Love אהבה
The Torah commands love twice with a verb and never once uses the bare noun אהבה. The noun's own home is the Song of Songs.
- Found in the Torah
- 1,252,325
- Chance alone: 1,248,610
- Skips 2 to 101,616
- Found in the Tanakh
- 15,089,282
- Chance alone: 15,091,465
- Skips 2 to 399,013
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Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God. Both of the Torah's great sentences on love, Leviticus 19:18 and Deuteronomy 6:5, use the verb, ואהבת, a thing you do. The bare noun אהבה does not stand in the Torah at all. Its first appearance is a grim one, in 2 Samuel 13:15, where Amnon's hatred is said to be greater than the love he had loved. Then the Song of Songs takes it up and uses it six times, including the plea not to wake it before it please. Love is a four-letter term with two ה in it, a very common letter. So the search below turns up a great many sequences, and they tell us about ה.
- As a whole word
- 14
- First, with any prefix
- Deuteronomy 10:12
- Last
- Ecclesiastes 9:1
The measurement
About as close to the formula as a count gets: 1,252,325 against 1,248,610 in the Torah, and within 0.1 percent of it in the Tanakh. Most results on this site look like this one, and a tool that hid them would be misleading you.
| At every skip | Torah | Tanakh |
|---|---|---|
| Found | 1,252,325 | 15,089,282 |
| Chance alone | 1,248,610 | 15,091,465 |
| P (≥ found) | 0.00045 | 0.71 |
| Shortest skip | 2 | 2 |
| Longest skip | 101,598 | 398,965 |
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 120,054 against 119,830 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 1:9
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֱ־לֹהִ֗ים יִקָּו֨וּ הַמַּ֜יִם מִתַּ֤חַת הַשָּׁמַ֨יִם֙ אֶל־מָק֣וֹם אֶחָ֔ד וְתֵרָאֶ֖ה הַיַּבָּשָׁ֑ה וַֽיְהִי־כֵֽן׃
And God said: ‘Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear.’ And it was so.
Shortest skip 2, forward from Genesis 7:13
בְּעֶ֨צֶם הַיּ֤וֹם הַזֶּה֙ בָּ֣א נֹ֔חַ וְשֵׁם־וְחָ֥ם וָיֶ֖פֶת בְּנֵי־נֹ֑חַ וְאֵ֣שֶׁת נֹ֗חַ וּשְׁלֹ֧שֶׁת נְשֵֽׁי־בָנָ֛יו אִתָּ֖ם אֶל־הַתֵּבָֽה׃
In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah’s wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark;
הֵ֜מָּה וְכָל־הַֽחַיָּ֣ה לְמִינָ֗הּ וְכָל־הַבְּהֵמָה֙ לְמִינָ֔הּ וְכָל־הָרֶ֛מֶשׂ הָרֹמֵ֥שׂ עַל־הָאָ֖רֶץ לְמִינֵ֑הוּ וְכָל־הָע֣וֹף לְמִינֵ֔הוּ כֹּ֖ל צִפּ֥וֹר כָּל־כָּנָֽף׃
they, and every beast after its kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after its kind, and every fowl after its kind, every bird of every sort.
Short skip 50, forward from Exodus 35:18
אֶת־יִתְדֹ֧ת הַמִּשְׁכָּ֛ן וְאֶת־יִתְדֹ֥ת הֶחָצֵ֖ר וְאֶת־מֵיתְרֵיהֶֽם׃
the pins of the tabernacle, and the pins of the court, and their cords;
אֶת־בִּגְדֵ֥י הַשְּׂרָ֖ד לְשָׁרֵ֣ת בַּקֹּ֑דֶשׁ אֶת־בִּגְדֵ֤י הַקֹּ֨דֶשׁ֙ לְאַהֲרֹ֣ן הַכֹּהֵ֔ן וְאֶת־בִּגְדֵ֥י בָנָ֖יו לְכַהֵֽן׃
the plaited garments, for ministering in the holy place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, to minister in the priest’s office.’
