Fifty: Freedom and liberty

When a person hears the number fifty, the first thing that should enter his mind is Jubilee, for every 50 years was the Jubilee year. In the book of Leviticus the following is read,

"And you shall sanctify the fiftieth year and you shall call (that year) a year of freedom in the Land for all the ones who dwell in it, it shall be a Jubilee for you…." Leviticus 25:10 

The key word in this verse is the Hebrew word, דרור, which means freedom. When one studies the nature of this word for freedom, he will understand the relationship between freedom and the will of God. In other words, the freedom that is provided by HaShem is so that the will of God can be realized in one's life. In connection with this understanding is another occurrence of the number 50.

The Torah speaks of three special festivals which every Jewish male, 20 years and older, must go up to Jerusalem to observe. These festivals are Unleavened Bread, Weeks, and Tabernacles. The Feast of Weeks derives its name from the fact that HaShem commanded the Children of Israel to count seven weeks and the next day would be the Holy Day. However, during this time, not only were the Children of Israel commanded to count seven weeks, but also 50 days. Hence, an additional name for the Festival of Weeks is Pentecost, or the festival of fifty. Although Judaism traditionally associates this festival with the giving of the Ten Commandments, it is only in the New Covenant that this festival is clearly connected to the giving of the Holy Spirit. It is important for the reader to comprehend that only when one is indwelt by the Holy Spirit can he truly turn away from the bondage of sin and be set free to obey the will of God.

Another example from the Scripture is found in the Gospels. Here, Yeshua fed the 5,000 (100 X 50). He had the 5,000 people sit down in groups of 50. Because of this, there is obviously an emphasis on the number 50. One of the theological points which this passage teaches is that when one acts in faith, he is not bound by the things of this world. 

Loveisrael.org - Baruch Korman, Ph.D. - All Rights Reserved - Used with Permission 2016

Two: Two divergent opinions

The classic example for the number "two" is found in Matthew chapter 26. There, Yeshua says to His disciples,

"You know that after two days comes the Passover, and the Son of Man will be given over for crucifixion."  Matthew 26:2

The phrase "after two days" is somewhat meaningless because after two days can mean three or more days. The period is unspecified. The reason for such ambiguous language is because the purpose of the number two in this passage is not solely numerical. This means that the text is not intending to provide the reader with some definite information concerning a time period. Rather, the purpose of the number two in this context is one of the numerological meanings of the number two.  Often the number two relates to two divergent opinions. In the aforementioned verse, the author wants to inform the reader that there are two very different understandings for this coming Passover. Yeshua wants to emphasize that He is going up to Jerusalem in order to die as the true Passover sacrifice. Even though Yeshua states this emphatically, the disciples did not receive this. In fact, the disciples did not perceive at all what was going to take place during Passover in regard to Yeshua. In other words, Yeshua and the disciples have two divergent opinions concerning the Passover.

This same principle is also found in the Hebrew Bible (Old Covenant). In the book of Amos one reads,

"Can two walk together without them having agreed" Amos 3:3

The word which was translated into English with the phrase "them having agreed" is נועדו. The root of this word is יעד, which relates to a specific destination. The word which precedes this word is בלתי and in this context the word implies a change to the condition. In other words, had there not been a change in the condition, then the two could not walk together, i.e. they could not have arrived at the common destination.

The concept of divergent or different is also seen in the book of Genesis. In speaking about the sun and moon one reads, "And God made two great lights…" (Genesis 1:16). Obviously the sun and moon are very different, as one is a source of light, while the latter just reflects light. Also in the book of Genesis, one encounters the account of the flood. Here Noah is commanded to bring onto the ark two sorts of each type of animal. In this passage, the two relates to two different (or divergent) kinds of the same sort, i.e. male and female. 

Likewise, two angels came to Sodom, demonstrating that the people of Sodom had a very different way of living from that of the Law of God. Once again, the reader should not assume that every occurrence of the number two in the Bible demands this interpretation. However, one will find in a great majority of Biblical passages, the reader will be assisted in arriving at the proper interpretation, when he considers this divergent quality for the number two. 

Loveisrael.org - Baruch Korman, Ph.D. - All Rights Reserved - Used with Permission 2016