Years of Israel in Egypt (Ex 12:40-41, Gal 3:17); Years Eber lived after fathering Peleg (Gen 11:17); Rameses (Gen 47:11, Ex 12:37)

431 = ﺲﻠﻴﻣﺎﻧ in Maghribi Abjad

443 = Goliath (Heb)

446 = Pishon

450 = Talents of gold (2 Chron 8:18) and prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:19,22)

451 = Isopsephy of Nicolaus (as in Nicolatians)

460 = קֹ֖דֶשׁ לַֽיהוָֽה

475 = ᾅδης (Mt 18:18; gen. Hades)

480 = Nebuchadnezzar + Noah (Heb); Years from exodus to beginning of Temple construction (1 Kings 6:1)

485 = γυναίκα (Rev 2:20; [12:13;] 17:3, 6; [21:9,27] = βδελυγμα = πολις η μεγαλη (Gen 10:12; Rev 16:19; 17:[5, in pl!], 18; 18:10, 16, 19) = Ἰούδα (Judas/Lk 22:48; Judah/Rev 5:5); "To Succoth" (place in Gen 33:17, Ex 12:37, etc.)

486 = "Succoth" (place in Gen 33:17)

486 = πέτρᾳ (Mt 18:18)

520 = דָּרְיָוֶשׁ and כֹּרֶשׁ<ref name=Bejon/>

521 = Ἀλέξανδρος

525 = יהוָ֥ה צְבָא֖וֹת

526 = כּ֫וֹרֶשׁ

535 = κύριε ("Christians also associated the number 535 [along with 800] with Lord, but in the vocative form"<ref name=Blumell>Blumell and Wayment, The 'Number of the Beast,' in Kraus and Sommer, eds., Book of Seven Seals</ref>); standard form is φλε hence shorthand for κύριε as above (see also φίλε [545] in Harris<ref name=FRGexpanded/>, see also φιλάνθρωπε=1585); קֹהֶ֣לֶת

545 = Pompeii graffito:<ref name=FRGexpanded/>: Μπεκυ ("Pompei Becky"), παρθενικός, γυναικιαν, φίλε

586 = Jerusalem (Heb)

597 = θηρίου "of [the] beast"<ref name=Painchaud/>

600 = ציצת with 8 (knots) and 5 (strings) comes to 613<ref name=Feder/>; trapezoidal block of pebble diagram<ref name=FRGexpanded/>; Six 600's associated with Solomon as per triangle in pebble diagram<ref name=FRGexpanded/>: 1 Kings 10:14, 16; 2 Chron 2:2, 17; 9:13, 15; Six 600's of David: 1 Sam 23:13; 27:2; 30:9; 1 Chron 7:2; 21:25; 2 Chron 2:17

606 = Ruth

611 = Torah

613 = Ruth + 7 Noahide laws; Torah given to Moses + 2 mitzvot given directly to all Israel; גרתי (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> 10a); 248+365; 606+7; 611+2; 600+8+5

616 = "עתה יגדל-נא כח הי" and "Rehoboth" (Gen 26:22); נרו קסר; Anagrams of Heb standard form = [Jethro (also "and the rest/excellence" Gen 49:3/Deut 3:13, "let/leave" Ex 16:19, and "shall remain" Ex 29:34) or "they spied" (Num 13:21)]; תריו which sounds like θηρίου; χιϛ as abbreviation for Christ (Jesus) and/or rearranged to form Chi-Rho; Possible graffito answers: Φαίδρα, Οφέλια, Ασυδια, Μαρουδα, and Ρουδάμα; Γαιος Καισαρ; Καῖσαρ θεός

620 = Shinar

636 = Value of نيرو قيصر in Maghribi Abjad

638 = Θεοδόσιος

647 = Χαλδαία

665 = Appears in one manuscript of Rev 13:18; See also Harris pebble chart and analysis<ref name=FRGexpanded/>; "אֶרֶץ כַּשְׂדִּים"

666 = Solomon's gold; Rev 13:18; Triangular expansion of 36; sons of Adonikam (Ezra 2:13, but also see 667); ἑλκύσαι (John 21:6); Χελκια (Hilkiah LXX, but see also 153); "עתה יגדל-נא כח אדני" (Num 14:17, see notes); DCLXVI; נרון קסר; Anagrams of standard form = ["Without" (Pr 11:22); "you should destroy" ("tarsu", cmp. Amos 6:11); Sethur; תסור (Deut 17:11)]; Mea Shearim; Irenaeus gives: Ευανθας, Λατεινος, Τειταν..., Μαομέτις; Counter-Reformers give: לולתר, ,Λουθερανα; Scripture has: הנהרות, הראיתים, הרימותה, והרתיהם, ויתרן, ולמקצת, ולפרשים, ולשלש, ולשעירים, ומשנער, וסרת, וסתר, וצעקת, ורמתך, ותמכר, ותסר, יתפלצון, יתרון, לעצמותיך, לשלוש, מיתריו, מנפצות, נחרבות, נפוצתם, נפצותם, סתור, סתרו, ענקתמו, צעקתו, רמותך, תורין, תחגרנה, תמכרו, תסור, תסרו, תצעקו, תראינה, απολλυμεθα, διασπορας, δυνασαι, ειχαν, εκελευσα, ελκυσαι, εντολαις, εποτισα, ευπορια, ηγνικοτες, κατεπεσεν, λευκαις, πεντακις, πλευραν, σκαπτειν, συναγαγη, τερασιν, and τετελεκα; while the Septuagint further adds: απειρου, απεκυλιον, αποστει, αφειλον, δραμουμαι, δρασαντι, ειλκυσα, εκζητειται, εκλυσαι, ενκατελιπομεν, ενπεσειται, εξαπατησαι, εξαπεστει, επαιρου, επαυριο, επτερνικαμεν, ετασμον, θαυμασει, καιομενου, κεραμικου, μετοικισαι, μισησης, νευσαι, οικουμενα, προειλατο, προσαγαγης, σκοτειναι, στειραν, Συήνη, and υπομειναι; Ιαπετός, (ירימות) Jerimoth, e.g. 2 Chron 11:18—an otherwise unknown “son of David!”), Βεέλτεθμος (Beltethmus, 1 Esdras 2:15/16), and Ἰαχεὶμ (Jachin, Gen 46:10); Value of نيرو قيصر in standard Abjad; תריון sounds like θηρίον (Painchaud 2023, citing Hadorn 1920); Κλαυδίας (Nelson 2025)

667 = Sons of Adonikam (Nehemiah 7:18, but also see 666)

676 = נרון קיסר

680 = Euphrates (see Aramaic Targum of Rishon Esther 1:4)

685 = Ἰούδας

686 = נירון קיסר and نيرون قيصر in Maghribi Abjad

699 = Isopsephy of Nicolatian

729 = Κηφᾶς; "וּלְקַדִּישֵׁ֥י עֶלְיוֹנִ֖ין יְבַלֵּ֑א"

731 = Ανθούσα (Smyrna graffito, as per Bagnall)

755 = Πέτρος (Mt 18:18)

765 = Adonikam (Heb)

770 = Μέγας Αλέξανδρος

790 = Κύρος

800 = κύριος = πίστις (cmp. 2 Thes 3:2-3 as noted by early Christians<ref name=Blumell/>)

801 = Alpha and Omega

810 = χις (with terminal sigma)

813 = Φλάβιος

840 = Αλέξανδρος ο Μέγας

852 = ונושנתם <ref name=Feder/>

855 = Noah (LXX/NT)

860 = χξς (with terminal sigma)

864 = Ἰερουσαλήμ (Rev); ἁγίων

888 = Ἰησοῦς

892 = Εὐσέβιος

926 = Adonikam (LXX), Ἰεροσόλυμα (1 Macc 1:20, John 12:12)

961 = גֹּאֲלֵנוּ יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת שְׁמוֹ (Isa 47:4)<ref name=Bejon/>

1005 = Νέρων; number of Solomon's songs

1025 = Isopsephy of "ἑξακόσιοι ἑξήκοντα ἕξ"

1038 = Ευελπίστη (Symrna graffito)

1064 = Αἴγυπτος

1071 = Ιωναθας

1112 = "Mene, Mene, Tekel, Parsin"

