View source for Gematria

{{Short description|Numerological practice of reading a word or phrase as a number}}
{{missing information|reason='''how the resulting numbers are interpreted'''|date=September 2023}}

[[File:Faulmann 1880.jpg|alt=An image showing corresponding Phoenician letters and numbers|thumb|Table of correspondences from Carl Faulmann's {{lang|de|Das Buch der Schrift}} (1880), showing glyph variants for Phoenician letters and numbers]]

In [[numerology]], '''gematria''' ({{IPAc-en|g|ə|ˈ|m|eɪ|t|r|i|ə}}; {{langx|he|גמטריא}} or {{langx|he|גימטריה|gimatria|label=none}}, plural {{lang|he|גמטראות}} or {{langx|he|גימטריות|gimatriot|label=none}})<ref name=JE/> is the practice of assigning a numerical value to a name, word or phrase by reading it as a [[Hebrew numerals|number]], or sometimes by using an alphanumerical [[cipher]]. The letters of the [[alphabet]]s involved have standard numerical values, but a word can yield several values if a cipher is used.

According to [[Aristotle]] (384–322 BCE), [[isopsephy]], based on the [[Milesian number]]ing of the Greek alphabet developed in the Greek city of [[Miletus]], was part of the [[Pythagoreanism|Pythagorean tradition]], which originated in the 6th century BCE.<ref name=Acevedo/> The first evidence of use of [[Hebrew letters]] as numbers dates to 78 BCE; gematria is still used in [[Jewish culture]]. Similar systems have been used in other languages and cultures, derived from or inspired by either Greek isopsephy or Hebrew gematria, and include Arabic [[abjad numerals]] and [[English gematria]].

The most common form of Hebrew gematria is used in the [[Talmud]] and [[Midrash]],<ref>[[Genesis Rabba]]h 95:3. Land of Israel, 5th Century. Reprinted in, e.g., ''Midrash Rabbah: Genesis''. Translated by [[Harry Freedman (rabbi)|H. Freedman]] and Maurice Simon. ''Volume II'', London: The Soncino Press, 1983. {{ISBN|0-900689-38-2}}.
</ref><ref>[[Deuteronomy Rabbah]] 1:25. Land of Israel, 5th Century. Reprinted in, e.g., ''Midrash Rabbah: Leviticus''. Translated by H. Freedman and Maurice Simon. ''Volume VII'', London: The Soncino Press, 1983. {{ISBN|0-900689-38-2}}.</ref> and elaborately by many post-Talmudic [[Rabbinic literature|commentator]]s. It involves reading words and sentences as numbers and assigning numerical instead of phonetic values to each letter of the Hebrew alphabet. When read as numbers, they can be compared and contrasted with other words or phrases&nbsp;– cf. the Hebrew proverb {{lang|he|נכנס&nbsp;יין&nbsp;יצא&nbsp;סוד}} ({{transliteration|he|nichnas&nbsp;yayin&nbsp;yatza&nbsp;sod}}, {{lit|wine entered, secret went out}}, i.e. {{lang|la|"in vino veritas"}}). The gematric value of {{lang|he|יין}} ('wine') is 70 ({{lang|he|י}}=10; {{lang|he|י}}=10; {{lang|he|ן}}=50) and this is also the gematric value of {{lang|he|סוד}} ('secret', {{lang|he|ס}}=60; {{lang|he|ו}}=6; {{lang|he|ד}}=4)&lrm;.<ref>Babylonian Talmud, [[Sanhedrin (tractate)|tractate Sanhedrin]] 38a, see of [[Ghil'ad Zuckermann|Zuckermann, Ghil'ad]] (2006), "'[[False etymology|Etymythological]] [[Othering]]' and the Power of 'Lexical Engineering' in Judaism, Islam and Christianity. A Socio-Philo(sopho)logical Perspective", ''Explorations in the Sociology of Language and Religion'', edited by [[Tope Omoniyi]] and [[Joshua A. Fishman]], Amsterdam: John Benjamins, pp. 237–258.</ref>

Gematria sums can involve single words, or a string of lengthy calculations. A short example of Hebrew numerology that uses gematria is the word {{langx|he|חי|[[Chai (symbol)|chai]]|alive|label=none}}, which is composed of two letters that (using the assignments in the {{transliteration|he|mispar gadol}} table shown below) add up to 18. This has made 18 a "[[Luck#Numerology|lucky number]]" among Jews. In early Jewish sources, the term can also refer to other forms of calculation or letter manipulation, for example [[atbash]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.sefaria.org.il/Sanhedrin.22a.8?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en |title=Sanhedrin 22a |access-date=2019-05-09 |archive-date=2022-10-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221031011252/https://www.sefaria.org/Sanhedrin.22a.8?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Etymology==
Classical scholars agree that the Hebrew word ''gematria'' was derived from the [[Greek language|Greek]] word γεωμετρία ''geōmetriā'', "[[geometry]]",<ref name=Klein>{{cite book |last=Klein |first=R. C. |year=2014 |title=Lashon Hakodesh: History, Holiness, & Hebrew: a Linguistic Journey from Eden to Israel |publisher=Mosaica Press |page=158 |isbn=978-1-937887-36-0}}</ref> though some scholars believe it to derive from Greek γραμματεια ''grammateia'' "knowledge of [[writing]]".{{citation needed|date=June 2023}} It is likely that both Greek words had an influence on the formation of the Hebrew word.<ref>{{OED|gematria}} ''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]''</ref><ref name=JE /> Some hold it to derive from the order of the [[Greek alphabet]], gamma being the third letter of the Greek alphabet ("gamma tria").<ref name=Klein/>

The word has been extant in English since at least the 17th century from translations of works by [[Giovanni Pico della Mirandola]]. It is largely used in Jewish texts, notably in those associated with the [[Kabbalah]]. Neither the concept nor the term appears in the [[Hebrew Bible]] itself.<ref name=JE />

==History==
{{further|Numbers in Egyptian mythology|Biblical numerology}}
The first documented use of gematria is from an Assyrian inscription dating to the 8th century BCE, commissioned by [[Sargon II]]. In this inscription, Sargon II states: "the king built the wall of Khorsabad 16,283 cubits long to correspond with the numerical value of his name."<ref>Daniel Luckenbill, ''Ancient Records of Assyria and Babylonia'', vol. 2, University of Chicago Press, 1927, pp. 43, 65.</ref>

The practice of using alphabetic letters to represent numbers developed in the Greek city of [[Miletus]], and is thus known as the Milesian system.<ref name=Halsey>{{cite encyclopedia |editor-last=Halsey |editor-first=W. |year=1967 |title=Numerals and systems of numeration |encyclopedia=Collier's Encyclopedia}}</ref> Early examples include vase graffiti dating to the 6th century BCE.<ref>{{cite book |last=Jeffrey |first=L. |title=The Local Scripts of Archaic Greece |place=Oxford |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1961}}</ref> Aristotle wrote that the [[Pythagoreanism|Pythgoraean tradition]], founded in the 6th century BCE by [[Pythagoras of Samos]], practiced [[isopsephy]],<ref name=Acevedo>{{cite book |last=Acevedo |first=J. |year=2020 |title=Alphanumeric Cosmology from Greek Into Arabic: The Idea of Stoicheia Through the Medieval Mediterranean |place=Germany |publisher=Mohr Siebeck |page=50 |isbn=978-3-16-159245-4}}</ref> the Greek predecessor of gematria. Pythagoras was a contemporary of the philosophers [[Anaximander]], [[Anaximenes of Miletus|Anaximenes]], and the historian [[Hecataeus of Miletus|Hecataeus]], all of whom lived in Miletus, across the sea from [[Samos]].<ref>{{citation|last=Riedweg|first=Christoph|date=2005|orig-date=2002|title=Pythagoras: His Life, Teachings, and Influence|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=A8ixyQJA7_MC&q=Pythagoras|location=Ithaca, New York|publisher=Cornell University Press|isbn=978-0-8014-7452-1}}</ref> The Milesian system was in common use by the reign of [[Alexander the Great]] (336–323 BCE) and was adopted by other cultures during the subsequent [[Hellenistic period]].<ref name=Halsey/> It was officially adopted in Egypt during the reign of [[Ptolemy II Philadelphus]] (284–246 BCE).<ref name=Halsey/>

