Have you ever wondered if there is a special meaning to the number 5 in the Bible? The meaning of number 5 in the Bible is like other Bible numbers, both significant and interesting. The study of Biblical numerology shows us that numbers in the Bible have special meaning, and when God uses a number, He doesn’t do so randomly. Therefore, part of Bible study when encountering any number in the Bible is to try to understand the spiritual significance of the number being used.
The Word of God seems to indicate that it is wise to study Bible numerology. One of the most famous Bible numbers is to count a certain number found in the book of Revelation. Specifically, the Apostle John wrote in Revelation 13:18, “Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.” (KJV)
Since this verse tells us that six is the number of man, it gives a hint that other Bible numbers have special significance and meaning also.
What Does 5 Mean in the Bible? — An Overview
The meaning of the number 5 in the Bible is unique in the study of numbers since the number 5 seems to have not one meaning, but two, and these two meanings are directly opposed to each other. Bible scholars have deduced that the meaning of the number 5 in the Bible signifies either God’s grace or death. To make matters more interesting, sometimes the number 5 means both. Interestingly, in the English language, there are also five letters in both the words “grace” and “death.”
The definition of God’s grace is “unmerited favor.” God’s shows His grace, He gives His favor to those who don’t deserve it, who would never be worthy of His help, His goodness, and the kindness of His favor. Whenever God gives something good to sinful humans, this is an outpouring of His grace.
God, Who created mathematics, made the number 5 the third prime number. The first two prime numbers are 2 and 3. A prime number is a special type of number. It must be greater than 1 and cannot be divided evenly by any other number except for the number 1 and itself.
What Does 5 Mean in the Bible? — Genesis Chapter 5
Genesis chapter 5 is a “death” chapter. This chapter is a genealogy of Old Testament, pre-flood patriarchs, but death is also prominent. Eight times the phrase “and he died” is found in this particular chapter.
What Does 5 Mean in the Bible — God’s Grace to Abram and Sari
The fifth letter of the Hebrew alphabet is “heh” (pronounced “hay”). This Hebrew word beautifully illustrates God’s grace to Abram and Sari. When they were 99 and 89 years old, respectfully, God changed their names to Abraham and Sarah by inserting into their given names the fifth letter of the Hebrew alphabet. This grace of God to Abraham, and the promise related to this name change, is recorded in Genesis 17:5: “Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.” (KJV).
The Hebrew name Abraham means “father of a great multitude.” Exactly ten verses later, in the same chapter, God changes Sarai’s name to Sarah. Genesis chapter 17:15 (3×5=15. This indicates triple grace): “And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be.” (KJV).
This extraordinary couple needed God’s abundant grace because at their advanced age when they became first-time parents!
What Does 5 Mean in the Bible? — The Pentateuch
The first five books of the Bible, the books of Moses, contains the laws of God for the children of Israel. These five books are collectively called “The Pentateuch,” meaning “The Five Tools.” But the law of God contained in these five books brought death, since no human could keep His laws perfectly.
To say that the first five books of the New Testament is the New Testament Pentateuch is a misnomer. The four Gospels and the Book of Acts, which are the first five books of the New Testament, records the life of Jesus Christ when He was on Earth, and the transition from Old Testament Law to New Testament grace. Jesus Christ fulfilled the law and brought in a new covenant. Jesus Himself said in Matthew 5:17 “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.” (KJV)
Jesus made the final and complete sacrifice, which brought in a new dispensation, a new way of God dealing with His people. This time with grace, not the law that only brought death.
The Apostle Paul, who knew the law of God extremely well, said this about the law of God and of grace: “I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.” – Galatians 2:21 (KJV)
What Does 5 Mean in the Bible? — The Fifth Commandment
On Mount Sinai, God gave Moses the Ten Commandments. The fifth commandment is unique since it is the only commandment that contains a promise from God. It is: “Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.” Exodus 20:12 (KJV)
The promise associated with this commandment shows the grace of God to those who obey His commands.
What Does 5 Mean in the Bible? — The Tabernacle
The tabernacle was the Old Testament worship facility used both during the years of wandering in the wilderness and after the children of Israel entered the promised land. The whole idea of the tabernacle, which housed the Ark of the Covenant where God dwelt, was God desiring a relationship with sinful man. The tabernacle was a holy place that showed God’s grace. The construction, the details of which God gave to Moses, is recorded in the Book of Exodus. The number five is predominant in the details of the tabernacle. Here are a few instances of the number five as it relates to the tabernacle:
There were five curtains coupled together.
Exodus 26:3 “The five curtains shall be coupled together one to another; and other five curtains shall be coupled one to another.” (KJV)
There were five bars of shittim wood for the boards of the tabernacle.
Exodus 26:26-27 “And thou shalt make bars of shittim wood; five for the boards of the one side of the tabernacle, And five bars for the boards of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the side of the tabernacle, for the two sides westward.” (KJV)
There were five pillars with five sockets.
Exodus 26:37 “And thou shalt make for the hanging five pillars of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold, and their hooks shall be of gold: and thou shalt cast five sockets of brass for them.” (KJV)
The altar of incense was a square of five cubits by five cubit and three cubits high.
