Kohen כהן
The first three priests in the Torah are none of them Israelites: Melchizedek, an Egyptian at On, and Jethro of Midian.
- Found in the Torah
- 7,976,272
- Chance alone: 7,779,046
- Skips 2 to 152,424
- Found in the Tanakh
- 111,278,747
- Chance alone: 111,376,647
- Skips 2 to 598,520
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People with the surname Cohen trace it to Aaron. The Torah's word is older than he is. Its first priest is Melchizedek, king of Salem, who is a כהן of God Most High in Genesis 14:18. The second is Joseph's Egyptian father-in-law, Poti-phera, priest of On, in Genesis 41:45. The third is Jethro, priest of Midian, in Exodus 2:16. Only when the Tabernacle is built does the word settle on Aaron and his sons. After that it usually takes the definite article, and הכהן, the priest, stands 355 times against 46 for the bare form. Three letters, and a final letter that folds to the ordinary נ in the search, so the figures below include every כהנ the text happens to make.
- As a whole word
- 46
- First, with any prefix
- Genesis 14:18
The measurement
The control families point in opposite directions. All the letter shuffles pass the real 99,156, and only 1 word shuffle in 100 does. One tells you the word is scarce and the other that it is plentiful, so the honest report is that both controls have been run and they disagree.
| At every skip | Torah | Tanakh |
|---|---|---|
| Found | 7,976,272 | 111,278,747 |
| Chance alone | 7,779,046 | 111,376,647 |
| P (≥ found) | below 10⁻³⁰⁰ | 1.00 |
| Shortest skip | 2 | 2 |
| Longest skip | 152,396 | 598,422 |
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 495,580 against 501,888 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 3:16
אֶֽל־הָאִשָּׁ֣ה אָמַ֗ר הַרְבָּ֤ה אַרְבֶּה֙ עִצְּבוֹנֵ֣ךְ וְהֵֽרֹנֵ֔ךְ בְּעֶ֖צֶב תֵּֽלְדִ֣י בָנִ֑ים וְאֶל־אִישֵׁךְ֙ תְּשׁ֣וּקָתֵ֔ךְ וְה֖וּא יִמְשָׁל־בָּֽךְ׃
Unto the woman He said: ‘I will greatly multiply thy pain and thy travail; in pain thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.’
Shortest skip 2, forward from Genesis 18:17
וַֽיקֹוָ֖ק אָמָ֑ר הַֽמְכַסֶּ֤ה אֲנִי֙ מֵֽאַבְרָהָ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֖ר אֲנִ֥י עֹשֶֽׂה׃
And the LORD said: ‘Shall I hide from Abraham that which I am doing;
Short skip 50, forward from Exodus 6:7
… אֲנִ֤י יְקוָק֙ אֱ־לֹ֣הֵיכֶ֔ם הַמּוֹצִ֣יא אֶתְכֶ֔ם מִתַּ֖חַת סִבְל֥וֹת מִצְרָֽיִם׃
and I will take you to Me for a people, and I will be to you a God; and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.
… אֲשֶׁ֤ר נָשָׂ֨אתִי֙ אֶת־יָדִ֔י לָתֵ֣ת אֹתָ֔הּ לְאַבְרָהָ֥ם לְיִצְחָ֖ק וּֽלְיַעֲקֹ֑ב וְנָתַתִּ֨י …
And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning which I lifted up My hand to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for a heritage: I am the LORD.’
וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר מֹשֶׁ֛ה כֵּ֖ן אֶל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וְלֹ֤א שָֽׁמְעוּ֙ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה מִקֹּ֣צֶר ר֔וּחַ וּמֵעֲבֹדָ֖ה קָשָֽׁה׃
And Moses spoke so unto the children of Israel; but they hearkened not unto Moses for impatience of spirit, and for cruel bondage.
Middle skip 500, forward from Leviticus 1:11
וְשָׁחַ֨ט אֹת֜וֹ עַ֣ל יֶ֧רֶךְ הַמִּזְבֵּ֛חַ צָפֹ֖נָה לִפְנֵ֣י יְקוָ֑ק וְזָרְק֡וּ בְּנֵי֩ אַהֲרֹ֨ן הַכֹּהֲנִ֧ים אֶת־דָּמ֛וֹ עַל־הַמִּזְבֵּ֖חַ סָבִֽיב׃
And he shall kill it on the side of the altar northward before the LORD; and Aaron’s sons, the priests, shall dash its blood against the altar round about.
… קֻמְצ֗וֹ מִסָּלְתָּהּ֙ וּמִשַּׁמְנָ֔הּ עַ֖ל כָּל־לְבֹנָתָ֑הּ וְהִקְטִ֨יר הַכֹּהֵ֜ן אֶת־אַזְכָּרָתָהּ֙ הַמִּזְבֵּ֔חָה …
And he shall bring it to Aaron’s sons the priests; and he shall take thereout his handful of the fine flour thereof, and of the oil thereof, together with all the frankincense thereof; and the priest shall make the memorial-part thereof smoke upon the altar, an offering made by fire…
וְכָל־קָרְבַּ֣ן מִנְחָתְךָ֮ בַּמֶּ֣לַח תִּמְלָח֒ וְלֹ֣א תַשְׁבִּ֗ית מֶ֚לַח בְּרִ֣ית אֱ־לֹהֶ֔יךָ מֵעַ֖ל מִנְחָתֶ֑ךָ עַ֥ל כָּל־קָרְבָּנְךָ֖ תַּקְרִ֥יב מֶֽלַח׃
And every meal-offering of thine shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meal-offering; with all thy offerings thou shalt offer salt.