In early biblical texts, numbers were written out in full using Hebrew [[number word]]s. The first evidence of the use of Hebrew letters as numerals appears during the late Hellenistic period, in 78 BCE.<ref>{{cite book |last=Rosenstock |first=B. |year=2017 |title=Transfinite Life: Oskar Goldberg and the Vitalist Imagination |publisher=Indiana University Press |page=61 |isbn=978-0-253-02997-3}}</ref> Scholars have identified gematria in the [[Hebrew Bible]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.academia.edu/24144116  |title=The Original Version of the Priestly Creation Account and the Religious Significance of the Number Eight in the Bible |last =Knohl|first=Israel|access-date=September 18, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Knohl  |first=Israel|date=2012|title=Sacred Architecture: The Numerical Dimensions of Biblical Poems |journal=Vetus Testamentum |volume=62|issue=#2|pages=189–19 7|doi=10.1163/156853312x629199|issn=0042-4935}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Hurowitz |first= Victor|date=2012|title=Proverbs: Introduction and Commentary  |journal=Miqra LeYisrael|volume=1-2}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |first=Stephen |last=Lieberman |title=A Mesopotamian Background for the So-Called Aggadic 'Measures' of Biblical Hermeneutics? |journal=Hebrew Union College Annual |year=1987 |pages=157–225}}</ref> the canon of which was fixed during the [[Hasmonean dynasty]] (c. 140 BCE to 37 BCE),<ref name=Davies66>{{cite book |last=Davies |first=Philip R. |editor1-last=McDonald |editor1-first=Lee Martin |editor2-last=Sanders |editor2-first=James A. |chapter=The Jewish Scriptural Canon in Cultural Perspective |title=The Canon Debate |publisher=Baker Academic |year=2001 |isbn=978-1-4412-4163-4 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kxW-AgAAQBAJ&pg=PT66 |page=PT66 |quote=With many other scholars, I conclude that the fixing of a canonical list was almost certainly the achievement of the Hasmonean dynasty. }}</ref> though some scholars argue it was not fixed until the second century CE or even later.<ref name=Neusner>McDonald & Sanders, ''The Canon Debate'', 2002, p. 5, cited are Neusner's ''Judaism and Christianity in the Age of Constantine'', pp. 128–145, and ''Midrash in Context: Exegesis in Formative Judaism'', pp. 1–22.</ref> The Hasmonean king of Judea, [[Alexander Jannaeus]] (died 76 BCE) had coins inscribed in Aramaic with the [[Phoenician alphabet]], marking the 20th and 25th years of his reign using the letters K and KE ({{lang|he|rtl=yes|למלכא אלכסנדרוס שנת כ}} and {{lang|he|rtl=yes|למלכא אלכסנדרוס שנת כה}}).<ref>{{cite book | last=Rosenstock | first=B. | title=Transfinite Life: Oskar Goldberg and the Vitalist Imagination | publisher=Indiana University Press | series=New Jewish Philosophy and Thought | year=2017 | isbn=978-0-253-03016-0 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XC48DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA60 | access-date=2024-08-16 | page=60}}</ref>

Some old [[Mishna|Mishnaic texts]] may preserve very early usage of this number system, but no surviving written documents exist, and some scholars believe these texts were passed down orally and during the early stages before the [[Bar Kokhba revolt|Bar Kochba rebellion]] were never written.<ref>[https://www.academia.edu/44771101/The_Invention_of_the_Ban_against_Writing_Oral_Torah_in_the_Babylonian_Talmud_forthcoming_in_AJS_Review The invention of the ban against writing oral Torah] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220113093043/https://www.academia.edu/44771101/The_Invention_of_the_Ban_against_Writing_Oral_Torah_in_the_Babylonian_Talmud_forthcoming_in_AJS_Review |date=2022-01-13 }}, Yair Furstenberg, AJS Review, submitted 2022</ref> Gematria is not known to be found in the Dead Sea scrolls, a vast body of texts from 100 BCE{{Snd}}100 CE, or in any of the documents found from the Bar-Kochba revolt circa 150 CE.

According to [[Proclus]] in his commentary on the ''[[Timaeus (dialogue)|Timaeus]]'' of [[Plato]] written in the 5th century, the author [[Theodorus of Asine|Theodorus Asaeus]] from a century earlier interpreted the word "soul" (ψυχή) based on gematria and an inspection of the graphical aspects of the letters that make up the word. According to Proclus, Theodorus learned these methods from the writings of [[Numenius of Apamea]] and [[Amelius]]. Proclus rejects these methods by appealing to the arguments against them put forth by the Neoplatonic philosopher [[Iamblichus]]. The first argument was that some letters have the same numerical value but opposite meaning. His second argument was that the form of letters changes over the years, and so their graphical qualities cannot hold any deeper meaning. Finally, he puts forth the third argument that when one uses all sorts of methods as addition, subtraction, division, multiplication, and even ratios, the infinite ways in which these can be combined allow virtually any number to be produced to suit any purpose.<ref>Tzahi Weiss, Sefer Yeṣirah and its Contexts, Pennsylvania 2018, 26–28.</ref>

Some scholars propose that at least two cases of gematria appear in the New Testament. According to one theory, the reference to the miraculous "catch of 153 fish" in John 21:11 is an application of gematria derived from the name of the spring called 'EGLaIM in Ezekiel 47:10.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ezekiel 47 / Hebrew – English Bible / Mechon-Mamre |url=https://mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt1247.htm |access-date=2022-08-22 |website=mechon-mamre.org}}</ref><ref>Richard Bauckham, "The 153 Fish and the Unity of the Fourth Gospel", Neotestamentica 2002.</ref><ref>Mark Kiley, "Three More Fish Stories (John 21:11)", Journal of Biblical Literature 2008</ref> The appearance of this gematria in John 21:11 has been connected to one of the [[Dead Sea Scrolls]], namely 4Q252, which also applies the same gematria of 153 derived from Ezekiel 47 to state that Noah arrived at Mount Ararat on the 153rd day after the beginning of the flood.<ref>George Brooke. The Dead Sea Scrolls and the New Testament. Fortress Press 2005, pp286-97</ref> Some historians see gematria behind the reference to the [[number of the beast|number of the name of the Beast]] in [[Revelation]] as 666, which corresponds to the numerical value of the Hebrew transliteration of the Greek name "Neron Kaisar", referring to the 1st century Roman emperor who persecuted the early Christians.<ref>Craig Koester, ''Revelation: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary'', Yale University Press, 2014, pg. 598</ref> Another possible influence on the use of 666 in Revelation goes back to reference to Solomon's intake of 666 talents of gold in 1 Kings 10:14.<ref>Bodner & Strawn, "Solomon and 666 (Revelation 13.18)", New Testament Studies (2020), pp. 299–312.</ref>

