The Meaning of the Number Four

It is strange that Howard Walker and I were talking just this morning about the significance of numbers in the Bible.  This is a subject that has always interested me.  Then I open my Bible during my quiet time with God this morning to Psalms 107.  Just in this one verse you will find the words “Lord help!” written four different times.  This immediately got my attention.  When God repeats something more than once in a verse it tells me I need to pay attention.  All through this verse it talks about how the people would turn from God and then in desperation they would cry out to Him, “Lord help!” and God would rescue them.

The number four in Greek translates to “delta” and in Hebrew it translates to “daleth”.  In scriptures we see the number four discussed in Ezekiel concerning the Fourfold Temple, in John 11:33-39 Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead after four days, and in Revelation God talks about the four kinds of death in the Fourth Seal, which is death, (did you get that – four deaths in the fourth seal).  It was on the fourth day that God created the moon, the sun, all the stars to shine bright in the sky, and then declared their fourfold purpose (signs, seasons (four seasons), days and years).

I found an interesting article on the Internet, Bible History, talking about the numbers in the Bible.  Here’s what it says about the number four:

The Number 4

The Number 4 is thought to represent Gods absolute control over the world.

4 Directions on the earth (north, south, east, and west).

4 Seasons (summer, autumn, winter, and spring).

4 Things that make up the universe (time, energy, space, and matter).

4 Major provisions for man (earth, air, fire, and water).

4 Divisions of the day (morning, noon, evening, and midnight).

4 Winds (Matt 24:31)

The Bible mentions the number 4 many times: (Here’s just a few)

Jn 11:17 So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days.

Jn 19:23 Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His garments and made four parts, to each soldier a part, and also the tunic. Now the tunic was without seam, woven from the top in one piece.

Rev 7:1 After these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree.

Rev 9:13 Then the sixth angel sounded: And I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,

Rev 21:16 The city is laid out as a square; its length is as great as its breadth. And he measured the city with the reed: twelve thousand furlongs. Its length, breadth, and height are equal.

• Notice all the times 4 is used in Proverbs 30
• The fourth man in the fiery furnace
• The 4 generals who took over Alexanders kingdom (broken by God)
• The 4 world empires (beasts) of Daniel
• The 4 horns (gentile powers) of Zechariah

Four seems to represent cosmic order, as in the four phases of the moon, the four cardinal points of the earth, the four rivers of Paradise (Genesis 2:10), the four winds of heaven Jeremiah 49:36), the four guardians of the throne of God, and so forth.

But the number four can also represent God bringing disorder for example, the Four Horsemen who bring calamity on the earth (Revelation 6:1-8) and the four acts of Judgment (sword, famine, evil beasts, and pestilence) with which God condemns the idolators of Jerusalem (Ezekiel 14:21).