Biblical Symbols and Keys

This post is different from the usual. It may seem a bit academic, but its not really, it's really about language and the role of Hebraic thinking as presented in the Bible.

The goal is to help you see that the symbols, images and language pictures in the Bible have a Hebraic meaning, a graphic depiction, a parable-like key to understanding if you will -- that God provides as a visual signpost to convey the depth, meaning and insight of how God teaches and reveals.

Working together like a 3-D road map Biblical symbols, pictures and keys include numbers, directions, colors, animals, precious metals and so on to convey deeper meaning to grasp the lessons to be learned.

Imagine trying to read aloud without first learning the alphabet or phonics or better yet to driving your car to a destination down the road that you've never been to without a signpost or a map. What will happen? 

You'll likely get lost along the way.

It's much the same when we begin to study Scripture with the goal to understand the voice of Almighty God. We have to know the context of the Bible uses Hebraic symbols and types. Those parable patterns graphically provide the keys to Biblical literacy and knowing God's will for your life and the lessons we all need to understand.

Don't be discouraged, even the disciples struggled to understand. 

For example, if you've read the Newer Testament ,have you ever dug into the basket back story on the feeding of the 5,000 people in Mark 6 and the 4,000 described in the Mark 8 account?

And they began discussing with one another the fact that they had no bread. And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, "Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? 

Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 

Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember? 

When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?" They said to him, "Twelve." "And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?" And they said to him, "Seven." 

And he said to them, "Do you not yet understand?" Mark 8:16-21 

Our learning journey, like the disciples can be helped with a keen desire to understand the messages and decode them using some Biblical keys so that the deeper, behind the scenes understanding of God's Word of promise shines like a bright light connecting the front of the Bible to the back. 

I encourage you to take a look at Mark's accounts and decipher the meaning behind the stories using the keys below to help you. The numbers are no accident, they are as important as the meaning of the bread.

In my Scripture studies, I found the beauty of the Bible's symbols and keys is that we can begin to connect with the Word of God as He gives us glimpses of His glory, majesty as the mysteries begin to unfold.

But it's not so easy to shift gears to kingdom thinking. 

Yet, the thing is, the God of the Universe wants us to search Him out, and it's a king's royal honor to do so. 

Proverbs 25:2 tells us:

"It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings."

Biblical imagery through real world symbols are keys to unlock concealed mysteries. The Bible also uses numbers as reminders to allow our eyes to open our ears to hear and our hearts to be inscribed with the Scriptures to unlock the timeless, Heavenly messages our Creator has embedded into His living word. 

That fact is declared in this Psalm:

"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you." Psalm 32:8

We can gain a lot of insight by studying the Hebraic symbols used in God's Word and we can gain a better connection to the Hebrew text and deeper revelation to understand how God weaves the light of the life giving water of His two-edged sword of truth and its promise of restoration through the work of Messiah and yours too.

There are many Biblical depths and dimension to the Scriptures, and they are there in plain sight to encourage you in faith and point you to Messiah and redemption. 

There are hundreds if not thousand of examples and the following list gives just a few of them, but I've included some of the resources I've found that you should find helpful as you link the pages of Scripture to your heart and life.

The Bible's patterns and themes will help you see Messiah throughout the storylines of the Scriptures. When you begin to do that, you'll come to realize the Bible is not about religion, its about life and what you need to do.

Numbers in Scripture:

• One = Beginning, unity, Elohim-God
• Two = Witnesses, the two tablets of the Ten Commandments
• Three = Complete, the Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob
• Four = Wholeness of physical creation, Earth
• Five = Points to Torah, the five books Moses, the teaching mercy and grace
• Six = Sinful mankind
• Seven = Perfection, completion, wholeness. Five + two.
• Eight = Restoration, Resurrection, Redemption, Eternity
• Nine = Divine Judgment and Order
• Ten = Perfection
• Eleven = Disorder, confusion
• Twelve = The twelve tribes of Israel. Family of followers under the King of Kings
• Thirteen = Rebellion
• Fourteen = Deliverance and salvation
• Fifteen = Completion of God's Kingdom
• Twenty = Time of waiting
• Twenty four = Priesthood
• Thirty = Maturity, readiness
• Forty = Trial, testing
• Forty two = Completion of a journey
• Fifty = Freedom, release, restoration, Jubilee
• Sixty = Pride and arrogance
• Sixty-six = Idols, false worship, rebellion
• Seventy = Nations, completeness
• One Hundred and twenty = Fullness of time, 6,000 years
• One Hundred forty-four = Perfect government
• One Hundred fifty-three = Fruit bearing
• Six Hundred = Warfare
• One thousand = the fullness

Interestingly, if we review the meaning of the numbers six, sixty and six hundred; one message we can embedded in Revelation 13:15-18 is: Mankind + pride and arrogance = warfare. That is revealed in the infamous 666.

For more on the wisdom of Biblical numbers try BibleStudy.org. It is an excellent reference.