1118 = "Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Parsin"

1120 = Ηρώδης

1121 = Ηρώδης Α΄

1132 = Κύριος Καῖσαρ

1178 = μυστήριον

1195 = Εὐστάθιος ("Constantine" equivalent meaning, not transliterated, into Greek)

1251 = Απφους

1256 = Ἁγίασμα κυρίου

1260 = Σολομων (NT)<ref name=FRG>Harris, Zachary. "[https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/opth-2022-0245/pdf?licenseType=open-access Forward and Reverse Gematria are Very Different Beasts]." Open Theology 10.1 (2024). See also [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1butkjkck8vhx2s-6qRB-V_g6V8KTFAfL unpublished expanded and updated version].</ref>; "Rectangular" expansion of 36 (see Bauckham citation in Harris); LCM of the first nine triangular numbers, viz. 1, 3, 6, 10, 15, 21, 28, 36 and 45 and multiple of a further three (105, 210 and 630) [Vernon Jenkins]; See also 3.5; Appears in the bounds of an elegant inequality for rational approximation of pi<ref>Dalzell, D. P. "On 22/7." Journal of the London Mathematical Society v 19, issue 75 Part 3 (1944), pp. 133–134, as summarized at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proof_that_22/7_exceeds_%CF%80#Quick_upper_and_lower_bounds</ref>

1264 = Ἐκκλησιαστοῦ

1269 = πιστὸς καὶ ἀληθινός

1285 = Βαβυλὼν

1301 = Αντίοχος

1305 = Αντίοχος Δ΄

1310 = ανθρωπος (Hooper's theory on Rev 13:18)

1337 = Νέρων Καῖσαρ

1341 = Νικολαϊτῶν

1367 = "τοῦ θηρίου"

1380 = Βαβυλὼν ἡ μεγάλη

1439 = Ηρώδης ο Μέγας

1440 = Ηρώδης Α΄ ο Μέγας

1514 = Αλέξανδρος Γ΄ ο Μακεδών

1530 = Σολομωνος

1585 = φιλάνθρωπε (see φλε at 535) — there may have been an inscription in an ancient Palestinian church that said "[φιλάνθρωπε μνήσθητι] | τοῦ Δούλου σοῦ"<ref name=Yonah>Avi-Yonah, M. Art in Ancient Palestine: Selected Studies. Edited by Hannah Katzenstein and Yoram Tsafrir, Magnes Press, 1981, p. 301.</ref>

1688 = Κύριος Ἰησοῦς

1757 = Nebuchadnezzar (LXX)

1835 = Ἰούδας Ἰσκαριὼθ

1841 = ἀντίχριστος

1921 = Σαλωμων (LXX)

1946 = Βασιλεὺς βασιλέων

2006 = Ἐν Τούτῳ Νίκα

2051 = Κωνσταντῖνος

2095 = "ὁ ἔχων νοῦν" (Rev 13:18) and σοφώτερον (1 Cor 1:25)!

2159 = Αντίοχος Δ΄ Επιφανής

2180= κύριος κυρίων

2190 = ἄνθρωπος τῆς ἀνομίας

2252 = εἰκὼν τοῦ θηρίου

2300 = Dan 8:14; Number of balls in a 23-sided triangular pyramid (23*(23+1)*(23+2)/6)

2303 = Gematria value of "שֵׁ֥שׁ מֵא֛וֹת שִׁשִּׁ֥ים וָשֵׁ֖שׁ"

2315 = υἱὸς τῆς ἀπωλείας

2334 = Ἰούδας Ἰσκαριώτης

2445 = ψευδοπροφήτης, Μωϋσέως

2463 = μυστήριον Βαβυλὼν (2463)

2558 = μυστήριον Βαβυλὼν ἡ μεγάλη

2612 = Nebuchadnezzar + Noah (LXX)

2641 = Κωνσταντινούπολις

2659 = ψευδόχριστος

2701 = Value of Gen 1:1; Triangular (73)

3000 = Number of Solomon's proverbs

3039 = "μνήσθητι τοῦ δούλου σου," a common liturgical and biblical prayer formula in Greek, especially in the Septuagint and Orthodox liturgy (see 535 and 1585)

3600 = Taskmasters Solomon appointed (2 Chronicles 2:2,18); six*600 message encoded in pebble triangle<ref name=FRGexpanded/>; 60x60 temple plans (Ezra 6:3)

3750 = Φλάβιος Οὐαλέριος Κωνσταντῖνος

4157 = Βασιλεὺς βασιλέων καὶ κύριος κυρίων

7000 = Did not bow knee to Baal (1 Kings 19; Rom 11); Army of Israel in times of Ahab (1 Kings 20:15) and Nebuchadnezzar (2 Kings 24:16); Killed in great earthquake (Rev 11:13)

144000 = Troops in lamb's army; See also 144

==References==

[[Category:Lists]]
[[Category:Numerical symbolism]]

Category:Symbolism

2026-02-05T16:32:50Z

Zekeriya:

[[Category:Midrashic hermeneutics]]
[[Category:Literary analysis tools]]

Category:Chiasms

2026-02-05T16:32:17Z

Zekeriya:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiastic_structure

[[Category:Midrashic hermeneutics]]
[[Category:Judaic concepts]]
[[Category:Literary analysis tools]]

Midrashic literary tools

2026-02-05T16:31:51Z

Zekeriya:

Many of these are not unique to [[derash|midrashic]] analysis. For example, determining [[genre]] is a fundamental principle of Biblical interpretation which is the foundation of even the most basic [[peshat]] exegesis. Nevertheless, for the sake of completion this page lists literary tools that may be employed as part of midrashic study of the text.

* [[Intertextuality]], [[Allusions]], [[Echoes]]
* [[:Category:Symbolism]]
* [[:Category:Chiasms]]
* [[Paronomasia]] (serious word play, puns)
* [[Gematria]]/[[isopsephy]] and [[:Category:Numerical symbolism]] in general
* [[Typology]]
* [[Allegory]]
* [[Inclusio]]
* [[Merism]]
* [[Acrostic]]
* [[Polyvalence]]
* [[Double entendre]]
* [[Juxtaposition]]
* [[No superfluity]]
* [[Parallelism]]
* [[Janus parallelism]]
* [[:Category:Pardes]] (interpretive "layer") distinctions
* [[Leitmotifs]] (keywords)
* [[Genre]]

==See also==
* [[Schools of midrashic interpretation]] provide various rule sets
* [[AlephBeta methodology cliff notes]]

[[Category:Midrashic hermeneutics]]
[[Category:Lists]]
[[Category:Literary analysis tools]]

Category:Literary analysis tools

2026-02-05T16:30:41Z

Zekeriya: Created page with "Category:Midrashic hermeneutics"

[[Category:Midrashic hermeneutics]]

Paronomasia

2026-02-05T16:30:23Z

Zekeriya: Created page with " PARONOMASIA (Gr. παρονομασία, Lat. annominatio).*—A play on words of similar sound. This linguistic use, which in the present day is usually confined to humorous writing, is found in ancient, and especially Oriental, works in the most serious passages.<ref>Fulford, H. W. “Paronomasia.” A Dictionary of Christ and the Gospels: Aaron–Zion, edited by James Hastings, vol. 2, T&T Clark; Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1906, p. 321.</ref> Paronomasia. A type..."

PARONOMASIA (Gr. παρονομασία, Lat. annominatio).*—A play on words of similar sound. This linguistic use, which in the present day is usually confined to humorous writing, is found in ancient, and especially Oriental, works in the most serious passages.<ref>Fulford, H. W. “Paronomasia.” A Dictionary of Christ and the Gospels: Aaron–Zion, edited by James Hastings, vol. 2, T&T Clark; Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1906, p. 321.</ref>

Paronomasia. A type of *wordplay based on the similarity between two words or word forms. It is frequently used in the Hebrew Bible, especially in prophetic rhetoric: for example, “If you do not believe [ta’aminu], you will not stand firm [te’amenu]” (Isa. 7:9); when Jeremiah saw a rod of almond (shaqed), he was reassured that the Lord is awake (shoqed) (Jer. 1:11–12). Proper names are very often the object of wordplay, as for example, Isaac (Heb. yitzhaq; cf. tzahaq, “to laugh,” Gen. 18:12–15) and Peter (Gk. petros; cf. petra, “rock,” Matt. 16:18). Puns are almost impossible to translate but, for a reader who knows both Greek and Hebrew, there is probably one on the name Malta (Heb. melita, “escape”) in Acts 28:1.<ref>Sawyer, John F. A. “Paronomasia.” A Concise Dictionary of the Bible and Its Reception, 1st ed., Westminster John Knox Press, 2009, p. 194.</ref>

Scott Noegel has written a monograph on wordplay in ANE texts<ref>Scott B. Noegel, "Wordplay in Ancient Near Eastern Texts," 2021.</ref>.

