Sivan סיון
The month stands once in the Tanakh, in Esther 8:9, which is also the longest verse in the Tanakh.
- Found in the Torah
- 84,980
- Chance alone: 89,480
- Skips 2 to 101,616
- Found in the Tanakh
- 1,773,037
- Chance alone: 1,748,465
- Skips 2 to 399,013
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The word stands in one verse, and that verse happens to be the Tanakh's longest. Esther 8:9 runs to 43 words and 193 letters, and it reads like what it describes, a royal order sent out to 127 provinces. In the middle of all that comes the month, the third month, which is the month Sivan, on the three and twentieth day thereof. Readers who know Sivan as the month of Shavuot may notice that the only time the Tanakh names it, the subject is Mordechai's letters. The Torah's giving of the Law in the third month, in Exodus 19:1, uses no name for it. Those 43 words were counted on the same text that this page searches.
- As a whole word
- 1
- First, with any prefix
- Esther 8:9
The measurement
A sequence can cross a chapter. This one begins in סביב, round about, at Exodus 38:31, and ends in the next chapter, at Exodus 39:1. The whole Torah comes in 5 percent under the formula and the Tanakh 1.4 percent over it.
| At every skip | Torah | Tanakh |
|---|---|---|
| Found | 84,980 | 1,773,037 |
| Chance alone | 89,480 | 1,748,465 |
| P (≥ found) | 1.00 | 4.9 × 10⁻⁷⁷ |
| Shortest skip | 2 | 2 |
| Longest skip | 101,433 | 398,152 |
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 8,621 against 8,587 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 Exodus 38:31
וְאֶת־אַדְנֵ֤י הֶֽחָצֵר֙ סָבִ֔יב וְאֶת־אַדְנֵ֖י שַׁ֣עַר הֶחָצֵ֑ר וְאֵ֨ת כָּל־יִתְדֹ֧ת הַמִּשְׁכָּ֛ן וְאֶת־כָּל־יִתְדֹ֥ת הֶחָצֵ֖ר סָבִֽיב׃
and the sockets of the court round about, and the sockets of the gate of the court, and all the pins of the tabernacle, and all the pins of the court round about.
וּמִן־הַתְּכֵ֤לֶת וְהָֽאַרְגָּמָן֙ וְתוֹלַ֣עַת הַשָּׁנִ֔י עָשׂ֥וּ …
And of the blue, and purple, and scarlet, they made plaited garments, for ministering in the holy place, and made the holy garments for Aaron, as the LORD commanded Moses.
Shortest skip 2, forward from Numbers 4:16
… הַכֹּהֵ֗ן שֶׁ֤מֶן הַמָּאוֹר֙ וּקְטֹ֣רֶת הַסַּמִּ֔ים וּמִנְחַ֥ת הַתָּמִ֖יד וְשֶׁ֣מֶן הַמִּשְׁחָ֑ה פְּקֻדַּ֗ת …
And the charge of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall be the oil for the light, and the sweet incense, and the continual meal-offering, and the anointing oil: he shall have the charge of all the tabernacle, and of all that therein is, whether it be the sanctuary, or the furniture thereof.’
Short skip 50, backward from Genesis 37:23
וַֽיְהִ֕י כַּֽאֲשֶׁר־בָּ֥א יוֹסֵ֖ף אֶל־אֶחָ֑יו וַיַּפְשִׁ֤יטוּ אֶת־יוֹסֵף֙ אֶת־כֻּתָּנְתּ֔וֹ אֶת־כְּתֹ֥נֶת הַפַּסִּ֖ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר עָלָֽיו׃
And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stripped Joseph of his coat, the coat of many colours that was on him;
וַיֹּ֨אמֶר אֲלֵהֶ֣ם רְאוּבֵן֮ אַל־תִּשְׁפְּכוּ־דָם֒ הַשְׁלִ֣יכוּ אֹת֗וֹ אֶל־הַבּ֤וֹר הַזֶּה֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר בַּמִּדְבָּ֔ר וְיָ֖ד אַל־תִּשְׁלְחוּ־ב֑וֹ לְמַ֗עַן הַצִּ֤יל אֹתוֹ֙ …
And Reuben said unto them: ‘Shed no blood; cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but lay no hand upon him’—that he might deliver him out of their hand, to restore him to his father.
