What does the number 4 really symbolize in the Bible?

As with many books rooted in oral tradition, written thousands of years ago, Holy Bible it is full of symbolism. Symbols that give extra meaning using ordinary objects and ideas. According to grunge.com many ideas and concepts throughout the Bible actually have deeper meanings.

For example, the words “honey and curd” used throughout the Bible actually symbolize prosperity, while olive branches represent peace and hope. Have you ever wondered, however, what the number 4, which is often mentioned in the Bible, symbolizes?

What does the number 4 really symbolize in the Bible?

It is not just words, then, that can have deeper meanings. Numbers were also used by Bible writers as symbols embracing broader meanings. Thus, most people can recognize the number 666 as the sign of evil in the Book of Revelation. According to grunge.com, the number 666 is identified as the Trinity of Satan, the Antichrist and the False Prophet. Other scholars say that this number represented the Roman emperor Nero, as explained by the Detroit Catholic. Other numbers, meanwhile, take on a more positive connotation, such as the number 1 representing the one true God.

But there is also the number 4, which most often symbolizes fulfillment or completion in the Bible, with completion being able to be defined by the term perfection. The first appearance of the number 4 in the Bible appears in its first chapter, the Book of Genesis. On the fourth day of creation, the God created the sun, moon and stars. The number 4 also refers to the elements of nature – earth, wind, fire and air -, to the four directions – north, south, east and west – but also to the way in which humanity can be dissolved – nation, race, language and people. The number 4, however, also shows the way to salvation through the four points of the cross – up, down, left and right – while there are four Gospels and four seasons.

However, the most ominous use of the number 4 in the Bible concerns the four horsemen of Revelation. Symbolizing the cost of war, the four horsemen represent, according to Britannica, conquest, epidemic, famine and death. As the forerunner of the end of the world, the 4 riders appear as the first sign of revelation or, as grunge.com reports, the 4 riders are the first of the seven signs that will lead to the end of the days.

You may also like