==References==

[[Category:Literary analysis tools]]

Intertextuality

2026-02-05T16:29:54Z

Zekeriya:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intertextuality

In their [https://hebraicthought.org/podcast/how-scripture-reads-scripture-understanding-biblical-intertextuality-brent-strawn-ep-186 Understanding Biblical Intertextuality] discussion, Dru Johnson and Brent Strawn stumble upon way to explain Biblical intertextuality using modern English vernacular: "iykyk," i.e. "If you know, you know." Analogous to the phenomenon of an inside joke, the Biblical authors will cite just some piece or aspect of another text expecting you to bring in the full web of memories and context associated with that text, not just the stated words themselves.

Richard Hays' criteria for legitimate intertextual link:<ref>Hays, Richard B. Echoes of Scripture in the Letters of Paul. Yale University Press, 1993.</ref>
# Availability
# Volume
# Recurrence
# Thematic coherence
# Historical plausibility
# History of interpretation
# Satisfaction

==Tools==
* https://mg.alhatorah.org/TanakhLab finds linguistic parallels in two selected texts from Tanakh

==References==

[[Category:Midrashic hermeneutics]]
[[Category:Literary analysis tools]]

List of numbers with possible significance

2026-02-03T15:17:35Z

Zekeriya:

When a word or phrase is given with no explanation, the number is the (Hebrew) [[gematria]] or (Greek) [[isopsephy]] value of that word.

2 = Minimum number of witnesses to establish a legal case

3 = Divine perfection (one of four "perfect" numbers: 3, 7, 10, 12)

3.5 = Half of seven is important in Dan 7:25, 12:7, 1 Kgs. 18:1; Luke 4:25; Jas. 5:17 (Cmp. Rev 11:6), Rev 11:9,11; 12:14

4 = Triangular root of 10

6 = Triangular expansion of 3

7 = Spiritual perfection (one of four "perfect" numbers: 3, 7, 10, 12); Days of creation; Egypt's years of plenty/famine; Years Jacob worked for each wife

8 = Triangular root of 36

10 = Triangular expansion of 4; Ordinal perfection (one of four "perfect" numbers: 3, 7, 10, 12); Commandments/words at Sinai; Plagues on Egypt; Virgins in parable; Days of Smyrna testing; Days of Daniel fast testing; generations in genealogies from creation to flood and flood to Abraham; human universality; clauses in the Lord’s Prayer; Tithes (tenths) representing complete recognition of God’s claims; trials of Abraham’s faith; Ten people in the Bible who said “I have sinned”, demonstrating the widespread nature of human sin; the "full round" of anything; used as a multiplier with other numbers to emphasize or escalate their sense of bigness: e.g. 12*12*10^3

12 = זה (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> 9b); Governmental perfection (one of four "perfect" numbers: 3, 7, 10, 12)

14 = David (Heb); Years Jacob worked to earn his wives

15 = Triangular expansion of 5 and triangular root of 120

17 = Triangular root of 153; Joseph's age when he dreamt

21 = Triangular expansion of 6; Days of Daniel's fast

25 = κε (standard form and abbrev for κύριε=535, which see)

26 = YHVH (also يهوه)

28 = Triangular expansion of 7; Number of Babylonian merchandise items in Rev 18:12-13 (see Beale); Generations from Abraham to the deportation to Babylon; Years of Jehu's reign; 28:42::666:1260 (Harris<ref name=FRGexpanded>Harris, Zachary. [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1butkjkck8vhx2s-6qRB-V_g6V8KTFAfL Unpublished expanded and updated version] of "Forward and Reverse Gematria."</ref>)

30 = יהיה hence default period of Nazirite<ref name=Feder>Rabbi Elie Feder. Gematria Refigured, Mosaica Press, 2022.</ref>

34 = בבל (Babel)

36 = Triangular expansion of 8 and triangular root of 666

40 = Years of wilderness wandering; Jesus in desert; ... etc.!

42 = "Great" (גדלה) Gen 10:12; אלוה ("god", Dan 11:38); 14x3 generations (Mt 1); 42 Months = 3.5 years (Rev 11-13); See also 3.5

51 = Na ("please")<ref name=Feder/>

52 = "Son" (anagram of standard form) and "with everything" (Genesis 24:1) see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 1; Gematria of Elijah (Heb); Years of Uzziah's reign (2 Chron 26:3); בְּהֵמָ֔ה

58 = Noah/grace [anagrams of standard form]

59 = Havilah

60 = Trapezoidal block of pebble diagram<ref name=FRGexpanded/>; 60x60 temple plans (Ezra 6:3, see also 3600)

62 = Age of Darius (Dan 5:31)<ref name=Bejon/>

66 = Value of "Allah" in standard Abjad; בֶּן־דָּוִ֔ד

70 = ὁ (Greek nom sg definite article, can be added to some of the titles listed here); elders of Israel; nations in Gen 10; disciples sent out in Luke 10:1-12 [or 72]

72 = Disciples sent out in Luke 10:1-12 [or 70]

77 = Gihon (Gen 4:24)

83 = Age of Aaron when confronting Pharaoh

86 = Elohim

88 = Age of Moses when confronting Pharaoh (Ex 6)

91 = Mene, מלכא, and האלהים along with several other connections to Daniel 5<ref name ="Bejon">James Bejon, Belshazzar’s Riddle (Part II), https://jamesbejon.substack.com/p/belshazzars-riddle-part-ii</ref>

99 = Amen (grk); Number of sheep shepherd leaves behind to search for one lost; See footnote 57 in Blumall<ref name="Blumell"/> regarding Irenaeus and the "Marcosians" on this number's isopsephies

110 = Years of Joseph

120 = למלך (to the king OR to Molech in 1 Kings) and Solomon's gold (1 Kings 9:14; 10:10; 2 Chr 9:9); limit on man's lifespan (Gen 6:3, cf. Deut 31:2; 34:7); years of Moses; Darius' satraps (Dan 6:1); disciples in upper room; triangular expansion of 15

123 = Goliath (LXX)

125 = מסכה (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 9a)

127 = Years of Sarah and provinces of Eshter (this connection is famously addressed by Rabbi Akiva(?) as per AlephBeta video; see also Targum Rishon on Esther

130 = Age of Jacob when he went to Egypt; חִזְקִיָּ֬ה, and the sayings attributed to Hezekiah’s men in Prov 25–29 number about 130 (cmp. 375)<ref name=Hubbard>Hubbard, D. A. “Proverbs, Book Of.” The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised, edited by Geoffrey W. Bromiley, vol. 3, Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1979–1988, p. 1016.</ref>

133 = Years of Kohath (Moses' Gpa)

137 = Years of Levi and Amram (Moses' dad)

142 = Tigris

144 = Width of New Jerusalem's walls; See also 144000

147 = Years of Jacob

153 = Triangular expansion of 17; Number of fish (John 21:11); μέρη (John 21:6); חלקיה (Hilkiah, but see also 666); ANTICHRISTVS (but see 154)

154 = Liber Genealogus' claimed value of ANTICHRISTVS (= 616/4)

165 = The Tree/Money (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 7 on Esther); Naamah (Heb) - the only wife of Solomon who is named in Scripture (see also "the silver" in 1 Kings 10:27) and also sister of Tubal-Cain (Gen 4:22)

182 = "Mene, Mene"; Yakov (Heb.)

