Ruth רות
A Moabite widow, the great-grandmother of David, and the book's only subject. Her name stands bare in no other book.
- Found in the Torah
- 16,074,333
- Chance alone: 16,292,480
- Skips 2 to 152,424
- Found in the Tanakh
- 233,990,694
- Chance alone: 232,892,751
- Skips 2 to 598,520
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The book's whole business is getting a foreigner into the family line, and the last verses, Ruth 4:17, say why it matters: Obed, her son, is the father of Jesse, the father of David. Moab was a people Deuteronomy 23:4 kept out of the assembly. The story gives no sign of being embarrassed. Her name stands bare ten times, all in this book, and no other book of the Tanakh mentions her. Her loyalty speech in Ruth 1:16 is still quoted at conversions. The word's sense is not explained in the text, as other names in this book are. Three letters, and very common ones. Read this count as you would read any count for a short word: slowly and beside its chance figure.
- As a whole word
- 10
- First, with any prefix
- Genesis 4:4
The measurement
Genesis 1:29 is a long way from Moab, and that is where her first short sequence stands. Three-letter terms have skip-2 sequences every few hundred letters, and 1,980 of hers fall at skips 2 to 10 alone. The count of 16,074,333 says that ר, ו and ת are common.
| At every skip | Torah | Tanakh |
|---|---|---|
| Found | 16,074,333 | 233,990,694 |
| Chance alone | 16,292,480 | 232,892,751 |
| P (≥ found) | 1.00 | below 10⁻³⁰⁰ |
| Shortest skip | 2 | 2 |
| Longest skip | 152,397 | 598,477 |
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 1,042,109 against 1,051,157 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 1:29
… זֹרֵ֣עַ זֶ֗רַע אֲשֶׁר֙ עַל־פְּנֵ֣י כָל־הָאָ֔רֶץ וְאֶת־כָּל־הָעֵ֛ץ אֲשֶׁר־בּ֥וֹ פְרִי־עֵ֖ץ זֹרֵ֣עַ זָ֑רַע …
And God said: ‘Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed—to you it shall be for food;
Shortest skip 2, forward from Genesis 3:6
… וְנֶחְמָ֤ד הָעֵץ֙ לְהַשְׂכִּ֔יל וַתִּקַּ֥ח מִפִּרְי֖וֹ וַתֹּאכַ֑ל וַתִּתֵּ֧ן גַּם־לְאִישָׁ֛הּ עִמָּ֖הּ וַיֹּאכַֽל׃
And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat; and she gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat.
Short skip 50, forward from Exodus 11:1
… אֶחָד֙ אָבִ֤יא עַל־פַּרְעֹה֙ וְעַל־מִצְרַ֔יִם אַֽחֲרֵי־כֵ֕ן יְשַׁלַּ֥ח אֶתְכֶ֖ם מִזֶּ֑ה כְּשַׁ֨לְּח֔וֹ …
And the LORD said unto Moses: ‘Yet one plague more will I bring upon Pharaoh, and upon Egypt; afterwards he will let you go hence; when he shall let you go, he shall surely thrust you out hence altogether.
דַּבֶּר־נָ֖א בְּאָזְנֵ֣י הָעָ֑ם וְיִשְׁאֲל֞וּ אִ֣ישׁ מֵאֵ֣ת רֵעֵ֗הוּ וְאִשָּׁה֙ מֵאֵ֣ת רְעוּתָ֔הּ כְּלֵי־כֶ֖סֶף וּכְלֵ֥י זָהָֽב׃
Speak now in the ears of the people, and let them ask every man of his neighbour, and every woman of her neighbour, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold.’
וַיִּתֵּ֧ן יְקוָ֛ק אֶת־חֵ֥ן הָעָ֖ם בְּעֵינֵ֣י מִצְרָ֑יִם גַּ֣ם …
And the LORD gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants, and in the sight of the people.
Middle skip 500, forward from Genesis 1:24
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֱ־לֹהִ֗ים תּוֹצֵ֨א הָאָ֜רֶץ נֶ֤פֶשׁ חַיָּה֙ לְמִינָ֔הּ בְּהֵמָ֥ה וָרֶ֛מֶשׂ וְחַֽיְתוֹ־אֶ֖רֶץ לְמִינָ֑הּ וַֽיְהִי־כֵֽן׃
And God said: ‘Let the earth bring forth the living creature after its kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after its kind.’ And it was so.
וַיַּ֤רְא אֱ־לֹהִים֙ אֶת־כָּל־אֲשֶׁ֣ר עָשָׂ֔ה וְהִנֵּה־ט֖וֹב מְאֹ֑ד וַֽיְהִי־עֶ֥רֶב וַֽיְהִי־בֹ֖קֶר י֥וֹם הַשִּׁשִּֽׁי׃
And God saw every thing that He had made, and, behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
וְנָהָרּ֙ יֹצֵ֣א מֵעֵ֔דֶן לְהַשְׁק֖וֹת אֶת־הַגָּ֑ן וּמִשָּׁם֙ יִפָּרֵ֔ד וְהָיָ֖ה לְאַרְבָּעָ֥ה רָאשִֽׁים׃
And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became four heads.
