Mitzvah מצוה
The first bare מצוה in the Tanakh is a mother giving her son an order. Deuteronomy then makes it the name of the whole law.
- Found in the Torah
- 289,544
- Chance alone: 305,414
- Skips 2 to 101,616
- Found in the Tanakh
- 4,642,396
- Chance alone: 4,554,757
- Skips 2 to 399,013
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Rebecca says it. In Genesis 27:8 she tells Jacob to obey her in what אני מצוה אתך, what I command thee, and these letters make their first bare appearance as her verb, in a plan to deceive his father. The noun with the same spelling belongs to Deuteronomy, which holds eleven of the twenty bare cases and uses the singular for the whole body of law: this commandment which I command thee this day, it says in Deuteronomy 30:11, is not too hard for thee. The English word mitzvah has since picked up a warmer sense, any good deed. That sense is not in the Tanakh.
- As a whole word
- 20
- First, with any prefix
- Genesis 27:8
The measurement
The Torah and the whole Tanakh disagree: 5.2 percent under the formula in the first, 1.9 percent over it in the second. The same four letters are arranged differently in different books, and a single chance figure for a whole scope cannot see that.
| At every skip | Torah | Tanakh |
|---|---|---|
| Found | 289,544 | 4,642,396 |
| Chance alone | 305,414 | 4,554,757 |
| P (≥ found) | 1.00 | below 10⁻³⁰⁰ |
| Shortest skip | 2 | 2 |
| Longest skip | 101,387 | 398,911 |
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 29,053 against 29,311 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, backward from Genesis 31:13
… נָדַ֥רְתָּ לִּ֛י שָׁ֖ם נֶ֑דֶר עַתָּ֗ה ק֥וּם צֵא֙ מִן־הָאָ֣רֶץ הַזֹּ֔את וְשׁ֖וּב אֶל־אֶ֥רֶץ מוֹלַדְתֶּֽךָ׃
I am the God of Beth-el, where thou didst anoint a pillar, where thou didst vow a vow unto Me. Now arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy nativity.’
Short skip 50, forward from Leviticus 6:4
וּפָשַׁט֙ אֶת־בְּגָדָ֔יו וְלָבַ֖שׁ בְּגָדִ֣ים אֲחֵרִ֑ים וְהוֹצִ֤יא אֶת־הַדֶּ֨שֶׁן֙ אֶל־מִח֣וּץ לַֽמַּחֲנֶ֔ה אֶל־מָק֖וֹם טָהֽוֹר׃
And he shall put off his garments, and put on other garments, and carry forth the ashes without the camp unto a clean place.
… תִכְבֶּ֔ה וּבִעֵ֨ר עָלֶ֧יהָ הַכֹּהֵ֛ן עֵצִ֖ים בַּבֹּ֣קֶר בַּבֹּ֑קֶר וְעָרַ֤ךְ עָלֶ֨יהָ֙ …
And the fire upon the altar shall be kept burning thereby, it shall not go out; and the priest shall kindle wood on it every morning; and he shall lay the burnt-offering in order upon it, and shall make smoke thereon the fat of the peace-offerings.
אֵ֗שׁ תָּמִ֛יד תּוּקַ֥ד עַל־הַמִּזְבֵּ֖חַ לֹ֥א תִכְבֶֽה׃
Fire shall be kept burning upon the altar continually; it shall not go out.
וְזֹ֥את תּוֹרַ֖ת הַמִּנְחָ֑ה הַקְרֵ֨ב אֹתָ֤הּ בְּנֵֽי־אַהֲרֹן֙ לִפְנֵ֣י יְקוָ֔ק אֶל־פְּנֵ֖י הַמִּזְבֵּֽחַ׃
And this is the law of the meal-offering: the sons of Aaron shall offer it before the LORD, in front of the altar.