191 = ﺲﻠﻴﻣﺎﻧ in standard Abjad

208 = ורב (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 8)

212 = Number of gatekeepers in 1 Chronicles 9:22 (4*53 seems to correspond with vs 24-26; four leaders for each week of the year)

247 = θηρίον "beast" (Painchaud<ref name=Painchaud>Painchaud, Louis. "The Dragon, the Beasts, and the Gold: The Number of the Beast in the Apocalypse of John," in '"Who is Sitting on Which Beast?" Interpretative Issues in the Book of Revelation', Lupieri, Edmondo and Louis Painchaud, eds., Brepols Publishers, 2023</ref>)

248 = Abram (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 11); 613-365 = number of positive "do" mitzvot, number of bones in human body?

276 = Persons on wrecked ship (Acts 27:37); Triangular expansion of 23

288 = Singers (1 Chron 25:7); Gematria of Uzziah (LXX)

294 = קוסטנטין (as Ibn Ezra on Dan 11:36)

314 = Shaddai [anagram of standard form] and Metatron (Talmud) see Feder<ref name=Feder/> chp 12

318 = Number of Abram's servants in Genesis 14:14 and gematria of “Eliezer” in 15:2

345 = מֹשֶׁ֛ה

350 = פרסי and קרן<ref name=Bejon/>

351 = Γαλατεία (graffito)

365 = 613-248 = number of negative "do not" mitzvot

374 = כשדים

375 = שלמה; said to match the number of Proverbs of Solomon, Prov 10:1–22:16 (cmp. 130)<ref name=Hubbard/>

380 = Egypt (Heb)

385 = Σόδομα, (מצרימה) to Egypt

390 = Days "equal to the number of the years of their punishment" (Eze 4:5)

392 = "All the temple servants and the sons of Solomon’s servants were 392" (Ezra 2:58; Nehemiah 7:60)

400 = Value of the letter ת which is the "mark" in Ezek 9:4,6; Virgins of Jabesh-gilead taken at Shiloh to repopulate Benjamin; Prophets of Asherah (1 Kings 18:19)

406 = תָּ֜ו (see 400)

417 = Gematria of בתיה (Bithia = Batya = Pharaoh's daughter) in 1 Chron 4:17

420 = שלמן (Hos 10:14; see also pebble diagram<ref name=FRGexpanded/>); Amount of Solomon's gold (1 Kings 9:28); ממצרים (1 Kings 8:16,51,53; 10:28–29)

422 = Nebuchadnezzar (Heb)

430 = Years of Israel in Egypt (Ex 12:40-41, Gal 3:17); Years Eber lived after fathering Peleg (Gen 11:17); Rameses (Gen 47:11, Ex 12:37)

431 = ﺲﻠﻴﻣﺎﻧ in Maghribi Abjad

443 = Goliath (Heb)

446 = Pishon

450 = Talents of gold (2 Chron 8:18) and prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:19,22)

451 = Isopsephy of Nicolaus (as in Nicolatians)

460 = קֹ֖דֶשׁ לַֽיהוָֽה

475 = ᾅδης (Mt 18:18; gen. Hades)

480 = Nebuchadnezzar + Noah (Heb); Years from exodus to beginning of Temple construction (1 Kings 6:1)

485 = γυναίκα (Rev 2:20; [12:13;] 17:3, 6; [21:9,27] = βδελυγμα = πολις η μεγαλη (Gen 10:12; Rev 16:19; 17:[5, in pl!], 18; 18:10, 16, 19) = Ἰούδα (Judas/Lk 22:48; Judah/Rev 5:5); "To Succoth" (place in Gen 33:17, Ex 12:37, etc.)

486 = "Succoth" (place in Gen 33:17)

486 = πέτρᾳ (Mt 18:18)

520 = דָּרְיָוֶשׁ and כֹּרֶשׁ<ref name=Bejon/>

521 = Ἀλέξανδρος

526 = כּ֫וֹרֶשׁ

535 = κύριε ("Christians also associated the number 535 [along with 800] with Lord, but in the vocative form"<ref name=Blumell>Blumell and Wayment, The 'Number of the Beast,' in Kraus and Sommer, eds., Book of Seven Seals</ref>); standard form is φλε hence shorthand for κύριε as above (see also φίλε [545] in Harris<ref name=FRGexpanded/>, see also φιλάνθρωπε=1585); קֹהֶ֣לֶת

545 = Pompeii graffito:<ref name=FRGexpanded/>: Μπεκυ ("Pompei Becky"), παρθενικός, γυναικιαν, φίλε

586 = Jerusalem (Heb)

597 = θηρίου "of [the] beast"<ref name=Painchaud/>

600 = ציצת with 8 (knots) and 5 (strings) comes to 613<ref name=Feder/>; trapezoidal block of pebble diagram<ref name=FRGexpanded/>; Six 600's associated with Solomon as per triangle in pebble diagram<ref name=FRGexpanded/>: 1 Kings 10:14, 16; 2 Chron 2:2, 17; 9:13, 15; Six 600's of David: 1 Sam 23:13; 27:2; 30:9; 1 Chron 7:2; 21:25; 2 Chron 2:17

606 = Ruth

611 = Torah

613 = Ruth + 7 Noahide laws; Torah given to Moses + 2 mitzvot given directly to all Israel; גרתי (see Feder<ref name=Feder/> 10a); 248+365; 606+7; 611+2; 600+8+5

616 = "עתה יגדל-נא כח הי" and "Rehoboth" (Gen 26:22); נרו קסר; Anagrams of Heb standard form = [Jethro (also "and the rest/excellence" Gen 49:3/Deut 3:13, "let/leave" Ex 16:19, and "shall remain" Ex 29:34) or "they spied" (Num 13:21)]; תריו which sounds like θηρίου; χιϛ as abbreviation for Christ (Jesus) and/or rearranged to form Chi-Rho; Possible graffito answers: Φαίδρα, Οφέλια, Ασυδια, Μαρουδα, and Ρουδάμα; Γαιος Καισαρ; Καῖσαρ θεός

620 = Shinar

636 = Value of نيرو قيصر in Maghribi Abjad

638 = Θεοδόσιος

647 = Χαλδαία

665 = Appears in one manuscript of Rev 13:18; See also Harris pebble chart and analysis<ref name=FRGexpanded/>; "אֶרֶץ כַּשְׂדִּים"

666 = Solomon's gold; Rev 13:18; Triangular expansion of 36; sons of Adonikam (Ezra 2:13, but also see 667); ἑλκύσαι (John 21:6); Χελκια (Hilkiah LXX, but see also 153); "עתה יגדל-נא כח אדני" (Num 14:17, see notes); DCLXVI; נרון קסר; Anagrams of standard form = ["Without" (Pr 11:22); "you should destroy" ("tarsu", cmp. Amos 6:11); Sethur; תסור (Deut 17:11)]; Mea Shearim; Irenaeus gives: Ευανθας, Λατεινος, Τειταν..., Μαομέτις; Counter-Reformers give: לולתר, ,Λουθερανα; Scripture has: הנהרות, הראיתים, הרימותה, והרתיהם, ויתרן, ולמקצת, ולפרשים, ולשלש, ולשעירים, ומשנער, וסרת, וסתר, וצעקת, ורמתך, ותמכר, ותסר, יתפלצון, יתרון, לעצמותיך, לשלוש, מיתריו, מנפצות, נחרבות, נפוצתם, נפצותם, סתור, סתרו, ענקתמו, צעקתו, רמותך, תורין, תחגרנה, תמכרו, תסור, תסרו, תצעקו, תראינה, απολλυμεθα, διασπορας, δυνασαι, ειχαν, εκελευσα, ελκυσαι, εντολαις, εποτισα, ευπορια, ηγνικοτες, κατεπεσεν, λευκαις, πεντακις, πλευραν, σκαπτειν, συναγαγη, τερασιν, and τετελεκα; while the Septuagint further adds: απειρου, απεκυλιον, αποστει, αφειλον, δραμουμαι, δρασαντι, ειλκυσα, εκζητειται, εκλυσαι, ενκατελιπομεν, ενπεσειται, εξαπατησαι, εξαπεστει, επαιρου, επαυριο, επτερνικαμεν, ετασμον, θαυμασει, καιομενου, κεραμικου, μετοικισαι, μισησης, νευσαι, οικουμενα, προειλατο, προσαγαγης, σκοτειναι, στειραν, Συήνη, and υπομειναι; Ιαπετός, (ירימות) Jerimoth, e.g. 2 Chron 11:18—an otherwise unknown “son of David!”), Βεέλτεθμος (Beltethmus, 1 Esdras 2:15/16), and Ἰαχεὶμ (Jachin, Gen 46:10); Value of نيرو قيصر in standard Abjad; תריון sounds like θηρίον (Painchaud 2023, citing Hadorn 1920); Κλαυδίας (Nelson 2025)

