Tamar תמר
Two women of the house of Judah bear the name of the date palm, and a verse in Genesis 38 gives one of them a place in David's line.
- Found in the Torah
- 13,477,671
- Chance alone: 13,388,083
- Skips 2 to 152,424
- Found in the Tanakh
- 177,050,988
- Chance alone: 177,769,738
- Skips 2 to 598,520
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A תמר is a date palm, tall and straight, and the righteous flourish like one in Psalm 92:13. Two women of the same family bear the name. Judah's daughter-in-law in Genesis 38 forces his hand, and he says of her, she is more righteous than I. Her son Perez leads to David, as Ruth 4:18 to 22 sets out. Absalom's sister in 2 Samuel 13 is a much sadder story, and her name is carried on by Absalom's own daughter in 14:27. The word also stands on the map, as Hazazon-tamar in Genesis 14:7.
- As a whole word
- 25
- First, with any prefix
- Genesis 14:7
The measurement
Only the very shortest skips run high, 1,706 against 1,581.0 at skips 2 to 10, and every band after that runs low. Short-range Hebrew makes this pattern of letters a little more often than random text would, and at long range that habit is gone.
| At every skip | Torah | Tanakh |
|---|---|---|
| Found | 13,477,671 | 177,050,988 |
| Chance alone | 13,388,083 | 177,769,738 |
| P (≥ found) | 2.1 × 10⁻¹³² | 1.00 |
| Shortest skip | 2 | 2 |
| Longest skip | 152,382 | 598,462 |
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 857,228 against 863,771 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 12:4
וַיֵּ֣לֶךְ אַבְרָ֗ם כַּאֲשֶׁ֨ר דִּבֶּ֤ר אֵלָיו֙ יְקוָ֔ק וַיֵּ֥לֶךְ אִתּ֖וֹ ל֑וֹט וְאַבְרָ֗ם בֶּן־חָמֵ֤שׁ שָׁנִים֙ וְשִׁבְעִ֣ים שָׁנָ֔ה בְּצֵאת֖וֹ מֵחָרָֽן׃
So Abram went, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him; and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.
Shortest skip 2, forward from Genesis 26:1
וַיְהִ֤י רָעָב֙ בָּאָ֔רֶץ מִלְּבַד֙ הָרָעָ֣ב הָרִאשׁ֔וֹן אֲשֶׁ֥ר הָיָ֖ה בִּימֵ֣י אַבְרָהָ֑ם וַיֵּ֧לֶךְ יִצְחָ֛ק אֶל־אֲבִימֶּ֥לֶךְ מֶֽלֶךְ־פְּלִשְׁתִּ֖ים גְּרָֽרָה׃
And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar.
Short skip 50, forward from Exodus 3:6
… אֱ־לֹהֵ֥י יִצְחָ֖ק וֵא־לֹהֵ֣י יַעֲקֹ֑ב וַיַּסְתֵּ֤ר מֹשֶׁה֙ פָּנָ֔יו כִּ֣י יָרֵ֔א …
Moreover He said: ‘I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר יְקוָ֔ק רָאֹ֥ה רָאִ֛יתִי אֶת־עֳנִ֥י עַמִּ֖י אֲשֶׁ֣ר בְּמִצְרָ֑יִם וְאֶת־צַעֲקָתָ֤ם שָׁמַ֨עְתִּי֙ מִפְּנֵ֣י נֹֽגְשָׂ֔יו כִּ֥י יָדַ֖עְתִּי אֶת־מַכְאֹבָֽיו׃
And the LORD said: ‘I have surely seen the affliction of My people that are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their pains;
וָאֵרֵ֞ד לְהַצִּיל֣וֹ מִיַּ֣ד מִצְרַ֗יִם וּֽלְהַעֲלֹתוֹ֮ …
and I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Amorite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite.
Middle skip 500, forward from Genesis 1:4
וַיַּ֧רְא אֱ־לֹהִ֛ים אֶת־הָא֖וֹר כִּי־ט֑וֹב וַיַּבְדֵּ֣ל אֱ־לֹהִ֔ים בֵּ֥ין הָא֖וֹר וּבֵ֥ין הַחֹֽשֶׁךְ׃
And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness.
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֱ־לֹהִ֗ים יְהִ֤י מְאֹרֹת֙ בִּרְקִ֣יעַ הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם לְהַבְדִּ֕יל בֵּ֥ין הַיּ֖וֹם וּבֵ֣ין הַלָּ֑יְלָה וְהָי֤וּ לְאֹתֹת֙ וּלְמ֣וֹעֲדִ֔ים וּלְיָמִ֖ים וְשָׁנִֽים׃
And God said: ‘Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years;
וַֽיְהִי־עֶ֥רֶב וַֽיְהִי־בֹ֖קֶר י֥וֹם חֲמִישִֽׁי׃
And there was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.