וַיָּבֹ֕אוּ כָּל־אִ֖ישׁ אֲשֶׁר־נְשָׂא֣וֹ לִבּ֑וֹ וְכֹ֡ל אֲשֶׁר֩ נָדְבָ֨ה רוּח֜וֹ אֹת֗וֹ הֵ֠בִיאוּ אֶת־תְּרוּמַ֨ת יְקוָ֜ק לִמְלֶ֨אכֶת אֹ֤הֶל מוֹעֵד֙ וּלְכָל־עֲבֹ֣דָת֔וֹ …
And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, and brought the LORD’S offering, for the work of the tent of meeting, and for all the service thereof, and for the holy garments.
Middle skip 500, forward from Leviticus 6:19
הַכֹּהֵ֛ן הַֽמְחַטֵּ֥א אֹתָ֖הּ יֹאכֲלֶ֑נָּה בְּמָק֤וֹם קָדֹשׁ֙ תֵּֽאָכֵ֔ל בַּחֲצַ֖ר אֹ֥הֶל מוֹעֵֽד׃
The priest that offereth it for sin shall eat it; in a holy place shall it be eaten, in the court of the tent of meeting.
כַּֽחַטָּאת֙ כָּֽאָשָׁ֔ם תּוֹרָ֥ה אַחַ֖ת לָהֶ֑ם הַכֹּהֵ֛ן אֲשֶׁ֥ר יְכַפֶּר־בּ֖וֹ ל֥וֹ יִהְיֶֽה׃
As is the sin-offering, so is the guilt-offering; there is one law for them; the priest that maketh atonement therewith, he shall have it.
וְאִ֣ם הֵאָכֹ֣ל יֵ֠אָכֵל מִבְּשַׂר־זֶ֨בַח שְׁלָמָ֜יו בַּיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁלִישִׁי֮ לֹ֣א …
And if any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace-offerings be at all eaten on the third day, it shall not be accepted, neither shall it be imputed unto him that offereth it; it shall be an abhorred thing, and the soul that eateth of it shall bear his iniquity.
וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר יְקוָ֖ק אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה לֵּאמֹֽר׃
And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying:
Wide skip 5,000, forward from Numbers 27:11
וְאִם־אֵ֣ין אַחִים֮ לְאָבִיו֒ וּנְתַתֶּ֣ם אֶת־נַחֲלָת֗וֹ לִשְׁאֵר֞וֹ הַקָּרֹ֥ב אֵלָ֛יו מִמִּשְׁפַּחְתּ֖וֹ …
And if his father have no brethren, then ye shall give his inheritance unto his kinsman that is next to him of his family, and he shall possess it. And it shall be unto the children of Israel a statute of judgment, as the LORD commanded Moses.’
וַיְדַבֵּ֤ר מֹשֶׁה֙ אֶל־הָעָ֣ם לֵאמֹ֔ר הֵחָלְצ֧וּ מֵאִתְּכֶ֛ם אֲנָשִׁ֖ים לַצָּבָ֑א וְיִהְיוּ֙ עַל־מִדְיָ֔ן לָתֵ֥ת נִקְמַת־יְקוָ֖ק בְּמִדְיָֽן׃
And Moses spoke unto the people, saying: ‘Arm ye men from among you for the war, that they may go against Midian, to execute the LORD’S vengeance on Midian.
וַיִּסְעוּ֙ מִפְּנֵ֣י הַֽחִירֹ֔ת וַיַּֽעַבְר֥וּ בְתוֹךְ־הַיָּ֖ם הַמִּדְבָּ֑רָה וַיֵּ֨לְכ֜וּ דֶּ֣רֶךְ שְׁלֹ֤שֶׁת יָמִים֙ בְּמִדְבַּ֣ר אֵתָ֔ם וַֽיַּחֲנ֖וּ בְּמָרָֽה׃
And they journeyed from Penehahiroth, and passed through the midst of the sea into the wilderness; and they went three days’ journey in the wilderness of Etham, and pitched in Marah.
