Lexical Summary hex: Six Original Word: ἕξ Strong's Exhaustive Concordance six. A primary numeral; six -- six. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origina prim. cardinal number Definition six NASB Translation forty-six* (1), seventy-six* (1), six (10), sixty-six* (1). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 1803: ἕξἕξ, οἱ, αἱ, τά, indeclinable numeral, six: Matthew 17:1; Luke 13:14, etc. Topical Lexicon Numerical Usage across Scripture The word translated “six” appears thirteen times in the Greek New Testament. It functions as an ordinary cardinal number, yet in the biblical canon the figure rarely remains a bare statistic. From the six days of labor established in the Torah (Exodus 20:9) to the ominous triple-six of Revelation, the number repeatedly serves theological and narrative purposes. A Pattern of Labor and Anticipated Rest 1. Creation establishes the template: six days of divine work followed by Sabbath rest. Every later appearance of the number is measured against that paradigm. Six in the Ministry of Jesus • Matthew 17:1 and Mark 9:2 place the Transfiguration “after six days.” The Gospel writers subtly link the revelation of Christ’s glory with the prospect of Sabbath fulfillment on the seventh. Six Among the Apostles and Early Church • Acts 11:12: “These six brothers also went with me,” Peter testifies. Their number establishes sufficient witness to the inclusion of Gentiles—human agency poised on the edge of divine completion. Prophetic Echoes: Six Months of Drought Luke 4:25 and James 5:17 both preserve Elijah’s “three years and six months” of withheld rain. The shared chronology links Old and New Testament prophets, stressing God’s control over history and His responsiveness to fervent prayer. Heavenly Imagery: Six Wings Revelation 4:8 portrays each living creature with “six wings… full of eyes all around.” The duplication of Isaiah’s seraphim emphasizes ceaseless worship. Six wings carry the creatures, yet their unending cry—“Holy, holy, holy”—points to the perfection of the One they serve, not to their own completeness. Eschatological Weight: Six and Six Hundred Sixty-Six Revelation 13:18 warns, “Let the one who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and that number is six hundred sixty-six.” Tripling the digit of human labor and inadequacy, 666 magnifies fallenness in stark contrast to divine perfection symbolized by seven. The repetition shouts incompletion, portraying the beast’s counterfeit claims and inevitable defeat. Theological Observations • Six often signals the best human effort can achieve before God steps in. Practical Ministry Significance Believers labor faithfully during their allotted “six days,” aware that ultimate rest and fulfillment rest with the Lord. The scriptural employment of the number encourages diligence without presumption, vigilance without despair. Every instance of six invites worshippers to look beyond human limitations to the promised completion that only God supplies. Forms and Transliterations εξ ἕξ ἓξ ex hex héx hèxLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Matthew 17:1 AdjGRK: μεθ' ἡμέρας ἓξ παραλαμβάνει ὁ NAS: Six days later KJV: And after six days Jesus INT: after days six takes with [him] Mark 9:2 Adj Luke 4:25 Adj Luke 13:14 Adj John 2:6 Adj John 2:20 Adj John 12:1 Adj Acts 11:12 Adj Acts 18:11 Adj Acts 27:37 Adj James 5:17 Adj Revelation 4:8 Adj Revelation 13:18 Adj |
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