“So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn.” - John 21:11
The above story is echoed in The Gospel of Luke, however John gives us a very specific number of fish, 153. This has always captivated me as to why the scripture gives us such a specific, and seemingly odd, number. We know that G*d loves numbers and the Holy Bible is filled with His Divine Numeric Perfection, so there has to be much more being said with this particular number.
What is the Significance of 153?
153 is a Triangular Number - more specifically it’s The Triangle Number of 17
1+2+3+4+5+6+7+8+9+10+11+12+13+14+15+16+17 = 153
17 is a Numerical Value of Holiness Representing Abba (Our Heavenly Father)
Using the Mispar Katan ( מספר קטן ) - Reduced Value Method - where the value of the letters but without the zeros after large numbers. (ex. "Yud" is 1 instead of 10, "Tav" is 4 instead of 400); 17 is also the value of HaShem ( יהוה / LORD ).
17 = Sacrifice ( זבח )
Of course 1+7 = 8 - As I’ve established the significance of the Number 8 in several of my previous posts and have established that the Number 8 represents Spiritual Perfection and The New Order.
17 is The SEVENTH PRIME NUMBER and 7 is The Numeric Value of Fish in Hebrew ( דג ) and 17 is The Numeric Value of The Fish in Hebrew ( הדגה ) - so right off, we see two connections to Fish, derived from the number 153.
Whenever I get into these studies involving numbers, I always like to see what the divisors of the number in question are. The number 153 is divisible by 1, 3, 9, 17, 51, 153.
1 = No Hebrew Word Meaning, but is the Numeric Representation of the Hebrew Letter Aleph ( א ) - which signifies HaShem; as it is made up of Two Yods ( י ) (one at the bottom left and one at the top right) and One Vav ( ו ). The picture below shows this in better detail.
3 = Come ( בא )
3 = Father ( אב )
9 = Brother ( אח )
17 = Sacrifice ( זבח )
51 = Red ( אדום )
Yeshua is foreshadowed in The Torah, as The Red Heifer; which is a perfect unblemished sacrifice. That's putting it very simple...since there has been much talk about this Red Heifer lately, I will be doing an in depth post diving into all of the specifics on that soon.
153 Points to The Complex Unity
153 is the smallest three-digit number which can be expressed as the sum of the cubes of its digits - which is an obvious reference to The Complex Unity of The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit (aka “Trinity”).
1³+ 5³ + 3³ = 153
*(1 + 125 + 27) = 153*
153 is The Numeric Value of The Passover ( הפסח )
153 is The Numeric Value of The Passover - ( הפסח ) - this word is also used as The Passover Lamb in Exodus 12:21 - We know that this is an obvious representation of Yeshua, as He was The Passover Lamb. Just as John The Baptist proclaimed twice in John 1:29 and 1:36 - “The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” and “and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!”
Paul also confirmed this in his first letter to The Corinthians:
“Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.” - 1 Corinthians 5:7
153 Points to The True Vine
153 = “Your Vine” ( גפנך ) (Jeremiah 5:17)
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.
Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.
I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.
If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.
As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.
If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.
These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
You are my friends if you do what I command you.
No longer do I call you servants,a for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.
These things I command you, so that you will love one another." - John 15:1-17
He Has Perfected
τετελείωκεν (Teteleiōken) — 1 Occurrence
GRK: γὰρ προσφορᾷ τετελείωκεν εἰς τὸ
NAS: offering He has perfected for all time
“For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.” - Hebrews 10:14
“He Has Perfected” - τετελείωκεν = 1530 (153 x 10)
153 x 10 - Ten is symbolic of HaShem’s Perfection and Completion
The Door and The Narrow Gate
There's so much going on around this 153 number, just look at all of these significant Greek terms that are divisible by 153. This stuff doesn’t just happen…I can only imagine how much more is hanging out there, just waiting to be discovered!
