Original Word: ἀριθμός
Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine
Transliteration: arithmos
Pronunciation: ar-eeth-mos'
Phonetic Spelling: (ar-ith-mos')
KJV: number
NASB: number, group
Word Origin: [from G142 (αἴρω - take)]

1. a number (as reckoned up)

number.

From airo; a number (as reckoned up) -- number.

see GREEK airo

Word Origin
from a prim. root ari-
Definition
a number
NASB Translation
group (1), number (17).

STRONGS NT 706: ἀριθμός

ἀριθμός, ἀριθμοῦ, ὁ (from Homer down), a number;

a. a fixed and definite number: τόν ἀριθμόν πεντακισχίλιοι, in number, John 6:10 (2 Macc. 8:16; 3Macc. 5:2, and often in Greek writings; Winers Grammar, 230 (216); (Buttmann, 153 (134))); ἐκ τοῦ ἀριθμοῦ τῶν δώδεκα, Luke 22:3; ἀριθμός ... ἀνθρώπου, a number whose letters indicate a certain man, Revelation 13:18.

b. an indefinite number, equivalent to a multitude: Acts 6:7; Acts 11:21; Revelation 20:8.

The Concept of ἀριθμός (arithmos) in the New Testament

While Scripture often uses poetic imagery, it also cares about precise enumeration. The noun ἀριθμός, “number,” appears eighteen times and speaks to God’s meticulous oversight of history, the measurable growth of His people, and the sobering realities of final judgment.

Frequency and Distribution

Occurrences cluster in three settings:
• Luke–Acts (Luke 22:3; Acts 4:4; 5:36; 6:7; 11:21; 16:5)
• The writings of John (John 6:10; Revelation 5:11; 7:4; 9:16 [twice]; 13:17–18 [three times]; 15:2; 20:8)
• Pauline literature (Romans 9:27)

Counting Disciples and the Expansion of the Gospel

Acts repeatedly tallies believers to underscore the Spirit-empowered advance of the word.
• “But many who heard the message believed, and the number of men grew to about five thousand.” (Acts 4:4)
• “So the word of God continued to spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem grew rapidly.” (Acts 6:7)
• “So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in number.” (Acts 16:5)

By recording figures, Luke offers verifiable markers of divine blessing and historicity. Numbers are not mere statistics; they testify that the gospel is bearing fruit in real communities.

Individual Identity within a Number

Luke 22:3 notes that Judas “belonged to the number of the Twelve.” Enumeration here defines covenant identity and accountability. To be counted among God’s people is a privilege; to betray that calling reveals the tragedy of wasted privilege.

Bread for the Multitude

John 6:10 states, “So they sat down, about five thousand men were in number.” The figure magnifies Christ’s sufficiency. Even when the need is numerically overwhelming, the Lord’s provision exceeds the count.

Prophetic Echo in Romans

Paul cites Isaiah: “Though the number of the Israelites be like the sand of the sea, only the remnant will be saved.” (Romans 9:27) The vast “number” contrasts with the smaller believing remnant, teaching that covenant lineage is not identical with covenant faith.

Apocalyptic Enumeration in Revelation

Revelation employs numbers both literally and symbolically, inviting careful, reverent interpretation.
• Worship: “I heard the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands.” (Revelation 5:11)
• Preservation: “I heard the number of those who were sealed, 144,000.” (Revelation 7:4)
• Judgment: “The number of mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand.” (Revelation 9:16)
• Deception: Gog and Magog are gathered, “their number is like the sand of the sea.” (Revelation 20:8)

The Number of the Beast

Revelation 13:17–18 makes ἀριθμός pivotal for discerning evil’s counterfeit authority:

“Let the one who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and that number is 666.” (Revelation 13:18)

Here ἀριθμός functions as a cipher requiring wisdom, reminding believers to weigh cultural allegiances carefully and to resist economic or social systems that oppose Christ.

Victory over the Number

Those who refuse the beast’s mark stand “beside the sea of glass … holding harps of God” (Revelation 15:2). The faithful are not defined by the beast’s number but by the Lamb’s name.

Theological Insights

1. Divine Sovereignty: God not only knows but ordains the “number of the stars” (Psalm 147:4) and the “hairs of your head” (Matthew 10:30). New-Testament use of ἀριθμός echoes this meticulous care.
2. Covenant People: Being “numbered” with believers confers identity and responsibility.
3. Witness and Authentication: Quantitative statements root the gospel in verifiable history.
4. Symbolism and Warning: Apocalyptic numbers convey cosmic realities and ethical imperatives.

Pastoral and Missional Implications

• Church leaders may track attendance or conversions, yet Scripture pairs numbers with spiritual depth; Acts couples growth with doctrinal fidelity.
• Believers should rejoice that they are “registered in heaven” (Hebrews 12:23), mindful that what matters most is not the size of a congregation but faithfulness to Christ.
• In cultural settings dominated by statistics and metrics, ἀριθμός reminds us that every counted soul bears eternal value.

Historical Reception

Early Church Fathers read literal growth texts in Acts as evidence of Pentecost’s power, while treating Revelation’s numbers with a balance of caution and expectation. Throughout history, fixation on deciphering “666” has sometimes eclipsed the broader call to holiness; a sober reading keeps focus on perseverance and worship of the true King.

Conclusion

Across narrative, epistle, and apocalypse, ἀριθμός underscores the precision of God’s works, the measurable progress of the gospel, and the ultimate reckoning that awaits all creation. To be counted among the redeemed is the highest privilege; to reject that gracious inclusion courts eternal loss.

αριθμοί αριθμον αριθμόν ἀριθμὸν αριθμος αριθμός ἀριθμὸς αριθμου αριθμού ἀριθμοῦ αριθμω αριθμώ ἀριθμῷ αριθμών arithmo arithmō arithmôi arithmō̂i arithmon arithmòn arithmos arithmòs arithmou arithmoûInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts