What The Number 4 Really Means In The Bible

Publish date: 2024-04-03

Then there's the number 4. Most often symbolizing fulfillment or completion in the Bible, according to 15 Degrees NE, the word "completion" can also be defined as "perfection." The first appearance of the number 4 in the Bible occurs in its first chapter, the Book of Genesis (via 15 Degrees NE). On the fourth day of creation, God created the sun, moon and the stars. The number 4 is also referenced by the elements (earth, wind, fire, and air), the four directions the world is ruled by (north, south, east and west), and how humanity is broken up (nation, tribe, language and people). The number four also points the way to salvation through the cross's four points (top, bottom, left and right). There are four Gospels and four seasons of the year.

The most ominous use of the number 4 in the Bible, however? The four horsemen of the apocalypse. Symbolizing the costs of war, the four horsemen represent (via Britannica) conquest, pestilence, famine and death. A precursor to the end days, the four horseman appear as the first sign of the apocalypse or, as Got Questions frames it, the 4 horsemen are the first of seven seals that will lead to the end of days.

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