What is the meaning of number 14 in the Bible?
Introduction
In the Bible, numbers carry a symbolic meaning that conveys spiritual truths and divine messages.
It is with the help of numbers that we can understand the true meaning of an event because, in those days, people paid great attention to the meanings of numbers.
The number 14, although not mentioned as often as other numbers, has significant symbolism.
Throughout the Holy Scriptures, the number 14 carries a deep spiritual subtext.
Today, we will find out what the number 14 means in the Bible and consider the meaning and messages that it conveys.
Meanings of the Number 14 in the Bible:
Exodus 12:6
The number 14 is closely related to the themes of deliverance and salvation of the soul.
One notable example can be seen in the story of the exodus from Egypt.
God commanded the Israelites to celebrate the Passover feast on the fourteenth day of the first month (Exodus 12:6).
This event marked their liberation from Egyptian slavery and symbolized their redemption and deliverance.
God commanded the Israelites to choose a lamb on the tenth day of the first month and keep it until the fourteenth day of the month.
On the fourteenth day, they needed to sacrifice a lamb as part of the Passover feast.
The fourteenth day also corresponds to the lunar calendar used by the Israelites.
The Jewish calendar is based on the lunar cycle, and the fourteenth day of the month coincides with the full moon.
The full moon provided ample light to the Israelites as they prepared for their journey from Egypt.
It showed God’s guidance and provision in their deliverance.
Thus, the choice of the fourteenth day in Exodus 12:6 was important in many ways.
The number 14 in this context symbolizes the fulfillment of God’s promises to save His people and bring them to a place of freedom and blessing. Also, the timing of the lunar cycle showed God’s guidance and provision for His people.
In Exodus 12:6 is written, “And they kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month, at twilight, in the Wilderness of Sinai; according to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so the children of Israel did.”
This shows that the Jews obeyed God’s instructions, including the symbolism of numbers.
They celebrated Passover on the fourteenth day of the month since it was to be celebrated at twilight, in the period between sunset and darkness.
The specific date of the fourteenth day was determined by God’s command to Moses.
The Lord instructed Moses about the exact time and meticulous details of the celebration of Passover, that’s why by following these divine instructions, the Israelites demonstrated their obedience and trust in God’s guidance.
Matthew 1:17
The number 14 can also mean completeness and wholeness in certain biblical contests.
In the genealogy of Jesus Christ, presented in the Gospel of Matthew 1:17, it is noted that there are fourteen generations from Abraham to David, fourteen generations from David to the Babylonian exile, and fourteen generations from the exile to the Messiah.
This repetition of the fourteen shows the fullness of God’s plan through Jesus.
This symbolizes the fulfillment of all prophetic promises and the perfect accordance with God’s divine plans.
The first group of 14 generations covers the time from Abraham, the father of the Israeli people, to David, the famous king of Israel. This time represents the formation of the kingdom and the peak of Israel’s history. After that, we have a second important period of time for the Jewish people.
The second group of 14 generations covers the time from David to the deportation to Babylon. This time marks the decline and exile of the Israeli people because of their disobedience and serves as a reminder of the consequences of rejection from God.
The third group of 14 generations covers the time from deportation to Babylon to the birth of Jesus Christ, the Messiah. It represents the expected fulfillment of God’s promises and the culmination of the history of salvation.
The repetition of the number 14 highlights the completeness and ideal timing of God’s plan throughout history.
This demonstrates that Jesus, as the Messiah and fulfillment of prophecy, stands at the top of God’s plan.
The genealogy in Matthew 1:17, with its three sets of 14 generations, serves as a symbolic representation of God’s providential timing, and the final fulfillment of His promises in the birth of Jesus Christ.
Job 42:12
In Job 42:12, we find these words: “Now the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; for he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand yoke of oxen, and one thousand female donkeys.”
The number 14 thousand shows the enormous number of sheep with which the Lord blessed Job in his last days.
Since Job passed all the tests and reached a high spiritual level, God gave him a specific number of animals, including 14 thousand sheep.
For those times, it was a huge number of animals and was considered an incredible welfare.
The number 14 can mean the completion, perfection, and blessing of God, while the reward from God is directly related to the spiritual life of Job, that is, we come to the symbol of salvation again.
Numbers 29:13-14
Numbers 29:13-14 says: “You shall present a burnt offering, an offering made by fire as a sweet aroma to the Lord: thirteen young bulls, two rams, and fourteen lambs in their first year…”
The mention of the number 14 in this verse is part of the instructions given by God to the Israelites regarding the offerings to be presented during a certain holiday or event.
In this verse, the number 14 isn’t directly related to any specific symbolic meaning.
Instead, it is a numerical representation of the number of lambs needed for the sacrifice.
The number 14 simply shows that there were fourteen lambs that were to be sacrificed along with other animals as part of the offering.
During this important holiday, the Israelites were commanded to bring various offerings to the Lord, including burnt offerings.
The purpose of these offerings was to express worship, gratitude, and devotion to God.