Gematria makes several appearances in various Christian and Jewish texts written in the first centuries of the common era. One appearance of gematria in the early Christian period is in the [[Epistle of Barnabas]] 9:6–7, which dates to sometime between 70 and 132 CE. There, the 318 servants of [[Abraham]] in [[Book of Genesis|Genesis]] 14:14 is used to indicate that Abraham looked forward to the coming of Jesus as the numerical value of some of the letters in the Greek name for Jesus and the 't' representing a symbol for the cross also equaled 318. Another example is a Christian interpolation in the [[Sibylline Oracles]], where the symbolic significance of the value of [[888 (number)|888]] (equal to the numerical value of ''Iesous'', the Latinized rendering of the Greek version of Jesus' name) is asserted.<ref name="rus">This and several other examples of the appearance of gematria are given in D.S. Russell. "Countdown: Arithmetic and Anagram in Early Biblical Interpretation". Expository Times 1993.</ref> Irenaeus also heavily criticized the interpretation of letters by the Gnostic [[Marcus (Marcosian)|Marcus]]. Because of their association with Gnosticism and the criticisms of Irenaeus and [[Hippolytus of Rome]] and [[Epiphanius of Salamis]], this form of interpretation never became popular in Christianity<ref>Tzahi Weiss, Sefer Yeṣirah and its Contexts, Pennsylvania 2018, 21–26, 28.</ref>—though it does appear in at least some texts.<ref>Tzahi Weiss, Sefer Yeṣirah and its Contexts, Pennsylvania 2018, 28–29.</ref> Another two examples can be found in [[3 Baruch]], a text that may have either been composed by a Jew or a Christian sometime between the 1st and 3rd centuries. In the first example, a snake is stated to consume a cubit of ocean every day, but is unable to ever finish consuming it, because the oceans are also refilled by 360 rivers. The number 360 is given because the numerical value of the Greek word for snake, ''δράκων'', when transliterated to Hebrew ({{Lang|he|דרקון}}) is 360. In a second example, the number of giants stated to have died during the Deluge is 409,000. The Greek word for 'deluge', ''κατακλυσμός'', has a numerical value of 409 when transliterated in Hebrew characters, thus leading the author of 3 Baruch to use it for the number of perished giants.<ref>Gideon Bohak. Greek-Hebrew Gematria in 3 Baruch and in Revelation. Journal for the Study of the Pseudepigrapha 1990.</ref>

Gematria is often used in [[Rabbinic literature]]. One example is that the numerical value of  "''The Satan"'' ({{Lang|he|השטן}}) in Hebrew is 364, and so it was said that the Satan had authority to prosecute Israel for 364 days before his reign ended on the [[Day of Atonement]], an idea which appears in Yoma 20a and Peskita 7a.<ref name="rus" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=trugman |date=2013-05-05 |title=Small Vessels |url=https://thetrugmans.com/small-vessels/ |access-date=2022-08-22 |website=Ohr Chadash |language=en-US}}</ref> Yoma 20a states: "Rami bar Ḥama said: The numerological value of the letters that constitute the word HaSatan is three hundred and sixty four: Heh has a value of five, sin has a value of three hundred, tet has a value of nine, and nun has a value of fifty. Three hundred and sixty-four days of the solar year, which is three hundred and sixty-five days long, Satan has license to prosecute."<ref>The given text of Yoma 20a is from the William Davidson translation.</ref> Genesis 14:14 states that Abraham took 318 of his servants to help him rescue some of his kinsmen, which was taken in Peskita 70b to be a reference to Eleazar, whose name has a numerical value of 318.

The total value of the letters of the Islamic [[Basmala]], i.e. the phrase ''Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim'' ("In the name of [[God in Islam|God]], [[Rahman (Islamic term)|the Most Gracious]], [[Rahim|the Most Merciful]]"), according to the standard  [[Abjadi order|Abjadi]] system of [[Isopsephy|numerology]], is [[786 (number)|786]].<ref name="ox">Shah & Haleem (eds.), ''The Oxford Handbook of Qur'anic Studies'', Oxford University Press, 2020, pp581, 587–88</ref> This number has therefore acquired a significance in [[folk Islam]] and [[Witchcraft in the Middle East|Near Eastern folk magic]] and also appears in many instances of pop-culture, such as its appearance in the 2006 song '786 All is War' by the band [[Fun-Da-Mental]].<ref name="ox" /> A recommendation of reciting the basmala 786 times in sequence is recorded in [[Al-Buni]]. Sündermann (2006) reports that a contemporary "[[Faith healing|spiritual healer]]" from Syria recommends the recitation of the basmala 786 times over a cup of water, which is then to be ingested as medicine.<ref>Katja Sündermann, ''Spirituelle Heiler im modernen Syrien: Berufsbild und Selbstverständnis – Wissen und Praxis'', Hans Schiler, 2006, [https://books.google.com/books?id=qNE3N6vbBPsC&pg=PA371  p. 371] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221031011250/https://books.google.ch/books?id=qNE3N6vbBPsC&pg=PA371&lpg=PA371 |date=2022-10-31 }}.</ref> The use of gematria is still pervasive in many parts of Asia and Africa.<ref>Kravel-Tovi & D. Moore, ''Taking Stock: Cultures of Enumeration in Contemporary Jewish Life, The Modern Jewish Experience'' (Indiana University Press, 2016), 32, 71; Holt, ''Culture and Politics in Indonesia'' (Equinox Publishing, 2007), 81; Leslie & Young, ''Paths to Asian Medical Knowledge, Comparative Studies of Health Systems and Medical Care'' (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1992), 261.</ref>

==Methods of Hebrew gematria==
===Standard encoding===
In standard gematria (''mispar hechrechi''), each letter is given a numerical value between 1 and 400, as shown in the following table. In  ''mispar gadol'', the five final letters are given their own values, ranging from 500 to 900. It is possible that this well-known cipher was used to conceal other more hidden ciphers in Jewish texts. For instance, a scribe may discuss a sum using the 'standard gematria' cipher, but may intend the sum to be checked with a different secret cipher.{{citation needed|date=June 2023}}

