Amalek עמלק
A people the Torah tells Israel to remember, so that it can be forgotten. The word is read aloud once a year before Purim.
- Found in the Torah
- 102,184
- Chance alone: 102,526
- Skips 2 to 101,616
- Found in the Tanakh
- 1,478,313
- Chance alone: 1,482,301
- Skips 2 to 399,013
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Remember what Amalek did unto thee, says Deuteronomy 25:17, and two verses later the same passage says thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek, and ends thou shalt not forget. The paradox is the point: you keep a memory of something so that you can erase it. Jewish practice takes this literally, and the passage is read in synagogues on the Sabbath before Purim, which connects it to Haman the Agagite in Esther 3:1 and to King Agag of 1 Samuel 15. Amalek himself first appears in a family list, a grandson of Esau in Genesis 36:12. Then in Exodus 17:8 his people attack the rear of the column at Rephidim. Twenty-three bare cases, all from Genesis to 1 Samuel.
- As a whole word
- 23
- First, with any prefix
- Genesis 36:12
The measurement
Both scopes land almost on the formula: 102,184 against 102,525.6 in the Torah and 1,478,313 against 1,482,301.5 in the Tanakh. It is remembered, in plain words, in Deuteronomy 25:17, and at a skip it is the same as any other four letters.
| At every skip | Torah | Tanakh |
|---|---|---|
| Found | 102,184 | 1,478,313 |
| Chance alone | 102,526 | 1,482,301 |
| P (≥ found) | 0.86 | 1.00 |
| Shortest skip | 2 | 2 |
| Longest skip | 101,442 | 398,677 |
Counted forward and backward on the written text, with final letters treated as ordinary ones. At the laboratory's opening setting, skips 2 to 5,000, the Torah gives 9,780 against 9,839 by chance. How these figures are made.
The sequences, letter by letter
Each letter is shown in the verse it happens to stand in, nothing more. Tap one to read it in the Tanakh, with the rest of the sequence marked.
In the Torah
Shortest skip 2, forward from Leviticus 22:3
… אֲלֵהֶ֗ם לְדֹרֹ֨תֵיכֶ֜ם כָּל־אִ֣ישׁ אֲשֶׁר־יִקְרַ֣ב מִכָּל־זַרְעֲכֶ֗ם אֶל־הַקֳּדָשִׁים֙ אֲשֶׁ֨ר יַקְדִּ֤ישׁוּ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ לַֽיקוָ֔ק …
Say unto them: Whosoever he be of all your seed throughout your generations, that approacheth unto the holy things, which the children of Israel hallow unto the LORD, having his uncleanness upon him, that soul shall be cut off from before Me: I am the LORD.
Short skip 50, forward from Exodus 9:27
וַיִּשְׁלַ֣ח פַּרְעֹ֗ה וַיִּקְרָא֙ לְמֹשֶׁ֣ה וּֽלְאַהֲרֹ֔ן וַיֹּ֥אמֶר אֲלֵהֶ֖ם חָטָ֣אתִי הַפָּ֑עַם יְקוָק֙ הַצַּדִּ֔יק וַאֲנִ֥י וְעַמִּ֖י הָרְשָׁעִֽים׃
And Pharaoh sent, and called for Moses and Aaron, and said unto them: ‘I have sinned this time; the LORD is righteous, and I and my people are wicked.
הַעְתִּ֨ירוּ֙ אֶל־יְקוָ֔ק וְרַ֕ב מִֽהְיֹ֛ת קֹלֹ֥ת אֱ־לֹהִ֖ים וּבָרָ֑ד וַאֲשַׁלְּחָ֣ה אֶתְכֶ֔ם וְלֹ֥א תֹסִפ֖וּן לַעֲמֹֽד׃
Entreat the LORD, and let there be enough of these mighty thunderings and hail; and I will let you go, and ye shall stay no longer.’
… אֶת־הָעִ֔יר אֶפְרֹ֥שׂ אֶת־כַּפַּ֖י אֶל־יְקוָ֑ק הַקֹּל֣וֹת יֶחְדָּל֗וּן וְהַבָּרָד֙ לֹ֣א יִֽהְיֶה־ע֔וֹד …
And Moses said unto him: ‘As soon as I am gone out of the city, I will spread forth my hands unto the LORD; the thunders shall cease, neither shall there be any more hail; that thou mayest know that the earth is the LORD’s.
Middle skip 502, forward from Numbers 16:13
הַמְעַ֗ט כִּ֤י הֶֽעֱלִיתָ֨נוּ֙ מֵאֶ֨רֶץ זָבַ֤ת חָלָב֙ וּדְבַ֔שׁ לַהֲמִיתֵ֖נוּ בַּמִּדְבָּ֑ר כִּֽי־תִשְׂתָּרֵ֥ר עָלֵ֖ינוּ גַּם־הִשְׂתָּרֵֽר׃
is it a small thing that thou hast brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, but thou must needs make thyself also a prince over us?
וַיִּפְּל֤וּ עַל־פְּנֵיהֶם֙ וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ אֵ֕ל אֱ־לֹהֵ֥י הָרוּחֹ֖ת לְכָל־בָּשָׂ֑ר הָאִ֤ישׁ אֶחָד֙ יֶחֱטָ֔א וְעַ֥ל כָּל־הָעֵדָ֖ה תִּקְצֹֽף׃
And they fell upon their faces, and said: ‘O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and wilt Thou be wroth with all the congregation?’
