Mark J. Johnson
12/01/05
Symbolic numbers are nothing new to students of the scriptures. Numbers such as three, seven, twelve, twenty-four1 and seventy2 all can have a symbolic meaning in scripture. Perhaps the most obscure number with a symbolic meaning is the number forty-two. Despite its obscurity, this number, when viewed in its symbolic content, casts an interesting light on some of the Book of Mormon narratives.
Being a multiple of seven, it might be supposed that it would be connected with spiritual perfection. But it is the product of six times seven. Six, therefore, being the number of Man and of man’s opposition to God, forty-two becomes significant of the working out of man’s opposition to God.3
When the number forty-two occurs in the biblical text, it is always associated with destruction. Note these instances from the Old Testament.
Then Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead, and fought with Ephraim: and the men of Gilead smote Ephraim, because they said, Ye Gileadites are fugitives of Ephraim among the Ephraimites, and among the Manassites. And the Gileadites took the passages of Jordan before the Ephraimites: and it was so, that when those Ephraimites which were escaped said, Let me go over; that the men of Gilead said unto him, Art thou an Ephraimite? If he said, Nay; Then said they unto him, Say now Shibboleth: and he said Sibboleth: for he could not frame to pronounce it right. Then they took him, and slew him at the passages of Jordan: and there fell at that time of the Ephraimites forty and two thousand. (Judges 16:6)
So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the saying of Elisha which he spake. And he went up from thence unto Beth-el: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head. And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them. (2 Kings 2:22-24)
Jehu met with the brethren of Ahaziah king of Judah, and said, Who are ye? And they answered, We are the brethren of Ahaziah; and we go down to salute the children of the king and the children of the queen. And he said, Take them alive. And they took them alive, and slew them at the pit of the shearing house, even two and forty men; neither left he any of them. (2 Kings 10:13-14)
AND there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. (Revelation 11:1-2)
And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. (Revelation 13:4-5)
As the number forty-two is used in the biblical narrative, it is associated with slaughter and destruction. Turning to the Book of Mormon, we see the same phenomenon.
The most obvious occurrence is in the book of Ether. Three Jaredite kings: Riplakish, Levi and Com; all reigned for forty-two years (see Ether 10:8, 15, 32-33). Nibley has noted these occurrences and provides connections with ancient king-lists from Egypt and Samaria.4 Despite this connection, Nibley still leaves us with the question, “Why forty-two?” I posit that these numbers in the book of Ether were rounded up or down by a later editor (Moroni perhaps?) to equal forty-two. This would have been done for symbolic effect, equating the numbers in the Jaredite record with the Old Testament record, giving the Jaredite record a flavor and meaning similar to the Bible.
These kings’ reigns were marked with wars and contention. The number forty-two acts as a perfect symbol to reflect the destruction in their days. Of particular notice is Com, for in his days we find the beginnings of robbers in the land.
Hundreds of years later, the bands of robbers turn up again. Perhaps it is no coincidence that Gadianton makes his debut in the narrative in the forty-second year of the reign of the judges (Helaman 2). If any character in the Book of Mormon represents destruction, it is Gadianton. Particularly note verses 12 and 13:
And more of this Gadianton shall be spoken hereafter. And thus ended the forty and second year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi. And behold, in the end of this book ye shall see that this Gadianton did prove the overthrow, yea, almost the entire destruction of the people of Nephi.
The use of the number forty-two is a perfect match with its usage in the Bible. When this verse is read with an eye toward numerical symbolism, the number forty-two provides a little more dread to the reading.
The last example of the number forty-two in the Book of Mormon narrative is a bit more sublime. Alma and Amulek are preaching to the people who were in the land of Ammonihah. One of the men contending against them is the anti-Christ named Zeezrom. While Zeezrom would later convert to the Lord, here he challenges Amulek’s teachings.
And this Zeezrom began to question Amulek, saying: Will ye answer me a few questions which I shall ask you? Now Zeezrom was a man who was expert in the devices of the devil, that he might destroy that which was good; therefore, he said unto Amulek: Will ye answer the questions which I shall put unto you? And Amulek said unto him: Yea, if it be according to the Spirit of the Lord, which is in me; for I shall say nothing which is contrary to the Spirit of the Lord. And Zeezrom said unto him: Behold, here are six onties of silver, and all these will I give thee if thou wilt deny the existence of a Supreme Being. (Alma 11:21-22)
The name Zeezrom seems to be a pun on this story of bribery. His name would be broken down onto two parts. The first, Ze- would be analogous to the Hebrew זי (pronounced zi), which means “This is…” The second part of his name, -ezrom, would be the monetary unit of an ezrom (Alma 11:12). The name Zeezrom might be rightly viewed as meaning “These are some units of silver…” which reflects his words to Amulek.
What concerns us here is the amount of the bribe. While the six onti’s reflect six, the number of man; deeper significance might be found by factoring down the amount. The onti is a compound measure consisting of seven units.5 If six of these are offered, the bribe becomes forty-two measures. From a symbolic view, Zeezrom is really offering Amulek destruction to deny the existence of God.
This quick survey shows that an instance of numeric symbolism is accurately used in the Book of Mormon. While caution needs to be used in applying a symbolic meaning to any text, we see that here a method for interpretation of the Biblical text also sheds light on the words of the Book of Mormon.
1 Re-Exploring the Book of Mormon: The FARMS Updates, ed. John W. Welch (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book and FARMS, 1992) 272-274
2 S. Kent Brown, “The Seventy In Scripture” in By Study and Also By Faith: Essays in Honor of Hugh W. Nibley on the Occasion of his Eightieth Birthday, 27 March 1990. eds. Lundquist, John M. and Stephen D. Ricks (Provo UT: FARMS, 1990) 2:25-45
3 E. W. Bullinger, Number in Scripture: Its Supernatural Design and Spiritual Influence (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1967) 268
4 Hugh W. Nibley, Since Cumorah (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book and FARMS, 1988) 209
5 The senum was the base unit of silver. Two units of silver were an amnor. Four units of silver were an ezrom. The onti was as great as them all (1+2+4=7). See Alma 11:11-13
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