{|
|style="vertical-align:top;"|
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! Decimal
! style="width:6.5em;" | Hebrew
! Glyph
|-
! [[1 (number)|1]]
| ''[[Aleph]]''
| <big>{{lang|he|א}}</big>
|-
! [[2 (number)|2]]
| ''[[Bet (letter)|Bet]]''
| <big>{{lang|he|ב}}</big>
|-
! [[3 (number)|3]]
| ''[[Gimel]]''
| <big>{{lang|he|ג}}</big>
|-
! [[4 (number)|4]]
| ''[[Dalet]]''
| <big>{{lang|he|ד}}</big>
|-
! [[5 (number)|5]]
| ''[[He (letter)|He]]''
| <big>{{lang|he|ה}}</big>
|-
! [[6 (number)|6]]
| ''[[Vav (letter)|Vav]]''
| <big>{{lang|he|ו}}</big>
|-
! [[7 (number)|7]]
| ''[[Zayin]]''
| <big>{{lang|he|ז}}</big>
|-
! [[8 (number)|8]]
| ''[[Het (letter)|Het]]''
| <big>{{lang|he|ח}}</big>
|-
! [[9 (number)|9]]
| ''[[Tet (letter)|Tet]]''
| <big>{{lang|he|ט}}</big>
|}
|style="vertical-align:top;"|
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! Decimal
! style="width:6.5em;" | Hebrew
! Glyph
|-
! [[10 (number)|10]]
| ''[[Yod (letter)|Yod]]''
| <big>{{lang|he|י}}</big>
|-
! [[20 (number)|20]]
| ''[[Kaph (letter)|Kaf]]''
| <big>{{lang|he|כ}}</big>
|-
! [[30 (number)|30]]
| ''[[Lamed]]''
| <big>{{lang|he|ל}}</big>
|-
! [[40 (number)|40]]
| ''[[Mem]]''
| <big>{{lang|he|מ}}</big>
|-
! [[50 (number)|50]]
| ''[[Nun (letter)|Nun]]''
| <big>{{lang|he|נ}}</big>
|-
! [[60 (number)|60]]
| ''[[Samekh]]''
| <big>{{lang|he|ס}}</big>
|-
! [[70 (number)|70]]
| ''[[Ayin]]''
| <big>{{lang|he|ע}}</big>
|-
! [[80 (number)|80]]
| ''[[Pe (Semitic letter)|Pe]]''
| <big>{{lang|he|פ}}</big>
|-
! [[90 (number)|90]]
| ''[[Tsadi]]''
| <big>{{lang|he|צ}}</big>
|}
|style="vertical-align:top;"|
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! Decimal
! style="width:6.5em;" | Hebrew
! Glyph
|-
! [[100 (number)|100]]
| ''[[Qoph|Kof]]''
| <big>{{lang|he|ק}}</big>
|-
! [[200 (number)|200]]
| ''[[Resh]]''
| <big>{{lang|he|ר}}</big>
|-
! [[300 (number)|300]]
| ''[[Shin (letter)|Shin]]''
| <big>{{lang|he|ש}}</big>
|-
! [[400 (number)|400]]
| ''[[Tav (letter)|Tav]]''
| <big>{{lang|he|ת}}</big>
|-
! [[500 (number)|500]]
| ''[[Kaph (letter)|Kaf]] (final)''
| <big>{{lang|he|ך}}</big>
|-
! [[600 (number)|600]]
| ''[[Mem]] (final)''
| <big>{{lang|he|ם}}</big>
|-
! [[700 (number)|700]]
| ''[[Nun (letter)|Nun]] (final)''
| <big>{{lang|he|ן}}</big>
|-
! [[800 (number)|800]]
| ''[[Pe (Semitic letter)|Pe]] (final)''
| <big>{{lang|he|ף}}</big>
|-
! [[900 (number)|900]]
| ''[[Tsadi]] (final)''
| <big>{{lang|he|ץ}}</big>
|}
|}

A mathematical formula for finding a letter's corresponding number in ''mispar gadol'' is:{{citation needed|date=June 2023}}

:<math>f(x) = 10^{\left \lfloor \frac{x-1}{9} \right \rfloor} \times ((x-1 \mod 9) + 1),</math>

where ''x'' is the position of the letter in the language letters index (regular order of letters), and the [[Floor and ceiling functions|floor]] and [[Modulo operation|modulo]] functions are used.

===Vowels===
The value of the [[Niqqud|Hebrew vowels]] is not usually counted, but some lesser-known methods include the vowels as well. The most common vowel values are as follows (a less common alternative value, based on the [[digit sum]], is given in parentheses):

{|
|style="vertical-align:top;"|
{|class="wikitable" style="vertical-align:middle; text-align:center;"
|-
! Decimal !!style="width:9.0em;"| Vowel !! Glyph
|-
! 6
| <br/>''[[Patach]]''<br/><br/>
|style="font-size:350%;vertical-align:top;"| {{lang|he| ַ }} </tr>
|-
!rowspan="3"| 10 (1)
| <br/>''[[Hiriq]]''<br/><br/> ||style="font-size:350%;vertical-align:top;"| {{lang|he| &nbsp;ִ }} </tr>
| <br/>''[[Holam]]''<br/><br/> ||style="font-size:350%;vertical-align:top;"| {{lang|he| &nbsp;ֹ}} </tr>
| <br/>''[[Shuruk]]''<br/><br/> ||style="font-size:350%;vertical-align:middle;"| {{lang|he| &nbsp;וּ }} </tr>
|}
|style="vertical-align:top;"|
{|class="wikitable" style="vertical-align:middle; text-align:center;"
|-
! Decimal !!style="width:9.0em;"| Vowel !! Glyph
|-
! 16 (7)
| <br/>''[[Kamatz]]''<br/><br/>
|style="font-size:350%;vertical-align:top;"| {{lang|he| ָ }} </tr>
|-
!rowspan="2"| 20 (2)
| <br/>''[[Zeire]]''<br/><br/> ||style="font-size:350%;vertical-align:top;"| {{lang|he| ֵ }} </tr>
| <br/>''[[Sh'va]]''<br/><br/> ||style="font-size:350%;vertical-align:top;"| {{lang|he| ְ }} </tr>
|-
! 26 (8)
| <br/>''[[Reduced patach]]''<br/><br/>
|style="font-size:350%;vertical-align:top;"| {{lang|he| ֲ }} </tr>
|}
|style="vertical-align:top;"|
{|class="wikitable" style="vertical-align:middle; text-align:center;"
|-
! Decimal !!style="width:9.0em;"| Vowel !! Glyph
|-
!rowspan="2"| 30 (3)
| <br/>''[[Segol]]''<br/><br/> ||style="font-size:350%;vertical-align:top;"| {{lang|he| ֶ }} </tr>
| <br/>''[[Kubutz]]''<br/><br/> ||style="font-size:350%;vertical-align:top;"| {{lang|he| ֻ }} </tr>
|-
! 36 (9)
| <br/>''[[Reduced kamatz]]''<br/><br/>
|style="font-size:350%;vertical-align:top;"| {{lang|he| ֳ }} </tr>
|-
! 50 (5)
| <br/>''[[Reduced segol]]''<br/><br/>
|style="font-size:350%;vertical-align:top;"| {{lang|he| ֱ }} </tr>
|}
|}

Sometimes, the names of the vowels are spelled out and their gematria is calculated using standard methods.<ref name="Sefer ha-Malchut" />

