Wise numbers

In his introduction to the wisdom literature, Roland Murphy notes some of the numerological structures of Proverbs:

“First, 1:1 has three names [Solomon, David, Israel], which have the numerological value of 375, 14, and 541, for a total of 930 . . . . this hint in the title of the book is verified by the total number of lines in the book, 930.”

Then, “the title of 10:1 has [Solomon], equivalent to 375, and this is the number of single-line proverbs in this Solomonic collection (10:1-22:16). Third, the ‘Hezekian’ collection (chaps. 25-29) has 140 lines or sayings. In the title at 25:1, Hezekiah is the operative word. Depending on the spelling, it could yield the numerical equivalent of 130 (so MT spelling), 136, 140, or 146. The correction choice, in view of the entire book, is 140 . . . . Fourth, the term hkmym (title in 22:17, 24:23) or ‘wise’ has a numerical value of 118, and this is the number of lines in 22:17-24:32 and 30:7-33.”

Next
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE

Of Roots and Adventures

Peter J. Leithart

I have lived in Ohio, Michigan, Georgia (twice), Pennsylvania, Alabama (also twice), England, and Idaho. I left…

Our Most Popular Articles of 2025

The Editors

It’s been a big year for First Things. Our website was completely redesigned, and stories like the…

Our Year in Film & Television—2025

Various

First Things editors and writers share the most memorable films and TV shows they watched this year.…