Fours
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In biblical numerology, the number four often symbolizes completeness and universality, reflecting the order and structure of God's creation. This number appears in various contexts throughout the Bible, each carrying significant theological and symbolic meanings.

Creation and the Earth:
The number four is prominently associated with the earth and its elements. In Genesis 1, the creation narrative unfolds over six days, but the fourth day marks the completion of the physical universe with the creation of the sun, moon, and stars to govern time and seasons (Genesis 1:14-19). This establishes a sense of order and regularity in the cosmos.

The earth itself is often described in terms of four directions: north, south, east, and west. This is seen in passages such as Isaiah 11:12, which speaks of gathering the dispersed of Judah "from the four corners of the earth." This expression underscores the universality of God's reach and the inclusivity of His covenant promises.

The Four Living Creatures:
In the prophetic visions of Ezekiel and Revelation, the number four is significant in the depiction of the four living creatures. Ezekiel 1:5-10 describes these beings as having four faces and four wings, symbolizing the fullness of God's creation and His omnipresence. Similarly, Revelation 4:6-8 presents four living creatures around the throne of God, each with a different face—lion, ox, man, and eagle—representing various aspects of creation and divine attributes.

The Four Gospels:
The New Testament begins with four Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—each providing a unique perspective on the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. Together, they offer a comprehensive account of the Gospel message, reflecting the completeness and universality of Christ's redemptive work.

The Four Horsemen:
In Revelation 6:1-8, the opening of the first four seals reveals four horsemen, each symbolizing different aspects of divine judgment: conquest, war, famine, and death. These horsemen represent the comprehensive nature of God's judgment upon the earth, emphasizing the seriousness of sin and the need for repentance.

The Four Rivers of Eden:
Genesis 2:10-14 describes a river flowing out of Eden that divides into four headwaters: Pishon, Gihon, Tigris, and Euphrates. These rivers symbolize the life-giving and sustaining power of God's creation, as well as the geographical and spiritual reach of His provision.

The Four Winds:
The concept of the four winds is used in various biblical passages to denote God's sovereign control over the earth. In Daniel 7:2, the four winds of heaven stir up the great sea, symbolizing the tumultuous and unpredictable nature of earthly kingdoms under divine authority. Similarly, Revelation 7:1 speaks of four angels holding back the four winds, indicating God's restraint and protection over the earth.

The Four Corners of the Altar:
In the construction of the altar, as described in Exodus 27:1-2, the altar is to have four corners, each with a horn. These horns symbolize strength and the power of sacrifice, pointing to the completeness of atonement provided through the sacrificial system, ultimately fulfilled in Christ's sacrifice.

The number four, therefore, is deeply embedded in the biblical narrative, symbolizing the completeness and universality of God's creation, judgment, and redemption. Through its various appearances, it underscores the order, structure, and divine purpose inherent in the world and God's plan for humanity.
Strong's Hebrew
702. arba -- four
... 2), 64,300* (1), 64,400* (2), 74* (2), 74,600* (2), any of their four (1), four
(167), four things (1), four-fifths* (1), four-footed* (1), fours (4), fourteen ...
/hebrew/702.htm - 6k

7251. raba -- to square
... A primitive root (rather identical with raba' through the idea of sprawling "at
all fours" (or possibly the reverse is the order of deriv.); compare arba ...
/hebrew/7251.htm - 6k

Library

From the Fourteenth Chapter.
... "For a thousand and six hundred furlongs."] That is, through all the four parts
of the world: for there is a quadrate put together by fours, as in four faces ...
/.../from the fourteenth chapter.htm

Sunday-School Hymns.
... might have chosen an easier metre for his version, if (which is improbable) he intended
it to be sung, since a tune written to sixes and fours takes naturally ...
/.../brown/the story of the hymns and tunes/chapter viii sunday-school hymns.htm

Elucidations.
... But Dr. Bunsen sets it on all-fours, and treats it as if it were soberly designed
to defy reason,"that reason to which Tertullian constantly makes his appeal ...
/.../unknown/fathers of the third century tertullian appendix/elucidations.htm

It was a Clear Morning and the Tenth Day Before the Kalends of ...
... He struggled, cursing, but they bore him down, binding him hand and knee to an open
litter, so he stood, like a beast, upon all fours, for such, indeed, was ...
//christianbookshelf.org/bacheller/vergilius/chapter 22 it was a.htm

