Biblical Numerology: A Basic Study of the Use of Numbers in the Bible

by John James Davis

BIBLICAL NUMEROLOGY is the perfect addition for any Bible student's reference library. In fact, it fills a serious gap in the literature of Biblical interpretation. Most of the literature available on this subject is rooted in the mystical, rather than serious scholarship. The result is that an important subject has fallen into disrepute. Davis takes a different approach--first of all he collects, analyzes, and classifies the pertinent data relevant to numbers and their use in the Bible. He then defines the nature and use of numbers in Scripture. Finally, he seeks to establish valid and consistent principles for use in the interpretation of Biblical numbers. Pastors, teachers, and Bible students everywhere will be grateful to Davis for this basic study. This book will restore the study of Biblical numerology to that level of respectability which it deserves and demands.

Genres: Biblical Studies, Christian, Theology, Numerology, Religion

174 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1968

About the author

John James Davis, Th.D., D.D.,

American theologian, archaeologist, and Christian educator. He was the President and Professor Emeritus at Grace Theological Seminary in Winona Lake, Indiana.

A keen outdoorsman, he fishes and promotes wild game dinners

He wrote a weekly column called "Outdoor Scene" for the Warsaw, Indiana Times Union newspaper for 31 years, and has written several humour books about fishing.

Reviews

[William Schrecengost · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really interesting study of the Bible’s use of numbers. I do see how people would find this an exceedingly boring book. It’s definitely written for those who are really interested in the subject.

I agreed with most of his stuff. I found the grammatical discussion really helpful and interesting, especially that 2 is an extension of 1 in Hebrew. It suggests that the “two shall become one flesh” would have been a really natural understanding in Hebrew. It was also really helpful to learn that the numbers in scripture were completely written out (one instead of 1, seventy three instead of 73). It means that scribal errors or textual corruption is highly unlikely as an explanation for the large numbers in scripture. I definitely agree with him that they should be taken at face value and as actual numbers of the Israelites. I disagreed with him on symbolic numbers, but I respect his concerns and find his caution justified. I mostly agree with him on mystical numbers. The Biblical Numerics movement sounds totally crazy and best left to the ages, but I am hesitant to discard the Gematria along with them. It’s been used throughout church history and I don’t think it’s right to dismiss it as gnostic or cabalistic. Though, if he is right that it is a Greek creation that the apostate Hellenic Jews started using just before Christ came and that we ought to discard it, I would argue a total discarding rather than leaving an exception for 666. If the Gematria is a totally unbiblical means of hermeneutics, then that will have serious implications for how we interpret 666.

[John Sheehan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a dry work often used in college courses but authoritative and on point work on the value of numerology as found in scripture yet it leaves out the beauty of biblical symbolism. This is not a book of entertainment and will require you to have a biblical soundness in your understanding of the bible.

[Ernie Dawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book if you're into numerology.