===Other methods===
There are many different methods used to calculate the numerical value for the individual Hebrew/Aramaic words, phrases or whole sentences. Gematria is the 29th of 32 hermeneutical rules countenanced by the Rabbis of the Talmud for valid [[aggadic]] interpretation of the Torah.<ref>{{cite book |last=Pessin |first=Sarah |date=2013 |title=A Readers Guide to Judaism |location=New York |publisher=Routledge |page=457 |isbn=978-1-57958-139-8}}</ref> More advanced methods are usually used for the most significant Biblical verses, [[Jewish liturgy|prayers]], names of God, etc. These methods include:<ref>[[Moshe Cordovero]], [https://www.hebrewbooks.org/45137 Pardes Rimmonim] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191226170143/https://www.hebrewbooks.org/45137 |date=2019-12-26 }}</ref>
* ''Mispar hechrachi'' (absolute value) is the standard method. It assigns the values 1–9, 10–90, 100–400 to the 22 Hebrew letters in order. Sometimes it is also called ''mispar ha-panim'' (face number), as opposed to the more complicated ''mispar ha-akhor'' (back number).
* ''Mispar gadol'' (large value) counts the final forms (sofit) of the Hebrew letters as a continuation of the numerical sequence for the alphabet, with the final letters assigned values from 500 to 900. The name ''mispar gadol'' is sometimes used for a different method, ''Otiyot beMilui''.
* The same name, ''mispar gadol'', is also used for another method, which spells the name of each letter and adds the standard values of the resulting string. For example, the letter ''aleph'' is spelled ''aleph lamed peh'', giving it a value of <math>1+30+80=111</math>.
* ''Mispar katan'' (small value) calculates the value of each letter, but truncates all of the zeros. It is also sometimes called ''mispar me'ugal''.
* ''Mispar siduri'' (ordinal value) with each of the 22 letters given a value from 1 to 22.
* ''Mispar bone'eh'' (building value, also ''revu'a'', square<ref>Toras Menachem – ''Tiferes Levi Yitzchok Vol. I'' – Bereshis, p. 2, fn. 7</ref>) is calculated by walking over each letter from the beginning to the end, adding the value of all previous letters and the value of the current letter to the running total. Therefore, the value of the word ''achad'' (one) is <math>1 + (1 + 8) + (1 + 8 + 4) = 23</math>.
* ''Mispar kidmi'' (preceding value) uses each letter as the sum of all the standard gematria letter values preceding it. Therefore, the value of ''aleph'' is 1, the value of ''bet'' is 1+2=3, the value of ''gimel'' is 1+2+3=6, etc. It is also known as ''mispar meshulash'' (triangular or tripled number).
* ''Mispar p'rati'' calculates the value of each letter as the square of its standard gematria value. Therefore, the value of ''aleph'' is 1&nbsp;×&nbsp;1&nbsp;=&nbsp;1, the value of ''bet'' is 2&nbsp;×&nbsp;2&nbsp;=&nbsp;4, the value of ''gimel'' is 3&nbsp;×&nbsp;3&nbsp;=&nbsp;9, etc. It is also known as ''mispar ha-merubah ha-prati''.
* ''Mispar ha-merubah ha-klali'' is the square of the standard absolute value of each word.
* ''Mispar meshulash'' calculates the value of each letter as the cube of their standard value. The same term is more often used for ''mispar kidmi''.
* ''Mispar ha-akhor'' – The value of each letter is its standard value multiplied by the position of the letter in a word or a phrase in either ascending or descending order. This method is particularly interesting, because the result is sensitive to the order of letters. It is also sometimes called ''mispar meshulash'' (triangular number).
* ''Mispar mispari'' spells out the standard values of each letter by their Hebrew names ("achad" (one) is <math>1+8+4=13</math> etc.), and then adds up the standard values of the resulting string.
* ''Otiyot be-milui'' ("filled letters", also known as ''mispar gadol'' or ''mispar shemi''), uses the value of each letter as equal to the value of its name.<ref>the spelling of the name of the number comes from the Talmud</ref> For example, the value of the letter ''aleph'' is <math>(1 + 30 + 80) = 111</math>, ''bet'' is <math>(2 + 10 + 400) = 412</math>, etc. Sometimes the same operation is applied two or more times recursively. In a variation known as ''otiyot pnimiyot'' (inner letters), the initial letter in the spelled-out name is omitted, thus the value of ''aleph'' becomes 30+80=110.
* ''Mispar ne'elam'' (hidden number) spells out the name of each letter without the letter itself (e.g., "leph" for ''aleph'') and adds up the value of the resulting string.
* ''Mispar katan mispari'' (integral reduced value) is used where the total numerical value of a word is reduced to a single digit. If the sum of the value exceeds 9, the integer values of the total are repeatedly added to produce a single-digit number. The same value will be arrived at regardless of whether it is the absolute values, the ordinal values, or the reduced values that are being counted by methods above. For example, the value of word ''emet'' (truth - אֶמֶת) is ''aleph'' + ''mem'' + ''tav'': <math>1 + 40 + 400 = 441 \rightarrow 1 + 4 + 4 = 9,</math> ''Emet - Emet'' is <math>(1 + 4 + 4) + (1 + 4 + 4) = 18 \rightarrow 1 + 8 = 9,</math> ''emet - emet - emet'' is <math>(1 + 4 + 4) + (1 + 4 + 4) + (1 + 4 + 4) = 27 \rightarrow 2 + 7 = 9,</math> etc.
* ''Mispar musafi'' adds the number of the letters in the word or phrase to their gematria.
* ''Kolel'' is the number of words, which is often added to the gematria. In case of one word, the standard value is incremented by one.

===Related transformations===
Within the wider topic of gematria are included the various alphabet transformations, where one letter is substituted by another based on a logical scheme:
* ''[[Atbash]]'' exchanges each letter in a word or a phrase by ''opposite'' letters. Opposite letters are determined by substituting the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet (''aleph'') with the last letter (''tav''), the second letter (''bet'') with the next to last (''shin''), etc. The result can be interpreted as a secret message or calculated by the standard gematria methods. A few instances of ''atbash'' are found already in the Hebrew [[Bible]]. For example, see [[Jeremiah]] 25:26, and 51:41, with [[Targum Jonathan|Targum]] and [[Rashi]], in which the name ששך ("Sheshek") is thought to represent בבל ([[Babylon]]).<ref name=JE>{{JewishEncyclopedia|url=http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/6571-gematria|title=GEMAṬRIA |author=[[Solomon Schechter]] |author2=Caspar Levias}}</ref>
* ''Albam'' – the alphabet is divided in half, eleven letters in each section. The first letter of the first series is exchanged for the first letter of the second series, the second letter of the first series for the second letter of the second series, and so forth.
* ''Achbi'' divides the alphabet into two equal groups of 11 letters. Within each group, the first letter is replaced by the last, the second by the 10th, etc.
* ''Ayak bakar'' replaces each letter by another one that has a 10-times-greater value. The final letters usually signify the numbers from 500 to 900. Thousands is reduced to ones (1,000 becomes 1, 2,000 becomes 2, etc.)
* ''Ofanim'' replaces each letter by the last letter of its name (e.g. ''peh'' for ''aleph'').
* ''Akhas beta'' divides the alphabet into three groups of 7, 7 and 8 letters. Each letter is replaced cyclically by the corresponding letter of the next group. The letter [[Tav (letter)|Tav]] remains the same.
* ''Avgad'' replaces each letter by the next one. ''Tav'' becomes ''aleph''. The opposite operation is also used.
Most of the above-mentioned methods and ciphers are listed by Rabbi [[Moses ben Jacob Cordovero|Moshe Cordevero]].<ref>Moshe Cordevero, ''Sefer Pardes ha-Rimonim'', ''שער האותיות''</ref>

Some authors provide lists of as many as 231 various replacement ciphers, related to the 231 mystical Gates of the ''[[Sefer Yetzirah]]''.<ref name="Sefer ha-Shem">Elazar Rokeach, ''Sefer ha-Shem''</ref>

Dozens of other far more advanced methods are used in Kabbalistic literature, without any particular names. In Ms. Oxford 1,822, one article lists 75 different forms of gematria.<ref>''Encyclopedia Judaica Vol. 7'', 2007, p. 426</ref> Some known methods are [[Recursion|recursive]] in nature and are reminiscent of [[graph theory]] or make a lot of use of [[combinatorics]]. Rabbi [[Eleazar of Worms|Elazar Rokeach]] (born c. 1176 – died 1238) often used multiplication, instead of addition, for the above-mentioned methods. For example, spelling out the letters of a word and then multiplying the squares of each letter value in the resulting string produces very large numbers, in orders of [[10^12|trillions]]. The spelling process can be applied recursively, until a certain pattern (e.g., all the letters of the word "[[Talmud]]") is found; the gematria of the resulting string is then calculated. The same author also used the sums of all possible unique letter combinations, which add up to the value of a given letter. For example, the letter [[He (letter)|Hei]], which has the standard value of 5, can be produced by combining <math>1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1</math>, <math>2 + 1 + 1 + 1</math>, <math>3 + 1 + 1</math>, <math>4+1</math>, <math>2 + 2 + 1</math>, or <math>2+3</math>, which adds up to <math>30</math>. Sometimes combinations of repeating letters are not allowed (e.g., <math>2+3</math> is valid, but <math>3 + 1 + 1</math> is not). The original letter itself can also be viewed as a valid combination.<ref name="Sefer ha-Shem" />

Variant spellings of some letters can be used to produce sets of different numbers, which can be added up or analyzed separately. Many various complex [[formal system]]s and recursive algorithms, based on graph-like structural analysis of the letter names and their relations to each other, [[modular arithmetic]], pattern search and other highly advanced techniques, are found in the "Sefer ha-Malchut" by Rabbi David ha-Levi of the [[Draa|Draa Valley]], a Spanish-Moroccan Kabbalist of the 15th–16th century.<ref name="Sefer ha-Malchut">Sefer ha-Malchut, "Sifrei Chaim", Jerusalem, 2008</ref> Rabbi David ha-Levi's methods also consider the numerical values and other properties of [[Niqqud|the vowels]].

