If you have ever wondered “What does the number 2 mean in the Bible?” you are asking a valid question. Numbers in the Bible have meanings, and God’s Word is so vast and so deep there is nothing there by accident or “just because.” Bible numbers are no exception. The study of the meaning of Bible numbers is called “Biblical numerology” since every number in the Bible is both accurate and has a deeper meaning attached to it.
Bible numbers are not to be thought of as “lucky angel numbers,” but a glimpse into the deepness, richness, and vastness of God and His Word. It is good to study the meanings of numbers since God wants His children to not only read His Word, but also to study it and get a glimpse of its deeper meanings.
Personally, I never thought too deeply about Bible numbers until my pastor preached a series of messages about their meaning. I knew that the number seven was special in God’s Word, a number that showed God’s divine perfection. But had I been asked about Bible numbers I think I would have said that every word of God was special and had a significant meaning.
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I learned much from those series of messages, did some study and research on my own, and prayed about my work. May the study of Bible numbers with the emphasis on the number two, help you better appreciate the depth of God’s Word. Knowing more about God’s Word is knowing a bit more about the Author. The study of Bible numbers is a part of Bible study. “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 3:18 (KJV)
What Does the Number 2 Mean in The Bible? ─ Division or Unity
The meaning of the number two in the Bible can have one of two broad meanings, depending on the context. These meanings are division or unity. Sometimes, there is a hint of both meanings. One example is that the Holy Bible has two major divisions: Old Testament and New Testament. Yet these two divisions of the Bible are united into a single volume.
What Does the Number 2 Mean in the Bible ─ Instances in Genesis
God uses the number two in the days of the creation week. He created two great lights: the sun and the moon. Their work divides each day into two parts: day and night.
God created two sexes. He first created all animal life, male and female. Then He created a single man ─ Adam. God saw Adam was alone, and had no female counterpart, so God created the female who Adam called “woman.” Adam and Eve together, the first humans, were the first couple to set the example of two individuals being merged into a single entity, according to Genesis 2:24. “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” Marriage is an example of the number two showing unity.
In Genesis chapter 3, the two main Bible characters ─ God and Satan ─ and the two major themes of the Bible ─ good and evil ─ are introduced; an example of two stark divisions. There are two “seeds” mentioned in Genesis 3:15. “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” (KJV)
God mentioned “thy seed” ─ the seed of the serpent, which represents evil, and all those who do Satan’s bidding, starkly contrasted against “Her seed” ─ a veiled reference to Jesus Christ. The seed of the woman can also be, by association, all people who choose to follow Jesus Christ and His commandments.
In Genesis Chapter 6, when God instructed Noah to build an ark to preserve human and animal life, Noah was instructed to bring “two of every sort of animal life into the ark – male and female” (Genesis 6:19). This pairing of animals is an example of the number two indicating unity.
What Does the Number 2 Mean in the Bible? ─ Exodus
The second book of the Bible, Exodus, is a record of the division, the separation of the children of Israel from Egypt. The man who God raised up to lead His people out of Egypt was Moses. He is first introduced, though not by name, in Exodus 2:2. “And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months.” (KJV)
What Does the Number 2 Mean in the Bible? ─ Co-Workers
The Preacher, King Solomon, who wrote the Book of Ecclesiastes, realized the importance of unity between people, specifically, two people. He said in Ecclesiastes 4:9-11, “Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone?” (KJV)
This praise of “two” rather than a single entity is good to remember, not only in the context of marriage, but also in other instances of any type of work, including Christian labor.
In the New Testament, Jesus had seventy workers who went before Him to prepare the individuals in a particular city for His coming. Jesus sent these men on their mission, not one by one, but rather, two by two, according to Luke 10:1. “After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come.” (KJV)
This pairing of Christian workers is a good pattern today. The Christian life is a life of separation and sometimes of division, another meaning of the number two. But Christian service should be a work of unity.
After Christ’s resurrection, two of His friends were walking together and talking about His death when He Himself appeared to them in Luke 24:13-33.
In the Book of Revelation, God had two, special, unnamed workers, which He introduced in Revelation 11:3. “And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.” (KJV)
What Does the Number 2 Mean In The Bible? ─ 2 Witnesses
God declared that there needed to be a minimum of two witnesses for person who committed a crime worthy of death to be put to death. “At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death.” Deuteronomy 17:6 (KJV)
This witness of two rather than a single accusation is repeated in the New Testament regarding accusations against “an elder.” “Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses.” 1 Timothy 5:19 (KJV)
The meaning of the term “elder” is referring to an older person, especially one in spiritual leadership.
What Does the Number 2 Mean in the Bible? ─ John 11:35
The shortest verse of the Bible contains only two words, “Jesus wept.” (KJV). Although this verse is short, it shows the unity between the Son of God and His emotions, in particular, sad emotions (Isaiah 53:3). This verse is a snapshot of Jesus’ sorrow and grief upon the news of His friend Lazarus’ death and at his gravesite. Although Jesus knew He would raise up Lazarus to life again, His tears, along with those who were sorrowing, shows unity with His creation as they weep over the lethal effects of sin. These are comforting words since they show that God understands and empathies with our sorrows.
What Does the Number 2 Mean in the Bible? ─ The Two Adams
There are two “Adams” mentioned in Scripture. The first shows division, the last, unity. They are explained in 1 Corinthians 15:45-47. “And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.” (KJV)
The first man ─ Adam ─ by his sin brought death and separation from God into the world. The “last (second) Adam” is a name of Jesus Christ. By His sinless life, sacrificial death, burial, and resurrection, He restored unity between God and mankind.
What Does the Number 2 Mean in the Bible ─ Conclusion
When reading the Bible and finding numbers, take a few moments to consider the meaning of the number. For the number two does it mean division, such as between God and Satan, good and evil? Separation from the bondage, like that of the Israelites from Egypt? Or is it unity, such as with friends and co-workers?
The most romantic use of the number two is that of marriage ─ the two becoming one. Two also indicate safety in the realm of judgement, as two testimonies are needed. Two words helps us to understand that God cares when we are sad, such as with death, a direct result of the actions of the first Adam. But two also points to the second Adam, the Lord from heaven Who undid the damage of the first Adam. Praise God for the number two!
