Many people know that the Bible is filled with symbolism, while symbols can be not only words but also numbers. In this article, we will learn the meaning of the number five in the Bible.
The Meaning of Number Five
In the Holy Bible, the number 5 appears 318 times. The number 318 is important because it’s the number of armed servants in Abram’s house who saved Lot: «When Abram heard that his nephew Lot had been captured, he mobilized the 318 trained men who had been born into his household. Then he pursued Kedorlaomer’s army until he caught up with them at Dan.» (Genesis 14:14).
On the one hand, we can interpret this to mean that grace saves us and frees the captives, on the other hand, it may be a coincidence. This situation can be in many cases out of hundreds of uses of the number five.
We will look at several episodes from the Bible to understand whether the number five has any general meaning.
One thing we can say for sure, the Jews, like many other Eastern peoples, often conveyed their thoughts with the help of parables and symbols. Therefore, in the Old Testament, for ease of understanding, the number five has a certain meaning.
According to the Bible, the number 5 is the number of the Universe and a symbol of the Divine’s will.
The Old Testament
The Ten Commandments have two parts, the first five are about the relationship between humans and God and the last five are about people’s relations with others.
Thus, the number five divides the commandments into God’s goodness and grace.
The Fifth Commandment of the Ten Commandments enjoins the Israelites to honor their father and mother and promises long life as a reward for obedience. It symbolizes God’s grace in protecting His people.
Genesis 15:9 depicts the five sacrifices by which Abraham gained possession: « The LORD told him, “Bring me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”»
They foreshadowed the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, that is, the goodness that suffers in the name of people. Thus it represents God’s divine favor in the lives of His people. We see the same symbol in another episode of the Old Testament:
For the acquisition of grace in the Old Testament there were five offerings (Leviticus 1-3): «“If the animal you present as a burnt offering is from the herd, it must be a male with no defects. Bring it to the entrance of the Tabernacle so you may be accepted by the LORD.»
All offerings represent a separate aspect of Christ’s self-sacrifice in the New Testament.
The first mention of the number 5 in the Bible is in the book of Genesis, where God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh.
The 5 Days of Creation
The number 5 symbolizes the first five days of creation when God created the heavens, seas, earth, plants, and animals. During these five days, God demonstrated His creative power and wisdom, which is a demonstration of His mercy towards His creation.
The number 5 in the Holy Scriptures is a symbol of the multitude. Thus the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 19:18) says: “In that day five of Egypt’s cities will follow the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. They will even begin to speak Hebrew, the language of Canaan. One of these cities will be Heliopolis, the City of the Sun.”
There are five cities meaning a fairly significant number of cities. So this number can be explained on the basis of the fact that five is half of ten, and ten is a symbol of completeness.
The Story of David And Goliath
The number five can also be seen in the story of David and Goliath. David chose five smooth stones to fight the giant Goliath. Goliath represents the repressive system of the world, as well as the “giants” in our own lives who keep us in bondage to sin.
David’s actions set forth the idea that only by grace (the presence of the Holy Spirit) these giants can be defeated, freeing us from the sins of the flesh.
David defeated Goliath with five stones, symbolizing God’s mercy, which granted him victory over his enemy.
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The New Testament
In the New Testament, the number five is mentioned several times, for example in the parables of Jesus and in events related to Him.
The significance of the number five is shown in the story of the feeding of the five thousand people. Jesus fed them with five loaves of bread and two fish, demonstrating His divine power and grace towards people in need.
According to the Bible, Jesus Christ had five main wounds when He was on the cross.
In the Parable of the Five Wise Virgins, Jesus speaks of five wise virgins who were prepared for the coming of the bridegroom, while five foolish virgins weren’t prepared and were excluded from the event.
This parable teaches us that we must be prepared for the coming of Jesus and rely on God’s grace for salvation.
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The Book of Reveletion
In the book of Revelation, the number five is also mentioned several times, including in the description of the seven seals of God and seven trumpets.
The fifth seal reveals the souls of those who have been slain for their faith in Jesus, symbolizing God’s grace towards those who suffer for their belief. The fifth trumpet represents judgment, reminding us of God’s grace in judging the world.
Final Thoughts
We can conclude that the number five has a significant place in the Bible, symbolizing God’s grace and favor toward His people.
Whether in the creation narrative, the parables of Jesus, or in the stories of the Old and New Testament, the number five serves as a reminder of God’s power and wisdom, and His grace towards those who trust in Him.
We can know that through God’s grace, we can overcome any obstacle and experience His blessing in our lives.
However, a second conclusion can be also drawn. There are a large number of different numbers in the Bible, using the example of the number five, we can see that there can be hundreds of them.
When reading the Bible, it’s important to understand the context and realize what is a symbol, but we shouldn’t look for symbols where they don’t exist, for example, in everyday details, and try to give each number some meaning. Making such connections may be similar to pseudoscience numerology, which contradicts Christianity.
Charalampos
Charalampos is an Orthodox Christian who wants to help others learn about Christianity. His main goal is to help people understand the Bible and how to apply its teachings in their everyday lives. He also enjoys spending time with his family, playing sports, and hiking.
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