Exodus 27:1 “And thou shalt make an altar of shittim wood, five cubits long, and five cubits broad; the altar shall be foursquare: and the height thereof shall be three cubits.” (KJV)
This altar was inside of the tabernacle in the holy place.
What Does 5 Mean in the Bible? — Holy Anointing Oil
Along with the details of the tabernacle, God also instructed His people to have a special oil. The holy anointing oil that God directed the children of Israel to make for use in worship of Him consisted of five ingredients. The recipe according to Exodus 30: 22-25 is:
- 500 shekels of myrrh
- 500 shekels of cassia
- 250 shekels of cinnamon
- 250 shekels of calamus
- 1 hin of olive oil (a hin is a unit of liquid measure used by the people of ancient Israel that is approximately five liters)
What Does 5 Mean in the Bible? — The 5 Types of Offerings
There were five distinct types of offerings that God commanded the children of Israel to bring. God is showing that He will have mercy on those who will bring the offerings. However, all of the sacrifices involved death. Even what the King James Bible calls “the meat offering,” or sometimes “the grain offering,” which consisted of offering grain in the sacrifice, represented death because even the plant had to die so that the flour could be produced.
The 5 primary types of sacrifices are:
The Burnt Offering
This is described in Leviticus chapter 1.
The Meat Offering
The meat offering is described in Leviticus chapter 2. This particular offering used flour with frankincense added.
The Peace Offering
This is described Leviticus chapter 3.
The Sin Offering
Described in Leviticus chapter 4.
The Trespass Offering
This offering, and when it was appropriate to offer it before the Lord, is described in Leviticus chapter 5 through 7.
With each of these sacrifices, God gave grace in that He covered the sins of the people of Israel.
What Does 5 Mean in the Bible — An Offering of Jealousy
In the Book of Numbers, chapter 5, verses 11-31, God gave the children of Israel interesting way of determining if a wife was unfaithful to her husband. If a woman was accused of adultery, her husband was to bring her to the priest. The priest was to take holy water and into that water he was to add dirt from the floor of the tabernacle. The woman then had to drink this bitter water. The process is described here:
Numbers 5:18 “And the priest shall set the woman before the LORD, and uncover the woman’s head, and put the offering of memorial in her hands, which is the jealousy offering: and the priest shall have in his hand the bitter water that causeth the curse:
19 “And the priest shall charge her by an oath, and say unto the woman, If no man have lain with thee, and if thou hast not gone aside to uncleanness with another instead of thy husband, be thou free from this bitter water that causeth the curse:
20 “But if thou hast gone aside to another instead of thy husband, and if thou be defiled, and some man have lain with thee beside thine husband:
21 “Then the priest shall charge the woman with an oath of cursing, and the priest shall say unto the woman, The LORD make thee a curse and an oath among thy people, when the LORD doth make thy thigh to rot, and thy belly to swell;
22 “And this water that causeth the curse shall go into thy bowels, to make thy belly to swell, and thy thigh to rot: And the woman shall say, Amen, amen.”
Interestingly, this is the only place in the Bible the term “holy water” is ever used (verse 17).
This trial, because of a jealous husband, shows both grace and death. If the woman was unfaithful, and she had the terrible disease, she would be unable to conceive children. This disease could also result in her premature death. But if she was unjustly accused, and she had not been unfaithful to her husband, she would have God’s grace to be able to conceive children.
What Does 5 Mean in the Bible — Grace – The Word of the Lord
In the fifth book of the Bible, Deuteronomy 5:5, Moses told the children of Israel how he related the word of the LORD to them. “(I stood between the LORD and you at that time, to shew you the word of the LORD: for ye were afraid by reason of the fire, and went not up into the mount;)” (KJV)
Grace is God communicating to humans. Without this grace of God, without Him revealing His mind to humans, there could only be death, both physical and spiritual. The word of God is a gift of God’s grace to mankind.
What Does 5 Mean in the Bible? — David’s 5 Smooth Stones
When David went to kill Goliath, he took with him 5 smooth stones.
1 Samuel 17:40 “And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine.” (KJV)
Scriptures are silent as to exactly why he chose five, but God wanted the number 5 to be recorded in Holy Writ. One theory as to why five stones is that the Bible records that Goliath had four other giant brothers. 1 Chronicles 20:4-6 tells us about three of Goliath’s brothers. Two of his brothers’ names were Sippai, Lahmi. They had another giant brother, but the Bible does not relate his name, only the unusual characteristic of him having a total of 24 fingers and toes. The name of Goliath’s fifth brother was Ishbbenob, according to 2 Samuel 21:16—17.
If this theory is correct, David was aware of Goliath’s siblings and wanted to be prepared. However, there is nothing in the Bible to indicate that David knew about Goliath’s brothers.
The number 5 meant death to anyone on the receiving end of the fast flung stone. But also with the death of Goliath came grace to the children of Israel. After David killed Goliath, they achieved a great military victory against the Philistines.
