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Stephen Jones — Bibliology

b5 — The Biblical Meaning of Numbers

Numerical Hermeneutics: Hebrew Letters as Numbers and Meaning-Bearers

  • Quote: “The Hebrew language uses their letters as numbers, and the letters are also words and concepts that can be used either literally or symbolically.” — Jones, The Biblical Meaning of Numbers, Chapter 1

    Interpretation: This is the foundational thesis of the entire study. Jones posits that the Hebrew language carries an intrinsic threefold dimension: each letter is simultaneously a number, a word, and a concept. This implies that numerical patterns in Scripture are not accidental but intentionally embedded meaning-bearers.

  • Quote: “This book is a companion to The Genesis Book of Psalms, because the psalm number helps to convey the meaning of the number itself.” — Jones, The Biblical Meaning of Numbers, Introduction

    Interpretation: Jones operates on the principle that Genesis and Psalms mutually illuminate each other’s numerical significance. This is an application of the hermeneutical principle Scripture interprets Scripture at the numerical level — the canon functions as a self-interpreting whole.

  • Quote: “Bullinger says that ‘in all languages it is the symbol of unity.‘” — Jones, The Biblical Meaning of Numbers, Chapter 2 (Number 1)

    Interpretation: Jones cites E.W. Bullinger (Number in Scripture, 1894) as a hermeneutical authority for biblical numerology. He situates his method within an established tradition of scriptural numerical interpretation.

Hermeneutical Principle: The “Nth Mention” Method

  • Quote: “The fifth time Noah’s name is used is in Gen. 6:8, ‘But Noah found favor [Heb., chen, “grace”] in the eyes of the Lord.‘” — Jones, The Biblical Meaning of Numbers, Chapter 2 (Number 5)

  • Quote: “The fifth time the name Ruth is found in the Bible, it speaks of grace: Ruth 2:2 — And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, ‘Please let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after one in whose sight I may find favor [Heb., chen, “grace”].‘” — Jones, The Biblical Meaning of Numbers, Chapter 2 (Number 5)

  • Quote: “The fifth time that the book of 1 Samuel mentions David is in 1 Sam. 16:22: ‘And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, “Let David now stand before me; for he has found favor [Heb. chen, ‘grace’] in my sight.”‘” — Jones, The Biblical Meaning of Numbers, Chapter 2 (Number 5)

  • Quote: “The tenth time Noah’s name is mentioned is in Gen. 6:13, where God said, ‘Then God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence because of them; and behold, I am about to destroy them with the earth.”‘” — Jones, The Biblical Meaning of Numbers, Chapter 2 (Number 10)

  • Quote: “The tenth time Isaac is mentioned is in Gen. 22:3, where we see his father taking him to Mount Moriah. This pictures the great sacrifice of Christ on the cross, where the law’s judgment fell upon the only-begotten Son of God, who paid the penalty for our sin and rebellion.” — Jones, The Biblical Meaning of Numbers, Chapter 2 (Number 10)

    Interpretation: The “nth mention” method is Jones’s central exegetical tool throughout this work. The principle is: the nth occurrence of a name in Scripture is not coincidental but carries the meaning of the number n. Jones applies this systematically across a wide range of biblical names and persons, spanning both Testaments. This is a form of canonical Bible interpretation that presupposes Scripture as an integrated, intentionally structured whole.

OT-NT Relation: Progression from Lesser to Greater Revelation

  • Quote: “Going from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant shows a progression of revelation from the lesser to the greater.” — Jones, The Biblical Meaning of Numbers, Chapter 2 (Number 2)

  • Quote: “This same principle is found with Hagar and Sarah, Ishmael and Isaac, with Jacob and Israel, with David and Saul, and (in the New Testament) in the contrast between Saul and Paul. In each case, there is division with a resulting conflict between the two characters, yet also God establishes the pattern of moving from one point to another.” — Jones, The Biblical Meaning of Numbers, Chapter 2 (Number 2)

    Interpretation: Jones describes the OT-NT relationship as a structural principle of progressive revelation. OT character-pairs (Hagar/Sarah, Ishmael/Isaac, Saul/David) are not merely historical but carry a hermeneutical structure: the lesser points toward the greater, the first toward the second, the old-covenantal toward the new-covenantal.

  • Quote: “Abraham really did have two wives: Hagar and Sarah. They were allegories of the Old and New Covenants, as Paul says in Gal. 4:22-31, but they really did live as historical characters on earth.” — Jones, The Biblical Meaning of Numbers, Chapter 2 (Number 2)

    Interpretation: [TENSION with b1] In b1 (Creation’s Jubilee) Jones introduced “historical allegory” as his central hermeneutical category. Here he confirms the same principle: historical reality is not surrendered to allegorical meaning. Paul’s interpretation (Gal. 4) functions as exegetical precedent for combining literal-historical reading with typological meaning.

