The number 9 is a number that represents Divine Completeness in the Word of God. It is the single digit, cardinal number that has spiritual significance. But what is the true Biblical meaning of the number 9?
Well, the number 9 is a special number, because it represents the number of finality. As a Biblical number, it is the number of completion. There are a few places in scripture that show us that the number 9 represents finality.
The Number 9 in The Bible
God’s word is full of engaging stories and significant events. Some of those important events are the host of the number 9. Both in the Old and New Testaments, the number 9 is used to represent finality.
Let’s start by observing the number 9 in the Old Testament.
In The Old Testament
There are a couple of events in the Old Testament that have the number 9 in them. The final kingship of Israel and the first battle recorded both have the number 9 woven into them. The first of the two is the years of King Hosea.
9: The Number of Years King Hoshea Ruled
King Hoshea was the last King of Israel before the nation fell to the Assyrians. Being Israel’s last king, Hoshea was not able to serve for his entire lifetime, instead, he was only the king for 9 years.
Hoshea was not a great king of Israel, and the Bible says that he practiced many things that God considered wicked (2 Kings 17:1-2). That may be the reason that God handed Israel over to the Assyrians.
Hoshea’s final rule of 9 years was short and shows that the number 9 is the Biblical number for finality. The 9 years were the final years of Israel’s independence, and the 9th year marked the completion of Israel’s self-leadership.
But where else in the Old Testament can the number 9 be found?
The 9 Kings of the First Recorded Battle
In the first battle recorded in the Bible, there were 9 kings fighting (Genesis 14:8-9). One army had 5 kings and the other had 4. But what does that have to do with finality or completeness?
Well in the context of this story, God fulfills a promise that he made to Abraham through the battle of the nine kings. Earlier in Genesis, God made a promise to Abraham that whoever blessed him would be blessed (Genesis 12:3). In this story, King Melchizedek blesses Abraham, and the king gets blessed with resources from Abraham (Genesis 14:19-22).
This is another example of how the number 9 represents finality and completion. Through the story of the 9 kings, God finalized a promise.
The Old Testament shows the number 9 as a number of completion, but what about the New Testament? Where in the New Testament does 9 represent the number of finality?
9 in the New Testament
There are a few instances in the New Testament where the number 9 is present. Each one of these cases is significant to the Christian faith and can help us to understand the importance of the number 9.
The 9th Hour that Jesus Died On
The first important use of the number 9 in the Bible comes in the salvation story. Jesus is about to die on the cross for the sins of the world, and on the 9th hour of the day, He did.
Jesus Christ gave His final sacrifice in the 9th hour. That points to the fact that the number 9 represents finality, as the atonement was finished. At this moment, the sacrifice was complete, and people could now have a relationship with God directly.
Furthermore, this 9th hour represents a new life and a new beginning through the atonement of sins. People are now able to experience eternal life through Jesus because He fulfilled the prophecies and gave his life for our sins.
But where else in the New Testament is the number 9 present?
The 9 Aspects of the Fruit of the Spirit
Another place that number 9 is placed in the New Testament is through the Fruits of the Holy Spirit. In Scripture, there are characteristics someone will have whenever they are connected to the Holy Spirit, and there are 9 of them.
The fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, patients, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Clearly, there are 9 of them, and they show what it means to be a complete follower of God. God gave the Holy Spirit to help us to live well, and the gifts of the spirit are the completion of that.
The gifts of the Holy Spirit are there to help people follow after God better and to witness faith to the people around them. There are 9 fruits of God and they all help us to be complete followers of God.
So the Fruit of the Spirit is another 9 in the New Testament, but there is one more significant 9 in the New Testament.
Hour 9: The Hour of Cornilious’s Vision
The final 9 that appears in the New Testament is the ninth hour of the day in the story of Cornilious’s vision. Cornilious was a Roman centurion who had the vision to go visit the apostle Peter.
Through this story, Cornilious becomes a Christian. He was actually the first gentile to become a Christian, and it shows the Gospel being given to the non-Jews.
This story has the number 9 in it and can remind us of the completion of God’s plan. For years people thought that the Jews were the only ones who were going to have a relationship with God, but God had a different plan. The story of Cornelius receiving salvation shows the completion of the Gospel being given to the Gentile people.
Those are all significant places where the number 9 was present in the Bible. They all point to the number 9 being a number that represents the completion of God’s plan. From the first battle recorded in the Bible to the vision of Conilious, the number 9 in the Bible most often meant the completion of promises.
The Greek Word for the Number 9
The number 9 in Greek is Ennea. Although Ennea does not have much more meaning than the number 9, when you see 9 in the New Testament, it was most likely the word Ennea.
The Hebrew Word for the Number 9
The number 9 in Hebrew is Tehshah. In Hebrew, the number 9 has some important significance. According to Kisha Galliger of Grace in TORAH, “Last and largest single digit. Signifies finality, judgment, harvest, fruitfulness, the womb, duality (good/evil), concealment, truth, loving-kindness, fruit of the Spirit, turning to look upon/gaze, hour of prayer, etc. (Grace in TORAH)
Clearly, the number 9 was used in Hebrew to donate finality and fruitfulness, which are both topics that 9 was used to address in the Bible.
9 in Daily Life
So what is the significance for the number 9 in our lives today? What does any of this matter?
Well, based on the meanings that we covered the number 9 should be a reminder for us. It should remind us of first the finality of Jesus’ sacrifice, so whenever we see the number of 9, we can remember the grace God had on us. We can be reminded that God is good and takes care of us.
It can also remind us of the Fruit of the Spirit that God allows us to have. We have access to the Holy Spirit to help us live godly lives, and He is there to support us in life. There is encouragement for those who look at the number 9 and remember the traits that the Holy Spirit endows us with.
Finally, the number 9 can be a reminder to us that the Gospel is forever for everyone. Through the story of Cornilious, we see the Gospel wasn’t just for the Jews, but it was also for the Gentiles. So we can remember, when we see the number 9 that God has given His son for everyone.
The number 9 is a significant Biblical number, but how can we use the information to share the Gospel better? In the next article linked there is information on how you can communicate the Gospel well through some of the stories mentioned in this article.