Wide skip 5,000, forward from Genesis 2:16
וַיְצַו֙ יְקוָ֣ק אֱ־לֹהִ֔ים עַל־הָֽאָדָ֖ם לֵאמֹ֑ר מִכֹּ֥ל עֵֽץ־הַגָּ֖ן אָכֹ֥ל תֹּאכֵֽל׃
And the LORD God commanded the man, saying: ‘Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat;
וַיֹּ֨אמֶר אֱ־לֹהִ֜ים לְנֹ֗חַ קֵ֤ץ כָּל־בָּשָׂר֙ בָּ֣א לְפָנַ֔י כִּֽי־מָלְאָ֥ה הָאָ֛רֶץ חָמָ֖ס מִפְּנֵיהֶ֑ם וְהִנְנִ֥י מַשְׁחִיתָ֖ם אֶת־הָאָֽרֶץ׃
And God said unto Noah: ‘The end of all flesh is come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
וּלְעֵ֥בֶר יֻלַּ֖ד שְׁנֵ֣י בָנִ֑ים שֵׁ֣ם הָֽאֶחָ֞ד פֶּ֗לֶג כִּ֤י בְיָמָיו֙ נִפְלְגָ֣ה הָאָ֔רֶץ וְשֵׁ֥ם אָחִ֖יו יָקְטָֽן׃
And unto Eber were born two sons; the name of the one was Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided; and his brother’s name was Joktan.
Outside the Torah
Shortest skip 2, forward from Joshua 2:5
וַיְהִ֨י הַשַּׁ֜עַר לִסְגּ֗וֹר בַּחֹ֨שֶׁךְ֙ וְהָאֲנָשִׁ֣ים יָצָ֔אוּ לֹ֣א יָדַ֔עְתִּי אָ֥נָה הָלְכ֖וּ הָֽאֲנָשִׁ֑ים רִדְפ֥וּ מַהֵ֛ר אַחֲרֵיהֶ֖ם כִּ֥י תַשִּׂיגֽוּם׃
and it came to pass about the time of the shutting of the gate, when it was dark, that the men went out; whither the men went I know not; pursue after them quickly; for ye shall overtake them.’
Middle skip 500, forward from Judges 3:13
וַיֶּאֱסֹ֣ף אֵלָ֔יו אֶת־בְּנֵ֥י עַמּ֖וֹן וַעֲמָלֵ֑ק וַיֵּ֗לֶךְ וַיַּךְ֙ אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וַיִּֽירְשׁ֖וּ אֶת־עִ֥יר הַתְּמָרִֽים׃
And he gathered unto him the children of Ammon and Amalek; and he went and smote Israel, and they possessed the city of palm-trees.
וַיִּשְׁלַ֤ח אֵהוּד֙ אֶת־יַ֣ד שְׂמֹאל֔וֹ וַיִּקַּח֙ אֶת־הַחֶ֔רֶב מֵעַ֖ל יֶ֣רֶךְ יְמִינ֑וֹ וַיִּתְקָעֶ֖הָ בְּבִטְנֽוֹ׃
And Ehud put forth his left hand, and took the sword from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly.
וַתִּכָּנַ֤ע מוֹאָב֙ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֔וּא תַּ֖חַת יַ֣ד יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וַתִּשְׁקֹ֥ט הָאָ֖רֶץ שְׁמוֹנִ֥ים שָׁנָֽה׃
So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest fourscore years.
By skip range, shuffled texts and book
| Skips, Torah | Found | Chance alone |
|---|---|---|
| 2 to 10 | 886 | 919 |
| 11 to 100 | 8,827 | 9,183 |
| 101 to 1,000 | 89,443 | 91,533 |
| 1,001 to 5,000 | 396,424 | 400,253 |
| 5,001 to 152,424 | 7,480,692 | 7,277,158 |
Shuffled Torahs
The Torah's own count at skips 2 to 1,000 is 99,156. Each family below rebuilt the text 100 times (seed 5787). What each family keeps.
| Control family | Runs at or above 99,156 | Median run | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Letter shuffle | 100/100 | 101,613 | 100,741 to 102,462 |
| Words within each verse | 1/100 | 98,520 | 97,881 to 99,167 |
Where the sequences start
| Torah | Found | Chance alone |
|---|---|---|
| Genesis | 1,787,520 | 1,992,135 |
| Exodus | 1,533,865 | 1,621,160 |
| Leviticus | 1,229,972 | 1,143,062 |
| Numbers | 1,282,874 | 1,621,517 |
| Deuteronomy | 2,142,041 | 1,401,172 |
| Tanakh | Found | Chance alone |
|---|---|---|
| Torah | 29,399,505 | 28,364,227 |
| Prophets | 51,957,510 | 51,525,942 |
| Writings | 29,921,732 | 31,486,478 |
Run this search yourself
Change the skips, set כהן beside another word, and run the controls on your own question.
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