Nathan נתן
Thou art the man: the prophet who said it to a king has a name that is the commonest Hebrew verb for giving.
- Found in the Torah
- 3,051,261
- Chance alone: 2,937,299
- Skips 2 to 152,424
- Found in the Tanakh
- 39,699,471
- Chance alone: 40,066,333
- Skips 2 to 598,520
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נתן means he gave. It stands 332 times bare in the Tanakh, and most of them are the verb: the Lord gave, I have given, he shall give. The prophet with this name appears in only a few scenes. He tells David in 2 Samuel 7 about the house he will not build. In 2 Samuel 12 he tells him a parable about a poor man's ewe lamb, and when the king is furious he says אתה האיש, thou art the man, one of the most direct sentences said to a king anywhere in the Tanakh. Then, in 1 Kings 1, he secures the throne for Solomon. The letter ן folds to נ in a search, so these three letters are just נתנ, and the verb's great frequency is no help to a reader looking for the man.
- As a whole word
- 332
- First, with any prefix
- Genesis 9:12
The measurement
The verb helps here in an unexpected way. The shortest sequence stands in Genesis 16:3, across the words כנען ותתן, and ותתן, and she gave, is itself a form of נתן, so its letters fall two apart. The Torah's figures are 3,051,261 against 2,937,298.7, 3.9 percent over.
| At every skip | Torah | Tanakh |
|---|---|---|
| Found | 3,051,261 | 39,699,471 |
| Chance alone | 2,937,299 | 40,066,333 |
| P (≥ found) | below 10⁻³⁰⁰ | 1.00 |
| Shortest skip | 2 | 2 |
| Longest skip | 152,288 | 598,329 |
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 190,273 against 189,508 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 16:3
… שָׁנִ֔ים לְשֶׁ֥בֶת אַבְרָ֖ם בְּאֶ֣רֶץ כְּנָ֑עַן וַתִּתֵּ֥ן אֹתָ֛הּ לְאַבְרָ֥ם אִישָׁ֖הּ ל֥וֹ …
And Sarai Abram’s wife took Hagar the Egyptian, her handmaid, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to Abram her husband to be his wife.
Shortest skip 2, forward from Genesis 22:15
וַיִּקְרָ֛א מַלְאַ֥ךְ יְקוָ֖ק אֶל־אַבְרָהָ֑ם שֵׁנִ֖ית מִן־הַשָּׁמָֽיִם׃
And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham a second time out of heaven,
Short skip 50, forward from Exodus 3:1
וּמֹשֶׁ֗ה הָיָ֥ה רֹעֶ֛ה אֶת־צֹ֛אן יִתְר֥וֹ חֹתְנ֖וֹ כֹּהֵ֣ן מִדְיָ֑ן וַיִּנְהַ֤ג אֶת־הַצֹּאן֙ אַחַ֣ר הַמִּדְבָּ֔ר וַיָּבֹ֛א אֶל־הַ֥ר הָאֱ־לֹהִ֖ים חֹרֵֽבָה׃
Now Moses was keeping the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian; and he led the flock to the farthest end of the wilderness, and came to the mountain of God, unto Horeb.
וַ֠יֵּרָא מַלְאַ֨ךְ יְקֹוָ֥ק אֵלָ֛יו בְּלַבַּת־אֵ֖שׁ מִתּ֣וֹךְ הַסְּנֶ֑ה וַיַּ֗רְא וְהִנֵּ֤ה הַסְּנֶה֙ בֹּעֵ֣ר בָּאֵ֔שׁ וְהַסְּנֶ֖ה אֵינֶ֥נּוּ אֻכָּֽל׃
And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush; and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר מֹשֶׁ֔ה אָסֻֽרָה־נָּ֣א וְאֶרְאֶ֔ה אֶת־הַמַּרְאֶ֥ה הַגָּדֹ֖ל הַזֶּ֑ה מַדּ֖וּעַ לֹא־יִבְעַ֥ר הַסְּנֶֽה׃
And Moses said: ‘I will turn aside now, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.’
Middle skip 500, forward from Leviticus 5:16
וְאֵ֣ת אֲשֶׁר֩ חָטָ֨א מִן־הַקֹּ֜דֶשׁ יְשַׁלֵּ֗ם וְאֶת־חֲמִֽישִׁתוֹ֙ יוֹסֵ֣ף עָלָ֔יו …
And he shall make restitution for that which he hath done amiss in the holy thing, and shall add the fifth part thereto, and give it unto the priest; and the priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt-offering, and he shall be forgiven.
… ה֥וּא ל֛וֹ יִתְּנֶ֖נּוּ בְּי֥וֹם אַשְׁמָתֽוֹ׃
or any thing about which he hath sworn falsely, he shall even restore it in full, and shall add the fifth part more thereto; unto him to whom it appertaineth shall he give it, in the day of his being guilty.
וְהֵרִ֨ים מִמֶּ֜נּוּ בְּקֻמְצ֗וֹ מִסֹּ֤לֶת הַמִּנְחָה֙ וּמִשַּׁמְנָ֔הּ וְאֵת֙ כָּל־הַלְּבֹנָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֖ר עַל־הַמִּנְחָ֑ה וְהִקְטִ֣יר הַמִּזְבֵּ֗חַ רֵ֧יחַ נִיחֹ֛חַ אַזְכָּרָתָ֖הּ לַיקוָֽק׃
And he shall take up therefrom his handful, of the fine flour of the meal-offering, and of the oil thereof, and all the frankincense which is upon the meal-offering, and shall make the memorial-part thereof smoke upon the altar for a sweet savour unto the LORD.
