Philip Dampier's Blog

Number Ten in the Bible

The number ten appears 242 times in the Bible. It often is used symbolically to denote divine completion or perfection. It is one of the Hebrew perfect numbers along with three, seven and twelve. There were ten plagues in Egypt. The perfect number to complete God’s purpose. The law was given in ten commandments. Daniel used ten days for testing. Jesus used it for parables as in the ten virgins and ten servants. Ten generations to the flood. The Passover lamb was chosen after ten days. In Daniel and Revelation there are ten horns.

Ten is a combination of the number for God (3) and man (4). Its completeness is enhanced by multiplying it. A thousand for instance or ten thousand or ten thousand times ten thousand.

In the book of Revelation we see some form of ten multiplied repeatedly. The purpose is to suggest a large and complete number. One of the obvious ones, often misused by modern commentators is Revelation 20:2-7.

These verses point out how long Satan is to be restrained by God. It is a complete or ‘perfect’ time. The exact time required for God’s purpose. They also point out how long those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus would reign with Him. They would reign as long as the Evil One was restrained.

Nothing in this entire passage suggest a literal period of time. It simply does not follow the way Jewish people thought and wrote about numbers. Images are everywhere in this book and the book cannot be understood without consideration of the symbols the writer uses.

Task for Today: Reread Revelation. Keep a sheet of paper and a pen handy. As you read look for Hebrew symbols, numbers, animals, elements, and jot them down. Don’t evaluate them just yet. Compile the long list. Then ask this question. Are any of these things used in a non-literal way? Second question. Which ones are literal and which aren’t? Jesus will help at the beginning.