One Metaphor and Two Meanings
... by His use of that metaphor of the night? No figures, we know, run upon
all-fours. The point of comparison may be simply in some ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture i/one metaphor and two meanings.htm

Who Bring Christ
... In all the lists he is one of the last of the groups of fours, into which they are
divided, and which were evidently arranged according to their spiritual ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture i/who bring christ.htm

Forgiven and Unforgiving
... No metaphor of that sort goes on all fours, and there has been a great deal of harm
done to theology and to evangelical religion by carrying out too completely ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture b/forgiven and unforgiving.htm

From Deliberation on the Evil and on the Good Part it Results that ...
... For the four-footed horse walks beautifully, but if a man on all fours should
imitate him, who would think him worthy even of chaff for food? ...
/.../chapter 13 name deliberation on.htm

What the Christians Believe Regarding the Supreme Good and Evil ...
... what if a man suffers from curvature of the spine to such an extent that his hands
reach the ground, and he goes upon all-fours like a quadruped? ...
/.../augustine/city of god/chapter 4 what the christians believe.htm

Sin's Brood.
... Then"birds; then-beasts on all fours with backbone on a line with the earth, nose
and mouth close to the ground; then"gray-black, slimy, crawling, creeping ...
//christianbookshelf.org/gordon/quiet talks about jesus/sins brood.htm

Thesaurus
Fours (4 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Fours (4 Occurrences). Leviticus 11:20 "'All flying
insects that walk on all fours are an abomination to you. ...
/f/fours.htm - 7k

Swarming (19 Occurrences)
... See RSV NIV). Leviticus 11:20 All winged creeping things that go upon all
fours are an abomination unto you. (See JPS). Leviticus 11 ...
/s/swarming.htm - 12k

Creeping (43 Occurrences)
... guilty. (WEB KJV ASV WBS). Leviticus 11:20 All winged creeping things that go
upon all fours are an abomination unto you. (ASV). Leviticus ...
/c/creeping.htm - 21k

Walks (51 Occurrences)
... (WEB NAS RSV NIV). Leviticus 11:27 Whatever goes on its paws, among all animals
that go on all fours, they are unclean to you. Whoever ...
/w/walks.htm - 20k

Winged (69 Occurrences)
... (BBE). Leviticus 11:20 All winged creeping things that go upon all fours
are an abomination unto you. (See JPS ASV BBE DBY NAS RSV). ...
/w/winged.htm - 26k

Insects (17 Occurrences)
... There remained not one. (See NAS). Leviticus 11:20 "'All flying insects that
walk on all fours are an abomination to you. (WEB NAS RSV NIV). ...
/i/insects.htm - 14k

Detestable (121 Occurrences)
... NIV). Leviticus 11:20 All winged creeping things that go upon all fours
are an abomination unto you. (See JPS NAS NIV). Leviticus ...
/d/detestable.htm - 39k

Locust (25 Occurrences)
... 1), (2), (3) and (4) constitute the list of clean insects in Leviticus 11:21,
characterized as "winged creeping things that go upon all fours, which have legs ...
/l/locust.htm - 34k

Fourscore (33 Occurrences)

/f/fourscore.htm - 16k

Walk (315 Occurrences)
... (Root in WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS NAS RSV NIV). Leviticus 11:20 "'All flying insects
that walk on all fours are an abomination to you. (WEB NAS NIV). ...
/w/walk.htm - 39k

Resources
Is it wrong to kill spiders or step on bugs? | GotQuestions.org

How does the geologic timescale fit with the view of a young earth? | GotQuestions.org

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Concordance
Fours (4 Occurrences)

Leviticus 11:20
"'All flying insects that walk on all fours are an abomination to you.
(WEB JPS ASV NAS RSV NIV)

Leviticus 11:21
Yet you may eat these: of all winged creeping things that go on all fours, which have legs above their feet, with which to hop on the earth.
(WEB JPS ASV NAS RSV NIV)

Leviticus 11:27
Whatever goes on its paws, among all animals that go on all fours, they are unclean to you. Whoever touches their carcass shall be unclean until the evening.
(WEB JPS ASV NAS RSV NIV)

Leviticus 11:42
Whatever goes on its belly, and whatever goes on all fours, or whatever has many feet, even all creeping things that creep on the earth, them you shall not eat; for they are an abomination.
(WEB JPS ASV NAS RSV NIV)

Subtopics

Fours

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Four-footed animals, wild beasts, reptiles, and birds
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