וְעַתָּ֣ה לְכ֣וּ וְנַֽהַרְגֵ֗הוּ וְנַשְׁלִכֵ֨הוּ֙ בְּאַחַ֣ד הַבֹּר֔וֹת וְאָמַ֕רְנוּ חַיָּ֥ה רָעָ֖ה אֲכָלָ֑תְהוּ וְנִרְאֶ֕ה מַה־יִּהְי֖וּ חֲלֹמֹתָֽיו׃
Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into one of the pits, and we will say: An evil beast hath devoured him; and we shall see what will become of his dreams.’
Middle skip 501, forward from Deuteronomy 32:16
יַקְנִאֻ֖הוּ בְּזָרִ֑ים בְּתוֹעֵבֹ֖ת יַכְעִיסֻֽהוּ׃
They roused Him to jealousy with strange gods, With abominations did they provoke Him.
ל֥וּ חָכְמ֖וּ יַשְׂכִּ֣ילוּ זֹ֑את יָבִ֖ינוּ לְאַחֲרִיתָֽם׃
If they were wise, they would understand this, They would discern their latter end.
אִם־שַׁנּוֹתִי֙ בְּרַ֣ק חַרְבִּ֔י וְתֹאחֵ֥ז בְּמִשְׁפָּ֖ט יָדִ֑י אָשִׁ֤יב נָקָם֙ לְצָרָ֔י וְלִמְשַׂנְאַ֖י אֲשַׁלֵּֽם׃
If I whet My glittering sword, And My hand take hold on judgment; I will render vengeance to Mine adversaries, And will recompense them that hate Me.
וּמֻ֗ת בָּהָר֙ אֲשֶׁ֤ר אַתָּה֙ עֹלֶ֣ה שָׁ֔מָּה וְהֵאָסֵ֖ף אֶל־עַמֶּ֑יךָ כַּֽאֲשֶׁר־מֵ֞ת אַהֲרֹ֤ן אָחִ֨יךָ֙ בְּהֹ֣ר הָהָ֔ר וַיֵּאָ֖סֶף אֶל־עַמָּֽיו׃
and die in the mount whither thou goest up, and be gathered unto thy people; as Aaron thy brother died in mount Hor, and was gathered unto his people.
Wide skip 5,001, forward from Leviticus 4:33
וְסָמַךְ֙ אֶת־יָד֔וֹ עַ֖ל רֹ֣אשׁ הַֽחַטָּ֑את וְשָׁחַ֤ט אֹתָהּ֙ לְחַטָּ֔את בִּמְק֕וֹם אֲשֶׁ֥ר יִשְׁחַ֖ט אֶת־הָעֹלָֽה׃
And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the sin-offering, and kill it for a sin-offering in the place where they kill the burnt-offering.
וַיִּתֵּ֨ן עָלָ֜יו אֶת־הַכֻּתֹּ֗נֶת וַיַּחְגֹּ֤ר אֹתוֹ֙ …
And he put upon him the tunic, and girded him with the girdle, and clothed him with the robe, and put the ephod upon him, and he girded him with the skilfully woven band of the ephod, and bound it unto him therewith.
וְאֵת֙ בַּ֣ת הַֽיַּעֲנָ֔ה וְאֶת־הַתַּחְמָ֖ס וְאֶת־הַשָּׁ֑חַף וְאֶת־הַנֵּ֖ץ לְמִינֵֽהוּ׃
and the ostrich, and the night-hawk, and the sea-mew, and the hawk after its kinds;
… מִן־הָע֔וֹר א֥וֹ מִן־הַשְּׁתִ֖י א֥וֹ מִן־הָעֵֽרֶב׃
And if the priest look, and, behold, the plague be dim after the washing thereof, then he shall rend it out of the garment, or out of the skin, or out of the warp, or out of the woof.
