Stephen Jones — Creation
b5 — The Biblical Meaning of Numbers
Hebrew Letters as Creation Principles
Jones grounds his numerological system in the relationship between Hebrew letters and numbers: each letter carries a semantic meaning that reflects the created order. Letters relevant to creation themes:
- 1 / Aleph (an ox or bull = strength, primacy, leader)
- 4 / Daleth (a door = opening, entry, pathway)
- 6 / Vav (a nail, hook = to fasten, join together)
- 7 / Zayin (a weapon = cut, cut off)
- 8 / Chet (fence, enclosure = inner room, private, separate)
- 40 / Mem (water = immensity, or chaos)
Source: Jones, “The Biblical Meaning of Numbers,” ch. 1 — Table of Hebrew Letters.
Interpretation: The semantic weight of each letter reveals the deep structure of the biblical numbers. The created order is thus encoded in the language itself.
Number 1 — God as Creator
“The number one signifies unity or that which is first. […] It expresses the unity of God and the fact that this one God is the Creator of all.”
Jones distinguishes two Hebrew words for “one”: yacheed (an absolute unity, an only one — Gen. 22:2) and echad (a compound unity — Gen. 2:24; Deut. 6:4).
Source: Jones, “The Biblical Meaning of Numbers,” ch. 2 — Number 1.
Interpretation: Jones links God’s unity directly to His creative primacy — the number 1 stands at the beginning of all creation and expresses the uniqueness of the Creator.
Number 4 — The Material Creation
“In biblical numerology, four is the number of the earth, or the material creation of God. On the fourth day of creation the material world was finished (Gen. 1:14-19), thereby allowing God to furnish it with living creatures.”
“The gematria of the Hebrew phrase, h’eretz, ‘the earth,’ is 296, which is 4 x 74.”
“In geometry, a four-sided square represents the earth, while a circle represents heaven, eternity, and the realm of spirit.”
The four cherubim (Ezek. 1:5) and the four “beasts” around the throne (Rev. 4:6) represent, according to Jones, “all creation.”
Source: Jones, “The Biblical Meaning of Numbers,” ch. 2 — Number 4.
Interpretation: The number 4 is the numerical code for the material creation order. The completion of the material world on the fourth day forms the foundation on which living creatures are placed.
Number 6 — The Creation of Man
“Six is the number of man, for man was created on the sixth day (Gen. 1:24-31).”
“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.”
Source: Jones, “The Biblical Meaning of Numbers,” ch. 2 — Number 6.
Interpretation: The sixth creation day is the numerical key for understanding humanity: man is a being inherently bound to the material-temporal order of six time units (work days, years, millennia).
Number 7 — Completion of Creation / Sabbath
“Seven is the biblical number of completion and spiritual perfection. […] Seven days completes a Sabbath cycle.”
Source: Jones, “The Biblical Meaning of Numbers,” ch. 2 — Number 7.
Number 8 — New Creation / New Beginning
“Eight is the number of new beginning…”
“The sons of Abraham were to be circumcised on the eighth day (Gen. 17:12), because the eighth day was the lawful time for the presentation of the firstborn (Ex. 22:29, 30).”
“In the New Testament, Jesus was raised from the dead on the eighth day to fulfill the law of the wave-sheaf offering (Lev. 23:10, 11).”
Source: Jones, “The Biblical Meaning of Numbers,” ch. 2 — Number 8.
Interpretation: Number 8 marks the transition from the old to the new creation order. Christ’s resurrection on the eighth day is the fulfillment of the firstfruits offering — the inauguration of a new creation.
Number 22 — Fruitfulness Mandate and Dominion Mandate
“Twenty-two is the number of Sonship, or the Sons of Light. This is the first promise of Sonship, which, along with the Dominion Mandate, formed the Birthright.”
Jones links the number 22 explicitly to Gen. 1:28: “The Fruitfulness Mandate in Gen. 1:28, ‘be fruitful and multiply.‘”
“This Fruitfulness Mandate was later given to Joseph when Jacob said in Gen. 49:22, ‘Joseph is a fruitful bough’ [ben, ‘son’].”
“In Num. 3:39 there were 22,000 priests of Levi that redeemed the firstborn sons of Israel. A thousand is the number of glory, so 22,000 speaks of ‘the glorified sons.’ Thus, these 22,000 priests of Levi represented all of the firstborn sons.”
Source: Jones, “The Biblical Meaning of Numbers,” ch. 3 — Number 22.
Interpretation: Jones structurally links the creation mandate of Gen. 1:28 to the concept of Sonship. The dominion mandate and fruitfulness belong to humanity’s destiny as God’s sons — the number 22 is the numerical anchor of this creation ideal.
Number 31 — Fruitfulness Mandate After the Flood
“The 31st time the name Noah appears in the Bible is found in Gen. 9:1, ‘And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.”‘”
Source: Jones, “The Biblical Meaning of Numbers,” ch. 5 — Number 31.
Number 32 — Creation and Covenant
“The 32nd time the name Noah appears in the Bible is in Gen. 9:8, 9, ‘Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying, Now, behold, I Myself do establish My covenant with you, and with your descendants after you.‘”
Source: Jones, “The Biblical Meaning of Numbers,” ch. 5 — Number 32.
Interpretation: Jones links the Noahic covenant to the restorative creation order — after the flood, God confirms his covenant with all of creation.
Number 38 — Man and Labor in Creation
“Adam was given work to do even before he sinned (Gen. 2:15). After he sinned, the work became more difficult (Gen. 3:17-19). Eve’s work also became more difficult in childbearing.”
Source: Jones, “The Biblical Meaning of Numbers,” ch. 5 — Number 38.
Number 40 — Testing and Transformation of the Creation Order
“Forty is the number of trial or probation. When viewed as a time cycle, we find that Israel spent 40 years being tested and tried in the wilderness. Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness being tested of the devil.”
“The number 40 can be viewed negatively in terms of the full 40 days/years of trial, but it can also be viewed positively in that it is the END of the time of trial or testing.”
Source: Jones, “The Biblical Meaning of Numbers,” ch. 5 — Number 40.
Interpretation: The number 40 represents the testing and transformation period that guides the creation order toward its destiny — not as an endpoint of chaos, but as a threshold to a new order.