The specific number of animals intended for sacrifice reflected the scale and significance of the worship performed to the Lord.
God’s demand emphasizes the importance of sacrificing the very best sacrifices. This instruction emphasizes the purity and sincerity of the believers’ devotion and their desire to present their offerings with the greatest reverence to the Lord.
By setting specific numbers, God tested the Jewish people for loyalty and taught them not to violate God’s instructions.
Thus, as in the cases with some other numbers found in the Bible, we can notice that the number 14 doesn’t always have a symbolic meaning, although, in this case, it carries a very important practical significance.
2 Kings 18:13
We can find many examples of the use of the number 14 in the Bible, which clearly doesn’t carry a symbolic meaning.
For example, 2 Kings 18:13 states, “And in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them.”
In this context, the mention of the fourteenth year doesn’t have a specific symbolic meaning but serves as a chronological marker in the historical account of King Hezekiah’s reign and the invasion by Sennacherib.
Acts 27:33
Acts 27:33 says, “And as day was about to dawn, Paul implored them all to take food, saying, ‘Today is the fourteenth day you have waited and continued without food, and eaten nothing.”
In this verse, the mention of the fourteenth day carries a literal meaning.
This passage describes a situation when the Apostle Paul and others were on board a ship that was caught in a severe storm and drifted with the current for many days.
The mention of the fourteenth day shows us how long they have been without food.
In this context, the significance of the fourteenth day is more related to the duration of the difficulties they have endured than to a symbolic or metaphorical meaning.
Thus, the number 14 occurs many times in the Bible, but most often, it doesn’t carry a symbolic meaning.
The most important use of this number in the context of symbolism can be seen in God’s instructions to the Jewish people and in the description of the genealogy of Christ, which coincided with the most key events in the history of the Jewish people.
Ezekiel 43:17
Ezekiel 43:17 describes a particular architectural feature of the altar in the future temple.
In this verse, the number 14 is used to specify the dimensions of a ledge surrounding the altar: “The ledge, fourteen cubits long and fourteen wide on its four sides, with a rim of half a cubit around it; its base, one cubit all around; and its steps face toward the east.”
The specific dimensions of the ledge surrounding the altar, including its size and shape, were probably intended to provide practical and functional aspects; on the other hand, the Bible contains accurate descriptions of the buildings that the Jews erected at the direction of God, and many numbers had symbolic meaning for the Jews.
By adhering to God’s instructions and faithfully building the temple in accordance with His plan, the Jews demonstrated their obedience and devotion to God.
This commitment and obedience, represented by the number 14, can be seen as bringing them to a state of salvation and perfection.
Since the number 14 symbolizes salvation and perfection, it can be concluded that the Jews’ fulfillment of God’s instructions led them to salvation, while what they built and did was perfect from a material and spiritual point of view.
Detailed descriptions of the temple and its components, including the specific measurements provided, show the importance of neatness and divine guidance in the worship of God.
Scrupulous attention to detail during the construction of the temple reflects the significance of this place and the services performed in it.
Of course, the details mentioned in Ezekiel 43:17 may have served practical purposes, but the inclusion of such details in the biblical text also shows the divine inspiration and guidance behind the construction of the temple.
In contrast to God’s instructions on the number of sacrificed animals, the construction of the temple was a more advanced instruction of God that not only taught the Jewish people to strictly adhere to God’s instructions but also led the Jews to the path of spirituality through the construction of the temple, which contains a lot of symbolism and meaning in its characteristics.
Interpretation of the Church Fathers
By studying the writings of the Church fathers, we can discover broader themes and symbolism related to numbers in general.
For example, many Church fathers viewed the number 7 as a symbol of completeness and perfection, often associating it with the seven days of creation or the seven sacraments.
They considered the number 7 harmonious and divine.
As for the number 14 specifically, opinions may vary depending on the context in which it is mentioned.
Since the number 14 occurs in various contexts of the Bible, it is, therefore, worth discussing its symbolism in connection with some specific passages or events.
We can already see that the number 14 is the sum of the number 7, which indicates absolute divine perfection and harmony.
We can conclude that the number 14 has a special meaning in a number of biblical verses.
It indicates perfection coming from God.
In some contexts, this perfection is manifested in God’s blessing, while in other verses, perfection is manifested in God’s plan.
At the same time, the number 14 reveals a second meaning in terms of the path to salvation.
The genealogy of Christ is connected with the number 14, which symbolizes the perfection of God’s plan and that this plan leads to the salvation of people.
Also, in the Old Testament, God gave instructions to people that contained the number 14 and led to salvation.
And although sometimes the number 14 appeared together with other numbers and had no meaning other than the call not to violate the specific instructions of God, in later times, these instructions acquired an explicit symbolic context, such as the construction of an altar.
The call of God to celebrate the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month had not only a symbolic meaning but also corresponded to the lunar calendar that the ancient Jews adhered to; in this way, the number 14 could have practical significance.
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Fyodor Melnikov is an Orthodox Christian. He has a linguistic degree and has devoted himself to Christian theology.