And it came to pass, when men began to multiply…
Before we begin, let us note the symbolic significance of these numbers within the broader context of all of Scripture. Briefly:
(1= God)*
2= man(/woman)/division
3= God’s redemptive plan
[4 = creation]
5= God’s grace
*God is paranthetically referenced because He is the primary mover of the events of the narrative. He is explicitly mentioned as the One who is causing all of this to occur.
That being said, let’s begin : )
The Explicit Numerics of Genesis 6
The Significance of the Years Until God’s Judgment is Passed Upon All Flesh (6:3)
Genesis 6:3 tells us that God gives man a brief period of time prior to passing judgment upon all flesh – 120 years, or (1x)2×2x2×3x5 years. As noted above, these numbers have both individual and collective symbolic meaning. So, the numbers 1,2,3 and 5 refer to (1)God, (2)Man/Woman, or division, (3)God’s redemptive plan, and (5)God’s grace. This is important to note because when we begin to pick apart the text, we see that this chapter is rife with multiples of 1,2,3,5. This is the first instance and it serves as a collective numerical symbol, or a numerical symbol of the entirety of the narrative.
For instance, if we understand 120 to be broken into 8×3x5=120, we immediately notice that the narrative states that: Noah, his sons and their respective wives (8 souls) were saved by God’s redemptive plan (3) implemented by His grace (5).
If we understand 120 to be broken into (1x)2×4x3×5, we also find in the text that: God(1) redeems (3) Man (2) and Creation (4) by His grace (5) alone.
The Seven Binary Oppositions
Next, we read of 7 binary oppositions around which the entire narrative revolves.
a.)sons of God/daughters of men(v.2)
b.)Spirit of God/man’s flesh(v.3)
c.)heart of man(v.5)/heart of God(v.6)
d.)Judgment of God(v.7)/Mercy of God(v.8)
e.)Righteous Noah&Lineage(v. 9-10)/Corrupt Earth(v.11)
f.)Males (Noah and sons)/Females
(Noah’s wife and son’s wives) (v.18)
g.)Male Animals/Female Animals (v.19)
God tells Noah to bring 2 of every sort (6:19).
Man’s Need for Redemption/The Specifics of the Ark/Noah’s Sons/The Types of Animals to be Gathered by Noah
I.) Man’s Need for Redemption
Man’s corruption is total, and therefore his need for redemption is marked by the number 3 (v.5):
a.) man’s imagination (conceptions/framework/purpose[s]), b.) man’s thoughts (intention/means/device), c.) man’s heart ([roughly] feelings).
Side Note: I interpret this passage as giving an indication of the depth of man’s depravity in a gradual honing in on the most intimate part of man (i.e. his heart) from the most general part of man (i.e. his imagination). God sees all of man: his conceptions, the intentions behind his conceptions, and the very core of his being: evil.
The Specifications of the Ark
a.)3 decks within itself measured by b.) length (1), breadth (2), and height(3) (depth is excluded), c.) it includes the measurements 300 cubits (length) and 30 cubits (height).
300 = (1x)2×2x3×5x5
and 30 = (1x)2×3x5
Both measurements contain all of the primary numbers which make up 120, that is 1,2,3,5.
Noah’s Sons
Genesis 6:10 tells us that Noah had 3 sons.
The Types of Animals to be Gathered by Noah
As for the animals, Noah is told that 1.)fowls, 2.)cattle and 3.)creeping thing “shall come unto” him, “too keep them alive” (6:21). Fourfold destruction precedes threefold salvation.
The Number of Creation/Noah and Sons & Their Respective Wives
The Number of Creation
4 is the number of creation. Therefore, God, in 6:7, states that He will destroy:
a.)man
b.)beast
c.)creeping thing
d.)fowls of the air
Note that the factors of 120 are, in total, 4 – that is, 1,2,3,5.
Noah and Sons & Their Respective Wives
Also, Noah, his wife, his sons, and their wives are broken into two groups:
1.)Noah, Ham, Shem, and Japheth
&
2.) Their 4 respective wives
The Breadth of the Ark
The breadth of the ark is 50 cubits, or (1x)2×5x5.
The Implicit Numerics of Genesis 6
The Numerical Value of Noah, Ham, Shem, and Japheth’s Names
Shem
The numerical value for Shem, שׁם, is 300+40, or
[(1x)2x2x3x5x5]+[(1x)2x2x2x5].
Here we see the numbers 1,2,3 and 5 again.
Ham
The numerical value of Ham, חם, is equal to 40+8, or
[(1x)2x2x2x5] + [(1x)2x2x2] or [8x5]+8.
Again, the numbers 1,2, and 5 show up.
Japheth
The numerical value for Japheth, יפת, is 400+10+80, or
[(1x)2x2x2x2x5x5]+[(1x)2x5]+[(1x)2x2x2x2x5]
Again, 1,2, and 5.
Again, the same numbers are used. 1,2, and 5.
The Numerical Value of תּבה
The numerical value of the letters comprising the Hebrew word for “Ark”, תּבה, are:
2+400+5, or 2+(8×5x5)+5, or 2+[(1x)2x2x2x5x5]+5
Pretty cool, isn’t it?
