Deuteronomy 26:7: “And we cried unto the Lord, the God of our fathers, and the Lord heard our cries and saw our affliction.”

In some countries the study of the Gematria (study of numbers) is an academic discipline and studied in Universities.  Not so much in the United States, we are more of a scientific nation and the study of numbers is pretty much snake oil. I agree with that. I see no value to the study of numerology.  However, the Gematria is not numerology, they are two different animals.  The Gematria deals with the Hebrew language in the belief that every word is assigned a numerical value.  That is a fact since the Hebrew letters themselves are also used for numbers.  Thus, the Aleph is also the number 1 and the Beth is number 2.  The questionable part is that the rabbis teaches that two words or two phrases with identical numerical value have some relationship to each other.

When I was teaching in an academic setting, I never referred to the Gematria because it is usually considered very unacademic. As I said in this country the Gematria is relegated to that area of religion that goes off on supernatural things (It is not unusual to find seminary or teachers of religion who don’t even believe in God let alone the existence of the supernatural).  However, I believe in the supernatural and I believe that such a complex system of numerical values of words and phrases having a relationship is possible under the inspiration of God.  That is a little too much for many Evangelical scholars, but as I don’t hold myself out as a scholar that should give me the freedom to investigate the Gematria.

For one thing it appears the Bible itself teaches the existence of a Gematria.  In Revelation 13:18 we are told: “Here is wisdom, let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast.”   That is Gematria plain and simple.  The Gematria is a 3000 year old study by Jewish sages who assign certain numeric values to the Hebrew alphabet. From these values they seek associations between various words.

Let me give you an example here.  Look at Deuteronomy 26:7.  This is a wonderful promise.  When we cry unto the Lord He hears our cries and sees our afflictions.  But, soft, could there be more, is that all that the God of the Universe, creator of all things wanted to say us. I say “no” that is just the surface like the surface of the ocean.  Beneath the ocean are wonders yet to be seen. The Gematria allows us to dive under the surface of this ocean.  Floating on the surface of this ocean are the words cry and affliction.   You can find little treasures when you seek the meaning behind each Hebrew letter in each word.  You can purchase my book Beyond the Lexicon to discover how to do this.  There is also a pleasant surprise when you search out the root word and its historical origins.  There is yet another tool that God has given us to study His Word Beyond the Lexicon which I believe is the Gematria.  After all numbers are very prominent in the Bible, we have a whole book called Numbers.   I have to ask myself, why would God give us such a small book to reveal to us His intentions. There should be volumes.  Not only is the book small but we tend to ignore 75% if this book because there is seemingly no Spiritual value in passages such as Genesis 6:15 where Noah is told to build the ark 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide and 30 cubits high?  We are not even sure what a cubic is.   But who needs to know what a cubit is when you have a powerful spiritual lesson in the numbers 300, 50, and 30 or a total value of 380.  There are many Hebrew words which have a numerial value of 380 such as Egypt, thick darkness, oppressed, desolate, astonished, slip off, cast out, folly, weakness, beak off, crossroad, firmament, flock, goats and many others. Do any of these word fit the story of Noah?  The ark represents God freeing Noah from oppression, darkness, desolation, weakness.   It represents something astonishing that God will do etc.  The numbers related to the ark all have a story to tell.

So let’s go to our verse today in Deuteronomy 26;7.  Note our cry is spelled Qop which is also the number 100, Lamed which is the number 30,  Nun which is the number  50, and Vav which is the number 6.   This totals 186.  That is the numerical value of the word qolenu which means our cry.  Now let’s look for other Hebrew words that have the same numerical value.  Well, the very next word our affliction is ‘aneynu which is spelled Ayin = 70, Nun = 50, Yod = 10, Nun = 50, and Vav = 6.  The total numerical value of our affliction is, why lookie here, 186.  Co-incidence or God-incidence?  You choose, but no doubt the words are related because: Our affliction causes us to cry out. 

Let’s drill down deeper and find other words outside this verse that also have a value of 186.  You have the Hebrew word kesalemo which means after his image. Is this word related to affliction and cry out?   If we are created in God’s image and we cry out in our affliction did you ever consider the fact that God may be afflicted and cry out in His affliction?   How is He afflicted? Everytime we sin, everytime a sinner dies and goes to Hell, is not God afflicted, does he not, like a parent, feel the pains of affliction or the sufferings of His children?  We are after all made in His image. So if we suffer it stands to reason we inherited that trait from our Heavenly Father.

Hey, look at the letter Qop in the word for our cry qolenu. The letter itself has a numerical value other than it’s assigned value. When you spell out the word Qop you get  Qop = 100, Vav = 6, and Pei = 80 which totals 186.  The letter Qop means growth and holiness. In our crying out to God in our affliction we will grow in holiness.  Did not David say in Psalms 119, “But for my affliction I would not have sought the Lord.”  Affliction can be a road to holiness if we call out to God.

Ok, let’s look at one more word with a numerical value of 186 which is the word henimesa. This is an interrogative in a Qal imperfect form from the root masa and means can we find?  May I leave you with this, when we go through affliction, can we find God in this affliction? Can we find God in the gematria?  Hey, you decide.  Coincidences or God incidences.