Colors in Scripture:

• White = Purity, righteousness, holy
• Red = Blood, offering sacrifice, ransom for life
• Blue = Healing, instruction, faithfulness
• Purple = Royalty, kingship
• Gold = Perfection, God’s word, glory
• Silver = Redemption, purification
• Green = Life, growth, restoration
• Black = Famine, death, sin

In addition to adding Hebraic meaning to numbers found in Scripture, BibleStudy.org provides an excellent reference on understanding colors found in the Bible.

Other Biblical symbols, image types and keys include:

The Human Body in Scripture:

• Head = Thought, mind, memory, intelligence, leadership
• Heart = Center of life, seat of emotion
• Blood = Life through sacrifice
• Eyes = Spiritual vision, wisdom, discernment, insight
• Ear = Spiritual hearing, reception of faith
• Nose = Breath, discernment
• Face = Favor, friendly regard, permission
• Shoulders = Seat of God's government, strength
• Belly = Emotion
• Arm = Strength, power, support
• Hands = Tools of ministry, deeds, works, action
• Legs = Support and strength of the body
• Thigh = Symbol of stabilizing our walk
• Knee = Symbol of reverence and humility
• Heal = Power to crush, stomp
• Feet = Way of life, walk following God
• Bowels = Inner man
• Tongue = Language

Compass Directions in Scripture:

• North = Power and authority
• South = Refreshment
• East = God's light and glory
• West = End of the age
• Up = Going forward toward God
• Down = Going away from God, backsliding
• Return = Repentance

Clothing in Scripture:

• Wool = Warmth and comfort
• Linen = Righteousness and purity
• Flax = Weakness of mankind
• Robe = Covering of righteousness

Metals in Scripture:

• Gold = Perfection, purity
• Silver = Redemption
• Copper, or Bronze = Judgment of sin
• Iron = Man’s weakness, rebellion, crushing, unyielding
• Tin = Worthlessness, weakness, impure character
• Lead = Weight, heaviness of the heart

Heavenly Bodies in Scripture:

• Sun = Life, glory, light
• Moon = Light reflector
• Stars = Abraham's heavenly descendants, Israel, messengers, light bearers
• Falling Stars = apostates, betrayal, blasphemers, fallen from grace

Trees in Scripture:

• Almond = Resurrection from death
• Cedars = Power, majesty, royalty
• Hemlock = Wormwood, false worship, calamity
• Mulberry = Battle, broken heart
• Oak = Strength
• Fig = Israel, fruitfulness
• Myrtle = Blessing
• Palm = Reverence, victory
• Pine = Fragrance and beauty
• Olive = Life, spirit, light, peace
• Pomegranate = Abundance and joyfulness
• Willow = Weeping and heartbreak

Animals or Beasts in Scripture:

• Bear = Evil, cunning, cruel men
• Beast = Worldly, reactive, devouring, craving
• Bull = Strength, labor, servanthood
• Calf = Praise, joyful thanksgiving
• Camel = Service, burden bearer
• Dog = Unbelievers, hypocrites
• Donkey = Stubbornness
• Dove = Gentleness, Holy Spirit
• Eagle = Vision, swiftness, rising above
• Fish = Souls of men
• Fox = Cunning evil men
• Frogs = Liars, boastful croaking
• Goat = Shaggy, sinners
• Horse = Military power in battle, conquest, war
• Lamb = Offering, Messiah
• Lion = King, ruler
• Owl = Dark evil spirit, night bird
• Ox = Strength, service, sacrifice
• Ram = Stubborn, self-willed, wild state
• Serpent = Satan, deception
• Sheep = God's people, defenseless except by a shepherd
• Wolf = False teachers

Insects in Scripture

• Flies = Evil spirit, filth, satan's domain
• Grasshopper = Multitudes, destructive
• Locust= Devouring hoards of destruction
• Scorpion = Evil spirits, evil men, pain
• Worm = Despised

Important Symbol Types in Scripture:

• Angel = Messenger
• Air = Dark spiritual power
• Ark = Safety
• Babylon = False religion, idol worship, religious apostasy and mixing whoredoms
• Bow = Success in battle against evil
• Bread = The life-sustaining living Word of God
• Brick = Slavery, work of men's hands, false worship
• Chaff = Sin, uselessness
• Cities = Man’s religious governments
• Clay = Frailness of the human flesh
• Clothing = Torah based character
• Crowns = Kingship, victory
• Cup = Suffering
• Day = Measurement of time, not limited to 24 hours
• Dust = Humanity in entropy
• Dark Clouds = Trouble
• Earth = Man’s domain, land, country
• Earthquake = Shaking of society, revolution
• Eat = Take in the message
• Egypt = Bondage to sin, confusion, worldliness
• Eye salve = Truth, antidote for spiritual blindness
• False Prophet = Liar, deceiver
• Famine = Lack of truth and spiritual discernment
• Field = Land, the world
• Fire = Trials, purifying and testing
• Fish = Represent God's provision 
• Fornication = Rebelliom, false idol worship
• Fruit = Action, works, doing
• Garments = Covering of righteousness
• Grass = Masses of mankind that withers
• Hail = Hard truth, divine judgment
• Harlot = Idol worshipper, corrupt, apostate
• Harvest = Ingathering
• Healing = Salvation
• Honey = Happy life
  
• Horn = Strength and power, rulers, man’s government

Even more...