Wide skip 5,000, forward from Genesis 2:14
וְשֵׁ֨ם הַנָּהָ֤ר הַשְּׁלִישִׁי֙ חִדֶּ֔קֶל ה֥וּא הַֽהֹלֵ֖ךְ קִדְמַ֣ת אַשּׁ֑וּר וְהַנָּהָ֥ר הָֽרְבִיעִ֖י ה֥וּא פְרָֽת׃
And the name of the third river is Tigris; that is it which goeth toward the east of Asshur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.
וַתִּשָּׁחֵ֥ת הָאָ֖רֶץ לִפְנֵ֣י הָֽאֱ־לֹהִ֑ים וַתִּמָּלֵ֥א הָאָ֖רֶץ חָמָֽס׃
And the earth was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.
וּלְשֵׁ֥ם יֻלַּ֖ד גַּם־ה֑וּא אֲבִי֙ כָּל־בְּנֵי־עֵ֔בֶר אֲחִ֖י יֶ֥פֶת הַגָּדֽוֹל׃
And unto Shem, the father of all the children of Eber, the elder brother of Japheth, to him also were children born.
Outside the Torah
Shortest skip 2, forward from Joshua 1:16
וַֽיַּעֲנ֔וּ אֶת־יְהוֹשֻׁ֖עַ לֵאמֹ֑ר כֹּ֤ל אֲשֶׁר־צִוִּיתָ֨נוּ֙ נַֽעֲשֶׂ֔ה וְאֶֽל־כָּל־אֲשֶׁ֥ר תִּשְׁלָחֵ֖נוּ נֵלֵֽךְ׃
And they answered Joshua, saying: ‘All that thou hast commanded us we will do, and whithersoever thou sendest us we will go.
Middle skip 500, forward from Judges 1:15
וַתֹּ֨אמֶר ל֜וֹ הָֽבָה־לִּ֣י בְרָכָ֗ה כִּ֣י …
And she said unto him: ‘Give me a blessing; for that thou hast set me in the Southland, give me therefore springs of water.’ And Caleb gave her the Upper Springs and the Nether Springs.
וַיִּרְאוּ֙ הַשֹּׁ֣מְרִ֔ים אִ֖ישׁ יוֹצֵ֣א מִן־הָעִ֑יר וַיֹּ֣אמְרוּ ל֗וֹ הַרְאֵ֤נוּ נָא֙ אֶת־מְב֣וֹא הָעִ֔יר וְעָשִׂ֥ינוּ עִמְּךָ֖ חָֽסֶד׃
And the watchers saw a man come forth out of the city, and they said unto him: ‘Show us, we pray thee, the entrance into the city, and we will deal kindly with thee.’
אָשֵׁ֗ר לֹ֤א הוֹרִישׁ֙ אֶת־יֹשְׁבֵ֣י עַכּ֔וֹ וְאֶת־יוֹשְׁבֵ֖י צִיד֑וֹן וְאֶת־אַחְלָ֤ב וְאֶת־אַכְזִיב֙ וְאֶת־חֶלְבָּ֔ה וְאֶת־אֲפִ֖יק וְאֶת־רְחֹֽב׃
Asher drove not out the inhabitants of Acco, nor the inhabitants of Zidon, nor of Ahlab, nor of Achzib, nor of Helbah, nor of Aphik, nor of Rehob;
By skip range, shuffled texts and book
| Skips, Torah | Found | Chance alone |
|---|---|---|
| 2 to 10 | 1,980 | 1,924 |
| 11 to 100 | 18,428 | 19,233 |
| 101 to 1,000 | 187,907 | 191,708 |
| 1,001 to 5,000 | 833,794 | 838,292 |
| 5,001 to 152,424 | 15,032,224 | 15,241,323 |
Shuffled Torahs
The Torah's own count at skips 2 to 1,000 is 208,315. Each family below rebuilt the text 100 times (seed 5787). What each family keeps.
| Control family | Runs at or above 208,315 | Median run | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Letter shuffle | 100/100 | 212,918 | 211,871 to 213,856 |
| Words within each verse | 87/100 | 208,826 | 207,977 to 209,824 |
Where the sequences start
| Torah | Found | Chance alone |
|---|---|---|
| Genesis | 4,390,529 | 4,172,339 |
| Exodus | 3,383,694 | 3,395,367 |
| Leviticus | 2,209,514 | 2,394,035 |
| Numbers | 3,115,034 | 3,396,115 |
| Deuteronomy | 2,975,562 | 2,934,624 |
| Tanakh | Found | Chance alone |
|---|---|---|
| Torah | 61,164,000 | 59,310,663 |
| Prophets | 109,958,452 | 107,742,679 |
| Writings | 62,868,242 | 65,839,408 |
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