What is the significance of the number four in the Bible?

Answer 1

The symbolic meaning for the number four in The Bible: Creation, World, Worldliness.

Genisis Chapter 4. The first births are recorded, the first murder is commited (worldliness) and worldly lineage of Cain is detailed here. In the very first verse of the Bible, we find that God spells out exactly what His creation consists of. (Gen1:1) "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." These two words, "heaven" and "earth" are found together in the same verse a total of 156 times. This breaks down to 4x39. When we search for the exact four word phrase that is used in Genesis 1:1, we find that it is found exactly 4 times in the Authorized Version. (Gen 1:1) In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." (2 Sam 18:9) "And Absalom met the servants of David. And Absalom rode upon a mule, and the mule went under the thick boughs of a great oak, and his head caught hold of the oak, and he was taken up between the heaven and the earth; and the mule that was under him went away." (Jer 32:17) "Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee." (Jer 51:48) "Then the heaven and the earth, and all that is therein, shall sing for Babylon: for the spoilers shall come unto her from the north, saith the LORD." It is also one of the great doctrines of the faith, that one of these days, God will create a New Heaven and a New Earth. In fact it is mentioned 4 times in the scriptures that this will occur. (Isa 65:17) "For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind." (Isa 66:22 "For as the new heavens and the new earth , which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain." (2 Pet 3:13) "Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness." (Rev 21:1) "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea." It should also be noted that in Genesis Chapter 4, the word "ground", pertaining to the earth itself, is found 4 times. The one person who symbolized the lineage of worldliness, Cain, is found 16 (4x4) times in Genisis 4.

An Alternative Answer The symbolic meaning for the number four in the bible:

Four is a number sometimes expressing universalness or foursquareness in symmetry and form. It is found three times at Revelation 7:1. Here the "four angels" (all those in charge of "the four winds," ready for complete destruction) stood on earth's "four corners" (they could let loose the winds obliquely or diagonally, and no quarter of the earth would be spared). (Compare Da 8:8; Isa 11:12; Jer 49:36; Zec 2:6; Mt 24:31.) The New Jerusalem is "foursquare," equal in every dimension, being in fact cubical in shape. (Re 21:16) Other figurative expressions using the number four are found at Zechariah 1:18-21; 6:1-3; Revelation 9:14, 15.

Another answer: Another answer: Certain numbers have symbolic meaning, but only within the context of the Scriptures in which they are used. For example, the number four is used to denote allness or universalness. This idea is conveyed in such expressions as "four extremities of the earth" and "four winds of the heavens." (Isaiah 11:12, Daniel 8:8) When the number seven is used in a symbolic way, it represents completeness. (Leviticus 4:6, Hebrews 9:24-26) These and other symbolic numbers used in the Scriptures gain meaning from their prophetic context. Although the Scriptures give a measure of importance to certain numbers, the Bible does not encourage us to link the letters of certain words with numbers to uncover mystical truths. (See Jehovah's Witnesses official website 9/8/02 Awake Should You Look to Numbers for Guidance?)