The Design of Scripture

The Number Two - Division

I hope that I have established the background and use of the number one and it's meaning of unity. While 'one' denotes 'how many' and defines the base nature of ’Elohiym, the number two takes on a significant difference. Two implies that there is 'another'. Sometimes this is good, but most of the time it is evil and divisive. The number two is the first number by which division begins to take place, and is the first whole number that can be divided. (We are not going to work with fractions here.) Thus, the idea of division will generally be attached to this number.

Division is the result of sin, disobedience, and rebellion. In the beginning YHVH created two things, the heaven and the earth. Rabbinic literature and the Hebrew thinking process have generally agreed that YHVH has planned from the beginning to make heaven and earth one, and in agreement. This truth becomes evident in many places, not the least of which is in Mattityahu 6:10:

"Thy kingdom come, thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven."

The fall of hasatan, described through the person of the king of Babylon in Yesha'yahu 14, caused a separation by bringing 'another' will into the universe. The result of sin is always chaos and confusion, and such was the condition of the earth in B'reshith 1:2. Yes, I believe and teach that there was a gap between the first and second verses of chapter one. I only see the fall of hasatan here and not pre-adamic races, dinosaurs, or death. I go into great detail on this subject in my B'reshith study available in the market place. (How was that for shameful promotion?) Anyway, YHVH restores His once perfect creation. This is why you see no creating going on again until the nephesh of the beasts of the field and the sea monsters in verse 21. As a result of hasatan's disobedience that introduced the source of sin and rebellion, God must divide the light from the darkness, evening from morning, land from seas, etc. The number two enters the stage. Later we will see the same serpent cause the separation of man from God. But God has a plan. God's desire from the beginning is unity and oneness, with His creation and with His people (Yochanan 17). This is why, in eternity, once again God will be 'all in all'. Do not ask me what that means.

I do not think I can over emphasize the importance of two becoming one. The bottom line is that 'life' cannot happen unless two things become one. The seed of the man has only 23 chromosomes. The egg of the woman has only 23 chromosomes. It takes 46 chromosomes for life. Two must become one, even in a petrie dish. The Word of God must become one with our faith in order for spiritual life to begin. If the Word of God is separate from God, then there there is no echad and life cannot spring into existence. But Yochanan tells us that the Word of God IS God, and this is the source of all that is.

Those who study numbers, myself being one, generally agree that the number two speaks of division and separation. However, it can also be shown that this number is the number of witness or testimony, as well. But this relationship only proves our base meaning of division. The scriptures teach that a person is convicted of a crime on the basis of the testimony of 2 or 3 witnesses. When Messiah sent out his disciples, he sent them out two by two. But you see, this use really speaks of one and not two. If I have two witnesses that do not agree, then there is division and no conviction or confirmation can take place. However, if the two witnesses agree, then there is unity and oneness and not division and duplicity. This is important to grasp, for if God and Yahshua are not one in agreement in what they teach and proclaim, then their testimony cannot be true. In other words, if YHVH teaches us one thing and Messiah another, then there is no witness and truth cannot be established. You will see this pattern all throughout scripture, for our Creator knows that only when there is echad can truth prevail. If YHVH speaks His truth to us, but we do not agree with it, then truth cannot prevail in our lives. It is only when two agree that God's word can do what it was sent to do ('Amos 3:3). This is also why it is so important that two people who plan to marry are in agreement on the important issue of their faith. For only then can they truly become one, and only then has God put the relationship together. The very first thing God did when separating man from woman, physically, was to make them one again (B'reshith 2:24). Are two heads better than one? Only if they agree.

Before we plunge too deep into this subject, let's stop and talk about the meaning of the word for the cardinal number two. In the Hebrew, this word is shenayim. This word has very provocative roots that give us the foundation for it's divisiveness. Shenayim has what is know as a 'dual' ending and not a 'plural' ending. The plural in Hebrew for most words is 'iym'. You see this in the word ’Elohiym for example. But the word for two ends in a 'yim'. This indicates a dualness to the word. So, already you can see that the suffix of the word helps to explain the idea of division. The Hebrew dual is used for such words as ears, eyes, hands, wings, etc, things that naturally come in twos. There are a handful of words that have a dual ending that cannot be grammatically explained. They just are. These words are a wonderful study themselves, because theologically they speak volumes. Some of these words are mayim (water), shamayim (heaven), Yerushalayim (Jerusalem), and Mitzerayim (Egypt).

