Nisan ניסן
The Torah calls it the month of Abib, or just the first month. Nisan stands in two late verses, and only one explains it.
- Found in the Torah
- 43,184
- Chance alone: 41,398
- Skips 2 to 101,616
- Found in the Tanakh
- 759,714
- Chance alone: 743,244
- Skips 2 to 399,013
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The Torah calls this the first month: Exodus 12:2 makes it the beginning of months, and 13:4 gives it a farmer's name, the month of Abib, when the barley is in the ear. Nisan is the Babylonian name, and it reached the Tanakh with the Exile. It stands twice. Nehemiah 2:1 dates a conversation with a king by it, and Esther 3:7 gives it with a gloss, the first month, which is the month Nisan, for readers who might need to be told. That tiny gloss shows the shift: the old system of numbered months was giving way to names. Only the Tanakh's latest books use it.
- As a whole word
- 2
- First, with any prefix
- Esther 3:7
- Last
- Nehemiah 2:1
The measurement
Letter shuffles never reach the real 902, and about half the word shuffles do. The formula treats ס and נ as evenly spread, and in Hebrew words they are not.
| At every skip | Torah | Tanakh |
|---|---|---|
| Found | 43,184 | 759,714 |
| Chance alone | 41,398 | 743,244 |
| P (≥ found) | 1.4 × 10⁻¹⁸ | 4.5 × 10⁻⁸¹ |
| Shortest skip | 3 | 2 |
| Longest skip | 100,879 | 398,109 |
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 4,225 against 3,973 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 3, backward from Numbers 36:12
מִֽמִּשְׁפְּחֹ֛ת בְּנֵֽי־מְנַשֶּׁ֥ה בֶן־יוֹסֵ֖ף הָי֣וּ לְנָשִׁ֑ים וַתְּהִי֙ נַחֲלָתָ֔ן עַל־מַטֵּ֖ה מִשְׁפַּ֥חַת אֲבִיהֶֽן׃
They were married into the families of the sons of Manasseh the son of Joseph, and their inheritance remained in the tribe of the family of their father.
Short skip 52, forward from Leviticus 13:31
… בּ֑וֹ וְהִסְגִּ֧יר הַכֹּהֵ֛ן אֶת־נֶ֥גַע הַנֶּ֖תֶק שִׁבְעַ֥ת יָמִֽים׃
And if the priest look on the plague of the scall, and, behold, the appearance thereof be not deeper than the skin, and there be no black hair in it, then the priest shall shut up him that hath the plague of the scall seven days.
… הַשְּׁבִיעִי֒ וְהִנֵּה֙ לֹא־פָשָׂ֣ה הַנֶּ֔תֶק וְלֹא־הָ֥יָה ב֖וֹ שֵׂעָ֣ר צָהֹ֑ב וּמַרְאֵ֣ה …
And in the seventh day the priest shall look on the plague; and, behold, if the scall be not spread, and there be in it no yellow hair, and the appearance of the scall be not deeper than the skin,
וְהִ֨תְגַּלָּ֔ח וְאֶת־הַנֶּ֖תֶק לֹ֣א יְגַלֵּ֑חַ וְהִסְגִּ֨יר הַכֹּהֵ֧ן אֶת־הַנֶּ֛תֶק שִׁבְעַ֥ת יָמִ֖ים שֵׁנִֽית׃
then he shall be shaven, but the scall shall he not shave; and the priest shall shut up him that hath the scall seven days more.
… הַכֹּהֵ֨ן אֶת־הַנֶּ֜תֶק בַּיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֗י וְ֠הִנֵּה לֹא־פָשָׂ֤ה הַנֶּ֨תֶק֙ בָּע֔וֹר וּמַרְאֵ֕הוּ …
And in the seventh day the priest shall look on the scall; and, behold, if the scall be not spread in the skin, and the appearance thereof be not deeper than the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him clean; and he shall wash his clothes, and be clean.
Middle skip 503, forward from Exodus 38:20
וְֽכָל־הַיְתֵדֹ֞ת לַמִּשְׁכָּ֧ן וְלֶחָצֵ֛ר סָבִ֖יב נְחֹֽשֶׁת׃
And all the pins of the tabernacle, and of the court round about, were of brass.
וְאֶת־הָאֶ֜לֶף וּשְׁבַ֤ע הַמֵּאוֹת֙ וַחֲמִשָּׁ֣ה וְשִׁבְעִ֔ים עָשָׂ֥ה וָוִ֖ים לָעַמּוּדִ֑ים וְצִפָּ֥ה רָאשֵׁיהֶ֖ם וְחִשַּׁ֥ק אֹתָֽם׃
And of the thousand seven hundred seventy and five shekels he made hooks for the pillars, and overlaid their capitals, and made fillets for them.
וַֽיַּעֲשׂוּ֙ אֶת־אַבְנֵ֣י הַשֹּׁ֔הַם מֻֽסַבֹּ֖ת מִשְׁבְּצֹ֣ת זָהָ֑ב מְפֻתָּחֹת֙ פִּתּוּחֵ֣י חוֹתָ֔ם עַל־שְׁמ֖וֹת בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃
And they wrought the onyx stones, inclosed in settings of gold, graven with the engravings of a signet, according to the names of the children of Israel.
וַֽיִּתְּנ֗וּ שְׁתֵּי֙ הָעֲבֹתֹ֣ת הַזָּהָ֔ב עַל־שְׁתֵּ֖י הַטַּבָּעֹ֑ת עַל־קְצ֖וֹת הַחֹֽשֶׁן׃
And they put the two wreathen chains of gold on the two rings at the ends of the breastplate.