667 = Sons of Adonikam (Nehemiah 7:18, but also see 666)

676 = נרון קיסר

680 = Euphrates (see Aramaic Targum of Rishon Esther 1:4)

685 = Ἰούδας

686 = נירון קיסר and نيرون قيصر in Maghribi Abjad

699 = Isopsephy of Nicolatian

729 = Κηφᾶς; "וּלְקַדִּישֵׁ֥י עֶלְיוֹנִ֖ין יְבַלֵּ֑א"

731 = Ανθούσα (Smyrna graffito, as per Bagnall)

755 = Πέτρος (Mt 18:18)

765 = Adonikam (Heb)

770 = Μέγας Αλέξανδρος

790 = Κύρος

800 = κύριος = πίστις (cmp. 2 Thes 3:2-3 as noted by early Christians<ref name=Blumell/>)

801 = Alpha and Omega

810 = χις (with terminal sigma)

813 = Φλάβιος

840 = Αλέξανδρος ο Μέγας

852 = ונושנתם <ref name=Feder/>

855 = Noah (LXX/NT)

860 = χξς (with terminal sigma)

864 = Ἰερουσαλήμ (Rev); ἁγίων

888 = Ἰησοῦς

892 = Εὐσέβιος

926 = Adonikam (LXX), Ἰεροσόλυμα (1 Macc 1:20, John 12:12)

961 = גֹּאֲלֵנוּ יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת שְׁמוֹ (Isa 47:4)<ref name=Bejon/>

1005 = Νέρων; number of Solomon's songs

1025 = Isopsephy of "ἑξακόσιοι ἑξήκοντα ἕξ"

1038 = Ευελπίστη (Symrna graffito)

1064 = Αἴγυπτος

1071 = Ιωναθας

1112 = "Mene, Mene, Tekel, Parsin"

1118 = "Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Parsin"

1120 = Ηρώδης

1121 = Ηρώδης Α΄

1132 = Κύριος Καῖσαρ

1178 = μυστήριον

1195 = Εὐστάθιος ("Constantine" equivalent meaning, not transliterated, into Greek)

1251 = Απφους

1256 = Ἁγίασμα κυρίου

1260 = Σολομων (NT)<ref name=FRG>Harris, Zachary. "[https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/opth-2022-0245/pdf?licenseType=open-access Forward and Reverse Gematria are Very Different Beasts]." Open Theology 10.1 (2024). See also [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1butkjkck8vhx2s-6qRB-V_g6V8KTFAfL unpublished expanded and updated version].</ref>; "Rectangular" expansion of 36 (see Bauckham citation in Harris); LCM of the first nine triangular numbers, viz. 1, 3, 6, 10, 15, 21, 28, 36 and 45 and multiple of a further three (105, 210 and 630) [Vernon Jenkins]; See also 3.5; Appears in the bounds of an elegant inequality for rational approximation of pi<ref>Dalzell, D. P. "On 22/7." Journal of the London Mathematical Society v 19, issue 75 Part 3 (1944), pp. 133–134, as summarized at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proof_that_22/7_exceeds_%CF%80#Quick_upper_and_lower_bounds</ref>

1264 = Ἐκκλησιαστοῦ

1269 = πιστὸς καὶ ἀληθινός

1285 = Βαβυλὼν

1301 = Αντίοχος

1305 = Αντίοχος Δ΄

1310 = ανθρωπος (Hooper's theory on Rev 13:18)

1337 = Νέρων Καῖσαρ

1341 = Νικολαϊτῶν

1367 = "τοῦ θηρίου"

1380 = Βαβυλὼν ἡ μεγάλη

1439 = Ηρώδης ο Μέγας

1440 = Ηρώδης Α΄ ο Μέγας

1514 = Αλέξανδρος Γ΄ ο Μακεδών

1530 = Σολομωνος

1585 = φιλάνθρωπε (see φλε at 535) — there may have been an inscription in an ancient Palestinian church that said "[φιλάνθρωπε μνήσθητι] | τοῦ Δούλου σοῦ"<ref name=Yonah>Avi-Yonah, M. Art in Ancient Palestine: Selected Studies. Edited by Hannah Katzenstein and Yoram Tsafrir, Magnes Press, 1981, p. 301.</ref>

1688 = Κύριος Ἰησοῦς

1757 = Nebuchadnezzar (LXX)

1835 = Ἰούδας Ἰσκαριὼθ

1841 = ἀντίχριστος

1921 = Σαλωμων (LXX)

1946 = Βασιλεὺς βασιλέων

2006 = Ἐν Τούτῳ Νίκα

2051 = Κωνσταντῖνος

2095 = "ὁ ἔχων νοῦν" (Rev 13:18) and σοφώτερον (1 Cor 1:25)!

2159 = Αντίοχος Δ΄ Επιφανής

2180= κύριος κυρίων

2190 = ἄνθρωπος τῆς ἀνομίας

2252 = εἰκὼν τοῦ θηρίου

2300 = Dan 8:14; Number of balls in a 23-sided triangular pyramid (23*(23+1)*(23+2)/6)

2303 = Gematria value of "שֵׁ֥שׁ מֵא֛וֹת שִׁשִּׁ֥ים וָשֵׁ֖שׁ"

2315 = υἱὸς τῆς ἀπωλείας

2334 = Ἰούδας Ἰσκαριώτης

2445 = ψευδοπροφήτης, Μωϋσέως

2463 = μυστήριον Βαβυλὼν (2463)

2558 = μυστήριον Βαβυλὼν ἡ μεγάλη

2612 = Nebuchadnezzar + Noah (LXX)

2641 = Κωνσταντινούπολις

2659 = ψευδόχριστος

2701 = Value of Gen 1:1; Triangular (73)

3000 = Number of Solomon's proverbs

3039 = "μνήσθητι τοῦ δούλου σου," a common liturgical and biblical prayer formula in Greek, especially in the Septuagint and Orthodox liturgy (see 535 and 1585)

3600 = Taskmasters Solomon appointed (2 Chronicles 2:2,18); six*600 message encoded in pebble triangle<ref name=FRGexpanded/>; 60x60 temple plans (Ezra 6:3)

3750 = Φλάβιος Οὐαλέριος Κωνσταντῖνος

4157 = Βασιλεὺς βασιλέων καὶ κύριος κυρίων

7000 = Did not bow knee to Baal (1 Kings 19; Rom 11); Army of Israel in times of Ahab (1 Kings 20:15) and Nebuchadnezzar (2 Kings 24:16); Killed in great earthquake (Rev 11:13)

144000 = Troops in lamb's army; See also 144

==References==

[[Category:Lists]]
[[Category:Numerical symbolism]]

Midrashic hermeneutical resources

2026-02-03T03:37:05Z

Zekeriya: /* Tools and resources to facilitate learning and using such hermeneutical methods */

