Properties of the number 49

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Symbolism

• According to R. Allendy, "this number shows the effort of the solidarity, 9, in cosmic mutations, 40". As square of 7, it would represent also the development of evolutionary stages and their degrees.

• As a square of 7, J. Boehme sees there "the Paradise".

• For the lamaists, it is equivalent symbolically to the number forty of the Jews.

General

• The Virgin Mary was 49 years old during the Ascension of his Son Jesus.

• The 49 litanies of the Blessed Virgin: Saint Mary, saint Mother of God, Blessed Virgin of Virgins, Mother of the Christ, Mother of the divine grace, Mother very pure, Mother very chaste, Mother always virgin, Mother without stain, Mother pleasant, Mother admirable, Mother of the good Council, Mother of the Creator, Mother of the Saviour, Virgin very prudent, Virgin venerable, Virgin worthy of praise, Virgin powerful, Virgin clement, Virgin believer, Mirror of justice, Seat of the wisdom, Cause of our joy, spiritual Vase, honorable Vase, Vase badge of devotion, Rose mystic, Tower of David, Tower of ivory, House of gold, Ark of alliance, Door of the sky, Star of the morning, Salvation of the infirm, Refuge of sinners, Comforter of mourners, Help of the Christians, Queen of Angels, Queen of Patriarchs, Queen of Prophets, Queen of Apostles, Queen of Martyrs, Queen of Confessors, Queen of Virgins, Queen of all Saints, Queen conceived without the original spot, Queen raised in skies, Queen of the very holy Rosary, Queen of the peace.

• The names of the twelve Tribes of Israel contain 49 letters.

• The prayer of the Our-Father includes 49 Latin words, without counting the word Amen at the end.

• Buddha remained 49 days near the tree named "Bô".

• When the religious tradition of the Orient refers in its teachings to the psychic nature of the man, it uses the knowledge relative to the centers of force called by Hindus "chakras" (wheel) or again "padma" (lotus). These centers are 7 majors, 21 averages and 49 minors, but only the 7 majors one have retained the attention because of their importance in the initiatory process.

• The seven cosmic plans include 49 under plans and the seven races which, according to the Theosophy, evolve on a planetary globe, include 49 under races.

• A legend tells that Indra cut the foetus of Diti in seven parts, then each one in seven, giving 49 parts.

• The Book of the Jubilees of the writings of the library of Qumran (written approximately 100 years before J.-C.) talks about the rules concerning jubilees and the strict laws for the observance of the Sabbath. At the end, a passage mentions: "there are 49 jubilees plus one week and two years from Adam until this day; there is again forty years to come to learn the commandments of the Lord before the sons of Israel enter the earth of Canaan and cross the Jordan to the west"

• The Zohar indicates that there exists 49 interpretations of the Writings, and that can even go up until 70 degrees of interpretations.

• The "devanagari", or writing of the gods, employed for the traditional Sanskrit language, has 49 simple signs.

• In an Ethiopian apocryphal book, named "The Wisdom of Sibyl", it is question of the 49 cycles of Ezra, each one counting 143 years, for a total of 7007 years. The Days of the Lord are 7 told the Sibyl, what gives, for one Day, a duration of 1001 years.

• The Tibetans see in this number the intermediate world, the "Bardo" (bar: between; do: two; between two worlds: the Earth and the Sky), space where the soul has to wander during 49 days following the death.

• The magic square using the 49 first numbers is associated with the Venus planet and has as sum 175.

                             22 47 16 41 10 35  4
                              5 23 48 17 42 11 29
                             30  6 24 49 18 36 12
                             13 31  7 25 43 19 37
                             38 14 32  1 26 44 20
                             21 39  8 33  2 27 45
                             46 15 40  9 34  3 28
  

Occurrence

• The number 49 is used 2 times in the Bible.

• The verb to adore is used 49 times in the OT and the verb to crucify, 49 times in the NT. The expression "good news" is used 49 times in the NRSV.

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Last modification: December 19, 1998

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