Eden עדן
Eden means delight, Isaiah uses it for a restored Zion, and in Daniel's Aramaic the same letters are a word for time.
- Found in the Torah
- 1,822,916
- Chance alone: 1,832,845
- Skips 2 to 152,424
- Found in the Tanakh
- 33,648,248
- Chance alone: 33,380,713
- Skips 2 to 598,520
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A garden eastward, in Eden: Genesis 2:8 uses the word as a place name, and the sound of it is the Hebrew for delight, as in the plural of 2 Samuel 1:24. The prophets keep the garden as a measure of what was lost and might come back. Isaiah 51:3 promises to make Zion's wilderness like Eden, and Ezekiel uses the name for the fall of the king of Tyre. A different word has the same letters. In the Aramaic of Daniel, עדן is a time or a season: Daniel 7:25 has a time and times and half a time. A Levite is called Eden in 2 Chronicles 29:12, and there is an Eden among the trading towns of Ezekiel 27:23. Seventeen bare cases, then, of four different things.
- As a whole word
- 17
- First, with any prefix
- Genesis 2:8
The measurement
Bare, the word stands 17 times and means at least four things. At a skip it stands 1,822,916 times in the Torah, against 1,832,845.4 by chance, and it means nothing in particular.
| At every skip | Torah | Tanakh |
|---|---|---|
| Found | 1,822,916 | 33,648,248 |
| Chance alone | 1,832,845 | 33,380,713 |
| P (≥ found) | 1.00 | below 10⁻³⁰⁰ |
| Shortest skip | 2 | 2 |
| Longest skip | 152,201 | 598,246 |
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 119,459 against 118,251 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 29:15
וַיֹּ֤אמֶר לָבָן֙ לְיַעֲקֹ֔ב הֲכִי־אָחִ֣י אַ֔תָּה וַעֲבַדְתַּ֖נִי חִנָּ֑ם הַגִּ֥ידָה לִּ֖י מַה־מַּשְׂכֻּרְתֶּֽךָ׃
And Laban said unto Jacob: ‘Because thou art my brother, shouldest thou therefore serve me for nought? tell me, what shall thy wages be?’
Shortest skip 2, forward from Genesis 31:14
וַתַּ֤עַן רָחֵל֙ וְלֵאָ֔ה וַתֹּאמַ֖רְנָה ל֑וֹ הַע֥וֹד לָ֛נוּ חֵ֥לֶק וְנַחֲלָ֖ה בְּבֵ֥ית אָבִֽינוּ׃
And Rachel and Leah answered and said unto him: ‘Is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father’s house?
Short skip 50, forward from Exodus 1:11
וַיָּשִׂ֤ימוּ עָלָיו֙ שָׂרֵ֣י מִסִּ֔ים לְמַ֥עַן עַנֹּת֖וֹ בְּסִבְלֹתָ֑ם וַיִּ֜בֶן עָרֵ֤י מִסְכְּנוֹת֙ לְפַרְעֹ֔ה אֶת־פִּתֹ֖ם וְאֶת־רַעַמְסֵֽס׃
Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh store-cities, Pithom and Raamses.
וַיַּעֲבִ֧דוּ מִצְרַ֛יִם אֶת־בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל בְּפָֽרֶךְ׃
And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour.
וַיְמָרְר֨וּ אֶת־חַיֵּיהֶ֜ם בַּעֲבֹדָ֣ה קָשָׁ֗ה בְּחֹ֨מֶר֙ וּבִלְבֵנִ֔ים וּבְכָל־עֲבֹדָ֖ה בַּשָּׂדֶ֑ה אֵ֚ת כָּל־עֲבֹ֣דָתָ֔ם אֲשֶׁר־עָבְד֥וּ בָהֶ֖ם בְּפָֽרֶךְ׃
And they made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field; in all their service, wherein they made them serve with rigour.
Middle skip 500, forward from Leviticus 6:9
וְהַנּוֹתֶ֣רֶת מִמֶּ֔נָּה יֹאכְל֖וּ אַהֲרֹ֣ן וּבָנָ֑יו מַצּ֤וֹת תֵּֽאָכֵל֙ בְּמָק֣וֹם קָדֹ֔שׁ בַּחֲצַ֥ר אֹֽהֶל־מוֹעֵ֖ד יֹאכְלֽוּהָ׃
And that which is left thereof shall Aaron and his sons eat; it shall be eaten without leaven in a holy place; in the court of the tent of meeting they shall eat it.
כֹּ֛ל אֲשֶׁר־יִגַּ֥ע בִּבְשָׂרָ֖הּ יִקְדָּ֑שׁ וַאֲשֶׁ֨ר יִזֶּ֤ה מִדָּמָהּ֙ עַל־הַבֶּ֔גֶד אֲשֶׁר֙ יִזֶּ֣ה עָלֶ֔יהָ תְּכַבֵּ֖ס בְּמָק֥וֹם קָדֹֽשׁ׃
Whatsoever shall touch the flesh thereof shall be holy; and when there is sprinkled of the blood thereof upon any garment, thou shalt wash that whereon it was sprinkled in a holy place.