==Ancient and pre-modern sources who make use of midrashic hermeneutical methodologies==
* The "[[derash|midrashic]]" label used on this page originates from the work of [[Chazal]], the Jewish sages responsible for the Mishnah, Midrash, and Talmud, particularly regarding the [[derash]] layer of the [[:Category:Pardes|PaRDeS]] hermeneutic suite
* Patristic:
** The hymns of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephrem_the_Syrian Ephrem the Syrian] often interweave symbols from different parts of Scripture in insightful ways.
** [[Allegory]] is one of Augustine's fourfold senses of Scripture, with his usage thereof having long been controversial. His allegorical interpretation of the Parable of the Good Samaritan is a classically questionable example that has put a bad taste in the mouth of later exegetes toward such methodolgy
* Rishonim
** Sometimes Rashi. Rabbi David Fohrman has a theory that Rashi alternates between two entirely different approaches in his commentary, and it is important to know which you are dealing with. When his contemporary readers would need help with the [[peshat]] layer of the text, e.g. meanings of archaic Hebrew words, he supplies that. But with texts that are already easy to understand on your own he goes deeper, introducing you to the world of midrash by alluding to the stories, pointing to the [[gunpowder and trigger]], etc.
** Rabbeinu Bachya is one of the more frequent users of midrashic materials (as per ChatGPT)
** Ramban frequently ''interacts'' with the actual Midrash texts, but more from an analytical perspective
* Puritan "flavoring." Although the Puritans don't generally tend to engage in ''full on'' midrashic-style interpretation, they do nevertheless frequently make ''micro-usage'' of it in colorful illustrations that add spice and memorability to their writings, for example:
** "The tree of the cross being cast into the waters of affliction hath rendered them wholesome and medicinal."<ref>John Owen, Pneumatologia, Book IV, Chap 4, pg 447.</ref>
* Relatively recent precursors:
** Hermann L. Strack and Paul Billerbeck’s ''Commentary on the New Testament from the Talmud and Midrash'' from the 1920s precedes our classification of [[the modern figural-midrashic renaissance]].
** "It is difficult to give a precise date for the inception of the literary approach to biblical study. Many 20th century scholars incorporated elements of this method in their work, including Martin Buber, Franz Rosensweig, Benno Jacob, Umberto Cassuto, and Nehama Leibowitz. More recently though, scholars such as Adele Berlin, Michael Fishbane, Meir Sternberg, and Robert Alter can be credited as the first to fully embody the literary approach as defined above. With Alter being the most well-known of the group, let’s examine his approach. In his seminal work, ''The Art of Biblical Narrative'', Alter [1981] argues that the literary structure and unity of the Torah indicate a deliberate authorial intent..."<ref name=curwin>Curwin, David. "[https://dafaleph.com/s/Orthodox-Literary-Approach.pdf The Orthodox Literary Approach: Opening Doors and Closing Gaps]." https://dafaleph.com. Cited Feb 2, 2025.</ref>

==Modern sources who make use of midrashic hermeneutical methodologies==
[[The modern figural-midrashic renaissance]] page may contain examples or quotes from sources not catalogued here.
* Orthodox Jewish:
** Rabbi David Fohrman and team at [https://alephbeta.org https://alephbeta.org.] The animated videos provide a well-suited introduction to the methodology for both Biblical scholar and school-aged child alike. The podcasts (e.g. [https://members.alephbeta.org/podcasts/book-like-no-other A Book Like No Other]) and seminar courses (in some cases available only to patron members) are as deep and profound as anything you will find in the academic literature. He also has [https://shop.alephbeta.org/collections/books-by-rabbi-fohrman excellent books] available.
** Yonatan Grossman (teaching in Hebrew), a professor of Bible at Bar Ilan University and Herzog College<ref name=curwin/>
* Messianic:
** The [https://ffoz.org First Fruits of Zion] article [https://ffoz.org/messiah/articles/faith-strengthened Answering Anti-Missionaries] addresses some issues pertaining to Midrashic methods of exegesis
** Otto Gershon resources include [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1fh09flfV4&list=PLz8qJcWh7VHntYsCYLWYuuubjY9WZg91G The Otto Zone] video series
** See Seth Postell in the tools section below
* Protestant Evangelical and/or Reformed:
** James B. Jordan and theological heirs:
*** Jordan's [https://biblicalhorizons.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Through-New-Eyes.pdf Through New Eyes] provides a good entry-level introduction to seeing both the world and Scripture through new eyes
*** Peter Leithart and crew: [https://theopolisinstitute.com/ https://theopolisinstitute.com]
*** [https://www.biblematrix.com.au/ Mike Bull] contributes several interesting/unique perspectives, including his emphasis on the "fractal" nature of the Bible
*** [https://argosy.substack.com Alastair Roberts] resources include a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9Z_I6OWzT0&list=PLDtm5aqtLCz0NEa2rg6kW8IYb9ZKfD2zc chapter-by-chapter audio Biblical commentary]. He is co-author of [https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/themelios/review/echoes-of-exodus-tracing-themes-of-redemption-through-scripture one of two distinct books published separately in 2018 both entitled "Echoes of Exodus"] (something is indeed "[[The modern figural-midrashic renaissance|in the air]]"!). For further back-history research he also has a video on [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HR-NtkDXfUk Who Are James Jordan's Influences?]
** Greg Beale:
*** His (NIGTC) Commentary on Revelation provides an encyclopedia of literary and theological connections between John's Apocalypse and Tanakh, as well as with other Judaic sources including Midrash, Talmud, Targums, etc.
*** "The Temple and the Church's Mission" explores the symbolism of Israel's Temple/Tabernacle and how that applies to the ''mission'' (not the architecture!) of the church
** Meredith Kline's "Kingdom Prologue" (especially if packaged together with Beale's "Temple and ... Mission") is, in some ways, a more densely-packed, seminary-level version of Jordan's [https://biblicalhorizons.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Through-New-Eyes.pdf Through New Eyes] (and indeed is cited in Jordan's Bibliography)
** "[https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/opth-2022-0245 Forward and Reverse Gematria are Very Different Beasts]" proposes to resolve the 666 gematria/isopsephy problem of Revelation 13:18 using a combination of [[intertextuality]] and [[gematria]]
** Matt Harmon's ''The Servant of the Lord and His Servant People: Tracing a Biblical Theme Through the Canon'' makes use of the "vertical context" and related [[hermeneutical choices for the Bible's use of the Bible]]
** [https://bibleproject.com BibleProject™] makes use of some midrashic tools (often implicitly), e.g. when talking about intertextual "hyperlinks"
** Bob Wern [https://www.youtube.com/@thedustyfeet @thedustyfeet] has numerous derivative supercommentary videos following on AlephBeta and BibleProject resources
** The Reformed Biblical theology movement in the 20th century, especially with its emphasis on [[typology]], may be seen as a first stage of the Christian side of this figural-literary interpretive renaissance. Geerhardus Vos is often considered the father of the modern resurgence in seeing Christ as the hermeneutical key and exegetical center of the entire Bible. Edmund Clowney was an influential figure, at least in academic circles, for promoting Christocentric hermeneutics, while books by Graeme Goldsworthy and John R. Cross made some inroads with a broader lay audience.
* Islamic
** [https://www.youtube.com/@bayyinah Nouman Ali Khan]; For a short sample see his [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSFd2Uz82bk Connection between Surah Al Fatihah & Surah An-Nas]. His book ''Divine Speech: Exploring Quran as Literature'' provides a lay-accessible presentation of several literary features of the Quran, summarizing recent scholarship from Neal Robinson, Raymond Farrin, etc.
* Cross-pollination
** (Catholic) Bishop Robert Barron and (Eastern Orthodox) Jonathan Pageau discuss [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyMDIvF-I60 Recognizing Patterns] and symbolism in Scripture.
** (EO) Pageau and (Protestant) Roberts also engaged in a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXlVUZeZKVo Rediscovery of Symbolism] cross-stream chat.

==Tools and resources to facilitate learning and using such hermeneutical methods==
* https://mg.alhatorah.org/TanakhLab is a useful for intertextual studies
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talmudical_hermeneutics
* Fohrman's "[https://members.alephbeta.org/course/how-to-read-the-bible The Seven Habits of Highly Intuitive Readers of the Bible]" Course
* Fohrman's "[https://members.alephbeta.org/playlist/midrash-methodology-course Midrash Methodology]" Course
* Beale's "Handbook on the New Testament use of the Old Testament" provides interpretive principles with some sample case studies
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgEsLxxDSmI Gary Schnittjer] and Mark Harmon's ''How to Study the Bible’s Use of the Bible'' presents seven [[hermeneutical choices for the Bible's use of the Bible]]. Schnittjer's ''Torah Story'' and ''Old Testament Use of Old Testament'' explore issues of inner-Biblical exegesis and allusions
* André Houssney has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQKSSNdqNws&list=PLTsoW3rZJW-7gd-4JFvNOjZeMmtbB_ciT&index=2 three part series on Biblical symbolism] melding the benefits of Eastern and Western interpretive perspectives
* Rabbi/Mathematician Elie Feder's ''Gematria Refigured'' rescues this ancient tool from many of the naive or abusive uses it has been put through which have tended to give it a reputation in the eyes of many thoughtful and careful exegetes. His work greatly helps set [[gematria]] science back on a more firm foundation by providing both persuasive examples and by drawing general interpretive principles from those examples.
* Seth D. Postell, ''The Art of Narrative Analogy: Identifying and Interpreting Parallel Passages in the Bible''
* AI is capable of contributing helpful insights to prompts that guide it towards a novel synthesis of known/established ideas. (Indeed, it is surprisingly better at that sort of task than at some mundane tasks such as its infamous foul up at counting the number of "r"s in the word "strawberry.") With just a little bit of direction it can "see" connections that you suggest, even if those particular associations have not been presented in any existing literature. So its potential as a [[chavruta]] partner for midrashic exegetical research should not be underestimated. Here is one example provided by a student in an [[AlephBeta]] class: https://chatgpt.com/share/67c0116d-1aa4-8005-9f64-c0431105e27c.
* If you are asking yourself, "Is anyone seeing the same amazing things in the Bible that I am?" check out the [[Midrashic Hermeneutical Discussion Communities|midrashic hermeneutical discussion communities]] page for leads on other like-minded people to talk to!

