So, my mother asked me to research the biblical meaning of "10" because tomorrow is the tenth anniversary of her 2nd Saturday meetings, "Devoted Women's Workshop."
I'd like to also share my findings with you.
Now, we're not getting into any numerology or adding anything because I just can't--I don't see the purpose, the godliness or have the understanding to be spreading it. Even if I did indulge in such, with all of the possible number combinations, I'd probably end up typing forever.
You will notice my citing my sources, as per usual. This is for more than respect of other people words. Feel free to link to the websites for yourself!
So, with all of that said, please enjoy and comment!
Ten signifies the perfection of Divine order, commencing an altogether new series of numbers. Completeness of order, marking the entire round of anything, is, therefore, the ever-present signification of the number ten. It implies that nothing is wanting; that the number and order are perfect; that the whole cycle is complete.
A look at the number values assigned to the Hebrew and Greek letters in the table shown in the introduction Hebrew and Greek numerics will show that the letters were given values from one to ten, then increasing in tens to 100 then increasing by 100's and so on. Furthermore numbering by tens is built in to our very anatomy. (Count on your fingers). Thus in ancient times as in modern times, ten is the start of a whole new order of numbers and the culmination of the numbers that come before it. Mathematically, ten is the first of the triangular numbers which has a center. Ten is also a tetrahedral number. If we start with one marble and then add a layer of three marbles under it we have a perfect tetrahedron of four marbles. If we then add another layer of six marbles under that we have a perfect tetrahedron of ten marbles. Such arrangements occur naturally in atomic structure of metals and other materials. In the physical sciences such an arrangement is called "close packed hexagonal" or cph for short. You may notice that each successive layer that is added is the next triangular number of marbles. Thus tetrahedral numbers are the sums of the triangular numbers. In the same way that ten is the fourth triangular number it is the third tetrahedral number. Thus ten is linked with the first of the "perfect numbers".
-The Ten Commandments
-The Lord's Prayer
The Lord's prayer is completed in ten clauses. *
* These clauses have the significance of their respective numbers:—
The first, God's sovereignty.
The second, Jehovah's manifested Name.
The third, the realization of God's kingdom.
The fourth first mentions the earth.
The fifth, the gift of grace supplying our need.
The sixth treats of man's sin.
The seventh pleads for spiritual guidance.
The eighth pleads for final deliverance from all evil.
The ninth sums up the divine glory (32), while
The tenth completes the eternal cycles.
The second, Jehovah's manifested Name.
The third, the realization of God's kingdom.
The fourth first mentions the earth.
The fifth, the gift of grace supplying our need.
The sixth treats of man's sin.
The seventh pleads for spiritual guidance.
The eighth pleads for final deliverance from all evil.
The ninth sums up the divine glory (32), while
The tenth completes the eternal cycles.
-The Tithes
| The tithes represent the whole of what was due from man to God, as marking and recognizing God's claim on the whole. -The Redemption Money The redemption money was ten gerahs, and thus was acknowledged both what God claimed, and what man was responsible to give. Now ten gerahs was half a shekel (Exodus 30:12-16; Numbers 3:47). Every male that was numbered, over 20 years of age, must pay this sum and meet God's claim. * * When David numbered the people (2Samuel 24 and 1Chronicles 21), this payment was not made and God's claim was not met. Hence the judgment which followed. But the first-born were to pay ten times as much; for when God took the Levites instead of the first-born of Israel, there were found 22,273 first-born males, but only 22,000 Levites. So that 273 had to pay the ransom money, which amounted to ten times ten gerahs. Thus, though the five shekels looked like a variation, the significance of ten is sustained, for the five shekels were ten times the "half shekel." (See Numbers 3:12,13,40-51). -The Ten Plagues The ten plagues were representative of the complete circle of God's judgments on Egypt. Exodus 9:14, "I will . . . send all my plagues." -Antichrist's World Power Antichrist's world power is comprised in the ten kingdoms, symbolized by the ten toes on the feet of the image of Nebuchadnezzar's dream (Daniel 2:41), and by the ten horns of the fourth beast of Daniel's vision (Daniel 7:7,20,24, etc.; Revelation 12:3, 13:1, 17:3,7,12). -Ten Nations Ten nations imply the whole of the nations which are to be the scene of Abraham's covenant possessions (Genesis 15:19). -Abraham's Faith Abraham's faith was proved by a completed cycle of ten trials:—
-The Ten Rebellions The ten rebellions of Israel in the wilderness (Numbers 14:22) mark the completed series of Israel's perversities. -The Silver Sockets redemption (1 Peter 1:18,19). * * Ten also completed the number of the curtains (Exodus 26:1). --Fire came down from Heaven -Fire came down from heaven ten times, six of which were in judgment:—
-Ten Times the People Shouted for Joy
-The Ten Virgins -God's Righteous Curses
-"I Have Sinned." Ten * persons complete the series of those who uttered this confession, and acknowledged their desert of divine judgment:— * Of these ten, six were individual (the number of man), while four were on behalf of the nation—"We."
