The Meaning Of The Number 16 In The Bible

What is the meaning of the number 16 in the Bible?

Introduction

Numbers in the Bible usually have a symbolic meaning.

In those days, people often perceived information with the help of a symbol or in some allegorical form, so we can often see that any number found in the Bible was not chosen by chance.

Numbers can reflect deeper spiritual truths and divine patterns.

Today, we will explore the meaning of the number 16, which is found in selected passages of Scripture, and delve into the ideas of the Church Fathers regarding symbolism.

Meanings of the Number 16 in the Bible

Genesis 7:11-12

There are several points in the Bible where the number 16 occurs.

For example, we can see a reference to the number 16 in Genesis 7:11-12.

In the story of Noah and the Flood, we can see that the flood lasted 16 days before the rain began.

These lines from the Bible should be interpreted in the context of divine judgment and deliverance.

Genesis 7:11-12 says: “In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened. And rain fell upon the earth forty days and forty nights.”

The number 16 indirectly means the duration between the beginning of the flood and the culmination of the rain.

Although the number 16 isn’t mentioned, it may have a symbolic meaning in connection with the divine judgment and the subsequent renewal of creation.

God didn’t immediately send rain to the earth, which shows his mercy and love for people.

The number sixteen can be considered as a combination of the numbers ten and six.

The number ten is associated with completeness, divine order, and the commandments of God.

It embodies a sense of wholeness, as can be seen from the Ten Commandments given to Moses on Mount Sinai.

The number ten also means the end of the cycle or the full measure.

On the other hand, the number six is often associated with imperfection, incompleteness, or unattainability of perfection.

Seeing these explanations of the symbolism of the number 16, we can understand why God waited 16 days during the flood. On the one hand, it symbolizes the integrity of what most people on earth deserved; on the other hand, it was not enough, so on the 17th day, it began to rain.

In this case, the number seven represents divine perfection and completeness.

1 Chronicles 4:27

In 1 Chronicles 4:27, the verse states that Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters, while his brothers did not have many children:

“Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters; but his brothers did not have many children, nor did all their families multiply like the men of Judah.”

Given these symbolic associations, the mention of sixteen sons in the context of Shimei can be seen as representing a relatively large and integral family.

This suggests that Shimei had a significant number of descendants symbolizing abundance, blessing, and prosperity. Moreover, the contrast mentioned in the verse that the brothers of Shimei didn’t have many children or that their families didn’t multiply like the husbands of Judah may show the exceptional nature of the growth of the Shimei family.

Thus, the number 16 symbolizes the love and blessing of God, who does the best for the salvation of people.

We can see the number of children equal to sixteen in other verses of the Bible.

It may have the same meaning and symbolism mentioned earlier: “These were the children born to Jacob by Zilpah, whom Laban had given to his daughter Leah—sixteen in all.” – Genesis 46:18

2 Kings 13:10

Also, various kings ruled for 16 years. On the one hand, it may be a coincidence, but knowing that 16 can mean the love of God and the twofold in terms of completeness, it may have its own special symbolism.

God blesses the kings to rule and shows that they have fulfilled their purpose, and another king will take their role: “In the thirty-seventh year of Joash king of Judah, Jehoash son of Jehoahaz became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned sixteen years.” – 2 Kings 13:10

2 Kings 15:32-33

“In the second year of Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel, Jotham son of Uzziah king of Judah began to reign. He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years.” – 2 Kings 15:32-33.

The Bible surprisingly contains several examples of rulers who ruled for 16 years.

Also, we can find words about the son of David, who, unlike his father, didn’t even try to listen to God, although he had a long chance at 16 years.

Thus, he independently renounced the love of God and His blessing:

“Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. Unlike David his father, he did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord his God.” – 2 Kings 16:2

1 Chronicles 24:4

In 1 Chronicles 24:4, we can find mention of 16 family members again:

“A larger number of leaders were found among Eleazar’s descendants than among Ithamar’s, and they were divided accordingly: sixteen heads of families from Eleazar’s descendants and eight heads of families from Ithamar’s descendants.”

We have already found out that the number 16 means God’s blessing.

It is also easy to notice that God’s blessing often concerns the number of family members and the duration of the reign of a king.

However, not all numbers in the Bible have symbolism or special meaning. Sometimes a number means nothing more than a number.

2 Chronicles 26:3

“Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for fifty-two years. His mother’s name was Jekoliah; she was from Jerusalem.” – 2 Chronicles 26:3.

This biblical verse says that the king began to rule at the age of 16, and he ruled for 52 years. On the one hand, we can assume that God chose the age of the ruler so that he would realize that he has God’s blessing, but most likely, this is just a coincidence.