Middle skip 500, forward from Exodus 7:4
וְלֹֽא־יִשְׁמַ֤ע אֲלֵכֶם֙ פַּרְעֹ֔ה וְנָתַתִּ֥י אֶת־יָדִ֖י בְּמִצְרָ֑יִם וְהוֹצֵאתִ֨י אֶת־צִבְאֹתַ֜י אֶת־עַמִּ֤י בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֔יִם בִּשְׁפָטִ֖ים גְּדֹלִֽים׃
But Pharaoh will not hearken unto you, and I will lay My hand upon Egypt, and bring forth My hosts, My people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt, by great judgments.
לֵ֣ךְ אֶל־פַּרְעֹ֞ה בַּבֹּ֗קֶר הִנֵּה֙ יֹצֵ֣א הַמַּ֔יְמָה וְנִצַּבְתָּ֥ לִקְרָאת֖וֹ עַל־שְׂפַ֣ת הַיְאֹ֑ר וְהַמַּטֶּ֛ה אֲשֶׁר־נֶהְפַּ֥ךְ לְנָחָ֖שׁ תִּקַּ֥ח בְּיָדֶֽךָ׃
Get thee unto Pharaoh in the morning; lo, he goeth out unto the water; and thou shalt stand by the river’s brink to meet him; and the rod which was turned to a serpent shalt thou take in thy hand.
וְהַדָּגָ֨ה אֲשֶׁר־בַּיְאֹ֥ר מֵ֨תָה֙ וַיִּבְאַ֣שׁ הַיְאֹ֔ר וְלֹא־יָכְל֣וּ מִצְרַ֔יִם לִשְׁתּ֥וֹת מַ֖יִם מִן־הַיְאֹ֑ר וַיְהִ֥י הַדָּ֖ם בְּכָל־אֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם׃
And the fish that were in the river died; and the river became foul, and the Egyptians could not drink water from the river; and the blood was throughout all the land of Egypt.
וַיֵּ֤ט אַהֲרֹן֙ אֶת־יָד֔וֹ עַ֖ל מֵימֵ֣י מִצְרָ֑יִם וַתַּ֨עַל֙ הַצְּפַרְדֵּ֔עַ וַתְּכַ֖ס אֶת־אֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם׃
And Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt; and the frogs came up, and covered the land of Egypt.
Wide skip 5,000, forward from Numbers 7:62
כַּ֥ף אַחַ֛ת עֲשָׂרָ֥ה זָהָ֖ב מְלֵאָ֥ה קְטֹֽרֶת׃
one golden pan of ten shekels, full of incense;
וְעַ֨ל־צְבָ֔א מַטֵּ֖ה בְּנֵ֣י מְנַשֶּׁ֑ה גַּמְלִיאֵ֖ל בֶּן־פְּדָה־צֽוּר׃
And over the host of the tribe of the children of Manasseh was Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur.
וְלָמָ֣ה יְ֠קוָק מֵבִ֨יא אֹתָ֜נוּ אֶל־הָאָ֤רֶץ הַזֹּאת֙ לִנְפֹּ֣ל בַּחֶ֔רֶב …
And wherefore doth the LORD bring us unto this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will be a prey; were it not better for us to return into Egypt?’
וַיִּ֤חַר לְמֹשֶׁה֙ מְאֹ֔ד וַיֹּ֨אמֶר֙ אֶל־יְקוָ֔ק אַל־תֵּ֖פֶן אֶל־מִנְחָתָ֑ם לֹ֠א חֲמ֨וֹר אֶחָ֤ד מֵהֶם֙ נָשָׂ֔אתִי וְלֹ֥א הֲרֵעֹ֖תִי אֶת־אַחַ֥ד מֵהֶֽם׃
And Moses was very wroth, and said unto the LORD: ‘Respect not thou their offering; I have not taken one ass from them, neither have I hurt one of them.’
