Gematria

Gematria (Numerical Value)

Definition (8th-grade level):

Each Hebrew letter also stands for a number. When you add the numbers in a word, you sometimes get a meaning or pattern. This is called gematria. You don’t use it to force meaning, but if the number lines up with something true about Christ or the Spirit, it can help show that the meaning is really there.

Example:

• שמים (“heavens”) = 3
• ארץ (“earth”) = 3 John says “there are three that bear witness in heaven…” So the gematria matches the idea that heaven and earth both reveal the same testimony.

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Updated subcategories now include:

1. Single Letter Meaning
2. Alphabetic Order
3. Sequential Narrative
4. Thematic Emphasis (Repetition)
5. First / Final Letter of Word
6. Contrast or Substitution
7. Gematria