Eve חוה
Few names so well known are so rarely written: חוה stands twice in the whole Tanakh, both times in Genesis.
- Found in the Torah
- 9,961,127
- Chance alone: 10,100,049
- Skips 2 to 152,424
- Found in the Tanakh
- 153,072,229
- Chance alone: 152,333,756
- Skips 2 to 598,520
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All of Eve's fame rests on two verses. Genesis 3:20 names her, and Genesis 4:1 says she bore Cain, and after that the Tanakh never uses her name again. No prophet mentions her and no psalm. Before she has a name she is simply the woman, האשה. The explanation comes in the same breath as the name: because she was the mother of all living, and the Hebrew letters of חוה sit close to the word for living, חי. It makes a useful pair with Adam: his name stands 367 times and hers twice, yet at a skip the letters do not know that.
- As a whole word
- 2
- First, with any prefix
- Genesis 3:20
- Last
- Genesis 4:1
The measurement
Two appearances as a word and 9,961,127 sequences in the Torah. Adam, with 367 bare appearances, has 7,788,563. The order is the wrong way round if you think the count measures importance, and it is the right way round if it measures ו and ה.
| At every skip | Torah | Tanakh |
|---|---|---|
| Found | 9,961,127 | 153,072,229 |
| Chance alone | 10,100,049 | 152,333,756 |
| P (≥ found) | 1.00 | below 10⁻³⁰⁰ |
| Shortest skip | 2 | 2 |
| Longest skip | 152,378 | 598,461 |
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 649,629 against 651,634 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 2:24
עַל־כֵּן֙ יַֽעֲזָב־אִ֔ישׁ אֶת־אָבִ֖יו וְאֶת־אִמּ֑וֹ וְדָבַ֣ק בְּאִשְׁתּ֔וֹ וְהָי֖וּ לְבָשָׂ֥ר אֶחָֽד׃
Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife, and they shall be one flesh.
וַיִּֽהְי֤וּ שְׁנֵיהֶם֙ עֲרוּמִּ֔ים הָֽאָדָ֖ם וְאִשְׁתּ֑וֹ וְלֹ֖א יִתְבֹּשָֽׁשׁוּ׃
And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
Shortest skip 2, forward from Genesis 3:23
וַֽיְשַׁלְּחֵ֛הוּ יְקוָ֥ק אֱ־לֹהִ֖ים מִגַּן־עֵ֑דֶן לַֽעֲבֹד֙ אֶת־הָ֣אֲדָמָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֻקַּ֖ח מִשָּֽׁם׃
Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
Short skip 50, forward from Exodus 4:25
וַתִּקַּ֨ח צִפֹּרָ֜ה צֹ֗ר וַתִּכְרֹת֙ אֶת־עָרְלַ֣ת בְּנָ֔הּ וַתַּגַּ֖ע לְרַגְלָ֑יו וַתֹּ֕אמֶר כִּ֧י חֲתַן־דָּמִ֛ים אַתָּ֖ה לִֽי׃
Then Zipporah took a flint, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet; and she said: ‘Surely a bridegroom of blood art thou to me.’
וַיִּ֖רֶף מִמֶּ֑נּוּ אָ֚ז אָֽמְרָ֔ה חֲתַ֥ן דָּמִ֖ים לַמּוּלֹֽת׃
So He let him alone. Then she said: ‘A bridegroom of blood in regard of the circumcision.’
וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְקוָק֙ אֶֽל־אַהֲרֹ֔ן לֵ֛ךְ לִקְרַ֥את מֹשֶׁ֖ה הַמִּדְבָּ֑רָה וַיֵּ֗לֶךְ וַֽיִּפְגְּשֵׁ֛הוּ בְּהַ֥ר הָאֱ־לֹהִ֖ים וַיִּשַּׁק־לֽוֹ׃
And the LORD said to Aaron: ‘Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.’ And he went, and met him in the mountain of God, and kissed him.
Middle skip 500, forward from Genesis 5:32
וַֽיְהִי־נֹ֕חַ בֶּן־חֲמֵ֥שׁ מֵא֖וֹת שָׁנָ֑ה וַיּ֣וֹלֶד נֹ֔חַ אֶת־שֵׁ֖ם אֶת־חָ֥ם וְאֶת־יָֽפֶת׃
And Noah was five hundred years old; and Noah begot Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
וַיּ֥וֹלֶד נֹ֖חַ שְׁלֹשָׁ֣ה בָנִ֑ים אֶת־שֵׁ֖ם אֶת־חָ֥ם וְאֶת־יָֽפֶת׃
And Noah begot three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
מֵהָע֣וֹף לְמִינֵ֗הוּ וּמִן־הַבְּהֵמָה֙ לְמִינָ֔הּ מִכֹּ֛ל רֶ֥מֶשׂ הָֽאֲדָמָ֖ה לְמִינֵ֑הוּ שְׁנַ֧יִם מִכֹּ֛ל יָבֹ֥אוּ אֵלֶ֖יךָ לְהַֽחֲיֽוֹת׃
Of the fowl after their kind, and of the cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive.
