Tom's Wrap Up Talk for Exodus 8-11

It is important that we discuss numbers in the Bible, since Exodus is so filled with them. All God’s ways are perfect. His works are perfect and His words are perfect. Can there also be perfection in His use of numbers? The Jews and Jewish Christians of the Old and New Testament thought so and so did the Fathers of the Catholic Church. St. Jerome, St. Augustine, and Pope St. Gregory I (the Great) all wrote extensively of God’s design and the significance in His plan of salvation in the use of numbers.
In Sacred Scripture numbers usually have more significance than their quantitative indicators. More often than not, even when a number is used to indicate a certain quantity, the individual number given may point beyond the numerical value to a symbolic significance. At other times the number given is not to be taken literally and may represent an approximate value, a symbolic value, or may indicate the use of hyperbole—an exaggeration or amplification to illustrate a teaching point in the Biblical text. For example:
The six day period of Creation may not be literal but may represent a symbolic period of time that was perfected on the seventh day when God rested—seven being one of the four “perfect” numbers.
The number of the 144,000 heavenly souls marked with the “seal of the living God” in Revelation chapter 7. Bible scholars both ancient and modern have interpreted this number as reflecting the symbolic perfection of redeemed man in terms of the “perfect” number 12 which signifies perfection of government in Scripture multiplied by divine order (Ten signifies divine order in scripture). 144,000 is the square of 12 times the cube of 10.
In Matthew 18:22, Simon Peter asks Jesus how many times he must forgive a brother who has sinned against him. Peter asks “As many as seven times?” Jesus’ response is “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times,” indicating not a literal 77 times but that Peter’s forgiveness is to be given without limit—an abundance of forgiveness using the “perfect” number 7 which represents both covenant and spiritual perfection.
In addition to the study of the symbolic significance of numbers in Scripture is the study of the numbers formed by the letters of words themselves, which is known by the Greek word gematria. This is the study of the words formed of letters of the alphabet used as number figures. The Hebrews, Greeks, Romans, and many other ancient peoples used their alphabets for numbers. The Hebrews used all 22 letters of their alphabet plus 5 finals. The Greeks used the 24-letter alphabet and 3 additional finals. The Romans only used 6 letters of their alphabet and their combinations to form numbers: I= 1, V = 5, X = 10, L = 50, C = 100, D = 500. The number 1,000 was formed by two D’s (combined to form an M-like figure). The Apostle John, writing during the time of the first great Roman persecution of Christians, recorded in the Book of Revelation that the number of the Beast was 666. Most ancient hand-written manuscripts of the book of Revelation record 666 as this significant number while other manuscripts record the number as 616. Is it a coincidence that all the Roman numerals added together total 666 (excluding the symbol for 1,000 which was not a separate letter/number but two “D”= 500 placed back to back)? Is it also a coincidence that the gematria for Nero Caesar (an alternate Hebrew spelling of the Emperor’s name in wide use in the 1st century AD) totals 666 while the Greek spelling of Nero Caesar totals 616? Six is the number of the beasts and of man (both created on the 6th day). It is also the number which is symbolic of man’s nature to rebel against the law of God.
Each number, according to ancient tradition has significance, for example:
Three is the number of perfect completion for the Jews and for Christians the number three symbolized the perfection of the Godhead = Trinity.
Eight is the number of salvation. It is the number of Christ, of the resurrection, and of the Second Coming. The gematria of the name Jesus in Greek (the language of the Old Testament) is 888: a trinity of eights, the fullness of salvation! As a matter of fact, every name identifying the second person of the Trinity is a multiple of 8 in Greek: Jesus Christ = 1480 (8 x 185); Lord = 800 (8 x 100); Savior = 1,408 (8 sq. x 32); Emmanuel = 25,600 (8 cubed x 50); Messiah = 656 (8x 82); Son 880 (8 x110).
The study of the significance of the use of numbers in Scripture requires a lifetime of study and reflection.
Do we tend to read more into the Plagues than probably was intended by the Sacred Author of Exodus? TEN: Perfection of divine order
Noah was the 10th generation from Adam [Genesis 5:1-32]
Abraham was the 10th generation from Shem, son of Noah [Genesis 11:10-26] (the ancients counted every series with the first in the series as #1—there was no concept of 0 as a place value)
10 Commandments [Exodus 20:1-17; Deuteronomy 5:6-21]
10 clauses in the Lord’s Prayer [Matthew 6:9-13]
10 plagues on Egypt [Exodus 7:14-12:30]
10 virgins in Jesus’ parable [Matthew 25:1-13]
10 times John uses the words "I Am” in his Gospel
The Sacred Writer is telling us that God’s will WILL be done and that God will use the powers of Nature, which he created to see that Divine Order is established. Most all of our accounts of the plague come from Oral tradition, stories passed down from generation to generation. All of these plagues are more or less afflictions which are common to North Africa and Egypt only in much greater severity.
Gematria is not to be confused with what is called “Semitic exaggeration”. In Semitic languages, not only Hebrew but Arabic they tend to go to extremes. If something is bad, it is the worst you ever heard of. If something is good, it is the best you ever heard of. There does not seem to be any in between. Those of us reared in a Western European environment, having a Germanic or English background, coming primarily through the Greek and Roman influence to a certain extent, we look on things rather practically. We do not like too many figures of speech in our language, but we still use them today, such as “I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.” You are not that hungry ever, but we use expressions like that. Ages in the Pentateuch are exaggerated hyperbole to make a point. A good example of this is Methuselah. Methuselah is the oldest person whose age is mentioned in Genesis is given as 969 years. The name Methuselah has become a general synonym for any living creature of great age. This differs from Gamatria which is the manipulation of a number or sequence of numbers to make a statement.
Another frequently overlooked aspect of the plagues is the effect it undoubtedly had on the Egyptian people themselves. “Pharaoh” was the title of the kings of Egypt. The word pharaoh means “great house”. It was originally used to describe the king’s palace. It also implied that Pharaoh was Master of his own house meaning Egypt. To have the Hebrew God demonstrate his power over nature through the plagues, it also showed the Egyptians that their Pharaoh was not the Master of his own house anymore. The Bible doesn’t mention it but this had to be devastating to the Egyptian dynasty.
Another feature of Hebrew writing is repetition. The ancient Hebrew language had no capacity for what we call comparative adjectives, such as “good – better – best”. To emphasize that something was the “best” or greatest or most powerful, a word or phrase OR an entire verse of Scripture can be repeated. An example of this occurs in the Mass at the Sanctus, when we say, “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts, Heaven and earth are full of your Glory, Hosanna in the highest.” The repetition of the word, “holy” three times indicates that God is the “Holiest”. In Sacred Scripture the number 3 represents that which is solid, real, substantial, and something in its completeness. This number usually indicates something of importance or significance in God’s plan of salvation by identifying an important event in Salvation History. This number operates as a “sign-post” in Scripture study for the reader to “pay attention” to the significance of the next event. Hence, “Holy, Holy, Holy” is followed by the Eucharistic Prayer, the center of the Mass.
Since the pattern of the ten plagues are repeated more that three times, it indicates: perfection; the divine order; and that something important will follow – the liberation of the Hebrews from their bondage.
To appreciate and read Exodus fully, we must take into account and be familiar with the nuances of Hebrew writing and poetry. As contemporary Catholics, we become almost obsessed with what is not in Scripture, when we overlook the very creative ways that the ancient authors communicate the Divine Message.

TA/ 10/13/09