Factoring Biblical numbers


Is there any basis for factoring numbers that appear in the Bible to learn of any possible spiritual meaning?

Well these numbers have been placed in the Bible by God so we can certainly consider their importance.


We know that every word that appears in the Bible, in the original languages was precisely what God wanted it to be.



We just have to be careful that when studying numbers as they are used in the Bible, we don't get involved in "numerology".

Numerology has no scientific or Biblical basis at all. Numerology has to do with assigning value to the Hebrew or Greek letters then adding the number values of Bible words in some attempt to arrive at hidden meanings.
Numerology has nothing to do with what we are doing here.


Very often numbers that appear in the Bible can broken down to smaller numbers (factors) to uncover the spritual significance (if there might be one) of a larger number.

For example in John Chapter 21 we read about when Jesus appeared to the seven and gave them a miraculous catch of fish;


John 21:11
" Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, a hundred and fifty three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken."

This number of course has been studied by many Bible students, because of the feeling that there must be some significance from the way it was introduced in the verse.

If we factor 153, we have; 3*3*17.


So why factor 153 at all?


In number theory, the prime numbers are like the elements in chemistry.
Prime numbers are the building blocks, by multiplying them together
we can make any number at all.

Or we can take the number and break it down into prime factors.

No matter how you break down 153, you will always get two 3's and
a 17.

This is an example of the unique factorization theorem;

Every integer greater than 1 can be expressed uniquely as the product of powers of distinct primes.



The unique factorization theorem is very important, so much so that it is called,
the fundamental theorem of arithmetic, once you understand it, you can begin
to understand the "chemistry" of the numbers.




Later we will see some of the meanings of the number 3 and 17 more in depth.
The number 3 signifies God's will or purpose, 17 signifies "heaven".

For now lets just look at the numbers 3 and 17 in themselves for a bit.


3 lines are necessary to determine a plane figure; and three dimensions of length,
width and height, to form a solid, so 3 is the symbol of the cube,
or solid contents.

So to us in the world 3 could represent that which is solid, real, that which has
substance.


God reveals Himself to us in three Persons. The mystery of the Trinity.
There is threeness in oneness. We see this in some way in our world in the
concept of dimension.
The three dimensions are combined in a single space.
The three dimensions become two when we choose three points to determine a plane.

The number 3 seems to very much be part of the structure of Universe.


17 is of course prime, but it is also the seventh in the list of the prime numbers.



to be continued....