Caleb כלב
A hero of the spy story bears the same three letters as the word for dog. No verse in the Tanakh comments on it.
- Found in the Torah
- 6,877,965
- Chance alone: 6,920,411
- Skips 2 to 152,424
- Found in the Tanakh
- 114,123,150
- Chance alone: 114,178,431
- Skips 2 to 598,520
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כלב is a dog. It is that in Exodus 11:7, where no dog moves its tongue against Israel, and in Proverbs 26:11. It is also the name of the only other man besides Joshua who came back from the land with a good report, in Numbers 13 and 14. The Tanakh never remarks on this, and no one in the story jokes about it. What the Torah says of him instead is that he had another spirit with him and followed the Lord fully, in Numbers 14:24. A later verse adds a dry touch: 1 Samuel 25:3 says that Nabal came of his house, and the written form there, כלבו, has kept readers busy ever since. Search these letters and you are searching for a dog and a hero at once.
- As a whole word
- 38
- First, with any prefix
- Exodus 11:7
The measurement
Genesis 17:22 holds the closest one, in ויכל לדבר, he left off talking. Letter and word shuffles disagree sharply here: 7 runs in 100 for one, 97 in 100 for the other. So the word looks scarce to one family and plentiful to the other, and you can pick neither on the strength of what you hoped to find.
| At every skip | Torah | Tanakh |
|---|---|---|
| Found | 6,877,965 | 114,123,150 |
| Chance alone | 6,920,411 | 114,178,431 |
| P (≥ found) | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| Shortest skip | 2 | 2 |
| Longest skip | 152,340 | 598,427 |
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 451,316 against 446,491 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 Genesis 17:22
וַיְכַ֖ל לְדַבֵּ֣ר אִתּ֑וֹ וַיַּ֣עַל אֱ־לֹהִ֔ים מֵעַ֖ל אַבְרָהָֽם׃
And He left off talking with him, and God went up from Abraham.
Shortest skip 2, forward from Genesis 19:17
וַיְהִי֩ כְהוֹצִיאָ֨ם אֹתָ֜ם הַח֗וּצָה וַיֹּ֨אמֶר֙ הִמָּלֵ֣ט עַל־נַפְשֶׁ֔ךָ אַל־תַּבִּ֣יט אַחֲרֶ֔יךָ וְאַֽל־תַּעֲמֹ֖ד בְּכָל־הַכִּכָּ֑ר הָהָ֥רָה הִמָּלֵ֖ט פֶּן־תִּסָּפֶֽה׃
And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said: ‘Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the Plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be swept away.’
Short skip 50, forward from Exodus 4:15
וְדִבַּרְתָּ֣ אֵלָ֔יו וְשַׂמְתָּ֥ אֶת־הַדְּבָרִ֖ים בְּפִ֑יו וְאָנֹכִ֗י אֶֽהְיֶ֤ה עִם־פִּ֨יךָ֙ וְעִם־פִּ֔יהוּ וְהוֹרֵיתִ֣י אֶתְכֶ֔ם אֵ֖ת אֲשֶׁ֥ר תַּעֲשֽׂוּן׃
And thou shalt speak unto him, and put the words in his mouth; and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do.
וְדִבֶּר־ה֥וּא לְךָ֖ אֶל־הָעָ֑ם וְהָ֤יָה הוּא֙ יִֽהְיֶה־לְּךָ֣ לְפֶ֔ה וְאַתָּ֖ה תִּֽהְיֶה־לּ֥וֹ לֵֽא־לֹהִֽים׃
And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people; and it shall come to pass, that he shall be to thee a mouth, and thou shalt be to him in God’s stead.
וַיֵּ֨לֶךְ מֹשֶׁ֜ה וַיָּ֣שָׁב אֶל־יֶ֣תֶר חֹֽתְנ֗וֹ וַיֹּ֤אמֶר לוֹ֙ …
And Moses went and returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and said unto him: ‘Let me go, I pray thee, and unto my brethren that are in Egypt, and see whether they be yet alive.’ And Jethro said to Moses: ‘Go in peace.’
Middle skip 500, forward from Leviticus 14:40
וְצִוָּה֙ הַכֹּהֵ֔ן וְחִלְּצוּ֙ אֶת־הָ֣אֲבָנִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר בָּהֵ֖ן הַנָּ֑גַע וְהִשְׁלִ֤יכוּ אֶתְהֶן֙ אֶל־מִח֣וּץ לָעִ֔יר אֶל־מָק֖וֹם טָמֵֽא׃
then the priest shall command that they take out the stones in which the plague is, and cast them into an unclean place without the city.
וְשָׁחַ֖ט אֶת־הַצִּפֹּ֣ר הָאֶחָ֑ת אֶל־כְּלִי־חֶ֖רֶשׂ עַל־מַ֥יִם חַיִּֽים׃
And he shall kill one of the birds in an earthen vessel over running water.
וְאִ֕ישׁ אֲשֶׁ֥ר יִגַּ֖ע בְּמִשְׁכָּב֑וֹ יְכַבֵּ֧ס בְּגָדָ֛יו וְרָחַ֥ץ בַּמַּ֖יִם וְטָמֵ֥א עַד־הָעָֽרֶב׃
And whosoever toucheth his bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.
