NUMBER. How far the ancient Hebrews were acquainted with arithmetic or the science of number, we possess no authentic information. Neither do we know, with certainty, what sort of numerical characters they used, or if any, in the earlier period of their history. We may, however, form a probable conjecture. The Hebrews,' says Gesenius, 'have no numerical cyphers like ours, but employ consonants to designate numbers. This usage, however, belongs not to the O. T. itself. We can trace it no farther back than the coins in the time of the Maccabees (about 15o B. c.) But, at a later period, all chapters and verses of the O. T. came to be marked or numbered in this way ; in like manner as enumeration was designated by the Greeks [who borrowed it from the Phoenicians]. (a) The alphabet from ti to D, designates the units 1-9. (b) From 4 to y, tens ; from j to 11, some of the hundreds, viz., 100-400. The hundreds 5oo-9oo, some designate by the final letters 1, b, r ; others by adding to n (= 400) the other letters that designate the additional numbers which are needed, ex. gr. pri, i. e. 400 ÷ 100 = 500. In composite numbers, the larger stand first, ex.gr. = is, t' =121, etc. The number 15 is 1t3 = 9 + 6, because the regular designation would be which, being one of the names of God [rather being the unutter able name Iehavah], the Jews could not employ. Thousands are designated by the unit letters, with two points above them, ex. gr. R, woo, etc.—(Roe diger s Ges. Heb. Gram., by Stuart, 2o).
It is probable, however, that this mode of ex pressing numbers was once employed in the Hebrew Bible, although not found there now ; and it may have been employed long before the Maccabman era (see Kalisch Heb. Gram., vii., sec. 1, 7 a ; Winer, Zahlen), although we are unable to trace it farther back ; and may have been ultimately abandoned, as numbers so designated were so very liable to be corrupted by a thousand accidents. Certainly, this mode of expressing numbers, if we suppose it was at one time employed (especially if we keep in mind the frequent transcription of the sacred books) will serve, in a good measure, to account for the striking numerical discrepancies now found in all MSS. of the Hebrew Bible. Let our readers refer to the article CHRONICLES for illustra tion of this point. A few other instances, however, may be adduced : the Hebrew text in 1 Sam. 6, 19, has 50,070. The Syriac and Arabic have 507o, which also seems much too large a number. Three MSS. of Kennicott, and two others, have 7o, which seems the correct reading. It has been
supposed that at first V = 70 stood in the text, and that some copyist found in another copy 5= the text of his MSS. The letters Y and I might be the more easily confounded on account of the two points over 5 like the two upper hands of V (Davidson's Bib. Crit., 2d ed., 404, etc.) In 2 Sam. xv. 7, for 40 years the Syriac, Arabic, and Vulgate—sixtine edition—have 4. It is true two MSS. of Kennicott have 4o days (ibid., p. 429). The similarity of several Hebrew letters to each other, as to 1, .n to I, 1 to 1, t to 0, would very easily lead to their being confounded, and some times occasion not only discrepancy, but even such enormous exaggeration of numbers as often ap pears, especially in the books of Chronicles.
We must now refer to a peculiar use of certain numbers occurring throughout the Bible.
This usage is not peculiar to the Scriptures. It, or something similar, is found in profane writers, in philosophical systems, as ex. gr., that of Pytha goras, with whom unity possessed so much import ance (Lewes' Biog. Hist. of Phil., 2d ed., p. ; and in the Kabbalistic speculations of the later Jews. (See KAEBALAH.) We refer to the fre quent recurrence of the numbers, 3, 4, 7, 10, 4o. 7o, roo, woo ; to which may be added 12 with its square= 144. Only a selection of examples can be adduced.
(a). Three occurs very frequently. Thus, three men appeared to Abraham (Gen. xviii. 2) ; Moses was hid three months (Exod. ii. 2) ; the Jews were bound to appear before God three times in the year (Exod. xxiii. 14) ; the priestly blessing was threefold (Num. vi. 23, 24) ; the doxology of the Seraphim was threefold (Is. vi. 3) ; Daniel prays three times a day (Dan. vi. to) ; the vision was re peated to Peter three times (Acts x. 16) ; God is described in a threefold form as the source of blessing (Rev. i. 4) ; and there are three witnesses to the truth (i John v. 7). (For the abundant use of three in the Apocalypse, see Stuart's Com., p. 102, Eng. ed.) (b). As to the use of four, we have the four rivers of Paradise (Gen. ii. ro) ; four sore judg ments on Jerusalem (Ezek. xiv. 21) ; four living creatures (Ezek. i. 5 ; also Rev. iv. 6) ; the four winds (Ezek. xxxvii. 9 ; Dan. vii. 2) ; the four beasts (Dan. vii. 17) ; four notable horns (Dan. viii. 8) ; again, four horns and four workmen (Zech. i. 18-20 ; four chariots (Zech. vi. 1, etc.) ; four angels and four corners of the earth (Rev. vii. I).