Shema שמע
Hear, O Israel: the first word of Deuteronomy 6:4 is a plain verb that stands bare 171 times in the Tanakh.
- Found in the Torah
- 7,274,823
- Chance alone: 7,219,611
- Skips 2 to 152,424
- Found in the Tanakh
- 107,406,763
- Chance alone: 107,764,261
- Skips 2 to 598,520
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The word that opens the Jewish declaration of faith is a plain imperative, hear. Deuteronomy uses it to open more than one address, and it is the same verb Hagar's angel explains in Genesis 16:11, where it first stands bare: Ishmael is named because the Lord heard her affliction. Part of the word's weight comes from how it is said. It is read morning and evening, and in a Torah scroll the ע of this שמע and the ד of the last word of the verse are written large. Those large letters are a matter of the scribe's pen. They do not change the letter count, and an equidistant search does not see them. For a search the word is three letters, among the most ordinary in the language.
- As a whole word
- 171
- First, with any prefix
- Genesis 16:11
The measurement
Skip 152,343 is the longest here, and its three letters stand near the start, the middle and the end of the Torah. Every three-letter term has one like it, because half the text is the widest step that still fits.
| At every skip | Torah | Tanakh |
|---|---|---|
| Found | 7,274,823 | 107,406,763 |
| Chance alone | 7,219,611 | 107,764,261 |
| P (≥ found) | 6.9 × 10⁻⁹⁴ | 1.00 |
| Shortest skip | 2 | 2 |
| Longest skip | 152,343 | 598,497 |
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 467,089 against 465,794 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 6:16
צֹ֣הַר תַּֽעֲשֶׂ֣ה לַתֵּבָ֗ה וְאֶל־אַמָּה֙ תְּכַלֶ֣נָּה מִלְמַ֔עְלָה וּפֶ֥תַח הַתֵּבָ֖ה בְּצִדָּ֣הּ תָּשִׂ֑ים תַּחְתִּיִּ֛ם שְׁנִיִּ֥ם וּשְׁלִשִׁ֖ים תַּֽעֲשֶֽׂהָ׃
A light shalt thou make to the ark, and to a cubit shalt thou finish it upward; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it.
Shortest skip 2, forward from Genesis 9:23
וַיִּקַּח֩ שֵׁ֨ם וָיֶ֜פֶת אֶת־הַשִּׂמְלָ֗ה וַיָּשִׂ֨ימוּ֙ עַל־שְׁכֶ֣ם שְׁנֵיהֶ֔ם וַיֵּֽלְכוּ֙ אֲחֹ֣רַנִּ֔ית וַיְכַסּ֕וּ …
And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father’s nakedness.
Short skip 50, forward from Exodus 5:14
… כִלִּיתֶ֨ם חָקְכֶ֤ם לִלְבֹּן֙ כִּתְמ֣וֹל שִׁלְשֹׁ֔ם גַּם־תְּמ֖וֹל גַּם־הַיּֽוֹם׃
And the officers of the children of Israel, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, saying: ‘Wherefore have ye not fulfilled your appointed task in making brick both yesterday and today as heretofore?’
וַיָּבֹ֗אוּ שֹֽׁטְרֵי֙ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וַיִּצְעֲק֥וּ אֶל־פַּרְעֹ֖ה לֵאמֹ֑ר לָ֧מָּה תַעֲשֶׂ֦ה כֹ֖ה לַעֲבָדֶֽיךָ׃
Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying: ‘Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants?
תֶּ֗בֶן אֵ֤ין נִתָּן֙ לַעֲבָדֶ֔יךָ וּלְבֵנִ֛ים אֹמְרִ֥ים לָ֖נוּ עֲשׂ֑וּ וְהִנֵּ֧ה עֲבָדֶ֛יךָ מֻכִּ֖ים וְחָטָ֥את עַמֶּֽךָ׃
There is no straw given unto thy servants, and they say to us: Make brick; and, behold, thy servants are beaten, but the fault is in thine own people.’
Middle skip 500, forward from Leviticus 10:17
… אֶת־הַֽחַטָּאת֙ בִּמְק֣וֹם הַקֹּ֔דֶשׁ כִּ֛י קֹ֥דֶשׁ קָֽדָשִׁ֖ים הִ֑וא וְאֹתָ֣הּ נָתַ֣ן …
’Wherefore have ye not eaten the sin-offering in the place of the sanctuary, seeing it is most holy, and He hath given it you to bear the iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the LORD?
וְאֶת־הַ֠חֲזִיר כִּֽי־מַפְרִ֨יס פַּרְסָ֜ה ה֗וּא וְשֹׁסַ֥ע שֶׁ֨סַע֙ פַּרְסָ֔ה וְה֖וּא גֵּרָ֣ה לֹֽא־יִגָּ֑ר טָמֵ֥א ה֖וּא לָכֶֽם׃
And the swine, because he parteth the hoof, and is cloven-footed, but cheweth not the cud, he is unclean unto you.
