Numbers in the Fourth Gospel

Numbers in the Fourth Gospel
by Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D.

For an introduction, see The Symbolism of Numbers in the Bible.

Greek Words	Meaning	Freq.	Refs. in John
εἷς, μία, ἕν	one	40x	1:3; 3:27; 9:25 ("not one thing"; "one thing") 1:40; 6:8, 70, 71; 12:4; 13:21, 23; 20:24 ("one of" the disciples) 6:22; 7:21 ("one boat"; "one work") 7:50; 11:49, 50; 12:2; 18:14, 39 ("one of them"; "someone") 8:9 (they departed "one by one") 8:41; 10:30 ("one father"; "The father and I are one') 10:16 ("one flock, one shepherd") 11:52 ("gather into one") 17:11, 21, 22, 23 ("that they may be one"; "...as we are one") 18:22, 26; 19:34 ("one of the officers"; "...slaves"; "...soldiers") 20:1, 19 ("on the first day of the week"; lit. "on day one...") 20:7 ("in a place by itself" ; lit. "in one place") 20:12 ("one [angel] at the head and one at the feet") 21:25 ("if every one were written down...")
πρῶτος	first	14x	1:15, 30 ("he was before me"; lit. "he was first vis-à-vis me") 1:41; 2:10; 7:51; 8:7; 15:18; 18:13; 20:4, 8 (actions done "first") 10:40; 12:16; 19:39 (something happening "earlier"; "at first") 19:32 ("the first" person)
δύο	two	13x	1:35, 37, 40 ("two disciples") 2:6 ("two to three measures", often translated "twenty to thirty gallons") 4:40, 43; 11:6 ("two days") 6:9 ("two fish") 8:17 ("two witnesses") 19:18 ("two others" crucified) 20:4; 21:2 ("the two" disciples; "two others") 20:12 ("two angels") [11:18 - "about two miles" is literally "about 15 stadia" in Greek]
δεύτερος	second	4x	3:4; 9:24; 21:16 ("a second time") 4:54 ("the second sign")
τρεῖς	three	3x	2:6 ("two to three measures", often translated "twenty to thirty gallons") 2:19, 20 (days) [6:19 - "three to four miles" is literally "25 to 30 stadia" in Greek]
τρίς	three times	1x	13:38 ("three times")
τρίτος	third	4x	2:1 ("on the third day") 21:14, 17, 17 ("the third time")
τέσσαρες	four	2x	11:17 ("four days") 19:23 ("four parts") [1:39 - "4 o'clock in the afternoon" is literally "the tenth hour" in Greek] [6:19 - "three to four miles" is literally "25 to 30 stadia" in Greek]
τεταρταῖος	on the fourth day	1x	11:39 (often translated "four days")
τετράμηνος	lasting four months	1x	4:35 (often translated "four months more")
πέντε	five	4x	4:18 ("five husbands") 5:2 ("five porticoes") 6:9, 13 ("five barley loaves")
ἕξ	six	2x	2:6 ("six stone water jars") 12:1 ("six days") [6:7 - "six months wages" is literally "200 denarii" in Greek]
ἕκτος	sixth	2x	4:6; 19:14 ("about the sixth hour", usually translated "about noon")
ἑπτά	seven	0x	(not used in John)
ἕβδομος	seventh	1x	4:52 ("at the seventh hour"; often translated "at one o'clock in the afternoon")
ὀκτώ	eight	1x	20:26 ("with eight days", often translated "a week later")
ἐννέα, δέκα	nine, ten	0x	(not used in John)
δέκατος	tenth	1x	1:39 ("the tenth hour", often translated "4 o'clock in the afternoon")
δώδεκα	twelve	6x	6:13 ("twelve baskets") 6:67, 70, 71; 20:24 ("the Twelve" disciples) 11:9 (twelve hours in the day")
δεκαπέντε	fifteen	1x	11:18 ("fifteen stadia", often translated "two miles")
εἴκοσι πέντε ἢ τριάκοντα	twenty-five or thirty	1x	6:19 ("twenty-five to thirty stadia", often translated "three to four miles") [2:6 - "twenty to thirty gallons" is literally "two to three measures" in Greek]
τριάκοντα καὶ ὀκτώ	thirty-eight	1x	5:5 ("thirty-eight years")
τεσσεράκοντα καὶ ἕξ	forty-six	1x	2:20 ("forty-six years")
πεντήκοντα	fifty	1x	8:57 ("not yet fifty years old")
ἑκατόν	one hundred	1x	19:39 ("100 pounds")
ἑκατόν πεντήκοντα τριῶν	one hundred fifty-three	1x	21:11 ("153 fish")
διακόσιοι	two hundred	2x	6:7 ("200 denarii", often translated "six months' wages") 21:8 ("200 cubits", often translated "about 100 yards")
τριακόσιοι	three hundred	1x	12:5 ("300 denarii")
πεντακισχίλιοι	five thousand	1x	6:10 ("about 5000 men")

Note: Contrary to what many people assume, the numbers"seven" and "seventy" are never used in John's Gospel, and "seventh" appears only once!

Return to the Johannine Literature Web