• Image = Likeness, to not just look like, but be like
• Islands = Scattered people
• Jar = Vessel, person
• Lamp = Indwelling Spirit of God, Holy Scripture
• Lightning = Flashes, diffusion of truth and knowledge
• Light = God Almighty
• Leprosy = Sickness, sin leading to illness and death
• Measuring Rod = God’s Word
• Merchants = Selling false teachings and requiring tithes
• Mountain = Nations, man’s kingdom governments
• Name = Authority, reputation, purpose
• Night = Spiritual darkness, wrath, judgment
• Oil = Holy Spirit, anointing
• Pit = Without a Biblical foundation
• Plague = Wrath, glory of God on sin
• Rain = Blessings
• Rock = Unchanging truth
• Sackcloth = Mourning, sorrow
• Salt = Incorruptible life, preservation
• Sand = People, multitudes
• Scepter = Power, authority, kingship
• Sea = Restless mass of humanity, unruly people, nations
• Seal = Sign or mark of approval or disapproval
• Seat = Power of authority
• Seed = Message of truth
• Shield = Faith and truth, proterction
• Sickle = Reaping
• Stiff-necked = Stubbornness, resistance to God’s authority
• Sweat = Man's efforts and work
• Sword = Word of God
• Tabernacle = God’s existence
• Tares = Children of error
• Thorns = Sin’s curse
• Trees = Prominent men
• Trumpet/Shofar = Warning of God's coming approach
• Torment = Test by trial
• Two-edged sword = Blessings and curses
• Valley = Lowly and meek
• Virgin = Pure, clean, holy
• Wings = Protection, deliverance
• Water = Truth, God’s Word of life
• Wheat = Faithful followers, children of truth
• Wind = God’s Spirit, breath of life
• Winds = Man’s strife, commotions, wars
• Wine = Blood covenant of life, good doctrine
• Whoredoms = Idolatry, false doctrines, unclean
• Wormwood = Bitterness, lies
• Yoke = Servitude, bond servant fellowship

Don't stop here. 

There is more, much more that calls for wisdom and understanding. 

This list just scratches the surface of the depth of meaning for the Hebraic symbols, numbers and keys found in the scrolls of Scripture and there are plenty of others resources that are broader and more extensive than this listing that can benefit you.

There's much more to learn and it's really important to understand the context of the culture of the Hebrew people of the Bible. The word of God is full of Hebrew idioms that need to be uncovered.

For further study you can check these other resources:

Biblestudy.org provides a good list of Meaning of Numbers in the Bible as does Number in Scripture by E.W. Bullinger which can be bought or found online at philologos.com presenting a topic not referenced here.

Published in 1980 and updated in 1996 the Dictionary of Bible Themes by Martin H. Manser is a good tool as well as  The A to Z Guide to Bible Signs and Symbols Understanding Their Meaning and Significance by: Neil Wilson, Nancy Ryken Taylor.

One of my favorite study aids is the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge by R. A. Torrey.

Finally, in addition to unlocking Scripture through an understanding of numbers, symbols and types, there are hundreds of Hebraisms (Hebrew idioms) found in the Newer Testament that are explained verse by verse in a book that will open your eyes. One of the first things you will see is the Biblical root of the faith of the disciples and Messiah: Hebraisms in the Original Renewed Covenant by Rabbi Julio Dam. Published in 2015.

There's also Ancient Hebrew Idioms by Wayne Leman and for an even deeper study of over 500 idioms embedded in the Bible, you can enrich your understanding with this resource: 

Treasure of Hebrew Idioms. Interpreting The Symbols and Types by Kevin J. Conner.

What does all this mean?

Consider a prayer: Please, God, guide me by your Spirit as to what I should hear and do to uncover you mysteries that you want me to seek and discover.

After all, it's time to repent and return to God's voice, it teshuva time to return to hear and do His words and walk in the faith of His Kingdom path so that you can ready your lamp for your assignment and live in His image as it was intended from the beginning. 

Now's the time to stretch out your hand, and take from the tree of life.

Open a Bible, read it, listen to God's voice and do Yeshua's teaching about the forever jots and tittles He spoke of at the Sermon on the Mount. 

You can learn how the things which are written in the Torah, the Prophets, and the Psalms are concerning Messiah and you can teach others to live life like Jesus:

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 

For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved." John 3:16-17

Today is the time, open your eyes if you're dead in your own valley of dry bones.

Look up and you'll recognize Messiah from Abraham's promise passed on to Isaac and Jacob as written by Moses in the Torah. You can see Him too in the Prophets and the Writings.

Repent and walk your Emmaus Road with Messiah. 

Study the Scriptures He taught every Sabbath that are filled with doing life God's way in the Kingdom, and tell others about Him. Be a gatekeeper until the house is complete.

Shalom.