== Additional potential leads (yet to be confirmed for relevance and categorized by Bible Wiki editors...) ==
* Eugene Borowitz - Talmud's Theological Wordgame
* Max Kadushan - Rabbinic Thinking and Organic Thinking
* Sources Rabbi David Fohrman [https://members.alephbeta.org/playlist/rabbi-fohrman-biography has mentioned]:
** Robert Alter, The Art of Biblical Poetry
** Michlelet Herzog and Herzog College
** "The work that we're doing here at Aleph Beta in Tanach, there's other people across the globe that are doing similar kinds of work. Some focus in the Gush in Machon Herzog are, but not just in the Gush. I just had a chareidi fellow over here in Jerusalem giving talks to Chevron and to Ponevezh and he stumbled upon this himself. It's in the air. People are going to find it because the age is right for it."
** [https://members.alephbeta.org/playlist/how-to-learn-torah Rabbi Menachem Leibtag]
* David Daube worked on rabbinic law and NT parallels in the mid-20th century
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillel_Bakis
* Richard Hays has two "echoes" books and "Reading the Bible Intertextually"
* [https://hebraicthought.org/podcast/how-scripture-reads-scripture-understanding-biblical-intertextuality-brent-strawn-ep-186 Brent Strawn mentions] Ross Wagner and says that "David Lincicum has a great new book coming out" (regarding intertextual activations). He also speaks about taking a course from Ulrich Mauser in which the main thesis was that any symbol you find in Revelation is not ''de novo'' but originates in the Old Testament or Jewish intertestamental literature.
* [https://www.bemadiscipleship.com BEMA podcast]
* ScholarGPT suggestions on academic resources:
** Jewish literary approach: Meir Sternberg, Adele Berlin, Yair Zakovitch, Shimon Bar-Efrat.
** Inner-biblical exegesis: Michael Fishbane, Benjamin Sommer.
** Christian figural reading: Hans Boersma, Matthew Levering, C. Kavin Rowe, Ephraim Radner, Kevin Vanhoozer.
** Reception history: Ulrich Luz, Christopher Rowland, Frances Young.
** Islamic parallels: Tarif Khalidi on Qurʾānic biblical intertextuality; Mustansir Mir on Qurʾānic narrative patterns.

==References==

[[Category:Midrashic hermeneutics]]
[[Category:Lists]]

Midrashic hermeneutical resources

2026-02-03T03:36:32Z

Zekeriya: /* Modern sources who make use of midrashic hermeneutical methodologies */

==Ancient and pre-modern sources who make use of midrashic hermeneutical methodologies==
* The "[[derash|midrashic]]" label used on this page originates from the work of [[Chazal]], the Jewish sages responsible for the Mishnah, Midrash, and Talmud, particularly regarding the [[derash]] layer of the [[:Category:Pardes|PaRDeS]] hermeneutic suite
* Patristic:
** The hymns of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephrem_the_Syrian Ephrem the Syrian] often interweave symbols from different parts of Scripture in insightful ways.
** [[Allegory]] is one of Augustine's fourfold senses of Scripture, with his usage thereof having long been controversial. His allegorical interpretation of the Parable of the Good Samaritan is a classically questionable example that has put a bad taste in the mouth of later exegetes toward such methodolgy
* Rishonim
** Sometimes Rashi. Rabbi David Fohrman has a theory that Rashi alternates between two entirely different approaches in his commentary, and it is important to know which you are dealing with. When his contemporary readers would need help with the [[peshat]] layer of the text, e.g. meanings of archaic Hebrew words, he supplies that. But with texts that are already easy to understand on your own he goes deeper, introducing you to the world of midrash by alluding to the stories, pointing to the [[gunpowder and trigger]], etc.
** Rabbeinu Bachya is one of the more frequent users of midrashic materials (as per ChatGPT)
** Ramban frequently ''interacts'' with the actual Midrash texts, but more from an analytical perspective
* Puritan "flavoring." Although the Puritans don't generally tend to engage in ''full on'' midrashic-style interpretation, they do nevertheless frequently make ''micro-usage'' of it in colorful illustrations that add spice and memorability to their writings, for example:
** "The tree of the cross being cast into the waters of affliction hath rendered them wholesome and medicinal."<ref>John Owen, Pneumatologia, Book IV, Chap 4, pg 447.</ref>
* Relatively recent precursors:
** Hermann L. Strack and Paul Billerbeck’s ''Commentary on the New Testament from the Talmud and Midrash'' from the 1920s precedes our classification of [[the modern figural-midrashic renaissance]].
** "It is difficult to give a precise date for the inception of the literary approach to biblical study. Many 20th century scholars incorporated elements of this method in their work, including Martin Buber, Franz Rosensweig, Benno Jacob, Umberto Cassuto, and Nehama Leibowitz. More recently though, scholars such as Adele Berlin, Michael Fishbane, Meir Sternberg, and Robert Alter can be credited as the first to fully embody the literary approach as defined above. With Alter being the most well-known of the group, let’s examine his approach. In his seminal work, ''The Art of Biblical Narrative'', Alter [1981] argues that the literary structure and unity of the Torah indicate a deliberate authorial intent..."<ref name=curwin>Curwin, David. "[https://dafaleph.com/s/Orthodox-Literary-Approach.pdf The Orthodox Literary Approach: Opening Doors and Closing Gaps]." https://dafaleph.com. Cited Feb 2, 2025.</ref>

