Temple מקדש
The Tanakh has two words for it, one from the Torah and one that first appears at Shiloh. That means two searches, not one.
- Found in the Torah
- 48,061
- Chance alone: 46,333
- Skips 2 to 101,616
- Found in the Tanakh
- 702,188
- Chance alone: 705,741
- Skips 2 to 399,013
Create a free accountFree, and this search opens as soon as you are in.
The word מקדש comes from the root for holy and means a holy place. The Torah uses it for the Tabernacle as well: let them make Me a sanctuary, Exodus 25:8 says, long before there is any building in Jerusalem. The second word, היכל, is absent from the Torah altogether. It first stands in 1 Samuel 1:9, where Eli sits by the door of the temple of the Lord at Shiloh, and it serves for a king's house as readily as for God's: Ahab has a היכל in Samaria in 1 Kings 21:1, and JPS calls it a palace. The hall inside Solomon's house is called the היכל in 1 Kings 6:17. If you are looking for the Temple in the text, you have two searches to run. We show both below, and you should count them as two looks.
- As a whole word
- 23
- First, with any prefix
- Exodus 15:17
The measurement
In the Torah the two words run in opposite directions: מקדש stands 3.7 percent above the formula and היכל 8.2 percent below it. The formula assumes each letter is spread evenly through the text, and they are not. Neither figure is about the Temple.
| At every skip | Torah | Tanakh |
|---|---|---|
| Found | 48,061 | 702,188 |
| Chance alone | 46,333 | 705,741 |
| P (≥ found) | 7.6 × 10⁻¹⁶ | 1.00 |
| Shortest skip | 2 | 2 |
| Longest skip | 100,955 | 398,767 |
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 4,566 against 4,447 by chance. How these figures are made.
Other spellings
Each spelling is its own search. Every skip, both directions.
| Spelling | Torah | Tanakh |
|---|---|---|
| מקדש23 as a word | 48,061 chance 46,333 | 702,188 chance 705,741 |
| היכל26 as a word | 752,638 chance 819,705 | 14,156,506 chance 13,706,906 |
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, backward from Genesis 6:9
אֵ֚לֶּה תּוֹלְדֹ֣ת נֹ֔חַ נֹ֗חַ אִ֥ישׁ צַדִּ֛יק תָּמִ֥ים הָיָ֖ה בְּדֹֽרֹתָ֑יו אֶת־הָֽאֱ־לֹהִ֖ים הִֽתְהַלֶּךְ־נֹֽחַ׃
These are the generations of Noah. Noah was in his generations a man righteous and wholehearted; Noah walked with God.
Short skip 51, forward from Deuteronomy 22:24
וְהוֹצֵאתֶ֨ם אֶת־שְׁנֵיהֶ֜ם אֶל־שַׁ֣עַר הָעִ֣יר הַהִ֗וא וּסְקַלְתֶּ֨ם אֹתָ֥ם בָּאֲבָנִים֮ וָמֵתוּ֒ אֶת־הנערהַֽנַּעֲרָ֗ה עַל־דְּבַר֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר לֹא־צָעֲקָ֣ה בָעִ֔יר וְאֶ֨ת־הָאִ֔ישׁ עַל־דְּבַ֥ר אֲשֶׁר־עִנָּ֖ה …
then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of that city, and ye shall stone them with stones that they die: the damsel, because she cried not, being in the city; and the man, because he hath humbled his neighbour’s wife; so thou shalt put away the evil from the midst of thee.
וְֽאִם־בַּשָּׂדֶ֞ה יִמְצָ֣א הָאִ֗ישׁ אֶת־הנערהַֽנַּעֲרָה֙ הַמְאֹ֣רָשָׂ֔ה וְהֶחֱזִֽיק־בָּ֥הּ הָאִ֖ישׁ וְשָׁכַ֣ב עִמָּ֑הּ וּמֵ֗ת הָאִ֛ישׁ אֲשֶׁר־שָׁכַ֥ב עִמָּ֖הּ לְבַדּֽוֹ׃
But if the man find the damsel that is betrothed in the field, and the man take hold of her, and lie with her; then the man only that lay with her shall die.
Middle skip 502, backward from Numbers 7:73
קָרְבָּנ֞וֹ קַֽעֲרַת־כֶּ֣סֶף אַחַ֗ת שְׁלֹשִׁ֣ים וּמֵאָה֮ מִשְׁקָלָהּ֒ מִזְרָ֤ק אֶחָד֙ …
his offering was one silver dish, the weight thereof was a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver basin of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meal-offering;
… קַֽעֲרַת־כֶּ֣סֶף אַחַ֗ת שְׁלֹשִׁ֣ים וּמֵאָה֮ מִשְׁקָלָהּ֒ מִזְרָ֤ק אֶחָד֙ כֶּ֔סֶף שִׁבְעִ֥ים …
his offering was one silver dish, the weight thereof was a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver basin of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meal-offering;
… שְׁלֹשִׁ֣ים וּמֵאָה֮ מִשְׁקָלָהּ֒ מִזְרָ֤ק אֶחָד֙ כֶּ֔סֶף שִׁבְעִ֥ים שֶׁ֖קֶל בְּשֶׁ֣קֶל …
his offering was one silver dish, the weight thereof was a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver basin of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meal-offering;
… מִשְׁקָלָהּ֒ מִזְרָ֤ק אֶחָד֙ כֶּ֔סֶף שִׁבְעִ֥ים שֶׁ֖קֶל בְּשֶׁ֣קֶל הַקֹּ֑דֶשׁ שְׁנֵיהֶ֣ם …
his offering was one silver dish, the weight thereof was a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver basin of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meal-offering;
Wide skip 5,003, backward from Exodus 26:7
וְעָשִׂ֨יתָ֙ יְרִיעֹ֣ת עִזִּ֔ים לְאֹ֖הֶל עַל־הַמִּשְׁכָּ֑ן עַשְׁתֵּי־עֶשְׂרֵ֥ה יְרִיעֹ֖ת תַּעֲשֶׂ֥ה אֹתָֽם׃
And thou shalt make curtains of goats’ hair for a tent over the tabernacle; eleven curtains shalt thou make them.