“When once the master of the house has risen and shut The Door (Τὴν θύραν / Ten Thyran), and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’” - Luke 13:25
Τὴν θύραν - “Ten Thyran”
(The Door) - 918 (153 x 6)
“Enter by The Narrow Gate (τῆς στενῆς πύλης / Tes Stenes Pyles). For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.” - Matthew 7:13
τῆς στενῆς πύλης - “Tes Stenes Pyles”
(The Narrow Gate) - 1989 (153 x 13) - Matthew 7:13
Fishes and The Net
“But he said to them, “You give them something to eat.” They said, “We have no more than five loaves and two Fish (ἰχθύες / Ichthyes)—unless we are to go and buy food for all these people.” - Luke 9:13
Ἰχθύες - “Ichthyes”
(Fishes) = 1224 (153 x 8)
“So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled The Net (Τὸ δίκτυον / To Diktyon) ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn.” - John 21:11
Τὸ δίκτυον - “To Diktyon”
(The Net) = 1224 (153 x 8)
The Net represents The Kingdom of Heaven and The Sea is this physical reality (earth). The fact The Net and The Fishes are the same shows the unification and the perfection of the two. These 153 Fishes represent The Saved Souls who are brought out of Humanity and are carried safely to shore.
Of course, with The Net, We Cast Out and Catch...
ἐκβάλλειν - Cast Out = 153 (Matthew 10:1)
To Catch / Snare ( נקש ) ” Naqash” - Strong’s 5367 = 153
Pythagoras and "The Measure of The Fish" -153
As I dove deeper into all of this, I learned that there is Ancient Sacred Geometry involved around the number 153; thus 153 was known by Pythagoras to point to G*d’s Intelligent Creation long before Yeshua came to this earth.
The Greek mathematician-philosopher Pythagoras (c. 570–500/490 B.C.) had calculated that 153 is the denominator of the closest known fraction to the square root of 3 (265/153), which just so happens that this was also the ratio of a fish shape drawn between two overlapping circles which are centered on each other’s circumference. This shape is therefore known as the Vesica Piscis and according to my research, this ratio was actually called the “Measure of The Fish” by Pythagoras. This can be symbolic of the two circles representing G*d and Humanity, while the overlap from the two represents Yeshua as The Word Made Flesh. This also gives us a much deeper meaning of why His Earliest Followers used The Sign of The Fish to represent their belief in Yeshua.
The Sign of 153 Hidden in John’s Gospel
“Therefore many other Signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book;
but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that Believing you may have Life in His name.” - John 20:30-31
Check out this extremely unique evidence of the number 153 from the occurrences of the keywords “Sign”, “Believe”, “Christ” and “Life” given in these two verses (John 20:30-31). The first keyword mentioned is “Sign”, occurring 17 times (The Triangle Number of 17). In this case, it’s the literal “Sign” pointing to the total sum of the occurrences of the remaining three keywords “Believe”, “Christ” and “Life” (98 + 19 + 36 = 153). We should also note that these four keywords occur for the last time in the Gospel of John in these two verses as well. Just to see this type of perfection in G*d’s Word is mind-blowing and adds a further dimension to the depth of it all.
“Sign” - Used 17 Times
σημεῖον (Sémeion)
*John 20:30 is the last occurrence of this word being used in The Gospel of John
“Believe” - Used 98 Times
πιστεύω (Pisteuó)
*John 20:31 is the last occurrence of this word being used in The Gospel of John
“Christ” - Used 19 Times
Χριστός (Christos) - “Messiah” or “Christ”
*John 20:31 is the last occurrence of this word being used in The Gospel of John
“Life” - Used 36 Times
ζωή (zóé)
*John 20:31i s the last occurrence of this word being used in The Gospel of John
153 - Connection with Ezekiel 47:10
“Fishermen will stand beside the sea. From Engedi to Eneglaim it will be a place for the spreading of nets. Its fish will be of very many kinds, like the fish of the Great Sea.” - Ezekiel 47:10
*Before we evaluate this verse in detail; the two places mentioned, “Engedi to Eneglaim” are a couple of outstanding words here that drew my attention immediately.