וְכָל־מִנְחָ֗ה אֲשֶׁ֤ר תֵּֽאָפֶה֙ בַּתַּנּ֔וּר וְכָל־נַעֲשָׂ֥ה בַמַּרְחֶ֖שֶׁת וְעַֽל־מַחֲבַ֑ת לַכֹּהֵ֛ן הַמַּקְרִ֥יב אֹתָ֖הּ ל֥וֹ תִֽהְיֶֽה׃
And every meal-offering that is baked in the oven, and all that is dressed in the stewing-pan, and on the griddle, shall be the priest’s that offereth it.
Wide skip 5,000, forward from Numbers 1:18
וְאֵ֨ת כָּל־הָעֵדָ֜ה הִקְהִ֗ילוּ בְּאֶחָד֙ לַחֹ֣דֶשׁ הַשֵּׁנִ֔י …
And they assembled all the congregation together on the first day of the second month, and they declared their pedigrees after their families, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, by their polls.
וְהַחֹנִ֣ים לִפְנֵ֣י הַמִּשְׁכָּ֡ן קֵ֣דְמָה לִפְנֵי֩ אֹֽהֶל־מוֹעֵ֨ד מִזְרָ֜חָה מֹשֶׁ֣ה …
And those that were to pitch before the tabernacle eastward, before the tent of meeting toward the sunrising, were Moses, and Aaron and his sons, keeping the charge of the sanctuary, even the charge for the children of Israel; and the common man that drew nigh was to be put to death.
… לִפְנֵ֣י יְקוָ֔ק וְעָ֤שָׂה לָהּ֙ הַכֹּהֵ֔ן אֵ֥ת כָּל־הַתּוֹרָ֖ה הַזֹּֽאת׃
or when the spirit of jealousy cometh upon a man, and he be jealous over his wife; then shall he set the woman before the LORD, and the priest shall execute upon her all this law.
Outside the Torah
Shortest skip 2, forward from Joshua 3:13
… יִכָּ֣רֵת֔וּן הַמַּ֥יִם הַיֹּרְדִ֖ים מִלְמָ֑עְלָה וְיַעַמְד֖וּ נֵ֥ד אֶחָֽד׃
And it shall come to pass, when the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off, even the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand in one heap.’
Middle skip 500, forward from Judges 6:15
וַיֹּ֤אמֶר אֵלָיו֙ בִּ֣י אֲדֹנָ֔י בַּמָּ֥ה אוֹשִׁ֖יעַ אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל הִנֵּ֤ה אַלְפִּי֙ הַדַּ֣ל בִּמְנַשֶּׁ֔ה וְאָנֹכִ֥י הַצָּעִ֖יר בְּבֵ֥ית אָבִֽי׃
And he said unto him: ‘Oh, my lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is the poorest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.’
וַיִּבֶן֩ שָׁ֨ם גִּדְע֤וֹן מִזְבֵּ֨חַ֙ לַֽיקוָ֔ק וַיִּקְרָא־ל֥וֹ יְקוָ֖ק שָׁל֑וֹם עַ֚ד הַיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֔ה עוֹדֶ֕נּוּ בְּעָפְרָ֖ת אֲבִ֥י הָעֶזְרִֽי׃
Then Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it a‘Adonai-shalom’; unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
וַיֹּ֨אמְר֜וּ אַנְשֵׁ֤י הָעִיר֙ אֶל־יוֹאָ֔שׁ הוֹצֵ֥א אֶת־בִּנְךָ֖ וְיָמֹ֑ת כִּ֤י נָתַץ֙ אֶת־מִזְבַּ֣ח הַבַּ֔עַל וְכִ֥י כָרַ֖ת הָאֲשֵׁרָ֥ה אֲשֶׁר־עָלָֽיו׃
Then the men of the city said unto Joash: ‘Bring out thy son, that he may die; because he hath broken down the altar of Baal, and because he hath cut down the Asherah that was by it.’
By skip range, shuffled texts and book
| Skips, Torah | Found | Chance alone |
|---|---|---|
| 2 to 10 | 196 | 216 |
| 11 to 100 | 2,222 | 2,164 |
| 101 to 1,000 | 21,531 | 21,566 |
| 1,001 to 5,000 | 95,510 | 94,305 |
| 5,001 to 152,424 | 1,703,457 | 1,714,594 |
Shuffled Torahs
The Torah's own count at skips 2 to 1,000 is 23,949. Each family below rebuilt the text 100 times (seed 5787). What each family keeps.
| Control family | Runs at or above 23,949 | Median run | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Letter shuffle | 56/100 | 23,979 | 23,561 to 24,396 |
| Words within each verse | 82/100 | 24,052 | 23,558 to 24,388 |
Where the sequences start
| Torah | Found | Chance alone |
|---|---|---|
| Genesis | 448,780 | 469,373 |
| Exodus | 416,645 | 381,967 |
| Leviticus | 258,439 | 269,320 |
| Numbers | 387,777 | 382,051 |
| Deuteronomy | 311,275 | 330,135 |
| Tanakh | Found | Chance alone |
|---|---|---|
| Torah | 7,959,985 | 8,501,047 |
| Prophets | 15,283,169 | 15,442,849 |
| Writings | 10,405,094 | 9,436,818 |
Run this search yourself
Change the skips, set עדן beside another word, and run the controls on your own question.
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