==Modern sources who make use of midrashic hermeneutical methodologies==
[[The modern figural-midrashic renaissance]] page may contain examples or quotes from sources not catalogued here.
* Orthodox Jewish:
** Rabbi David Fohrman and team at [https://alephbeta.org https://alephbeta.org.] The animated videos provide a well-suited introduction to the methodology for both Biblical scholar and school-aged child alike. The podcasts (e.g. [https://members.alephbeta.org/podcasts/book-like-no-other A Book Like No Other]) and seminar courses (in some cases available only to patron members) are as deep and profound as anything you will find in the academic literature. He also has [https://shop.alephbeta.org/collections/books-by-rabbi-fohrman excellent books] available.
** Yonatan Grossman (teaching in Hebrew), a professor of Bible at Bar Ilan University and Herzog College<ref name=curwin/>
* Messianic:
** The [https://ffoz.org First Fruits of Zion] article [https://ffoz.org/messiah/articles/faith-strengthened Answering Anti-Missionaries] addresses some issues pertaining to Midrashic methods of exegesis
** Otto Gershon resources include [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1fh09flfV4&list=PLz8qJcWh7VHntYsCYLWYuuubjY9WZg91G The Otto Zone] video series
** See Seth Postell in the tools section below
* Protestant Evangelical and/or Reformed:
** James B. Jordan and theological heirs:
*** Jordan's [https://biblicalhorizons.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Through-New-Eyes.pdf Through New Eyes] provides a good entry-level introduction to seeing both the world and Scripture through new eyes
*** Peter Leithart and crew: [https://theopolisinstitute.com/ https://theopolisinstitute.com]
*** [https://www.biblematrix.com.au/ Mike Bull] contributes several interesting/unique perspectives, including his emphasis on the "fractal" nature of the Bible
*** [https://argosy.substack.com Alastair Roberts] resources include a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9Z_I6OWzT0&list=PLDtm5aqtLCz0NEa2rg6kW8IYb9ZKfD2zc chapter-by-chapter audio Biblical commentary]. He is co-author of [https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/themelios/review/echoes-of-exodus-tracing-themes-of-redemption-through-scripture one of two distinct books published separately in 2018 both entitled "Echoes of Exodus"] (something is indeed "[[The modern figural-midrashic renaissance|in the air]]"!). For further back-history research he also has a video on [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HR-NtkDXfUk Who Are James Jordan's Influences?]
** Greg Beale:
*** His (NIGTC) Commentary on Revelation provides an encyclopedia of literary and theological connections between John's Apocalypse and Tanakh, as well as with other Judaic sources including Midrash, Talmud, Targums, etc.
*** "The Temple and the Church's Mission" explores the symbolism of Israel's Temple/Tabernacle and how that applies to the ''mission'' (not the architecture!) of the church
** Meredith Kline's "Kingdom Prologue" (especially if packaged together with Beale's "Temple and ... Mission") is, in some ways, a more densely-packed, seminary-level version of Jordan's [https://biblicalhorizons.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Through-New-Eyes.pdf Through New Eyes] (and indeed is cited in Jordan's Bibliography)
** "[https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/opth-2022-0245 Forward and Reverse Gematria are Very Different Beasts]" proposes to resolve the 666 gematria/isopsephy problem of Revelation 13:18 using a combination of [[intertextuality]] and [[gematria]]
** Matt Harmon's ''The Servant of the Lord and His Servant People: Tracing a Biblical Theme Through the Canon'' makes use of the "vertical context" and related [[hermeneutical choices for the Bible's use of the Bible]]
** [https://bibleproject.com BibleProject™] makes use of some midrashic tools (often implicitly), e.g. when talking about intertextual "hyperlinks"
** Bob Wern [https://www.youtube.com/@thedustyfeet @thedustyfeet] has numerous derivative supercommentary videos following on AlephBeta and BibleProject resources
** The Reformed Biblical theology movement in the 20th century, especially with its emphasis on [[typology]], may be seen as a first stage of the Christian side of this figural-literary interpretive renaissance. Geerhardus Vos is often considered the father of the modern resurgence in seeing Christ as the hermeneutical key and exegetical center of the entire Bible. Edmund Clowney was an influential figure, at least in academic circles, for promoting Christocentric hermeneutics, while books by Graeme Goldsworthy and John R. Cross made some inroads with a broader lay audience.
* Islamic
** [https://www.youtube.com/@bayyinah Nouman Ali Khan]; For a short sample see his [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSFd2Uz82bk Connection between Surah Al Fatihah & Surah An-Nas]. His book ''Divine Speech: Exploring Quran as Literature'' provides a lay-accessible presentation of several literary features of the Quran, summarizing recent scholarship from Neal Robinson, Raymond Farrin, etc.
* Cross-pollination
** (Catholic) Bishop Robert Barron and (Eastern Orthodox) Jonathan Pageau discuss [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyMDIvF-I60 Recognizing Patterns] and symbolism in Scripture.
** (EO) Pageau and (Protestant) Roberts also engaged in a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXlVUZeZKVo Rediscovery of Symbolism] cross-stream chat.

==Tools and resources to facilitate learning and using such hermeneutical methods==
* https://mg.alhatorah.org/TanakhLab is a useful for intertextual studies
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talmudical_hermeneutics
* Fohrman's "[https://members.alephbeta.org/course/how-to-read-the-bible The Seven Habits of Highly Intuitive Readers of the Bible]" Course
* Fohrman's "[https://members.alephbeta.org/playlist/midrash-methodology-course Midrash Methodology]" Course
* Beale's "Handbook on the New Testament use of the Old Testament" provides interpretive principles with some sample case studies
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgEsLxxDSmI Gary Schnittjer] and Mark Harmon's ''How to Study the Bible’s Use of the Bible'' presents Seven [[Hermeneutical Choices for the Bible's Use of the Bible]]. Schnittjer's ''Torah Story'' and ''Old Testament Use of Old Testament'' explore issues of inner-Biblical exegesis and allusions
* André Houssney has a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQKSSNdqNws&list=PLTsoW3rZJW-7gd-4JFvNOjZeMmtbB_ciT&index=2 three part series on Biblical symbolism] melding the benefits of Eastern and Western interpretive perspectives
* Rabbi/Mathematician Elie Feder's ''Gematria Refigured'' rescues this ancient tool from many of the naive or abusive uses it has been put through which have tended to give it a reputation in the eyes of many thoughtful and careful exegetes. His work greatly helps set [[gematria]] science back on a more firm foundation by providing both persuasive examples and by drawing general interpretive principles from those examples.
* Seth D. Postell, ''The Art of Narrative Analogy: Identifying and Interpreting Parallel Passages in the Bible''
* AI is capable of contributing helpful insights to prompts that guide it towards a novel synthesis of known/established ideas. (Indeed, it is surprisingly better at that sort of task than at some mundane tasks such as its infamous foul up at counting the number of "r"s in the word "strawberry.") With just a little bit of direction it can "see" connections that you suggest, even if those particular associations have not been presented in any existing literature. So its potential as a [[chavruta]] partner for midrashic exegetical research should not be underestimated. Here is one example provided by a student in an [[AlephBeta]] class: https://chatgpt.com/share/67c0116d-1aa4-8005-9f64-c0431105e27c.
* If you are asking yourself, "Is anyone seeing the same amazing things in the Bible that I am?" check out the [[Midrashic Hermeneutical Discussion Communities|midrashic hermeneutical discussion communities]] page for leads on other like-minded people to talk to!

== Additional potential leads (yet to be confirmed for relevance and categorized by Bible Wiki editors...) ==
* Eugene Borowitz - Talmud's Theological Wordgame
* Max Kadushan - Rabbinic Thinking and Organic Thinking
* Sources Rabbi David Fohrman [https://members.alephbeta.org/playlist/rabbi-fohrman-biography has mentioned]:
** Robert Alter, The Art of Biblical Poetry
** Michlelet Herzog and Herzog College
** "The work that we're doing here at Aleph Beta in Tanach, there's other people across the globe that are doing similar kinds of work. Some focus in the Gush in Machon Herzog are, but not just in the Gush. I just had a chareidi fellow over here in Jerusalem giving talks to Chevron and to Ponevezh and he stumbled upon this himself. It's in the air. People are going to find it because the age is right for it."
** [https://members.alephbeta.org/playlist/how-to-learn-torah Rabbi Menachem Leibtag]
* David Daube worked on rabbinic law and NT parallels in the mid-20th century
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillel_Bakis
* Richard Hays has two "echoes" books and "Reading the Bible Intertextually"
* [https://hebraicthought.org/podcast/how-scripture-reads-scripture-understanding-biblical-intertextuality-brent-strawn-ep-186 Brent Strawn mentions] Ross Wagner and says that "David Lincicum has a great new book coming out" (regarding intertextual activations). He also speaks about taking a course from Ulrich Mauser in which the main thesis was that any symbol you find in Revelation is not ''de novo'' but originates in the Old Testament or Jewish intertestamental literature.
* [https://www.bemadiscipleship.com BEMA podcast]
* ScholarGPT suggestions on academic resources:
** Jewish literary approach: Meir Sternberg, Adele Berlin, Yair Zakovitch, Shimon Bar-Efrat.
** Inner-biblical exegesis: Michael Fishbane, Benjamin Sommer.
** Christian figural reading: Hans Boersma, Matthew Levering, C. Kavin Rowe, Ephraim Radner, Kevin Vanhoozer.
** Reception history: Ulrich Luz, Christopher Rowland, Frances Young.
** Islamic parallels: Tarif Khalidi on Qurʾānic biblical intertextuality; Mustansir Mir on Qurʾānic narrative patterns.

==References==

[[Category:Midrashic hermeneutics]]
[[Category:Lists]]

Hermeneutical Choices for the Bible's Use of the Bible

2026-02-03T03:35:50Z

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