Kabbalistic [[Jewish views of astrology|astrology]] uses some specific methods to determine the astrological influences on a particular person. According to one method, the gematria of the person's name is added to the gematria of his or her mother's name; the result is then divided by 7 and 12. The remainders signify a particular planet and Zodiac sign.<ref>Commentary to [[Sefer Yetzirah]], attributed to [[Saadia Gaon]], 6:4; Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, Sefer Yetzirah, "WeiserBooks", Boston, 1997, pp. 220–221</ref>

===Transliterated Hebrew===
Historically, hermetic and esoteric groups of the 19th and 20th centuries in the UK and in France used a transliterated Hebrew cipher with the Latin alphabet. In particular, the transliterated cipher was taught to members of the [[Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn]]. In 1887, [[S.L. MacGregor Mathers]], who was one of the order's founders, published the transliterated cipher in ''[[The Kabbalah Unveiled]]'' in the [[Mathers table]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Mathers |first=S.L. MacGregor |date=1887 |title=The Kabbalah Unveiled |location=London |publisher=Redway |page=3}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Westcott |first=W. Wynn |date=1890 |title=Numbers |location=London |publisher=Theosophical Publishing Society |page=37 |isbn=}}</ref>

{| style="font-family:'times new roman',serif;border:1px solid black;font-size:medium;margin: 1em auto;" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 border=0
|-
! style="border-bottom:1px solid black;padding:3px;font-size:large;" colspan=10 | TABLE OF HEBREW AND CHALDEE LETTERS
|-
! style="border-right:1px solid black;border-bottom:1px solid black;padding:3px;font-size:small;" | Number
! style="border-right:1px solid black;border-bottom:1px solid black;padding:3px;font-size:small;" | Sound or Power
! style="border-right:1px solid black;border-bottom:1px solid black;padding:3px;font-size:small;" colspan=3 | Hebrew and<br />Chaldee Letters
! style="border-right:1px solid black;border-bottom:1px solid black;padding:3px;font-size:small;" colspan=2 | Numerical Values
! style="border-right:1px solid black;border-bottom:1px solid black;padding:3px;font-size:small;" | Roman character by<br />which expressed
! style="border-right:1px solid black;border-bottom:1px solid black;padding:3px;font-size:small;" | Names
! style="border-bottom:1px solid black;padding:3px;font-size:small;" | Signification of Names
|-
| style="text-align:right;border-right:1px solid black;padding:3px 3px 0 3px;" | 1.
| style="text-align:left;border-right:1px solid black;padding:3px 3px 0 3px;" | ''a'' (soft breathing).
| style="text-align:left;font-size:x-large;font-weight:bold;border-right:1px solid black;padding:3px 3px 0 3px;" colspan=3 | א
| style="text-align:right;font-size:large;font-weight:bold;padding:3px 3px 0 3px;" | 1.
| style="padding:3px 3px 0 3px;text-align:left;border-right:1px solid black;vertical-align:top;font-size:medium" rowspan=10 | (Thousands&nbsp;are<br />&nbsp;denoted&nbsp;by&nbsp;a<br />&nbsp;larger&nbsp;letter;<br />&nbsp;thus&nbsp;an&nbsp;Aleph<br />&nbsp;larger&nbsp;than&nbsp;the<br />&nbsp;rest&nbsp;of&nbsp;the&nbsp;let-<br />&nbsp;ters&nbsp;among<br />&nbsp;which&nbsp;it&nbsp;is,<br />&nbsp;signifies&nbsp;not&nbsp;1,<br />&nbsp;but&nbsp;1000.)
| style="text-align:center;font-size:large;font-weight:bold;border-right:1px solid black;padding:3px 3px 0 3px;" | A.&nbsp;
| style="border-right:1px solid black;padding:3px 3px 0 3px;" | Aleph.
| style="padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | Ox.
|-
| style="text-align:right;border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | 2.
| style="text-align:left;border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | ''b, bh (v)''.
| style="text-align:left;font-size:x-large;font-weight:bold;border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" colspan=3 | ב
| style="text-align:right;font-size:large;font-weight:bold;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | 2.
| style="text-align:center;font-size:large;font-weight:bold;border-right:1px solid black;padding:3px 3px 0 3px;" | B.&nbsp;
| style="border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | Beth.
| style="padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | House.
|-
| style="text-align:right;border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | 3.
| style="text-align:left;border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | ''g'' (hard), ''gh''.
| style="text-align:left;font-size:x-large;font-weight:bold;border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" colspan=3 | ג
| style="text-align:right;font-size:large;font-weight:bold;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | 3.
| style="text-align:center;font-size:large;font-weight:bold;border-right:1px solid black;padding:3px 3px 0 3px;" | G.&nbsp;
| style="border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | Gimel.
| style="padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | Camel.
|-
| style="text-align:right;border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | 4.
| style="text-align:left;border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | ''d, dh'' (flat ''th'').
| style="text-align:left;font-size:x-large;font-weight:bold;border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" colspan=3 | ד
| style="text-align:right;font-size:large;font-weight:bold;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | 4.
| style="text-align:center;font-size:large;font-weight:bold;border-right:1px solid black;padding:3px 3px 0 3px;" | D.&nbsp;
| style="border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | Daleth.
| style="padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | Door.
|-
| style="text-align:right;border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | 5.
| style="text-align:left;border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | ''h'' (rough breathing).
| style="text-align:left;font-size:x-large;font-weight:bold;border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" colspan=3 | ה
| style="text-align:right;font-size:large;font-weight:bold;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | 5.
| style="text-align:center;font-size:large;font-weight:bold;border-right:1px solid black;padding:3px 3px 0 3px;" | H.&nbsp;
| style="border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | He.
| style="padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | Window.
|-
| style="text-align:right;border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | 6.
| style="text-align:left;border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | ''v, u, o''.
| style="text-align:left;font-size:x-large;font-weight:bold;border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" colspan=3 | ו
| style="text-align:right;font-size:large;font-weight:bold;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | 6.
| style="text-align:center;font-size:large;font-weight:bold;border-right:1px solid black;padding:3px 3px 0 3px;" | V.&nbsp;
| style="border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | Vau.
| style="padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | Peg, nail.
|-
| style="text-align:right;border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | 7.
| style="text-align:left;border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | ''z, dz''.
| style="text-align:left;font-size:x-large;font-weight:bold;border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" colspan=3 | ז
| style="text-align:right;font-size:large;font-weight:bold;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | 7.
| style="text-align:center;font-size:large;font-weight:bold;border-right:1px solid black;padding:3px 3px 0 3px;" | Z.&nbsp;
| style="border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | Zayin.
| style="padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | Weapon, sword.
|-
| style="text-align:right;border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | 8.
| style="text-align:left;border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | ''ch'' (guttural).
| style="text-align:left;font-size:x-large;font-weight:bold;border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" colspan=3 | ח
| style="text-align:right;font-size:large;font-weight:bold;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | 8.
| style="text-align:center;font-size:large;font-weight:bold;border-right:1px solid black;padding:3px 3px 0 3px;" | C<span style="font-size:small;">H</span>.
| style="border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | Cheth.
| style="padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | Enclosure, fence.
|-
| style="text-align:right;border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | 9.
| style="text-align:left;border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | ''t'' (strong).
| style="text-align:left;font-size:x-large;font-weight:bold;border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" colspan=3 | ט
| style="text-align:right;font-size:large;font-weight:bold;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | 9.
| style="text-align:center;font-size:large;font-weight:bold;border-right:1px solid black;padding:3px 3px 0 3px;" | T.&nbsp;
| style="border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | Teth.
| style="padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | Serpent.
|-
| style="text-align:right;border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | 10.
| style="text-align:left;border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | ''i, y'' (as in ''yes'').
| style="text-align:left;font-size:x-large;font-weight:bold;border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" colspan=3 | י
| style="text-align:right;font-size:large;font-weight:bold;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | 10.
| style="text-align:center;font-size:large;font-weight:bold;border-right:1px solid black;padding:3px 3px 0 3px;" | I.&nbsp;
| style="border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | Yod.
| style="padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | Hand.
|-
| style="text-align:right;border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | 11.
| style="text-align:left;border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | ''k, kh''.
| style="text-align:left;font-size:x-large;font-weight:bold;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | כ
| style="font-weight:normal;font-size:medium;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | Final&nbsp;=
| style="text-align:left;font-size:x-large;font-weight:bold;padding:0 3px 0 3px;border-right:1px solid black;" | ך
| style="text-align:right;font-size:large;font-weight:bold;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | 20.