Wide skip 5,000, forward from Numbers 2:16
כָּֽל־הַפְּקֻדִ֞ים לְמַחֲנֵ֣ה רְאוּבֵ֗ן מְאַ֨ת אֶ֜לֶף וְאֶחָ֨ד וַחֲמִשִּׁ֥ים אֶ֛לֶף וְאַרְבַּע־מֵא֥וֹת וַחֲמִשִּׁ֖ים לְצִבְאֹתָ֑ם וּשְׁנִיִּ֖ם יִסָּֽעוּ׃
all that were numbered of the camp of Reuben being a hundred thousand and fifty and one thousand and four hundred and fifty, according to their hosts; and they shall set forth second.
וְעַמּוּדֵי֩ הֶחָצֵ֨ר סָבִ֜יב וְאַדְנֵיהֶ֗ם וִֽיתֵדֹתָם֙ וּמֵ֣יתְרֵיהֶ֔ם לְכָל־כְּלֵיהֶ֔ם וּלְכֹ֖ל עֲבֹדָתָ֑ם וּבְשֵׁמֹ֣ת תִּפְקְד֔וּ אֶת־כְּלֵ֖י מִשְׁמֶ֥רֶת מַשָּׂאָֽם׃
and the pillars of the court round about, and their sockets, and their pins, and their cords, even all their appurtenance, and all that pertaineth to their service; and by name ye shall appoint the instruments of the charge of their burden.
בַּיּוֹם֙ הַשְּׁלִישִׁ֔י נָשִׂ֖יא לִבְנֵ֣י זְבוּלֻ֑ן אֱלִיאָ֖ב בֶּן־חֵלֹֽן׃
On the third day Eliab the son of Helon, prince of the children of Zebulun:
Outside the Torah
Shortest skip 2, forward from Joshua 17:6
כִּ֚י בְּנ֣וֹת מְנַשֶּׁ֔ה נָחֲל֥וּ נַחֲלָ֖ה בְּת֣וֹךְ בָּנָ֑יו וְאֶ֨רֶץ֙ הַגִּלְעָ֔ד הָיְתָ֥ה לִבְנֵֽי־מְנַשֶּׁ֖ה הַנּֽוֹתָרִֽים׃
because the daughters of Manasseh had an inheritance among his sons; and the land of Gilead belonged unto the rest of the sons of Manasseh.
Middle skip 500, forward from Judges 1:9
וְאַחַ֗ר יָֽרְדוּ֙ בְּנֵ֣י יְהוּדָ֔ה לְהִלָּחֵ֖ם בַּֽכְּנַעֲנִ֑י יוֹשֵׁ֣ב הָהָ֔ר וְהַנֶּ֖גֶב וְהַשְּׁפֵלָֽה׃
And afterward the children of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites that dwelt in the hill-country, and in the South, and in the Lowland.
וַיֵּ֤לֶךְ יְהוּדָה֙ אֶת־שִׁמְע֣וֹן אָחִ֔יו וַיַּכּ֕וּ אֶת־הַֽכְּנַעֲנִ֖י יוֹשֵׁ֣ב צְפַ֑ת וַיַּחֲרִ֣ימוּ אוֹתָ֔הּ וַיִּקְרָ֥א אֶת־שֵׁם־הָעִ֖יר חָרְמָֽה׃
And Judah went with Simeon his brother, and they smote the Canaanites that inhabited Zephath, and utterly destroyed it. And the name of the city was called Hormah.
וְלֹא־הוֹרִ֣ישׁ מְנַשֶּׁ֗ה אֶת־בֵּית־שְׁאָ֣ן וְאֶת־בְּנוֹתֶיהָ֮ וְאֶת־תַּעְנַ֣ךְ וְאֶת־בְּנֹתֶיהָ֒ וְאֶת־ישביֹשְׁבֵ֨י ד֜וֹר וְאֶת־בְּנוֹתֶ֗יהָ …
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.
By skip range, shuffled texts and book
| Skips, Torah | Found | Chance alone |
|---|---|---|
| 2 to 10 | 384 | 347 |
| 11 to 100 | 3,592 | 3,467 |
| 101 to 1,000 | 34,951 | 34,562 |
| 1,001 to 5,000 | 151,346 | 151,132 |
| 5,001 to 152,424 | 2,860,988 | 2,747,790 |
Shuffled Torahs
The Torah's own count at skips 2 to 1,000 is 38,927. Each family below rebuilt the text 100 times (seed 5787). What each family keeps.
| Control family | Runs at or above 38,927 | Median run | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Letter shuffle | 0/100 | 38,360 | 37,858 to 38,790 |
| Words within each verse | 87/100 | 39,115 | 38,630 to 39,505 |
Where the sequences start
| Torah | Found | Chance alone |
|---|---|---|
| Genesis | 1,419,951 | 1,311,802 |
| Exodus | 789,457 | 783,181 |
| Leviticus | 386,438 | 398,840 |
| Numbers | 378,679 | 348,187 |
| Deuteronomy | 76,736 | 95,288 |
| Tanakh | Found | Chance alone |
|---|---|---|
| Torah | 17,767,531 | 17,808,815 |
| Prophets | 18,355,812 | 19,055,424 |
| Writings | 3,576,128 | 3,202,093 |
Run this search yourself
Change the skips, set נתן beside another word, and run the controls on your own question.
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