Why is the number 13 considered so unlucky? Most of the tall buildings in our
country have no 13th floor. The elevator goes from the 12th floor to the 14th
floor, eliminating the 13th.
In some airlines, there is no row 13. There is a row No. 12 and a row No. 14, but
there is no 13th row of seats. The number 13 has a stigma attached to it. It has
come down to us through history as a number of ill omen.
Friday the 13th is considered a day of bad luck. Why? What is the history behind
the number 13?
Believe it or not, the number 13 is a symbol of evil, the origin of which is found
within the pages of the Word of God. Throughout the Bible, the number 13 is
associated with sin, Satan, rebellion, or a curse.
One of the earliest occurrences of the number 13 in the Bible is found in Genesis
14:4 where we read:
“Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they
rebelled.”
Almost every occurrence of the number 13, and likewise every multiple of it, is
connected with rebellion, apostasy, defection, corruption, revolution, or some
kindred idea.
In fact, we can find the number 13 in the first two verses of our Bible. Genesis 1:1
reads:
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth”
This verse is composed of seven words and 28 letters. In the original Hebrew
language, the number 28 is made up of a set of four 7s, the perfect number of
completion (7+7+7+7=28). It represents a complete creation. By the way, the
number 4 represents the created world, according to E.W. Bullinger, in his book
"Number in Scripture" published in 1893.
The second verse, however, tells of apostasy or rebellion which caused the ruin
that is here recorded:
“And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the
deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”
In the original Hebrew language, there are 52 letters in that verse, which happens
to be a set of four 13s (13+13+13+13=52). Notice please that verse 1 (which
speaks of that which is good) contains four 7s, and verse 2 (which speaks of that
which is evil) contains four 13s.
From this point forward throughout the remainder of the Bible, the number 13 is
always associated with evil.
In the Old Testament, according to Hebrew gematria, the Lord’s people have
names whose numerical values are multiples of eight, while the names of those
who rebelled are multiples of 13.
This is one of the greatest evidences for the verbal inspiration of the Bible which
the world has ever seen. No human foresight or arrangement could have secured
such a result beforehand. No human power could have carried it out with such
perfection.
No matter where we look we find the working of the law without cessation,
without a break, without a flaw from the beginning to the end. Only one
conclusion is possible – the Bible has but one author – an eternal, omniscient
author designing, superintending, working, and carrying out His own infinite
plans.
For instance, the numerical value of the names of Adam’s descendants through
Seth added together represents a multiple of eight. That would be Adam, Seth,
Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, Noah, and Japheth.
However, the numerical values those names in the lineage of Cain, when added
together, come to a multiple of 13.
That would be Adam, Cain, Enoch, Irad, Mehujael, Methusael, Lamech, Jabal,
Jubal, and Tubalcain. The Hebrew gematria for all of those names added together
represents a multiple of 13.
This can be found in the names of the kings of Judah and Israel. Taking a list of
Judah’s kings from Rehoboam to Zedekiah and adding the numerical values of
their names together represents a multiple of eight.
But a list of the Israelite kings beginning with Jeroboam, who rebelled after the
death of Solomon, and ending with Hoshea, the leader of the nation in the days of
the Assyrian invasion, adds up in the Hebrew gematria to a multiple of 13. Yes,
the number 13 in the Bible always refers to rebellion.
While the gematria for the name of Jesus in the Greek is 888, the name of Satan
in the Greek is a multiple of 13. The name for Satan in the Hebrew is also a
multiple of 13.
Now, I will not bore you with the scores of proof texts in the Scriptures, but will
simply say that almost without exception, the number 13 refers to evil, sin,
rebellion, or a curse.
Not only does this prove the verbal inspiration of the Bible, but I believe we can
look into the King James Version of the Bible, the authorized version of the year
1611, and find the hand of God.
For instance, what chapter in the book of the Revelation talks about the
antichrist? It is chapter 13. There is a special verse in Revelation 13 of interest to
us all:
“Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast:
for it is the number of a man; and his number is six hundred three score and six”
Do you recall which verse in Revelation 13 contains these words? It is verse 18 –
Revelation 13:18. Isn’t it odd that the number 18 is composed of three sixes
(6+6+6=18).
Was it mere coincidence that in the authorized version of the Bible published
under the orders of King James in 1611 the numerical value of the antichrist was
found in verse 18 (6+6+6)?
The number 666 is found in two other places in the Scripture. One describes the
weight of gold that came to Solomon – II Chronicles 9:13. That's right, I said verse
13:
“Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred and
threescore and six talents of gold”
Is it by coincidence that this verse just happened to be No. 13? The other
occurrence in the Scripture where 666 is found describes the number of
descendants of a man named Adonikam, which means "lord of the rebellion” By
sheer coincidence it is found in a verse numbered 13. Ezra 2:13:
“The children of Adonikam, six hundred sixty and six”
By the way, this man’s name, Adonikam, is the 13th name in the list of names
given in this chapter. A coincidence, you say? Hardly!
There is more. In John’s Gospel, chapter 13 verse 13, there are 13 words in the
original Greek language, and these 13 words have 39 letters (13+13+13=39). The
reference in that verse is to Judas Iscariot who called Christ “Master” Incidentally,
the name Judas Iscariot in the English has 13 letters in it.
In John 13:26 (which is 13+13) Satan entered Judas. Of course, this is merely a
coincidence, is it not? I mean, after all, if one went through a book looking for
such phenomena, anyone could find it, could he not? No, dear friend, he couldn’t.
There is something about the chapter and verse markings in the King James
Version of the Bible that borders on the supernatural. Of all the verse 13s in the
Bible, 10% of them refer to something good, 5% of them refer to something
neutral, and 85% of all the verse 13s in the Bible refer to sin, Satan, rebellion, or a
curse.
We don’t have the time or space to look into all of them here, but I want to give
you just a few more illustrations to prove the point. Remember Nimrod, the one
who rebelled against the Lord and built the Tower of Babel? Nimrod was the 13th
generation from Adam.
Consider also the Old Testament. It is made up of 39 books (13+13+13=39) and
the last word in the entire set of books called the Old Testament – in the book of
Malachi, the last chapter, the last verse, and the last word is the word “curse”
Perhaps that is why Galatians 3:13 refers to the curse of the law:
“Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for
it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree”
How incredible that in the Bible the number 13 should be associated with sin,
Satan, rebellion, or a curse. It is also incredible to me that the number is
associated with the antichrist. Now you know the real history behind the number
“unlucky 13”