| style="border-right:1px solid black;text-align:left;font-size:large;font-weight:bold;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | <span style="font-weight:normal;font-size:medium;">Final = </span>500
| style="text-align:center;font-size:large;font-weight:bold;border-right:1px solid black;padding:3px 3px 0 3px;" | K.&nbsp;
| style="border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | Caph.
| style="padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | Palm of the hand.
|-
| style="text-align:right;border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | 12.
| style="text-align:left;border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | ''l''.
| style="text-align:left;font-size:x-large;font-weight:bold;border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" colspan=3 | ל
| style="text-align:right;font-size:large;font-weight:bold;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | 30.
| style="border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | &nbsp;
| style="text-align:center;font-size:large;font-weight:bold;border-right:1px solid black;padding:3px 3px 0 3px;" | L.&nbsp;
| style="border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | Lamed.
| style="padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | Ox-goad.
|-
| style="text-align:right;border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | 13.
| style="text-align:left;border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | ''m''.
| style="text-align:left;font-size:x-large;font-weight:bold;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | מ
| style="font-weight:normal;font-size:medium;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | Final&nbsp;=
| style="text-align:left;font-size:x-large;font-weight:bold;border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | ם
| style="text-align:right;font-size:large;font-weight:bold;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | 40.
| style="border-right:1px solid black;text-align:left;font-size:large;font-weight:bold;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | <span style="font-weight:normal;font-size:medium;">Final = </span>600
| style="text-align:center;font-size:large;font-weight:bold;border-right:1px solid black;padding:3px 3px 0 3px;" | M.&nbsp;
| style="border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | Mem.
| style="padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | Water.
|-
| style="text-align:right;border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | 14.
| style="text-align:left;border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | ''n''.
| style="text-align:left;font-size:x-large;font-weight:bold;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | נ
| style="font-weight:normal;font-size:medium;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | Final&nbsp;=
| style="text-align:left;font-size:x-large;font-weight:bold;border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | ן
| style="text-align:right;font-size:large;font-weight:bold;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | 50.
| style="border-right:1px solid black;text-align:left;font-size:large;font-weight:bold;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | <span style="font-weight:normal;font-size:medium;">Final = </span>700
| style="text-align:center;font-size:large;font-weight:bold;border-right:1px solid black;padding:3px 3px 0 3px;" | N.&nbsp;
| style="border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | Nun.
| style="padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | Fish.
|-
| style="text-align:right;border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | 15.
| style="text-align:left;border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | ''s''.
| style="text-align:left;font-size:x-large;font-weight:bold;border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" colspan=3 | ס
| style="text-align:right;font-size:large;font-weight:bold;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | 60.
| style="border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | &nbsp;
| style="text-align:center;font-size:large;font-weight:bold;border-right:1px solid black;padding:3px 3px 0 3px;" | S.&nbsp;
| style="border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | Samekh.
| style="padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | Prop, support.
|-
| style="text-align:right;border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | 16.
| style="text-align:left;border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | ''O, aa, ng'' (gutt.).
| style="text-align:left;font-size:x-large;font-weight:bold;border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" colspan=3 | ע
| style="text-align:right;font-size:large;font-weight:bold;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | 70.
| style="border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | &nbsp;
| style="text-align:center;font-size:large;font-weight:bold;border-right:1px solid black;padding:3px 3px 0 3px;" | O.&nbsp;
| style="border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | Ayin.
| style="padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | Eye.
|-
| style="text-align:right;border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | 17.
| style="text-align:left;border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | ''p, ph''.
| style="text-align:left;font-size:x-large;font-weight:bold;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | פ
| style="font-weight:normal;font-size:medium;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | Final&nbsp;=
| style="text-align:left;font-size:x-large;font-weight:bold;border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | ף
| style="text-align:right;font-size:large;font-weight:bold;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | 80.
| style="border-right:1px solid black;text-align:left;font-size:large;font-weight:bold;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | <span style="font-weight:normal;font-size:medium;">Final = </span>800
| style="text-align:center;font-size:large;font-weight:bold;border-right:1px solid black;padding:3px 3px 0 3px;" | P.&nbsp;
| style="border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | Pe.
| style="padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | Mouth.
|-
| style="text-align:right;border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | 18.
| style="text-align:left;border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | ''ts, tz, j''.
| style="text-align:left;font-size:x-large;font-weight:bold;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | צ
| style="font-weight:normal;font-size:medium;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | Final&nbsp;=
| style="text-align:left;font-size:x-large;font-weight:bold;border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | ץ
| style="text-align:right;font-size:large;font-weight:bold;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | 90.
| style="border-right:1px solid black;text-align:left;font-size:large;font-weight:bold;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | <span style="font-weight:normal;font-size:medium;">Final = </span>900
| style="text-align:center;font-size:large;font-weight:bold;border-right:1px solid black;padding:3px 3px 0 3px;" | T<span style="font-size:small;">Z.</span>
| style="border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | Tzaddi.
| style="padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | Fishing-hook.
|-
| style="text-align:right;border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | 19.
| style="text-align:left;border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | ''q, qh'' (guttur.).
| style="text-align:left;font-size:x-large;font-weight:bold;border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" colspan=3 | ק
| style="text-align:right;font-size:large;font-weight:bold;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | 100.
| style="padding:0 3px 0 1px;text-align:left;border-right:1px solid black;vertical-align:top;font-size:small;" rowspan=4 | (The&nbsp;finals&nbsp;are&nbsp;not<br />&nbsp;always&nbsp;considered<br />&nbsp;as&nbsp;bearing&nbsp;an&nbsp;in-<br />&nbsp;creased&nbsp;numeri-<br />&nbsp;cal&nbsp;value.)
| style="text-align:center;font-size:large;font-weight:bold;border-right:1px solid black;padding:3px 3px 0 3px;" | Q.&nbsp;
| style="border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | Qoph.
| style="padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | Back of the head.
|-
| style="text-align:right;border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | 20.
| style="text-align:left;border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | ''r''.
| style="text-align:left;font-size:x-large;font-weight:bold;border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" colspan=3 | ר
| style="text-align:right;font-size:large;font-weight:bold;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | 200.
| style="text-align:center;font-size:large;font-weight:bold;border-right:1px solid black;padding:3px 3px 0 3px;" | R.&nbsp;
| style="border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | Resh.
| style="padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | Head.
|-
| style="text-align:right;border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | 21.
| style="text-align:left;border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | ''sh, s''.
| style="text-align:left;font-size:x-large;font-weight:bold;border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" colspan=3 | ש
| style="text-align:right;font-size:large;font-weight:bold;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | 300.
| style="text-align:center;font-size:large;font-weight:bold;border-right:1px solid black;padding:3px 3px 0 3px;" | S<span style="font-size:small;">H</span>.
| style="border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | Shin.
| style="padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | Tooth.
|-
| style="text-align:right;border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | 22.
| style="text-align:left;border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | ''th, t''.
| style="text-align:left;font-size:x-large;font-weight:bold;border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" colspan=3 | ת
| style="text-align:right;font-size:large;font-weight:bold;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | 400.
| style="text-align:center;font-size:large;font-weight:bold;border-right:1px solid black;padding:3px 3px 0 3px;" | T<span style="font-size:small;">H</span>.
| style="border-right:1px solid black;padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | Tau.
| style="padding:0 3px 0 3px;" | Sign of the cross.
|}