… צְלָפְחָד֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר לַטּ֥וֹב בְּעֵינֵיהֶ֖ם תִּהְיֶ֣ינָה לְנָשִׁ֑ים אַ֗ךְ לְמִשְׁפַּ֛חַת מַטֵּ֥ה …
This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded concerning the daughters of Zelophehad, saying: Let them be married to whom they think best; only into the family of the tribe of their father shall they be married.
Outside the Torah
Shortest skip 2, forward from Joshua 9:24
… מְאֹ֤ד לְנַפְשֹׁתֵ֨ינוּ֙ מִפְּנֵיכֶ֔ם וַֽנַּעֲשֵׂ֖ה אֶת־הַדָּבָ֥ר הַזֶּֽה׃
And they answered Joshua, and said: ‘Because it was certainly told thy servants, how that the LORD thy God commanded His servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you; therefore we were sore afraid for our lives because of you…
Middle skip 500, forward from Judges 1:27
… וְאֶת־בְּנוֹתֶ֗יהָ וְאֶת־יוֹשְׁבֵ֤י יִבְלְעָם֙ וְאֶת־בְּנֹתֶ֔יהָ וְאֶת־יוֹשְׁבֵ֥י מְגִדּ֖וֹ וְאֶת־בְּנוֹתֶ֑יהָ וַיּ֨וֹאֶל֙ הַֽכְּנַעֲנִ֔י …
And Manasseh did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shean and its towns, nor of Taanach and its towns, nor the inhabitants of Dor and its towns, nor the inhabitants of Ibleam and its towns, nor the inhabitants of Megiddo and its towns; but the Canaanites were resolved to dwell in that land.
וּגְבוּל֙ הָאֱמֹרִ֔י מִֽמַּעֲלֵ֖ה עַקְרַבִּ֑ים מֵהַסֶּ֖לַע וָמָֽעְלָה׃
And the border of the Amorites was from the ascent of Akrabbim, from Sela, and upward.
וַיִּקְבְּר֤וּ אוֹתוֹ֙ בִּגְב֣וּל נַחֲלָת֔וֹ בְּתִמְנַת־חֶ֖רֶס בְּהַ֣ר אֶפְרָ֑יִם מִצְּפ֖וֹן לְהַר־גָּֽעַשׁ׃
And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the hill-country of Ephraim, on the north of the mountain of Gaash.
… שָׁמֵ֔עוּ כִּ֣י זָנ֗וּ אַֽחֲרֵי֙ אֱ־לֹהִ֣ים אֲחֵרִ֔ים וַיִּֽשְׁתַּחֲו֖וּ לָהֶ֑ם סָ֣רוּ …
And yet they hearkened not unto their judges, for they went astray after other gods, and worshipped them; they turned aside quickly out of the way wherein their fathers walked, obeying the commandments of the LORD; they did not so.
By skip range, shuffled texts and book
| Skips, Torah | Found | Chance alone |
|---|---|---|
| 2 to 10 | 235 | 221 |
| 11 to 100 | 2,209 | 2,211 |
| 101 to 1,000 | 21,855 | 21,998 |
| 1,001 to 5,000 | 95,755 | 95,400 |
| 5,001 to 101,616 | 1,132,271 | 1,128,780 |
Shuffled Torahs
The Torah's own count at skips 2 to 1,000 is 24,299. Each family below rebuilt the text 100 times (seed 5787). What each family keeps.
| Control family | Runs at or above 24,299 | Median run | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Letter shuffle | 81/100 | 24,449 | 23,894 to 24,896 |
| Words within each verse | 71/100 | 24,406 | 23,884 to 24,738 |
Where the sequences start
| Torah | Found | Chance alone |
|---|---|---|
| Genesis | 327,835 | 319,756 |
| Exodus | 256,199 | 260,211 |
| Leviticus | 198,509 | 183,472 |
| Numbers | 243,772 | 260,269 |
| Deuteronomy | 226,010 | 224,901 |
| Tanakh | Found | Chance alone |
|---|---|---|
| Torah | 4,473,241 | 3,843,335 |
| Prophets | 7,248,155 | 6,981,733 |
| Writings | 3,367,886 | 4,266,398 |
Run this search yourself
Change the skips, set אהבה beside another word, and run the controls on your own question.
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