We can find a similar situation in another biblical verse, where it says that the king began to rule at the age of 16: “Then all the people of Judah took Azariah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah.” – 2 Kings 14:21

At the same time, it’s mentioned that it was the people who enthroned this ruler. This helps us to understand that there was no special divine instruction or command in this.

2 Chronicles 29:17

An example of the number 16 that can symbolize the completion of the process can be found in another verse:

“They began the consecration on the first day of the first month, and by the eighth day of the month they reached the portico of the Lord. For eight more days, they consecrated the temple of the Lord itself, finishing on the sixteenth day of the first month.” – 2 Chronicles 29:17

It’s important to note that the number sixteen is a combination of the numbers eight and eight.

In the Bible, the number eight commonly means new beginnings, while the number sixteen can potentially indicate the completion or full cycle of the process.

In the context of this biblical verse, the focus is on the restoration and re-consecration of the temple during the reign of King Hezekiah.

The sixteenth day may show the thoroughness and significance of the consecration process, which includes the necessary rites, rituals, and preparations necessary for the consecration of the temple.

Symbolic Interpretations of the Church Fathers

The church fathers give valuable insights into biblical symbolism.

Their teachings on numbers and symbolism, in general, can shed light on their potential significance.

Saint Gregory of Nyssa speaks of numbers as “symbols of hidden things” and suggests that they show a deeper spiritual reality.

That is, the knowledge of the symbolism of numbers, which was of great importance to ancient people, is not useless and even helps us study the Bible.

The saint explored allegorical and symbolic interpretations of biblical events in his treatise “The Life of Moses.” Although he discussed various numerical symbols, including the meaning of numbers such as one, three, and forty, he didn’t specifically address the number sixteen.

Saint Augustine of Hippo, in his work “The City of God,” discussed the symbolic meaning of numbers in connection with biblical interpretation.

At the same time, Saint John Chrysostom focused on moral instructions and practical spirituality, and not on extensive numerical symbolism.

Even though the number 16 had a certain symbolism, we often can’t know in which biblical verses the number 16 has a special meaning, and in which it is a mere coincidence, so some Church fathers advised us to pay attention to spirituality, and not to the hidden subtext.

Final thoughts about the symbolism of the number 16

It is important to note that numbers in the Bible can sometimes have a symbolic connotation based on their context and usage.

This is what helped the ancient people to understand the meaning of the number.

It is important to approach symbolic interpretations of numbers with caution and humility, as they may vary and depend on the broader context of the biblical narrative.

Symbolic meanings should be considered in the light of specific passages, themes, and teachings of the Scriptures.

And although the Church fathers confirmed that many numbers in the Bible have their own meaning, they didn’t write works explaining each number in a specific context.

Therefore, it is very difficult for us to determine in which verse the number 16 has a special meaning, but we can use the interpretations of the Church fathers of those verses where the number 16 occurs so that when using incorrect symbolism (for example, the wrong sum of numbers having their own symbolism), we don’t understand the verse incorrectly.

In general, we can conclude that the number 16 symbolizes the love of God, which he shows to people, for example, in the form of a given time or a large family.

This number can also symbolize completeness and incompleteness at the same time, but in other contexts, it symbolizes integrity and full completeness.

In certain contexts, the number sixteen can be seen as reflecting the tension between divine perfection (symbolized by the number ten) and human imperfection (symbolized by the number six).

This may mean a struggle or a journey to completion, redemption, or spiritual growth, but due to human imperfection, this struggle doesn’t always lead to something good, as shown by the example of the son of David, who ruled for 16 years and did nothing good for God.

As such, the number sixteen can be seen as a testing time when divine blessing collides with human nature, which is not always ready to accept God or do something for Him.

The number sixteen can be considered as a designation of a transitional period or a time of change.

In the biblical narrative, events or situations that occur over a span of sixteen years or involve a duration of sixteen can symbolize a significant shift or transition from one phase to another, such as the story of the flood.

It is also worth remembering that the meanings of numbers in the Bible can be obtained either from the number itself or from the sum of numbers having their meaning.

All other attempts to find the meaning of a number by multiplication, division, counting letters, and the number of verses is numerology, which in turn is recognized as sinful from the point of view of Christianity and doesn’t help us to know the Bible in any way.

The number sixteen has no explicit and unchangeable symbolic meaning in the Bible.

Unlike numbers like seven or twelve, which are often associated with a certain symbolic meaning, the number sixteen has no consistent symbolic interpretation throughout Scripture.

As you could see before, the number 16 had a specific meaning in the form of God’s love, a special gift, and a blessing, but it could change if people perceived 16 as the sum of numbers with a different symbolism.