-The Tabernacle The tabernacle is spoken of ten times as the "Tabernacle of Witness," or "Tabernacle of Testimony." Of these, five are Nk@#:$mi mish-kahn, Exodus 38:21; Numbers 1:50,53 (twice), 10:11. This has special reference to the Tabernacle as the dwelling-place of God, from Nka#$af shahcan, "to dwell." Mish-kahn means the dwelling-place of God (Exodus 25:8), and is therefore never used by the Holy Spirit of "whole congregation." The other five are lhe)& oh-el, Numbers 17:7,8,10, 18:2; 2 Chronicles 24:6. Oh-el means simply a tent, and has special reference to the meeting-place of the people by appointment or at appointed seasons. This is the word which is used by the Holy Spirit of the "tent of the congregation." -The Ten Words Of Psalm 119 The ten words of Psalm 119 complete the cycle of the Divine description of His Word. One or other of these ten words occurs in every verse (except 122), viz., Way, Testimony, Precepts, Commandments, Laying, Law, Judgment, Righteousness, Statutes, Word. These, the Massorah says, "correspond to the Ten Commandments." -The Tenth Generation The tenth generation completed and represented the whole existence of the family or nation. In Deuteronomy 23:3 we read that, "an Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to their tenth generation shall they not enter into the congregation of the LORD for ever." The reason is given in verses 4 and 5 as to why an Ammonite or Moabite could not enter into the congregation of the Lord. See also Nehemiah 13:1 -The Parables of the Kingdom The parables of the Kingdom are ten in number in the Gospel of Matthew. Seven in chapter 13, and three in chapters 22 and 25. -The Unrighteous who shall not enter The unrighteous who shall not enter the kingdom of God are enumerated in ten particulars (1Corinthians 6:9,10). -The Security of the Saints The security of the saints is set forth in a ten-fold enumeration, which completes the whole cycle of assurance to all who are "in Christ," Romans 8:38,39. They are given in two fives:— "For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers; nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature." -The Ten I AM's of Jesus in John
-The Repeated Names Ten completes the perfect cycle of the repeated names. Moreover we shall note that these are divided significantly. Of these ten, seven are spoken directly to individual human beings, while three are spoken by the Lord in different connections. Of these seven, four are in the Old Testament, and three are in the New Testament.
-Ten deaths occasioned by women:—
-Ten instances in the Old Testament of younger sons being preferred before the elder:—Abel, Shem, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, Joseph, Ephraim, Moses, David. |
-Ten Righteous
And he [Abraham] said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he [God] said, I will not destroy it for ten’s sake. (Genesis 18:32) It may be mere coincidence that the sum of the chapter and the verse numbers for this is 18 + 32 = 40. A multiple of ten and also a number with significance in its own right - trial and testing. A significance that is very appropriate to the verse itself.
-Ten Generations
Noah was the tenth generation of the patriarchs and completed the antediluvian age. This list of ten patriachs contains a hidden massage within the meanings of their names. In particular the names and their meanings are:| Name | Meaning | |
| 1 | Adam | Man |
| 2 | Seth | appointed |
| 3 | Enos | mortal |
| 4 | Cainan | sorrow |
| 5 | Mahalaleel | the blessed god |
| 6 | Jared | shall come down |
| 7 | Enoch | teaching |
| 8 | Methuselah | his death shall bring |
| 9 | Lamech | the sorrowful |
| 10 | Noah | comfort |
-Ten Passovers
While the Passover was to be observed every year, only ten specific Passovers are recorded in the Bible. The following is a chronological listing of the recorded passovers in the Bible. The first is of course in Egypt, when the passover was first instituted by the Lord.- In Egypt, Exodus 12.
- In the wilderness, Numbers 9:5.
- Plains of Jericho, Joshua 5:10.
- Hezekiah's, 2Chronicles 30:1.
- Josiah's, 2Chronicles 35:1.
- Ezra's, Ezra 6:19.
- When our Lord was twelve years of age, Luke 2:41.
- John 2:13.
- John 6:4.
- Matthew 26:2.
10 ~ Testimony, Law, Responsibility ~ Number used representing man under "the Law" ~ accuser uses this number to accuse man
