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!


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