En-Gedi
גדי (Gedi)
Numeric Value is 17 (This is the 153rd Word in Ezekiel 47)
En-Eglaim
עגלים (Eglaim)
Numeric Value is 153 (and is The Triangular Number of 17 - as we’ve already established)
So, these two places seem to confirm the link to this particular passage in Ezekiel, in regards to the 153 Fish. It’s as if John seems to allude to this passage in the narrative of the fish catch, e.g. “Eglaim” as a value of 153, and Gedi has 17, as does the word for “Sacrifice”.
Ezekiel 47:10 seems to be a key text in all of this, prophesying streams of living water flowing from the temple in the last days to make the Dead Sea fresh and full of fish.
Another interesting point in Ezekiel 47:10 is the, is obvious reference to the many nations of gentiles who will receive Salvation through Yeshua; “Its fish will be of very many kinds, like the fish of the Great Sea.”
St. Augustine was also fascinated by the symbolic meaning hidden behind the number and he devised a mathematical expression to reveal the numerological significance. His formula went as follows:
10 is the symbol of law (10 commandments) and the number 7 is traditionally associated with spirit. Thus - 10 + 7 = 17. 17 represents holiness; as we have already established.153 is the sum of all the numbers in progression ( 1 + 2 + 3 .... + 15 + 16 + 17 = 153). So, here we see the connection that is established between the 10 Commandments and The Physical Perfection of the Number Seven. Ezekiel 47:10 gives us the 7 and the 10, as well as the beginning of the number 4 - which is symbolic of the Four Letters in HaShem ( יהוה / LORD ) and also Yeshua ( ישוע ).
A closer examination of the Numeric Values of the Original Hebrew text of this verse produced some interesting results as well.
“Fishermen will stand beside the sea. From Engedi to Eneglaim it will be a place for the spreading of nets. Its fish will be of very many kinds, like the fish of the Great Sea.” - Ezekiel 47:10
והיה [יעמדו כ] (עמדו ק) עליו דוגים מעין גדי ועד־עין עגלים משטוח לחרמים יהיו למינה תהיה דגתם כדגת הים הגדול רבה מאד׃
Verse Total Value - 3631
**3631 is a Prime Number, so it’s not divisible by anything except for 1 and itself.**
It is the 508th Prime Number
508 = The Cross of Yeshua ( צלב ישוע )
508 = Passover Lamb's Blood ( דם השה פסחו )
508 = His Flesh ( בשרו )
508 = Is Broken ( שבור )
508 = As Your Sins ( כחטאתיכם )
508 = I FORGAVE ( סלחתי )
508 is Divisible By 2, 4, 127 and 254
2 - Does Not Have a Word Value
4 = Abba / Father ( אבא )
127 = The Cross ( הצלב )
127 = The Graces ( החסדים )
127 = And To The Nations ( ולאמים )
254 = Donkey ( חמור )
254 = Righteous ( צדיקים )
254 = Merciful ( רחום )
254 = Publicly ( ברבים )
254 = Finished ( גמורה )
If we Add the Sum of These Divisors of 508, we get the following:
2 + 4 + 127 + 254 = 387
386 (387 ImKolel / "Plus One for The Whole") = Yeshua / Jesus ( ישוע )
387 = And Was Suspended ( והושע )
387 = The Seventh ( השבעי )
508 = His Flesh ( בשרו )
508 = Is Broken ( שבור )
508 = As Your Sins ( כחטאתיכם )
508 = I FORGAVE ( סלחתי )
Betzalel ( בצלאל ) The Carpenter
The Numeric Value of Betzalel ( בצלאל ) is 153. Batzalel was the “builder and the architect of all things which are in his tabernacle” and he was a foreshadowing of Yeshua as The Messiah. Unfortunately, Betzalel is often overlooked and as he is overshadowed by a lot of technical details about construction and woodwork. But he deserves to be remembered by anyone who loves the arts or craftsmanship.