Outside the Torah
Shortest skip 2, forward from Joshua 15:10
וְנָסַב֩ הַגְּב֨וּל מִבַּעֲלָ֥ה יָ֨מָּה֙ אֶל־הַ֣ר שֵׂעִ֔יר וְעָבַ֕ר אֶל־כֶּ֧תֶף הַר־יְעָרִ֛ים מִצָּפ֖וֹנָה הִ֣יא כְסָל֑וֹן וְיָרַ֥ד בֵּֽית־שֶׁ֖מֶשׁ וְעָבַ֥ר תִּמְנָֽה׃
And the border turned about from Baalah westward unto mount Seir, and passed along unto the side of mount Jearim on the north—the same is Chesalon—and went down to Beth-shemesh, and passed along by Timnah.
Middle skip 500, forward from 1 Samuel 28:21
… מְאֹ֑ד וַתֹּ֣אמֶר אֵלָ֗יו הִנֵּ֨ה שָׁמְעָ֤ה שִׁפְחָֽתְךָ֙ בְּקוֹלֶ֔ךָ וָאָשִׂ֤ים נַפְשִׁי֙ …
And the woman came unto Saul, and saw that he was sore affrighted, and said unto him: ‘Behold, thy handmaid hath hearkened unto thy voice, and I have put my life in my hand, and have hearkened unto thy words which thou spokest unto me.
וַיִּקְצְפ֨וּ עָלָ֜יו שָׂרֵ֣י פְלִשְׁתִּ֗ים וַיֹּ֣אמְרוּ …
But the princes of the Philistines were wroth with him; and the princes of the Philistines said unto him: ‘Make the man return, that he may go back to his place where thou hast appointed him, and let him not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he become an adversary to us…
… שָׂרֵ֤י פְלִשְׁתִּים֙ אָֽמְר֔וּ לֹֽא־יַעֲלֶ֥ה עִמָּ֖נוּ בַּמִּלְחָמָֽה׃
And Achish answered and said to David: ‘I know that thou art good in my sight, as an angel of God; notwithstanding the princes of the Philistines have said: He shall not go up with us to the battle.
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר דָּוִ֗ד אֶל־אֶבְיָתָ֤ר הַכֹּהֵן֙ בֶּן־אֲחִימֶ֔לֶךְ הַגִּֽישָׁה־נָּ֥א לִ֖י הָאֵפֹ֑ד וַיַּגֵּ֧שׁ אֶבְיָתָ֛ר אֶת־הָאֵפֹ֖ד אֶל־דָּוִֽד׃
And David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech: ‘I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod.’ And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David.
By skip range, shuffled texts and book
| Skips, Torah | Found | Chance alone |
|---|---|---|
| 2 to 10 | 50 | 54.1 |
| 11 to 100 | 520 | 541 |
| 101 to 1,000 | 5,341 | 5,381 |
| 1,001 to 5,000 | 23,142 | 23,335 |
| 5,001 to 101,616 | 260,491 | 276,103 |
Shuffled Torahs
The Torah's own count at skips 2 to 1,000 is 5,911. Each family below rebuilt the text 100 times (seed 5787). What each family keeps.
| Control family | Runs at or above 5,911 | Median run | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Letter shuffle | 83/100 | 5,971 | 5,740 to 6,132 |
| Words within each verse | 82/100 | 5,983 | 5,766 to 6,174 |
Where the sequences start
| Torah | Found | Chance alone |
|---|---|---|
| Genesis | 84,358 | 78,213 |
| Exodus | 69,216 | 63,648 |
| Leviticus | 34,156 | 44,878 |
| Numbers | 55,343 | 63,662 |
| Deuteronomy | 46,471 | 55,012 |
| Tanakh | Found | Chance alone |
|---|---|---|
| Torah | 1,027,108 | 1,159,957 |
| Prophets | 2,159,228 | 2,107,158 |
| Writings | 1,456,060 | 1,287,642 |
Run this search yourself
Change the skips, set מצוה beside another word, and run the controls on your own question.
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