The number fifty-three appears in the Bible in various contexts, often carrying symbolic or literal significance. In biblical numerology, numbers can hold particular meanings, and while fifty-three is not as prominent as some other numbers, it still plays a role in the scriptural narrative.

Old Testament References

1. 1 Chronicles 2:21-22: The number fifty-three is mentioned in the genealogical records of the tribe of Judah. "Later, Hezron married the daughter of Makir the father of Gilead. When he had married her, he was sixty years old, and she bore him Segub. Segub was the father of Jair, who had twenty-three cities in the land of Gilead." While the number fifty-three is not directly mentioned here, the genealogical records often involve calculations and listings that include various numbers, reflecting the importance of lineage and inheritance in Israelite society.

2. Ezra 2:29: In the post-exilic period, the number fifty-three appears in the list of the returning exiles. "the men of Nebo, 52." The context of these numbers is crucial as they represent the restoration of the people of Israel to their homeland after the Babylonian exile. The precise counting of individuals and families underscores the importance of community and continuity in the covenant relationship with God.

Symbolic Interpretations

In biblical numerology, numbers often carry symbolic meanings. While fifty-three does not have a widely recognized symbolic interpretation, it can be seen as a combination of the numbers fifty and three. The number fifty is often associated with jubilee and liberation, as seen in the Year of Jubilee (Leviticus 25:10), while the number three is frequently associated with divine completeness and perfection, as seen in the Trinity. Therefore, fifty-three could symbolically represent a combination of liberation and divine completeness.

Theological Implications

From a theological perspective, the use of numbers in the Bible often points to God's order and sovereignty. The detailed genealogies and lists, including those involving the number fifty-three, reflect God's providential care and the fulfillment of His promises to His people. The precision in these records underscores the faithfulness of God in maintaining the lineage through which the Messiah would come.

Conclusion

While the number fifty-three may not be as prominent as other biblical numbers, its presence in the scriptural narrative contributes to the broader themes of God's faithfulness, the importance of community, and the fulfillment of divine promises. The careful recording of numbers in the Bible serves as a testament to the order and purpose inherent in God's creation and His redemptive plan for humanity.5140. treis and tria -- three
... Word Origin a prim. cardinal number Definition three NASB Word Usage
fifty-three* (1), thirty (1), three (66), twenty-three* (1). three. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5140.htm - 6k

4004. pentekonta -- fifty
... 4004 -- . Word Origin a cardinal number from pente and a modified form of deka
Definition fifty NASB Word Usage fifties (1), fifty (5), fifty-three* (1). ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4004.htm - 6k

Three Tests of Love
... TALK FIFTY-THREE. THREE TESTS OF LOVE. "Wherefore show ye to them, and before
the churches, the proof of your love" (2:Cor.8: 24). ...
//christianbookshelf.org/naylor/heart talks/talk fifty-three three tests of.htm

John Chapter xx. 30-31, and xxi. 1-11.
... and when this number is used for the adding together of every several number it
contains, from 1 up to itself, the sum amounts to one hundred and fifty-three. ...
/.../augustine/homilies on the gospel of john/tractate cxxii john chapter xx.htm

John Chapter xxi. 12-19.
... of which we have already lectured through the earlier part as we were able, on to
the place where it is related that an hundred and fifty-three fishes were ...
/.../augustine/homilies on the gospel of john/tractate cxxiii john chapter xxi.htm

Psalm L.
... Therefore the hundred and fifty-three fishes [1717] doth not alone express just
such a number of saints, but Scripture doth express the whole number of saints ...
//christianbookshelf.org/augustine/exposition on the book of psalms/psalm l.htm

Heart Talks
... TALK FIFTY-ONE. THE HELPLESSNESS OF THE GOSPEL. TALK FIFTY-TWO. HE CARETH FOR YOU.
TALK FIFTY-THREE. THREE TESTS OF LOVE. TALK FIFTY-FOUR. TWO WAYS OF RISING. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/naylor/heart talks/

American Board of Foreign Missions.
... have received the name of seminaries, and these contain four hundred and
ninety-nine boys; the other twenty-seven contain two hundred and fifty three boys ...
/.../hayward/the book of religions/american board of foreign missions.htm

Ignorance of Numbers, Too, Prevents us from Understanding Things ...
... being added over and above, has reference to the mystery of the most Holy Church,
and reaches to the number of the one hundred and fifty-three fishes which ...
/.../on christian doctrine in four books/chapter 25 ignorance of numbers.htm

Joshua Kocherthal.
... In 1708 he sailed for the New World with the first fifty-three souls, landing in
New York at the close of December, 1708, or the beginning of January, 1709 ...
//christianbookshelf.org/bente/american lutheranism/joshua kocherthal.htm

Church Union.
... by baptism in 1849 three persons; in 1850 five; in 1851 eight; in 1852 two; in 1853
six; in 1854 including those baptized at Peh-chui-ia, fifty-three; in 1855 ...
//christianbookshelf.org/fagg/forty years in south china/viii church union.htm

How Cyrus, King of the Persians, Delivered the Jews Out Of
... BOOK XI. Containing The Interval Of Two Hundred And Fifty-Three Years And Five Months.
From The First Of Cyrus To The Death Of Alexander The Great. ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 1 how cyrus king.htm

Fifty-three (5 Occurrences)
Fifty-three. Fifty-six, Fifty-three. Fifty-two . Multi-Version
Concordance Fifty-three (5 Occurrences). John 21:11 Simon ...
/f/fifty-three.htm - 7k

53400 (2 Occurrences)
... 53400 (2 Occurrences). Numbers 1:43 those who were numbered of them, of the tribe
of Naphtali, were fifty-three thousand four hundred. (See NAS NIV). ...
/num/53400.htm - 6k

Fifty-two (10 Occurrences)
Fifty-two. Fifty-three, Fifty-two. Fig . Multi-Version Concordance ... (WEB BBE
DBY RSV). Fifty-three, Fifty-two. Fig . Reference Bible.
/f/fifty-two.htm - 8k

Fifty (131 Occurrences)
... John 21:11 Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land, full of great fish, one
hundred fifty-three; and even though there were so many, the net wasn't torn. ...
/f/fifty.htm - 39k

Numbered (209 Occurrences)
... Numbers 1:43 those who were numbered of them, of the tribe of Naphtali, were
fifty-three thousand four hundred. (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS). ...
/n/numbered.htm - 35k

Thousand (405 Occurrences)
... (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT RSV). Numbers 1:43 those who were numbered of them,
of the tribe of Naphtali, were fifty-three thousand four hundred. ...
/t/thousand.htm - 37k

153600 (1 Occurrence)
... who were in the land of Israel, after the numbering with which David his father
had numbered them; and they were found one hundred fifty-three thousand six ...
/num/153600.htm - 6k

Kings (350 Occurrences)
... accession of Solomon till the subjugation of the kingdom by Nebuchadnezzar and the
Babylonians (apparently a period of about four hundred and fifty-three years ...
/k/kings.htm - 61k

Wasn't (35 Occurrences)
... John 21:11 Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land, full of great fish, one
hundred fifty-three; and even though there were so many, the net wasn't torn. ...
/w/wasn't.htm - 16k

Israel (27466 Occurrences)
... Thus after a duration of two hundred and fifty-three years the kingdom of the ten
tribes came to an end. They were scattered throughout the East. ...
/i/israel.htm - 101k

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