“Then Moses said to the people of Israel, “See, the LORD has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah;
and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, with intelligence, with knowledge, and with all craftsmanship,
to devise artistic designs, to work in gold and silver and bronze,
in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, for work in every skilled craft.” - Exodus 35:30-33
Betzalel was the builder of the Tabernacle on earth. He was of the Tribe of Judah, and was filled with the Spirit of G*d. We know The Spirit of G*d is linked with the act of creation, which gives us a deeper appreciation of Bezalel being given the Spirit and his high level of artistic abilities. We don’t have to look far for proof of The Spirit of G*d being linked with the act of creation, as it’s evident from the opening two verses of the The Holy Bible:
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” - Genesis 1:1-2
The following verse from Isaiah connects with a prophecy regarding Yeshua as the Messiah:
“A shoot will come out of the stock of Jesse, and a branch out of his roots will bear fruit. The Spirit of HaShem will rest on him: the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of HaShem.” - Isaiah 11:1-2
“…God also calls Betzalel by name, and says that “He will give him wisdom and knowledge, and that He will make him the builder and the architect of all things which are in his tabernacle” . . . Now, Betzalel, being interpreted, means God in his shadow. But the Shadow of God is his Word, which he used like an instrument when he was making the world. And this Shadow, as it were, is the archetype of all other things. . . . “And God made man according to the image of God,” as the Image was modeled according to God, man was modeled according to the Image, which thus received the power and character of the model.” - Philo (20 BCE – 40 CE) , Allegorical Interpretation, II:31:95
Betzalel was the son of Uri (My Light) and was a shadow (tzal) of things to come. The Talmud makes the following observation:
“Rab Judah said in the name of Rab: Bezalel knew how to combine the letters by which the heavens and earth were created. It is written here, And He hath filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom and in understanding, and in knowledge, and it is written elsewhere, HaShem by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding He established the heavens, and it is also written, By His knowledge the depths were broken up.” - Berakhot 55a
Of course, we know who The Carpenter was, in Jewish Tradition, The Messiah is called a “Carpenter”:
“And I said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these?” And he said to me, “These are the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.” Then HaShem showed me four craftsmen. And I said, “What are these coming to do?” He said, “These are the horns that scattered Judah, so that no one raised his head. And these have come to terrify them, to cast down the horns of the nations who lifted up their horns against the land of Judah to scatter it.” - Zechariah 2:13 (Hebrew), 1:19-21 (English)
The Talmud states the following, regarding this on this unusual passage above:
“And the L-rd showed me four craftsmen. Who are these ‘four craftsmen’? — R. Hana b. Bizna, citing R. Simeon Hasida, replied: “The Messiah the son of David, the Messiah the son of Joseph, Elijah and the Righteous Priest.” - Sukkah 52b
Rashi confirms this as well in his commentary:
ארבעה חרשים. נגרים היודעים לנסר את הקרנות ורבותינו פירשו במסכת סוכה מי הם
“Four craftsmen: Carpenters who know how to saw the horns. And our Rabbis explained in Tractate Sukkah (52b) who they are.” - Rashi on Zechariah 2
Yeshua is The Carpenter, thus the link to Betzalel:
“Is not this The Carpenter, the son of Mary (Miriam) and brother of James (Yaakov) and Joses (Yosi) and Judas (Yehudah) and Simon (Shimon)? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.” - Mark 6:3
“Isn’t he the carpenter’s son?” - Matthew 13:55
Yeshua is revealed to be The Carpenter, The Son of The Carpenter. The Greek word for carpenter in the Gospels is the word (τέκτων / Tektón), which literally means ‘builder’, as in The One who All Things Were Created.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God.
All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.” - John 1:1-3
חסד ושלום עליכם והרבה אהבה וברכות
May Grace and Peace Be Upon You and Much Love and Blessings!
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