וַיְהִי֙ כְּכַלֹּת֔וֹ לְדַבֵּ֕ר אֵ֥ת כָּל־הַדְּבָרִ֖ים הָאֵ֑לֶּה וַתִּבָּקַ֥ע הָאֲדָמָ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר תַּחְתֵּיהֶֽם׃
And it came to pass, as he made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground did cleave asunder that was under them.
… מִזֶּ֤רַע אַהֲרֹן֙ ה֔וּא לְהַקְטִ֥יר קְטֹ֖רֶת לִפְנֵ֣י יְקוָ֑ק וְלֹֽא־יִהְיֶ֤ה כְקֹ֨רַח֙ …
to be a memorial unto the children of Israel, to the end that no common man, that is not of the seed of Aaron, draw near to burn incense before the LORD; that he fare not as Korah, and as his company; as the LORD spoke unto him by the hand of Moses.
Wide skip 5,009, forward from Deuteronomy 8:5
וְיָדַעְתָּ֖ עִם־לְבָבֶ֑ךָ כִּ֗י כַּאֲשֶׁ֨ר יְיַסֵּ֥ר אִישׁ֙ אֶת־בְּנ֔וֹ יְקוָ֥ק אֱ־לֹהֶ֖יךָ מְיַסְּרֶֽךָּ׃
And thou shalt consider in thy heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the LORD thy God chasteneth thee.
הִשָּֽׁמְר֣וּ לָכֶ֔ם פֶּ֥ן יִפְתֶּ֖ה לְבַבְכֶ֑ם וְסַרְתֶּ֗ם וַעֲבַדְתֶּם֙ אֱ־לֹהִ֣ים אֲחֵרִ֔ים וְהִשְׁתַּחֲוִיתֶ֖ם לָהֶֽם׃
Take heed to yourselves, lest your heart be deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them;
וְהַקָּאָ֥ת וְאֶֽת־הָרָחָ֖מָה וְאֶת־הַשָּׁלָֽךְ׃
and the pelican, and the carrion-vulture, and the cormorant;
חֵ֥לֶק כְּחֵ֖לֶק יֹאכֵ֑לוּ לְבַ֥ד מִמְכָּרָ֖יו עַל־הָאָבֽוֹת׃
They shall have like portions to eat, beside that which is his due according to the fathers’ houses.
Outside the Torah
Shortest skip 2, forward from Psalm 37:1
לְדָוִ֨ד אַל־תִּתְחַ֥ר בַּמְּרֵעִ֑ים אַל־תְּ֝קַנֵּ֗א בְּעֹשֵׂ֥י עַוְלָֽה׃
[A Psalm] of David. Fret not thyself because of evil-doers, neither be thou envious against them that work unrighteousness.
Middle skip 500, forward from Proverbs 3:16
אֹ֣רֶךְ יָ֭מִים בִּֽימִינָ֑הּ בִּ֝שְׂמֹאולָ֗הּ עֹ֣שֶׁר וְכָבֽוֹד׃
Length of days is in her right hand; In her left hand are riches and honour.
אִם־לַלֵּצִ֥ים הֽוּא־יָלִ֑יץ ולענייםוְ֝לַעֲנָוִ֗ים יִתֶּן־חֵֽן׃
If it concerneth the scorners, He scorneth them, But unto the humble He giveth grace.
כִּ֣י לָ֭חֲמוּ לֶ֣חֶם רֶ֑שַׁע וְיֵ֖ין חֲמָסִ֣ים יִשְׁתּֽוּ׃
For they eat the bread of wickedness, And drink the wine of violence.
הַרְחֵ֣ק מֵעָלֶ֣יהָ דַרְכֶּ֑ךָ וְאַל־תִּ֝קְרַ֗ב אֶל־פֶּ֥תַח בֵּיתָֽהּ׃
Remove thy way far from her, And come not nigh the door of her house;
By skip range, shuffled texts and book
| Skips, Torah | Found | Chance alone |
|---|---|---|
| 2 to 10 | 13 | 18.2 |
| 11 to 100 | 176 | 182 |
| 101 to 1,000 | 1,786 | 1,806 |
| 1,001 to 5,000 | 7,805 | 7,833 |
| 5,001 to 101,616 | 92,404 | 92,686 |
Shuffled Torahs
The Torah's own count at skips 2 to 1,000 is 1,975. Each family below rebuilt the text 100 times (seed 5787). What each family keeps.
| Control family | Runs at or above 1,975 | Median run | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Letter shuffle | 78/100 | 2,011 | 1,927 to 2,134 |
| Words within each verse | 59/100 | 1,987 | 1,866 to 2,085 |
Where the sequences start
| Torah | Found | Chance alone |
|---|---|---|
| Genesis | 24,625 | 26,256 |
| Exodus | 22,779 | 21,366 |
| Leviticus | 13,831 | 15,065 |
| Numbers | 22,256 | 21,371 |
| Deuteronomy | 18,693 | 18,467 |
| Tanakh | Found | Chance alone |
|---|---|---|
| Torah | 364,654 | 377,497 |
| Prophets | 663,344 | 685,754 |
| Writings | 450,315 | 419,051 |
Run this search yourself
Change the skips, set עמלק beside another word, and run the controls on your own question.
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