5 (Five)
Five is the number of grace in the corpus. Bullinger connects it to divine favour in contrast to human weakness. Jones emphasises the Hebrew letter hey as the breath of God and sign of the Holy Spirit, and reads the number in the five sacrifices of the Abrahamic covenant and the five offerings of the law. Warnock approaches five through the feeding of the multitude: the five loaves represent true ministry that must be broken in Christ’s hands.
Biblical references
| Reference | Context |
|---|---|
| Gen. 14:14 | Three hundred and eighteen armed servants (318 = five-related) rescue Lot |
| Gen. 15:9 | Five sacrificial animals for the Abrahamic covenant |
| Lev. 1-3 | Five offerings in the Mosaic law |
| Num. 13:16 | Joshua receives hey in his name (Jehoshua) as a sign of grace |
| Matt. 14:17 | Five loaves in the miraculous feeding |
| John 6:9 | Five barley loaves and two fish |
Symbolism in the corpus
E.W. Bullinger
Bullinger describes five as the number of grace, simultaneously associated with human weakness and imperfection in contrast to the divine. As a structural principle he points to exogens — outward-growing plants — which have five as their basic pattern. Five thus stands for the gift that comes from outside, the grace that reaches humanity from beyond itself. 1
Stephen E. Jones
Jones writes: “The number is found 318 times in the Bible. 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.” The five sacrifices in Gen. 15:9 securing the Abrahamic covenant and the five offerings of Lev. 1-3 illustrate this pattern. Decisive for Jones is that God placed the letter hey in the names of Abram, Sarai, and Joshua as a sign of grace and the Holy Spirit. 2
George H. Warnock
Warnock reads the five loaves in the feeding of the multitude (John 6) as a symbol of true ministry: “a true ministry (represented in the five loaves).” Two fish stand for a corporate body; five loaves for the ministry. Both must be “broken and mingled together in His hands” — five is thus the number that points to the calling to service, but which only releases its power when it passes through the dying process. 3