What Does 5 Mean in the Bible? — Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream
In the Book of Daniel, King Nebuchadnezzar had a troubling dream, and realized there was a deeper meaning to it than it being “just a dream.” His dream was of a great image in five parts. Each of these parts represented distinct Gentile world empires. The five different parts were:
Head of Gold – Babylonian Empire
Arms of Silver – Medo-Persian Empire
Belly and Thigh of Brass – Greco-Macedonian Empire of Alexander the Great
Legs of Iron – Roman Empire (Eastern and Western branch after its division in 395 AD)
Feet of Iron and Clay – Revised Roman Empire (An empire yet future)
Read all about this in Daniel 2:31-45.
This portion of Scripture, which is also prophecy, has been the topic of study for both theologians and historians. But God’s grace is shown in that He revealed this to His servant Daniel and had it included in sacred writ. Also, throughout the ages and to all men, God has shown, and does still show, His grace. God tells us this fact in Titus 2:11 “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men” (KJV)
What God showed Nebuchadnezzar in this dream was that all of the ruling empires eventually had an end. This represents death. Nebuchadnezzar’s dream ended with the entire statue being destroyed and God’s kingdom replacing it and filling the entire Earth. This picture of the coming of the kingdom of God is also another instance of God’s grace.
What Does 5 Mean in the Bible — The 10 Virgins
The parable of the 10 virgins recorded in Matthew chapter 25 show the grace/death attribute of the number 5 in the Bible. The synopsis of this story is that while all of them were waiting for the bridegroom to appear, five ladies wisely brought extra oil for their lamps so they would have enough. But the other five, whom the Bible calls “foolish,” did not bring any extra oil. When the bridegroom appeared, the five wise women were accepted into the marriage venue. But the five foolish women had gone away to buy more needed oil, so they missed the appearance of the bridegroom. When these five returned, they were refused entrance.
The five wise virgins show God’s grace to those who are ready to meet Him when He comes. The five foolish virgins who were not admitted into the kingdom of heaven represents death.
What Does 5 Mean in the Bible? — The Account of Ananias and Saphira
The Book of Acts, which is the fifth book of the Bible, introduces a couple by the name of Ananias and Saphira in the fifth chapter who decided to lie to the Holy Ghost. In Acts 5:5, Ananias dies. Five verses later, in verse 10, his wife dies. This account is a prime example of the death aspect of the number 5. Also, there was grace since Ananias and Saphira were believers. God did take them to heaven, although prematurely.
What Does 5 Mean in the Bible? – Devils and More
The association of 5 and death is prominent in three New Testament Greek words.
The Greek word antidikos, meaning “adversary” or “opponent,” is found five times in the New Testament. This word is used of both humans and the devil. The devil uses humans to do to his work, and he seeks to kill and devour, according to 1 Peter 5:8. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” (KJV)
The Greek word antichristos is used five times in the New Testament and is translated as “antichrist.” An antichrist is anyone who is against Jesus Christ. Christ came to give life, according to John 14:6. “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (KJV)
Anyone who is against Christ could be said to be pro death.
The Greek word daimon is where we get the English word “demon.” This Greek wordis also used five times in the New Testament and refers to evil spirits. Evil spirits are related to death.
What Does 5 Mean in the Bible? — Other Occurrences
When David was fleeing for his life from Saul, he came to Ahimelech the priest of God at Nob and asked him for food. Specifically, his request was for “five loaves of bread.” 1 Samuel 21:3 “Now therefore what is under thine hand? give me five loaves of bread in mine hand, or what there is present.” (KJV)
Asking the priest of God for food was asking for grace.
In Matthew chapter 14, Mark chapter 6, Luke chapter 9, and John 6 records the account of Jesus taking a boy’s lunch, which consisted of five loves and two fishes, and with it feeding more than 5,000 people. This instance shows God’s grace related to the number five.
There are 5 books of the Bible that contain only a single chapter. These short books of the Bible are Obadiah, Philemon, 2 John, 3 John and Jude.
There are five crowns that believers can earn in this life. Anyone who earns any of these crowns will do so only by the grace of God.
What Does 5 Mean in the Bible? — 15 Letter Phrases of Grace (15 is 5×3)
There are some well-known Bible phrases having exactly 15 letters. Here are some of them.
Lord Jesus Christ — 15 letters in the name and title of Jesus
Holy One of Israel — 15 letters referring to Jesus Christ
The kingdom of God — 15 letters referring to God’s eternal kingdom.
What Does 5 Mean in the Bible? — Bible Verses About Grace
Death, especially spiritual death, is eternal separation from God Who is life. God’s Word, His mind, written down, is grace to all mankind. Here are some Bible verses about death and grace.
Romans 5:17 “For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)” (KJV)
Romans 5:21 “That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.” (KJV)
Titus 3:7 “That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” (KJV)
Hebrews 2:9 “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.” (KJV)
May this article help you to understand and better answer the question: “What does 5 mean in the Bible?”
For more articles on numbers in the Bible check out: Meaning of Number 8 in the Bible.
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