Wide skip 5,000, forward from Leviticus 1:9
וְקִרְבּ֥וֹ וּכְרָעָ֖יו יִרְחַ֣ץ בַּמָּ֑יִם וְהִקְטִ֨יר הַכֹּהֵ֤ן אֶת־הַכֹּל֙ הַמִּזְבֵּ֔חָה עֹלָ֛ה אִשֵּׁ֥ה רֵֽיחַ־נִיח֖וֹחַ לַֽיקוָֽק׃
but its inwards and its legs shall he wash with water; and the priest shall make the whole smoke on the altar, for a burnt-offering, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD.
וְכִפֶּר֩ עָלָ֨יו הַכֹּהֵ֜ן עַל־חַטָּאת֧וֹ אֲשֶׁר־חָטָ֛א מֵֽאַחַ֥ת מֵאֵ֖לֶּה וְנִסְלַ֣ח ל֑וֹ וְהָיְתָ֥ה לַכֹּהֵ֖ן כַּמִּנְחָֽה׃
And the priest shall make atonement for him as touching his sin that he hath sinned in any of these things, and he shall be forgiven; and the remnant shall be the priest’s, as the meal-offering.
וַיַּקְרֵ֞ב אֶת־בְּנֵ֣י אַהֲרֹ֗ן וַיִּתֵּ֨ן מֹשֶׁ֤ה מִן־הַדָּם֙ עַל־תְּנ֤וּךְ …
And Aaron’s sons were brought, and Moses put of the blood upon the tip of their right ear, and upon the thumb of their right hand, and upon the great toe of their right foot; and Moses dashed the blood against the altar round about.
Outside the Torah
Shortest skip 2, forward from Joshua 3:13
… 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.’
וַיְהִ֗י בִּנְסֹ֤עַ הָעָם֙ מֵאָ֣הֳלֵיהֶ֔ם לַעֲבֹ֖ר אֶת־הַיַּרְדֵּ֑ן וְהַכֹּהֲנִ֗ים נֹֽשְׂאֵ֛י הָאָר֥וֹן הַבְּרִ֖ית לִפְנֵ֥י הָעָֽם׃
And it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over the Jordan, the priests that bore the ark of the covenant being before the people;
Middle skip 500, forward from Judges 8:15
… חֵרַפְתֶּ֨ם אוֹתִ֜י לֵאמֹ֗ר הֲ֠כַף זֶ֣בַח וְצַלְמֻנָּ֤ע עַתָּה֙ בְּיָדֶ֔ךָ כִּ֥י …
And he came unto the men of Succoth, and said: ‘Behold Zebah and Zalmunna, concerning whom ye did taunt me, saying: Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thy power, that we should give bread unto thy men that are weary?’
וַיֹּ֨אמֶר אֲלֵהֶ֜ם גִּדְע֗וֹן אֶשְׁאֲלָ֤ה מִכֶּם֙ שְׁאֵלָ֔ה וּתְנוּ־לִ֕י אִ֖ישׁ נֶ֣זֶם שְׁלָל֑וֹ כִּֽי־נִזְמֵ֤י זָהָב֙ לָהֶ֔ם כִּ֥י יִשְׁמְעֵאלִ֖ים הֵֽם׃
And Gideon said unto them: ‘I would make a request of you, that ye would give me every man the ear-rings of his spoil.’—For they had golden ear-rings, because they were Ishmaelites.
וַיָּ֛מָת גִּדְע֥וֹן בֶּן־יוֹאָ֖שׁ בְּשֵׂיבָ֣ה טוֹבָ֑ה וַיִּקָּבֵ֗ר בְּקֶ֨בֶר֙ יוֹאָ֣שׁ אָבִ֔יו בְּעָפְרָ֖ה אֲבִ֥י הָֽעֶזְרִֽי׃
And Gideon the son of Joash died in a good old age, and was buried in the sepulchre of Joash his father, in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
By skip range, shuffled texts and book
| Skips, Torah | Found | Chance alone |
|---|---|---|
| 2 to 10 | 1,131 | 1,193 |
| 11 to 100 | 11,583 | 11,923 |
| 101 to 1,000 | 116,930 | 118,844 |
| 1,001 to 5,000 | 519,985 | 519,675 |
| 5,001 to 152,424 | 9,311,498 | 9,448,415 |
Shuffled Torahs
The Torah's own count at skips 2 to 1,000 is 129,644. Each family below rebuilt the text 100 times (seed 5787). What each family keeps.
| Control family | Runs at or above 129,644 | Median run | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Letter shuffle | 100/100 | 132,011 | 131,054 to 132,877 |
| Words within each verse | 27/100 | 129,434 | 128,578 to 130,524 |
Where the sequences start
| Torah | Found | Chance alone |
|---|---|---|
| Genesis | 2,640,896 | 2,586,520 |
| Exodus | 2,111,201 | 2,104,859 |
| Leviticus | 1,532,164 | 1,484,113 |
| Numbers | 2,307,545 | 2,105,323 |
| Deuteronomy | 1,369,321 | 1,819,235 |
| Tanakh | Found | Chance alone |
|---|---|---|
| Torah | 39,141,554 | 38,794,750 |
| Prophets | 66,985,384 | 70,473,842 |
| Writings | 46,945,291 | 43,065,164 |
Run this search yourself
Change the skips, set חוה beside another word, and run the controls on your own question.
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