Interpreting Biblical Numbers: A Rhetorical and Literary Guide

From the seven days of creation in Genesis 1 to the 1,000-year reign of the martyrs in Revelation 20, the Bible is filled with numbers.

Some numbers seem impossibly large, like the more than 600,000 Israelites who left Egypt in the exodus. Other numbers carry symbolic or theological weight, like the 12 tribes of Israel and Jesus's 12 close associates. Some spark curiosity, like the oddly specific 153 large fish Simon Peter hauled to shore. Some present a challenge, like Revelation 13's call ...