כֹּ֚ל שֶׁ֣רֶץ הָע֔וֹף הַהֹלֵ֖ךְ עַל־אַרְבַּ֑ע שֶׁ֥קֶץ ה֖וּא לָכֶֽם׃
All winged swarming things that go upon all fours are a detestable thing unto you.
Wide skip 5,000, forward from Numbers 3:45
קַ֣ח אֶת־הַלְוִיִּ֗ם תַּ֤חַת כָּל־בְּכוֹר֙ בִּבְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וְאֶת־בֶּהֱמַ֥ת הַלְוִיִּ֖ם תַּ֣חַת בְּהֶמְתָּ֑ם וְהָיוּ־לִ֥י הַלְוִיִּ֖ם אֲנִ֥י יְקוָֽק׃
’Take the Levites instead of all the first-born among the children of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle; and the Levites shall be Mine, even the LORD’S.
וְכִֽי־יָמ֨וּת מֵ֤ת עָלָיו֙ בְּפֶ֣תַע פִּתְאֹ֔ם וְטִמֵּ֖א רֹ֣אשׁ נִזְר֑וֹ וְגִלַּ֤ח רֹאשׁוֹ֙ בְּי֣וֹם טָהֳרָת֔וֹ בַּיּ֥וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֖י יְגַלְּחֶֽנּוּ׃
And if any man die very suddenly beside him, and he defile his consecrated head, then he shall shave his head in the day of his cleansing, on the seventh day shall he shave it.
… אֶל־אֹ֣הֶל מוֹעֵד֮ לְדַבֵּ֣ר אִתּוֹ֒ וַיִּשְׁמַ֨ע אֶת־הַקּ֜וֹל מִדַּבֵּ֣ר אֵלָ֗יו מֵעַ֤ל …
And when Moses went into the tent of meeting that He might speak with him, then he heard the Voice speaking unto him from above the ark-cover that was upon the ark of the testimony, from between the two cherubim; and He spoke unto him.
Outside the Torah
Shortest skip 2, forward from Joshua 6:21
וַֽיַּחֲרִ֨ימוּ֙ אֶת־כָּל־אֲשֶׁ֣ר בָּעִ֔יר מֵאִישׁ֙ וְעַד־אִשָּׁ֔ה מִנַּ֖עַר וְעַד־זָקֵ֑ן וְעַ֨ד שׁ֥וֹר וָשֶׂ֛ה וַחֲמ֖וֹר לְפִי־חָֽרֶב׃
And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, both young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword.
Middle skip 500, forward from Judges 1:32
וַיֵּ֨שֶׁב֙ הָאָ֣שֵׁרִ֔י בְּקֶ֥רֶב הַֽכְּנַעֲנִ֖י יֹשְׁבֵ֣י הָאָ֑רֶץ כִּ֖י לֹ֥א הוֹרִישֽׁוֹ׃
but the Asherites dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land; for they did not drive them out.
וַיְהִ֗י כְּדַבֵּ֞ר מַלְאַ֤ךְ יְקוָק֙ אֶת־הַדְּבָרִ֣ים הָאֵ֔לֶּה אֶֽל־כָּל־בְּנֵ֖י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וַיִּשְׂא֥וּ הָעָ֛ם אֶת־קוֹלָ֖ם וַיִּבְכּֽוּ׃
And it came to pass, when the angel of the LORD spoke these words unto all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voice, and wept.
וַיַּעַזְב֖וּ אֶת־יְקוָ֑ק וַיַּעַבְד֥וּ לַבַּ֖עַל וְלָעַשְׁתָּרֽוֹת׃
And they forsook the LORD, and served Baal and the Ashtaroth.
By skip range, shuffled texts and book
| Skips, Torah | Found | Chance alone |
|---|---|---|
| 2 to 10 | 790 | 853 |
| 11 to 100 | 8,382 | 8,523 |
| 101 to 1,000 | 85,671 | 84,951 |
| 1,001 to 5,000 | 372,246 | 371,468 |
| 5,001 to 152,424 | 6,807,734 | 6,753,817 |
Shuffled Torahs
The Torah's own count at skips 2 to 1,000 is 94,843. Each family below rebuilt the text 100 times (seed 5787). What each family keeps.
| Control family | Runs at or above 94,843 | Median run | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Letter shuffle | 5/100 | 94,357 | 93,658 to 95,003 |
| Words within each verse | 37/100 | 94,756 | 94,100 to 95,518 |
Where the sequences start
| Torah | Found | Chance alone |
|---|---|---|
| Genesis | 1,612,597 | 1,848,869 |
| Exodus | 1,646,268 | 1,504,573 |
| Leviticus | 1,084,768 | 1,060,858 |
| Numbers | 1,675,705 | 1,504,905 |
| Deuteronomy | 1,255,485 | 1,300,406 |
| Tanakh | Found | Chance alone |
|---|---|---|
| Torah | 28,546,277 | 27,444,263 |
| Prophets | 48,712,683 | 49,854,751 |
| Writings | 30,147,803 | 30,465,247 |
Run this search yourself
Change the skips, set שמע beside another word, and run the controls on your own question.
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