אִם־עַנֵּ֥ה תְעַנֶּ֖ה אֹת֑וֹ כִּ֣י אִם־צָעֹ֤ק יִצְעַק֙ אֵלַ֔י שָׁמֹ֥עַ אֶשְׁמַ֖ע צַעֲקָתֽוֹ׃
If thou afflict them in any wise—for if they cry at all unto Me, I will surely hear their cry—
בַּחֹ֨דֶשׁ֙ הַשְּׁלִישִׁ֔י לְצֵ֥את בְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם בַּיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֔ה בָּ֖אוּ מִדְבַּ֥ר סִינָֽי׃
In the third month after the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai.
… בָא֩ ס֨וּס פַּרְעֹ֜ה בְּרִכְבּ֤וֹ וּבְפָרָשָׁיו֙ בַּיָּ֔ם וַיָּ֧שֶׁב יְקוָ֛ק עֲלֵהֶ֖ם …
For the horses of Pharaoh went in with his chariots and with his horsemen into the sea, and the LORD brought back the waters of the sea upon them; but the children of Israel walked on dry land in the midst of the sea.
Outside the Torah
Shortest skip 2, forward from Ezekiel 23:23
בְּנֵ֧י בָבֶ֣ל וְכָל־כַּשְׂדִּ֗ים פְּק֤וֹד וְשׁ֨וֹעַ֙ וְק֔וֹעַ כָּל־בְּנֵ֥י אַשּׁ֖וּר אוֹתָ֑ם …
the Babylonians and all the Chaldeans, Pekod and Shoa and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them, handsome young men, governors and rulers all of them, captains and councillors, all of them riding upon horses.
Middle skip 500, forward from 2 Samuel 8:7
וַיִּקַּ֣ח דָּוִ֗ד אֵ֚ת שִׁלְטֵ֣י הַזָּהָ֔ב אֲשֶׁ֣ר הָי֔וּ אֶ֖ל עַבְדֵ֣י הֲדַדְעָ֑זֶר וַיְבִיאֵ֖ם יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם׃
And David took the shields of gold that were on the servants of Hadadezer, and brought them to Jerusalem.
וְצָד֧וֹק בֶּן־אֲחִיט֛וּב וַאֲחִימֶ֥לֶךְ בֶּן־אֶבְיָתָ֖ר כֹּהֲנִ֑ים וּשְׂרָיָ֖ה סוֹפֵֽר׃
and Zadok the son of Ahitub, and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, were priests; and Seraiah was scribe;
… יְהוֹנָתָ֣ן אָבִ֔יךָ וַהֲשִׁבֹתִ֣י לְךָ֔ אֶֽת־כָּל־שְׂדֵ֖ה שָׁא֣וּל אָבִ֑יךָ וְאַתָּ֗ה תֹּ֥אכַל …
And David said unto him: ‘Fear not; for I will surely show thee kindness for Jonathan thy father’s sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually.’
… אֶעֱשֶׂה־חֶ֣סֶד עִם־חָנ֣וּן בֶּן־נָחָ֗שׁ כַּאֲשֶׁר֩ עָשָׂ֨ה אָבִ֤יו עִמָּדִי֙ חֶ֔סֶד וַיִּשְׁלַ֨ח …
And David said: ‘I will show kindness unto Hanun the son of Nahash, as his father showed kindness unto me.’ So David sent by the hand of his servants to comfort him concerning his father. And David’s servants came into the land of the children of Ammon.
By skip range, shuffled texts and book
| Skips, Torah | Found | Chance alone |
|---|---|---|
| 2 to 10 | 10 | 8.2 |
| 11 to 100 | 85 | 82.0 |
| 101 to 1,000 | 878 | 816 |
| 1,001 to 5,000 | 3,593 | 3,540 |
| 5,001 to 101,616 | 43,495 | 41,887 |
Shuffled Torahs
The Torah's own count at skips 2 to 1,000 is 973. Each family below rebuilt the text 100 times (seed 5787). What each family keeps.
| Control family | Runs at or above 973 | Median run | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Letter shuffle | 2/100 | 905 | 829 to 978 |
| Words within each verse | 35/100 | 961 | 864 to 1,025 |
Where the sequences start
| Torah | Found | Chance alone |
|---|---|---|
| Genesis | 11,590 | 11,866 |
| Exodus | 10,799 | 9,656 |
| Leviticus | 7,277 | 6,808 |
| Numbers | 11,349 | 9,658 |
| Deuteronomy | 7,046 | 8,346 |
| Tanakh | Found | Chance alone |
|---|---|---|
| Torah | 166,010 | 179,731 |
| Prophets | 318,963 | 326,496 |
| Writings | 217,215 | 199,515 |
Run this search yourself
Change the skips, set מקדש beside another word, and run the controls on your own question.
Create a free accountFree, and this search opens as soon as you are in.