Properties of the number 42

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Symbolism

• According to R. Allendy, this number represents "the antagonism in natural cycles. Here, the Spirit opposed to the matter, the good opposed to the evil, continue their fight in the oscillations of the world and result into the Karma - 4+2 = 6. It is the Karma or the Providence in the evolution - 42 = 6x7".

• J. Boehme calls this number "the Sky, place of the divine desire".

• Number representing a time of suffering and test, according to the Bible.

• In Japan, the 42 is a sign wearing misfortune because it is told SHI-RI, that has for homonymous the death.

Bible

• The 42 generations of Abraham to the Christ in the Gospel according to Matthew and the 42 generations of David to the Christ according to Luke. (Lk 3,23-38)

• The gentiles will trample the holy city during 42 month. (Rv 11,2)

• The 42 months where it was given to the Beast to act and to blaspheme. (Rv 13,5)

• The famine of the time of Elijah lasts 42 month. (Lk 4,25)

• The little children mocked of the prophet Elisha. This one curses them and the fierce animals come out of the forest killing 42 of them. (2 K 2,24)

General

• The current distribution of the Revelation is 22 chapters, adopted since the 13th century. But Swete (1909, deep commentator, scholar and pious) had divided it into 42 sections, in three series of 14, making thus the relationship with the 42 generations represented by the sum of the three series of fourteen generations starting from Abraham to the Christ. For this reason, he considered 42 as a Messianic number: the second advent of the Christ, whose speaks the Revelation, would be prepared by 42 divisions of time, just as the first had been it by the 42 generations of believing of the elected people.

• The Odes of Solomon are 42.

• In the Talmud it is written that the divine name of 42 letters is the greatest of the mysteries. These 42 letters contain the names of the ten Sephiroth.

• According to the book of the Dead Egyptians, the defunct, at his death, passes ahead of 42 judges.

• The Cabal speaks about the 42 Authioth.

• According to the Mesopotamian tradition, the surface of the Tower of Babel occupies 42 agrarian measures.

• The Ancient Egyptians had divided their country into 42 parts.

Occurrence

• The number 42 is used 8 times in the Bible.

• The numbers 11 and 15 are used 42 times in the Bible.

• On the whole, 42 books of the Bible use the number 7, whose eight in the NT.

• Nicephore, which deducted the words of the Greek original text of the Revelation, counted 42 proper nouns.

• The word star is used 42 times in the OT.

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Last modification: December 19, 1998

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