 | Jewish symbolism: Encyclopedia II - Jewish symbolism - The symbolic values of numbers
Jewish symbolism - The symbolic values of numbers
The number three was the symbol of holiness. The Holy of Holies occupied one-third, and the Holy Place two-thirds, of the entire Temple. The tapestries were ten times three ells in length, and there were three vessels each for the altar of burnt offering, the altar of incense, and the Ark. The candlestick had twice three arms (besides the shaft, which also held a lamp), and each arm had three knobs. The blessing of the priest consisted of three sections (Num. vi. 24, 25), and in the invocation of God the word "holy" was repeated thrice.
The symbolism of the number four was based on the contemplation of the quaternity as found in the universe, which included both heaven and earth (comp. Job xxxvii. 3; Isa. xi. 12; Ezek. vii. 2; I Chron. ix. 24; Dan. viii. 8.) The number four connoted heaven as the throne of God.
The Holy of Holies was in the form of a cube, and the Holy Place was a double cube in length. All the vessels of the Temple in Jerusalem (except the candlestick) were square. According to Ezekiel i. 26-28, the number four symbolized the divine revelation, while in the view of Philo it was the number of complete harmony ("De Opificio Mundi," pp. 13-15).
The number five typified semicompletion. The dimensions of the curtain of the Holy of Holies were four ells by five; the altar in the court covered a surface of five square ells; and there were five pillars at the entrance to the Tabernacle.
The number seven was the general symbol for all association with God, and was the favorite religious number of Judaism, typifying the covenant of holiness and sanctification, and also all that was holy and sanctifying in purpose. The candlestick had seven lamps, and the acts of atonement and purification were accompanied by a sevenfold sprinkling. The establishment of the Sabbath, the Sabbatical year, and the year of jubilee was based on the number seven, as were the periods of purification and of mourning.
The number eight symbolizes perfection.
The number ten symbolized absolute completeness. The court to the Tabernacle was ten times ten ells long, and five times ten ells wide, and in the Holy of Holies the Ten Commandments were preserved.
The number twelve, being the product of three and four, typified the union of the people with God. On the table were twelve loaves of show-bread, and the breastplate of the priest contained twelve precious stones as emblems of the twelve tribes of Israel, which camped round about the Sanctuary.
Other related archivesAbraham, Abraham ibn Ezra, Alexander Balas, Amos, Ark, Ark of the Covenant, Assyrians, Azariah, Bible, Book of Genesis, Brass, Christian symbolism, Christians, Daniel, David, Egyptians, Elijah, Ethiopians, Ezekiel, French revolution, God, Gold, Hananiah, Hebrew, Holy of Holies, Isaac, Israel, Israelites, Jeremiah, Jerusalem Talmud, Jesus, Jewish services, Josephus, Joshua, Judah, Judaism, King Solomon, Kohanim, Kohen, Korban, Land of Israel, Levites, Leviticus, Lion of Judah, Maimonides, Midrash, Mishael, Mishnah, Moses, Noah, Passover, Philo, Religious symbolism, Rosh Hashanah, Sabbatical year, Salt, Seal of Solomon, Shabbat, Shavuot, Silver, Sinai, Star of David, Sukkot, Tabernacle, Tabernacles, Temple in Jerusalem, Ten Commandments, Torah, Tyrian purple, Yom Kippur, Zion, Zionism, almond, bells, cherubim, crimson, crucifixion, cube, eight, ells, ephod, five, flag of Israel, four, girdle, grapes, heaven, icons, incense, indigo, korbanot, lions, male circumcision, murex trunculus, pilgrimage, pomegranates, religion, resurrection, sacrifices, sarcophagi, scarlet, seven, sins, slavery, symbol, symbolism, tallit, ten, three, twelve, twelve tribes of Israel, white, yoke, zodiac
 Adapted from the Wikipedia article "The symbolic values of numbers", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki |
