Jonah יונה
The same four letters mean a dove, seven times in Leviticus alone. Outside his own book, the prophet gets one verse.
- Found in the Torah
- 1,370,129
- Chance alone: 1,369,539
- Skips 2 to 101,616
- Found in the Tanakh
- 22,979,703
- Chance alone: 23,349,961
- Skips 2 to 399,013
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יונה means dove. Leviticus 5:7 lets a poor man bring two young pigeons, בני יונה, and that wording comes back again and again. Noah's dove goes out with an article, היונה. It is also a man's name, and his small book is the fifth of the Twelve, read aloud in synagogues on the afternoon of Yom Kippur. Outside that book he has one verse, 2 Kings 14:25: Jeroboam restores a border according to the word of the Lord by Jonah son of Amittai. He is one of the few prophets who gets a historical footing from another book. Of the 27 bare cases, 16 are in his own book, and doves supply most of the others.
- As a whole word
- 27
- First, with any prefix
- Genesis 8:8
- Last
- Psalm 68:14
The measurement
1,370,129 found and 1,369,539.1 expected: a gap of under 0.1 percent in the Torah, which is a coincidence of its own. The Tanakh's figure is 1.6 percent short, on the same four letters.
| At every skip | Torah | Tanakh |
|---|---|---|
| Found | 1,370,129 | 22,979,703 |
| Chance alone | 1,369,539 | 23,349,961 |
| P (≥ found) | 0.31 | 1.00 |
| Shortest skip | 2 | 2 |
| Longest skip | 101,544 | 398,902 |
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 129,149 against 131,436 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 31:16
כִּ֣י כָל־הָעֹ֗שֶׁר אֲשֶׁ֨ר הִצִּ֤יל אֱ־לֹהִים֙ מֵֽאָבִ֔ינוּ לָ֥נוּ ה֖וּא וּלְבָנֵ֑ינוּ וְעַתָּ֗ה כֹּל֩ אֲשֶׁ֨ר אָמַ֧ר אֱ־לֹהִ֛ים אֵלֶ֖יךָ עֲשֵֽׂה׃
For all the riches which God hath taken away from our father, that is ours and our children’s. Now then, whatsoever God hath said unto thee, do.’
Shortest skip 2, forward from Genesis 32:14
וַיָּ֥לֶן שָׁ֖ם בַּלַּ֣יְלָה הַה֑וּא וַיִּקַּ֞ח מִן־הַבָּ֧א בְיָד֛וֹ מִנְחָ֖ה לְעֵשָׂ֥ו אָחִֽיו׃
And he lodged there that night; and took of that which he had with him a present for Esau his brother:
Short skip 50, forward from Exodus 29:18
וְהִקְטַרְתָּ֤ אֶת־כָּל־הָאַ֨יִל֙ הַמִּזְבֵּ֔חָה עֹלָ֥ה ה֖וּא לַֽיקוָ֑ק רֵ֣יחַ נִיח֔וֹחַ אִשֶּׁ֥ה לַיקוָ֖ק הֽוּא׃
And thou shalt make the whole ram smoke upon the altar; it is a burnt-offering unto the LORD; it is a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto the LORD.
וְלָ֣קַחְתָּ֔ אֵ֖ת הָאַ֣יִל הַשֵּׁנִ֑י וְסָמַ֨ךְ אַהֲרֹ֧ן וּבָנָ֛יו אֶת־יְדֵיהֶ֖ם עַל־רֹ֥אשׁ הָאָֽיִל׃
And thou shalt take the other ram; and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands upon the head of the ram.
… וְלָקַחְתָּ֤ מִדָּמוֹ֙ וְנָֽתַתָּ֡ה עַל־תְּנוּךְ֩ אֹ֨זֶן אַהֲרֹ֜ן וְעַל־תְּנ֨וּךְ אֹ֤זֶן בָּנָיו֙ הַיְמָנִ֔ית וְעַל־בֹּ֤הֶן יָדָם֙ הַיְמָנִ֔ית וְעַל־בֹּ֥הֶן רַגְלָ֖ם הַיְמָנִ֑ית וְזָרַקְתָּ֧ אֶת־הַדָּ֛ם עַל־הַמִּזְבֵּ֖חַ סָבִֽיב׃
Then shalt thou kill the ram, and take of its blood, and put it upon the tip of the right ear of Aaron, and upon the tip of the right ear of his sons, and upon the thumb of their right hand, and upon the great toe of their right foot, and dash the blood against the altar round about.
Middle skip 500, forward from Leviticus 15:19
וְאִשָּׁה֙ כִּֽי־תִהְיֶ֣ה זָבָ֔ה דָּ֛ם יִהְיֶ֥ה זֹבָ֖הּ בִּבְשָׂרָ֑הּ שִׁבְעַ֤ת יָמִים֙ תִּהְיֶ֣ה בְנִדָּתָ֔הּ וְכָל־הַנֹּגֵ֥עַ בָּ֖הּ יִטְמָ֥א עַד־הָעָֽרֶב׃
And if a woman have an issue, and her issue in her flesh be blood, she shall be in her impurity seven days; and whosoever toucheth her shall be unclean until the even.
וְאִֽם־טָהֲרָ֖ה מִזּוֹבָ֑הּ וְסָ֥פְרָה לָּ֛הּ שִׁבְעַ֥ת יָמִ֖ים וְאַחַ֥ר תִּטְהָֽר׃
But if she be cleansed of her issue, then she shall number to herself seven days, and after that she shall be clean.
… יִלְבָּ֗שׁ וּמִֽכְנְסֵי־בַד֮ יִהְי֣וּ עַל־בְּשָׂרוֹ֒ וּבְאַבְנֵ֥ט בַּד֙ יַחְגֹּ֔ר וּבְמִצְנֶ֥פֶת בַּ֖ד …
He shall put on the holy linen tunic, and he shall have the linen breeches upon his flesh, and shall be girded with the linen girdle, and with the linen mitre shall he be attired; they are the holy garments; and he shall bathe his flesh in water, and put them on.
וְנָתַ֧ן אֶֽת־הַקְּטֹ֛רֶת עַל־הָאֵ֖שׁ לִפְנֵ֣י יְקוָ֑ק וְכִסָּ֣ה עֲנַ֣ן הַקְּטֹ֗רֶת אֶת־הַכַּפֹּ֛רֶת אֲשֶׁ֥ר עַל־הָעֵד֖וּת וְלֹ֥א יָמֽוּת׃
And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the ark-cover that is upon the testimony, that he die not.
Wide skip 5,000, forward from Numbers 6:3
… וְכָל־מִשְׁרַ֤ת עֲנָבִים֙ לֹ֣א יִשְׁתֶּ֔ה וַעֲנָבִ֛ים לַחִ֥ים וִיבֵשִׁ֖ים לֹ֥א יֹאכֵֽל׃
he shall abstain from wine and strong drink: he shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he drink any liquor of grapes, nor eat fresh grapes or dried.
כַּפּ֨וֹת זָהָ֤ב שְׁתֵּים־עֶשְׂרֵה֙ מְלֵאֹ֣ת קְטֹ֔רֶת עֲשָׂרָ֧ה עֲשָׂרָ֛ה הַכַּ֖ף בְּשֶׁ֣קֶל הַקֹּ֑דֶשׁ כָּל־זְהַ֥ב הַכַּפּ֖וֹת עֶשְׂרִ֥ים וּמֵאָֽה׃
twelve golden pans, full of incense, weighing ten shekels apiece, after the shekel of the sanctuary; all the gold of the pans a hundred and twenty shekels;
וּבְרֶ֧דֶת הַטַּ֛ל עַל־הַֽמַּחֲנֶ֖ה לָ֑יְלָה יֵרֵ֥ד הַמָּ֖ן עָלָֽיו׃
And when the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell upon it.—
כִּ֣י כָל־הָאֲנָשִׁ֗ים הָרֹאִ֤ים אֶת־כְּבֹדִי֙ וְאֶת־אֹ֣תֹתַ֔י אֲשֶׁר־עָשִׂ֥יתִי בְמִצְרַ֖יִם וּבַמִּדְבָּ֑ר וַיְנַסּ֣וּ אֹתִ֗י זֶ֚ה עֶ֣שֶׂר פְּעָמִ֔ים וְלֹ֥א שָׁמְע֖וּ בְּקוֹלִֽי׃
surely all those men that have seen My glory, and My signs, which I wrought in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet have put Me to proof these ten times, and have not hearkened to My voice;
Outside the Torah
Shortest skip 2, forward from Joshua 9:13
וְאֵ֨לֶּה נֹאד֤וֹת הַיַּ֨יִן֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר מִלֵּ֣אנוּ חֲדָשִׁ֔ים וְהִנֵּ֖ה הִתְבַּקָּ֑עוּ וְאֵ֤לֶּה שַׂלְמוֹתֵ֨ינוּ֙ וּנְעָלֵ֔ינוּ בָּל֕וּ מֵרֹ֥ב הַדֶּ֖רֶךְ מְאֹֽד׃
And these wine-skins, which we filled, were new; and, behold, they are rent. And these our garments and our shoes are worn by reason of the very long journey.’
Middle skip 500, forward from 1 Samuel 6:15
… וַֽיִּזְבְּח֧וּ זְבָחִ֛ים בַּיּ֥וֹם הַה֖וּא לַֽיקוָֽק׃
And the Levites took down the ark of the LORD, and the coffer that was with it, wherein the jewels of gold were, and put them on the great stone; and the men of Beth-shemesh offered burnt-offerings and sacrificed sacrifices the same day unto the LORD.
… אֹת֔וֹ אֶל־בֵּ֥ית אֲבִינָדָ֖ב בַּגִּבְעָ֑ה וְאֶת־אֶלְעָזָ֤ר בְּנוֹ֙ קִדְּשׁ֔וּ לִשְׁמֹ֖ר אֶת־אֲר֥וֹן …
And the men of Kiriath-jearim came, and fetched up the ark of the LORD, and brought it into the house of Abinadab in the hill, and sanctified Eleazar his son to keep the ark of the LORD.
וַיֹּאמְר֤וּ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ אֶל־שְׁמוּאֵ֔ל אַל־תַּחֲרֵ֣שׁ מִמֶּ֔נּוּ מִזְּעֹ֖ק אֶל־יְקוָ֣ק אֱ־לֹהֵ֑ינוּ וְיֹשִׁעֵ֖נוּ מִיַּ֥ד פְּלִשְׁתִּֽים׃
And the children of Israel said to Samuel: ‘Cease not to cry unto the LORD our God for us, that He save us out of the hand of the Philistines.’
… שָׁל֔וֹם בֵּ֥ין יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל וּבֵ֥ין הָאֱמֹרִֽי׃
And the cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron even unto Gath; and the border thereof did Israel deliver out of the hand of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.
By skip range, shuffled texts and book
| Skips, Torah | Found | Chance alone |
|---|---|---|
| 2 to 10 | 227 | 243 |
| 11 to 100 | 2,388 | 2,425 |
| 101 to 1,000 | 23,672 | 24,129 |
| 1,001 to 5,000 | 102,862 | 104,639 |
| 5,001 to 101,616 | 1,240,980 | 1,238,104 |
Shuffled Torahs
The Torah's own count at skips 2 to 1,000 is 26,287. Each family below rebuilt the text 100 times (seed 5787). What each family keeps.
| Control family | Runs at or above 26,287 | Median run | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Letter shuffle | 99/100 | 26,806 | 26,262 to 27,206 |
| Words within each verse | 48/100 | 26,257 | 25,866 to 26,712 |
Where the sequences start
| Torah | Found | Chance alone |
|---|---|---|
| Genesis | 406,721 | 350,725 |
| Exodus | 288,057 | 285,413 |
| Leviticus | 176,479 | 201,242 |
| Numbers | 266,524 | 285,476 |
| Deuteronomy | 232,348 | 246,683 |
| Tanakh | Found | Chance alone |
|---|---|---|
| Torah | 5,023,280 | 5,946,521 |
| Prophets | 10,922,097 | 10,802,343 |
| Writings | 7,034,326 | 6,601,097 |
Run this search yourself
Change the skips, set יונה beside another word, and run the controls on your own question.
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