Outside the Torah
Shortest skip 2, forward from 2 Kings 17:17
וַֽ֠יַּעֲבִירוּ אֶת־בְּנֵיהֶ֤ם וְאֶת־בְּנֽוֹתֵיהֶם֙ בָּאֵ֔שׁ וַיִּקְסְמ֥וּ קְסָמִ֖ים וַיְנַחֵ֑שׁוּ וַיִּֽתְמַכְּר֗וּ לַעֲשׂ֥וֹת הָרַ֛ע בְּעֵינֵ֥י יְקוָ֖ק לְהַכְעִיסֽוֹ׃
and they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and gave themselves over to do that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him;
Middle skip 500, forward from Ezra 8:33
וּבַיּ֣וֹם הָרְבִיעִ֡י נִשְׁקַ֣ל הַכֶּסֶף֩ וְהַזָּהָ֨ב וְהַכֵּלִ֜ים בְּבֵ֣ית אֱ־לֹהֵ֗ינוּ …
And on the fourth day was the silver and the gold and the vessels weighed in the house of our God into the hand of Meremoth the son of Uriah the priest; and with him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas; and with them was Jozabad the son of Jeshua, and Noadiah the son of Binnui, the Levites;
וּכְשָׁמְעִי֙ אֶת־הַדָּבָ֣ר הַזֶּ֔ה קָרַ֥עְתִּי אֶת־בִּגְדִ֖י וּמְעִילִ֑י וָאֶמְרְטָ֞ה מִשְּׂעַ֤ר רֹאשִׁי֙ וּזְקָנִ֔י וָאֵשְׁבָ֖ה מְשׁוֹמֵֽם׃
And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down appalled.
… וּבְעַבְדֻ֔תֵנוּ לֹ֥א עֲזָבָ֖נוּ אֱ־לֹהֵ֑ינוּ וַֽיַּט־עָלֵ֣ינוּ חֶ֡סֶד לִפְנֵי֩ מַלְכֵ֨י פָרַ֜ס …
For we are bondmen; yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended mercy unto us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving, to set up the house of our God, and to repair the ruins thereof, and to give us a fence in Judah and in Jerusalem.
… אֱ־לֹהֵ֤י יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ צַדִּ֣יק אַ֔תָּה כִּֽי־נִשְׁאַ֥רְנוּ פְלֵיטָ֖ה כְּהַיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֑ה הִנְנ֤וּ …
O LORD, the God of Israel, Thou art righteous; for we are left a remnant that is escaped, as it is this day; behold, we are before Thee in our guiltiness; for none can stand before Thee because of this.’
By skip range, shuffled texts and book
| Skips, Torah | Found | Chance alone |
|---|---|---|
| 2 to 10 | 13 | 15.8 |
| 11 to 100 | 146 | 158 |
| 101 to 1,000 | 1,691 | 1,576 |
| 1,001 to 5,000 | 6,771 | 6,837 |
| 5,001 to 101,616 | 76,359 | 80,893 |
Shuffled Torahs
The Torah's own count at skips 2 to 1,000 is 1,850. Each family below rebuilt the text 100 times (seed 5787). What each family keeps.
| Control family | Runs at or above 1,850 | Median run | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Letter shuffle | 1/100 | 1,752 | 1,632 to 1,869 |
| Words within each verse | 38/100 | 1,838 | 1,733 to 1,953 |
Where the sequences start
| Torah | Found | Chance alone |
|---|---|---|
| Genesis | 23,382 | 22,915 |
| Exodus | 17,380 | 18,648 |
| Leviticus | 10,211 | 13,148 |
| Numbers | 21,317 | 18,652 |
| Deuteronomy | 12,690 | 16,117 |
| Tanakh | Found | Chance alone |
|---|---|---|
| Torah | 391,243 | 445,280 |
| Prophets | 763,436 | 808,888 |
| Writings | 618,358 | 494,296 |
Run this search yourself
Change the skips, set סיון beside another word, and run the controls on your own question.
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