Wide skip 5,004, forward from Deuteronomy 2:14
… כָּל־הַדּ֜וֹר אַנְשֵׁ֤י הַמִּלְחָמָה֙ מִקֶּ֣רֶב הַֽמַּחֲנֶ֔ה כַּאֲשֶׁ֛ר נִשְׁבַּ֥ע יְקוָ֖ק לָהֶֽם׃
And the days in which we came from Kadesh-barnea, until we were come over the brook Zered, were thirty and eight years; until all the generation, even the men of war, were consumed from the midst of the camp, as the LORD swore unto them.
כִּ֣י אֵ֤ל רַחוּם֙ יְקוָ֣ק אֱ־לֹהֶ֔יךָ לֹ֥א יַרְפְּךָ֖ וְלֹ֣א יַשְׁחִיתֶ֑ךָ וְלֹ֤א יִשְׁכַּח֙ אֶת־בְּרִ֣ית אֲבֹתֶ֔יךָ אֲשֶׁ֥ר נִשְׁבַּ֖ע לָהֶֽם׃
for the LORD thy God is a merciful God; He will not fail thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which He swore unto them.
… יְקוָ֨ק אֱ־לֹהֶ֜יךָ לְךָ֗ אֶֽת־הַבְּרִית֙ וְאֶת־הַחֶ֔סֶד אֲשֶׁ֥ר נִשְׁבַּ֖ע לַאֲבֹתֶֽיךָ׃
And it shall come to pass, because ye hearken to these ordinances, and keep, and do them, that the LORD thy God shall keep with thee the covenant and the mercy which He swore unto thy fathers,
… הַגִּבֹּר֙ וְהַנּוֹרָ֔א אֲשֶׁר֙ לֹא־יִשָּׂ֣א פָנִ֔ים וְלֹ֥א יִקַּ֖ח שֹֽׁחַד׃
For the LORD your God, He is God of gods, and Lord of lords, the great God, the mighty, and the awful, who regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward.
Outside the Torah
Shortest skip 2, forward from Isaiah 57:1
הַצַּדִּ֣יק אָבָ֔ד וְאֵ֥ין אִ֖ישׁ שָׂ֣ם עַל־לֵ֑ב וְאַנְשֵׁי־חֶ֤סֶד נֶֽאֱסָפִים֙ בְּאֵ֣ין מֵבִ֔ין כִּֽי־מִפְּנֵ֥י הָרָעָ֖ה נֶאֱסַ֥ף הַצַּדִּֽיק׃
The righteous perisheth, And no man layeth it to heart, And godly men are taken away, None considering That the righteous is taken away from the evil to come.
Middle skip 500, forward from Joshua 18:12
… לָהֶ֧ם הַגְּב֛וּל לִפְאַ֥ת צָפ֖וֹנָה מִן־הַיַּרְדֵּ֑ן וְעָלָ֣ה הַגְּבוּל֩ אֶל־כֶּ֨תֶף יְרִיח֜וֹ …
And their border on the north side was from the Jordan; and the border went up to the side of Jericho on the north, and went up through the hill-country westward; and the goings out thereof were at the wilderness of Beth-aven.
… אֶל־כֶּ֣תֶף בֵּית־חָגְלָה֮ צָפוֹנָה֒ והיהוְהָי֣וּ תצאותיותֹּצְא֣וֹת הַגְּב֗וּל אֶל־לְשׁ֤וֹן יָם־הַמֶּ֨לַח֙ צָפ֔וֹנָה …
And the border passed along to the side of Beth-hoglah northward; and the goings out of the border were at the north bay of the Salt Sea, at the south end of the Jordan; this was the south border.
וְצִֽקְלַ֥ג וּבֵית־הַמַּרְכָּב֖וֹת וַחֲצַ֥ר סוּסָֽה׃
and Ziklag, and Beth-marcaboth, and Hazar-susah;
זֹ֛את נַחֲלַ֥ת בְּנֵֽי־זְבוּלֻ֖ן לְמִשְׁפְּחוֹתָ֑ם הֶֽעָרִ֥ים הָאֵ֖לֶּה וְחַצְרֵיהֶֽן׃
This is the inheritance of the children of Zebulun according to their families, these cities with their villages.
By skip range, shuffled texts and book
| Skips, Torah | Found | Chance alone |
|---|---|---|
| 2 to 10 | 6 | 7.3 |
| 11 to 100 | 85 | 73.3 |
| 101 to 1,000 | 811 | 729 |
| 1,001 to 5,000 | 3,323 | 3,163 |
| 5,001 to 101,616 | 38,959 | 37,425 |
Shuffled Torahs
The Torah's own count at skips 2 to 1,000 is 902. Each family below rebuilt the text 100 times (seed 5787). What each family keeps.
| Control family | Runs at or above 902 | Median run | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Letter shuffle | 0/100 | 809 | 736 to 884 |
| Words within each verse | 52/100 | 902 | 837 to 963 |
Where the sequences start
| Torah | Found | Chance alone |
|---|---|---|
| Genesis | 12,223 | 10,602 |
| Exodus | 8,239 | 8,627 |
| Leviticus | 5,968 | 6,083 |
| Numbers | 10,165 | 8,629 |
| Deuteronomy | 6,589 | 7,457 |
| Tanakh | Found | Chance alone |
|---|---|---|
| Torah | 171,025 | 189,282 |
| Prophets | 338,251 | 343,845 |
| Writings | 250,438 | 210,117 |
Run this search yourself
Change the skips, set ניסן beside another word, and run the controls on your own question.
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