Typological Interpretation: Feasts and Tabernacle

  • Quote: “For this reason, there are three primary feast days in Israel: Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles. It takes all three feasts to perfect a man with the fullness of the Spirit. Each feast is an aspect of salvation for man’s three-fold nature: spirit, soul, and body (1 Thess. 5:23).” — Jones, The Biblical Meaning of Numbers, Chapter 2 (Number 3)

    Interpretation: The three feasts are types for three stages of salvation, corresponding to the tripartite nature of man. This schema structurally links OT liturgy to NT soteriology.

  • Quote: “Jesus was the Good Shepherd in death, for John 10:14, 15 says, ‘I am the good Shepherd … and I lay down My life for the sheep.’ Jesus was the Great Shepherd in resurrection, for we read in Heb. 13:20: ‘Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the Great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord.’ Finally, Jesus is the Chief Shepherd in glory, for 1 Peter 5:4 says: ‘And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.‘” — Jones, The Biblical Meaning of Numbers, Chapter 2 (Number 3)

    Interpretation: Jones identifies a threefold description of Christ across John 10, Heb. 13, and 1Pet. 5, corresponding to the three feasts and the threefold nature of man. This exemplifies his method: numerical patterns function as hermeneutical keys that reveal thematic connections across NT texts.

  • Quote: “In accordance with this also were four colors in the curtains of the Tabernacle of Moses. The purple proclaimed, ‘Behold your King.’ The scarlet proclaimed, ‘Behold the Servant.’ The white proclaimed, ‘Behold the Son of Man.’ The blue proclaimed, ‘Behold the Son of God.‘” — Jones, The Biblical Meaning of Numbers, Chapter 2 (Number 4)

    Interpretation: The four tabernacle colors correspond to the four gospels (Matthew = Lion/King, Mark = Ox/Servant, Luke = Man/Son of Man, John = Eagle/Son of God). Jones uses this as evidence that Scripture has an integrated numerical architecture in which OT types encode NT realities.

  • Quote: “There were also four great divisions of mankind represented by the cherubim (Ez. 1:5), or the four ‘beasts’ around the throne (Rev. 4:6). These represent all creation. Likewise, there are four gospels, each corresponding to a different ‘beast’ around the throne.” — Jones, The Biblical Meaning of Numbers, Chapter 2 (Number 4)

    Interpretation: Jones connects Ezek. 1, Rev. 4, and the four gospels in a single typological framework. Scripture is read as an integrated canonical whole in which numerical architecture makes unity visible.

Authority of the Law as Normative Hermeneutical Framework

  • Quote: “Because the law establishes truth on the basis of two or three witnesses (Deut. 19:15), the number three may be considered to be a complete witness. Two witnesses are enough to establish truth, but three brings completeness, clarity, and shape to it.” — Jones, The Biblical Meaning of Numbers, Chapter 2 (Number 3)

    Interpretation: Jones derives an epistemological principle from Mosaic Law (Deut. 19:15) and applies it to biblical numerology. The law functions as a normative hermeneutical framework — a pattern consistent with his use of Lev. 23 in b4 (The Laws of the Second Coming).

  • Quote: “Man was also to labor for six days before entering into the Sabbath rest (Ex. 20:8-11), and the Hebrew slave was to serve for six years (Ex. 21:2). Moses had to wait for six days before he was allowed to go up the mount to meet the Lord (Ex. 24:16-18). Even so, has man had to wait six thousand years to meet the Lord in the second coming of Christ.” — Jones, The Biblical Meaning of Numbers, Chapter 2 (Number 6)

    Interpretation: Jones reads OT legal patterns (six workdays, six years of servitude, six days of waiting) as prophetic-typological templates for world history. The Law is not merely historically instructive but serves as a chronological-prophetic grid for all of salvation history.

Gematria as Exegetical Method

  • Quote: “The gematria of the Hebrew phrase, h’eretz, ‘the earth,’ is 296, which is 4 x 74.” — Jones, The Biblical Meaning of Numbers, Chapter 2 (Number 4)

  • Quote: “The number 318 is significant, because it is the number of armed servants in Abram’s house who rescued Lot (Gen. 14:14). It is grace that rescues us and sets the captives free.” — Jones, The Biblical Meaning of Numbers, Chapter 2 (Number 5)

    Interpretation: Jones employs gematria (the numerical values of Hebrew words and names) as supporting evidence for the symbolic significance of biblical numbers. The method presupposes that God intentionally encoded the numerical values of Hebrew words as a hermeneutical key system. Jones uses this alongside the “nth mention” method throughout all five chapters.

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