Wide skip 5,000, forward from Numbers 14:2
וַיִּלֹּ֨נוּ֙ עַל־מֹשֶׁ֣ה וְעַֽל־אַהֲרֹ֔ן כֹּ֖ל בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וַֽיֹּאמְר֨וּ אֲלֵהֶ֜ם כָּל־הָעֵדָ֗ה לוּ־מַ֨תְנוּ֙ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֔יִם א֛וֹ בַּמִּדְבָּ֥ר הַזֶּ֖ה לוּ־מָֽתְנוּ׃
And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron; and the whole congregation said unto them: ‘Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would we had died in this wilderness!
… חָלָ֤ב וּדְבַשׁ֙ הֲבִ֣יאֹתָ֔נוּ וַתִּ֨תֶּן־לָ֔נוּ נַחֲלַ֖ת שָׂדֶ֣ה וָכָ֑רֶם הַעֵינֵ֞י הָאֲנָשִׁ֥ים …
Moreover thou hast not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, nor given us inheritance of fields and vineyards; wilt thou put out the eyes of these men? we will not come up.’
וְהַשֹּׂרֵ֣ף אֹתָ֔הּ יְכַבֵּ֤ס בְּגָדָיו֙ בַּמַּ֔יִם וְרָחַ֥ץ בְּשָׂר֖וֹ בַּמָּ֑יִם וְטָמֵ֖א עַד־הָעָֽרֶב׃
And he that burneth her shall wash his clothes in water, and bathe his flesh in water, and shall be unclean until the even.
Outside the Torah
Shortest skip 2, forward from Joshua 22:5
… וְלִשְׁמֹ֥ר מִצְוֺתָ֖יו וּלְדָבְקָה־ב֑וֹ וּלְעָבְד֕וֹ בְּכָל־לְבַבְכֶ֖ם וּבְכָל־נַפְשְׁכֶֽם׃
Only take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, to love the LORD your God, and to walk in all His ways, and to keep His commandments, and to cleave unto Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.’
Middle skip 500, forward from Judges 1:4
וַיַּ֣עַל יְהוּדָ֔ה וַיִּתֵּ֧ן יְקוָ֛ק אֶת־הַכְּנַעֲנִ֥י וְהַפְּרִזִּ֖י בְּיָדָ֑ם וַיַּכּ֣וּם בְּבֶ֔זֶק עֲשֶׂ֥רֶת אֲלָפִ֖ים אִֽישׁ׃
And Judah went up; and the LORD delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand; and they smote of them in Bezek ten thousand men.
וַֽיִּלְכְּדָהּ֙ עָתְנִיאֵ֣ל בֶּן־קְנַ֔ז אֲחִ֥י כָלֵ֖ב הַקָּטֹ֣ן מִמֶּ֑נּוּ וַיִּתֶּן־ל֛וֹ אֶת־עַכְסָ֥ה בִתּ֖וֹ לְאִשָּֽׁה׃
And Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, took it; and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife.
וְאֶת־הַיְבוּסִי֙ יֹשֵׁ֣ב יְרֽוּשָׁלִַ֔ם לֹ֥א הוֹרִ֖ישׁוּ בְּנֵ֣י בִנְיָמִ֑ן וַיֵּ֨שֶׁב הַיְבוּסִ֜י אֶת־בְּנֵ֤י בִנְיָמִן֙ בִּיר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔ם עַ֖ד הַיּ֥וֹם הַזֶּֽה׃
And the children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites that inhabited Jerusalem; but the Jebusites dwelt with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem, unto this day.
By skip range, shuffled texts and book
| Skips, Torah | Found | Chance alone |
|---|---|---|
| 2 to 10 | 753 | 817 |
| 11 to 100 | 8,234 | 8,170 |
| 101 to 1,000 | 81,938 | 81,430 |
| 1,001 to 5,000 | 360,391 | 356,074 |
| 5,001 to 152,424 | 6,426,649 | 6,473,921 |
Shuffled Torahs
The Torah's own count at skips 2 to 1,000 is 90,925. Each family below rebuilt the text 100 times (seed 5787). What each family keeps.
| Control family | Runs at or above 90,925 | Median run | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Letter shuffle | 7/100 | 90,429 | 89,771 to 91,243 |
| Words within each verse | 97/100 | 91,466 | 90,827 to 92,276 |
Where the sequences start
| Torah | Found | Chance alone |
|---|---|---|
| Genesis | 1,540,340 | 1,772,247 |
| Exodus | 1,298,619 | 1,442,220 |
| Leviticus | 1,046,185 | 1,016,893 |
| Numbers | 1,105,745 | 1,442,537 |
| Deuteronomy | 1,887,076 | 1,246,514 |
| Tanakh | Found | Chance alone |
|---|---|---|
| Torah | 29,038,665 | 29,077,756 |
| Prophets | 53,140,446 | 52,822,125 |
| Writings | 31,944,039 | 32,278,550 |
Run this search yourself
Change the skips, set כלב beside another word, and run the controls on your own question.
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