Wide skip 5,000, forward from Genesis 4:1
וְהָ֣אָדָ֔ם יָדַ֖ע אֶת־חַוָּ֣ה אִשְׁתּ֑וֹ וַתַּ֨הַר֙ וַתֵּ֣לֶד אֶת־קַ֔יִן וַתֹּ֕אמֶר קָנִ֥יתִי אִ֖ישׁ אֶת־יְקוָֽק׃
And the man knew Eve his wife; and she conceived and bore Cain, and said: ‘I have agotten a man with the help of the LORD.’
וַיִּסָּֽכְרוּ֙ מַעְיְנֹ֣ת תְּה֔וֹם וַֽאֲרֻבֹּ֖ת הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם וַיִּכָּלֵ֥א הַגֶּ֖שֶׁם מִן־הַשָּׁמָֽיִם׃
the fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained.
וְאֶֽעֶשְׂךָ֙ לְג֣וֹי גָּד֔וֹל וַאֲבָ֣רֶכְךָ֔ וַאֲגַדְּלָ֖ה שְׁמֶ֑ךָ וֶהְיֵ֖ה בְּרָכָֽה׃
And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and be thou a blessing.
Outside the Torah
Shortest skip 2, forward from Joshua 14:4
כִּֽי־הָי֧וּ בְנֵֽי־יוֹסֵ֛ף שְׁנֵ֥י מַטּ֖וֹת מְנַשֶּׁ֣ה וְאֶפְרָ֑יִם וְלֹֽא־נָתְנוּ֩ חֵ֨לֶק לַלְוִיִּ֜ם בָּאָ֗רֶץ כִּ֤י אִם־עָרִים֙ לָשֶׁ֔בֶת וּמִ֨גְרְשֵׁיהֶ֔ם לְמִקְנֵיהֶ֖ם וּלְקִנְיָנָֽם׃
For the children of Joseph were two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim; and they gave no portion unto the Levites in the land, save cities to dwell in, with the open land about them for their cattle and for their substance.—
Middle skip 500, forward from Judges 6:13
… הֲלֹ֤א מִמִּצְרַ֨יִם֙ הֶעֱלָ֣נוּ יְקוָ֔ק וְעַתָּה֙ נְטָשָׁ֣נוּ יְקוָ֔ק וַֽיִּתְּנֵ֖נוּ בְּכַף־מִדְיָֽן׃
And Gideon said unto him: ‘Oh, my lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where are all His wondrous works which our fathers told us of, saying: Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt? but now the LORD hath cast us off, and delivered us into the hand of Midian.’
… הָאֵ֜שׁ מִן־הַצּ֗וּר וַתֹּ֤אכַל אֶת־הַבָּשָׂר֙ וְאֶת־הַמַּצּ֔וֹת וּמַלְאַ֣ךְ יְקוָ֔ק הָלַ֖ךְ מֵעֵינָֽיו׃
Then the angel of the LORD put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there went up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and the angel of the LORD departed out of his sight.
… מִזְבַּ֣ח הַבַּ֔עַל וְהָאֲשֵׁרָ֥ה אֲשֶׁר־עָלָ֖יו כֹּרָ֑תָה וְאֵת֙ הַפָּ֣ר הַשֵּׁנִ֔י הֹֽעֲלָ֔ה …
And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was broken down, and the Asherah was cut down that was by it, and the second bullock was offered upon the altar that was built.
By skip range, shuffled texts and book
| Skips, Torah | Found | Chance alone |
|---|---|---|
| 2 to 10 | 1,706 | 1,581 |
| 11 to 100 | 15,244 | 15,805 |
| 101 to 1,000 | 154,825 | 157,533 |
| 1,001 to 5,000 | 685,453 | 688,853 |
| 5,001 to 152,424 | 12,620,443 | 12,524,311 |
Shuffled Torahs
The Torah's own count at skips 2 to 1,000 is 171,775. Each family below rebuilt the text 100 times (seed 5787). What each family keeps.
| Control family | Runs at or above 171,775 | Median run | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Letter shuffle | 100/100 | 174,912 | 173,955 to 175,865 |
| Words within each verse | 47/100 | 171,755 | 170,482 to 172,706 |
Where the sequences start
| Torah | Found | Chance alone |
|---|---|---|
| Genesis | 3,001,239 | 3,428,552 |
| Exodus | 3,148,794 | 2,790,088 |
| Leviticus | 2,228,878 | 1,967,260 |
| Numbers | 2,590,736 | 2,790,703 |
| Deuteronomy | 2,508,024 | 2,411,480 |
| Tanakh | Found | Chance alone |
|---|---|---|
| Torah | 49,876,623 | 45,272,517 |
| Prophets | 79,857,564 | 82,241,237 |
| Writings | 47,316,801 | 50,255,984 |
Run this search yourself
Change the skips, set תמר beside another word, and run the controls on your own question.
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