The number 'shenayim' come from the Hebrew root shanah. This word should look familiar, for this word is seen most often in the phrase 'Rosh HaShanah' or the head of the year. The word 'year' and the number two share the same root and have the same etymological base in their meaning. The word shanah means to 'repeat' or 'another one'. This is in harmony with function of the dual ending. Considering it's scriptural meaning of division, which I have yet to prove to you, it is no coincidence that another cognate of this word is shana', which means to weaken. This should be obvious in the word 'division'. As a matter of fact, one of the most oft quoted attributes of God challenges the whole concept of 'another' using the word shana'.

Mal'akhi 3:6
"For I am YHVH, I change (shana') NOT; therefore ye sons of Ya‘aqov are not consumed."

There is no 'other' in His way of thinking, and after all He sees, from the beginning the end. When one 'changes' the truth, this leads to 'another' way. Two is simply not God's way, and not His plan from the beginning. And quite frankly, the idea of God taking upon flesh and teaching man another way is repulsive at best.

Let us look at some evidence of separation and division in the number two. Keep in mind that this is by no means comprehensive, but I hope to establish some distinctive characteristics of this number.

  • 2nd verse of scripture - a 2nd will enters the universe.
  • 2nd command of the 1st day - God divides light from darkness.
  • 2nd day - separation of waters
  • 2 trees in the garden: B'reshith 2:9
  • 2 seeds: B'reshith 3:15
  • 2 foundations: Mattityahu 7:24-27
  • 2 goats of Vayikra 16
  • 2 birds of Vayikra 14
  • 2 masters of Mattityahu 6:24
  • 2 men of Luke 18
  • 2 kingdoms - heaven, earth
  • 2 ways of Mattityahu 7:13-15
  • he that hath - he that hath not: 1 Yochanan 5:12
  • heaven - hell: Luke 16
  • believer - perish: Yochanan 3:16
  • faith - works: Ephesians 2:8-9 (Blessing flows only when these two are one)
  • 2 adams: 1 Corinthians 15:46
  • 2 sons: of Galatians 4:22
  • freewoman and bondwoman: of Galatians 4:22
  • natural - spiritual: 1 Corinthians 15:46
  • celestial and terrestrial: 1 Corinthians 15:40
  • flesh - spirit: Yochanan 3:6
  • Avraham and Lot
  • Yitz'chak and Ishmael
  • Ya‘aqov and Esav
  • Cain and Abel
  • Saul and David
  • YHVH (Messiah) and hasatan
  • Angels and demons
  • Double-minded man: Ya‘aqov 1:8
  • Blessing and curse: D'varim 11:16-18
  • Old man and renewed man and I could go on and on.

For those who have not given much thought to the use of numbers in scripture, this may make you more sensitive when reading the scriptures next time. There are some things in scripture however, that cannot be one and God makes a distinction between them. Never the twain shall meet, so to speak. This is because blessing only flows through echad, and there are some things that will not and cannot be one. The two trees in the garden will never be one as it is with the two seeds. Righteous and unrighteous, holy and unholy, clean and unclean, the truth and a lie will never be one.

The number two is the gematria of the letter 'bet', which means house. A house divided cannot stand (Mattityahu 12:25). As long as the house of Israel and the house of Yehudah are divided, there will be no blessing and ultimately truth will not prevail and the kingdom will not be established. Before this could happen however, there was this little problem of man and God. As long as man and God are separated, truth and blessing cannot flow. God and man must be one in order for that to happen. Israel and Judah will be reunited through the Messiah having the middle wall of partition removed, SIN. There are many Hebrew words that have their consonantal base as 'bet'. You can see in these words the idea of division associated with their meaning in scripture. Here are just a few of those words and their meanings.

  • badal - to separate, to divide: B'reshith 1:14
  • bachor - to choose
  • briyt - covenant (as it is with baruch or blessing - this word requires two parties.
  • beyn - betwixt, between: B'reshith 1:4
  • beliyya'al - Belial: wicked, ungodly
  • ben - son: the result of two becoming one
  • bat - daughter: the result of two becoming one
  • baqa' - to divide: Mizmor 78:13
  • bara' - create: generally in two's
  • betulah - damsel, virgin: i.e. to separate
  • baruch - blessing: - it takes two, baby!

Shalom Alecheim!