As a former member of the Golden Dawn, [[Aleister Crowley]] used the transliterated cipher extensively in his writings<ref>See, for example, {{cite book |last=Crowley |first=Aleister |date=1977 |title=777 and other Qabalistic writings of Aleister Crowley |chapter=Sepher Sephiroth |location=Maine |publisher=Samuel Weiser, INC. |page=Preface |isbn=0-87728-670-1}}</ref> for his two magical orders the [[A∴A∴]]<ref>{{cite book |last=Churton |first=Tobias |date=2011 |title=Aleister Crowley: The Biography, Spiritual Revolutionary Romantic Explorer Occult Master - and spy |location=London |publisher=Watkins Publishing |pages=47, 217 |isbn=978-1-78028-012-7}}</ref> and [[Ordo Templi Orientis]] (O.T.O).<ref>{{cite book |last=DuQuette |first=Lon Milo |date=2001 |title=The Chicken Qabalah of Rabbi Lamed Ben Clifford |location=York, Maine |publisher=Weiser Books |page=404 |isbn=978-1-57863-215-2}}</ref> Many other occult authors belonging to various esoteric groups have either mentioned the cipher or published it in their books, including [[Paul Foster Case]] of the [[Builders of the Adytum]] (B.O.T.A).<ref>{{cite book |last=Fortune |first=Dion |date=1935 |title=The Mystical Qabalah |location=London |publisher=Williams and Norgate Ltd. |page=Forward}}</ref>

==Use in non-Semitic languages==
===Greek===
{{main|Isopsephy}}
According to [[Aristotle]] (384–322 BCE), [[isopsephy]], an early Milesian system using the Greek alphabet, was part of the [[Pythagoreanism|Pythagorean tradition]], which originated in the 6th century BCE.<ref name=Acevedo/>

[[Plato]] (c. 427–347 BCE) offers a discussion in the ''[[Cratylus (dialogue)|Cratylus]]'', involving a view of words and names as referring (more or less accurately) to the "essential nature"<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 27, 2022 |title=The Project Gutenberg eBook of Cratylus, by Plato |url=https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1616/1616-h/1616-h.htm |access-date=2023-08-06 |website=www.gutenberg.org}}</ref> of a person or object and that this view may have influenced—and is central to—isopsephy.<ref>Marc Hirshman, ''Theology and exegesis in midrashic literature'', in Jon Whitman, [https://books.google.com/books?id=7EjIm3pAfhQC&pg=PA113 Interpretation and allegory: antiquity to the modern period]. Brill, 2003. pp. 113–114.</ref><ref>John Michell, [https://books.google.com/books?id=7nyuYu4TBAYC&pg=PA59 The Dimensions of Paradise: Sacred Geometry, Ancient Science, and the Heavenly Order on Earth], 2008. pp.59–65 ff.</ref>

A sample of graffiti at [[Pompeii]] (destroyed under volcanic ash in 79 CE) reads "I love the girl whose name is phi mu epsilon (545)".<ref>Adela Yarbro Collins, ''Cosmology and Eschatology in Jewish and Christian Apocalypticism'', Brill 2000, p116.</ref>

Other examples of use in Greek come primarily from the Christian literature. Davies and Allison state that, unlike [[rabbinic]] sources, isopsephy is always explicitly stated as being used.<ref>* {{cite book |last1=Davies |first1=William David |last2=Allison |first2=Dale C. |title=A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Gospel According to Saint Matthew |publisher=Continuum International Publishing Group |year=2004 |page=164}}{{missing ISBN}}</ref>

===Latin===
{{main|Numerology}} 
[[File:Agrippa cipher.jpg|thumb|alt=Shows a picture of a cipher with the English alphabet, missing the J, U, and W, but with 4 extra letters after the Z which appear as I, V, HI and HV.|The Agrippa Cipher, pg. 143 of ''De Occulta Philosophia'' 1533]]
[[File:Cabalistic-Gematria.png|thumb|right|alt=Shows the alphabet, missing the letters J and U, numbered from 1 to 24|Final page of Johann Henning's ''Cabbalologia'', 1683, showing a natural-order number alphabet]]

During the [[Renaissance]], systems of gematria were devised for the [[Classical Latin alphabet]]. There were a number of variations of these which were popular in Europe.<ref name=Tatlow>Tatlow, Ruth. ''Bach and the Riddle of the Number Alphabet''. Cambridge University Press, 1991. pg. 130-133. {{ISBN|0-521-36191-5}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Ramsey |first1=David |title=Bach and Numerology: "Dry Mathematical Stuff"? |journal=Literature and Aesthetics |date=1997 |volume=7 |pages=157–161 |url=https://openjournals.library.sydney.edu.au/LA/article/view/5266/5972 |access-date=5 June 2023}}</ref>

In 1525, [[Christoph Rudolff]] included a Classical Latin gematria in his work ''Nimble and beautiful calculation via the artful rules of algebra [which] are so commonly called "coss"'':

 A=1  B=2  C=3  D=4  E=5  F=6  G=7  H=8  I=9  K=10  L=11  M=12<br />
 N=13 O=14 P=15 Q=16 R=17 S=18 T=19 U=20 W=21 X=22  Y=23  Z=24<ref name=Tatlow/>

At the beginning of the ''Apocalypisis in Apocalypsin'' (1532), the German monk [[Michael Stifel]] (also known as Steifel) describes the natural order and trigonal number alphabets, claiming to have invented the latter. He used the trigonal alphabet to interpret the prophecy in the Biblical Book of Revelation, and predicted the world would end at 8am on October 19, 1533. The official Lutheran reaction to Steifel's prophecy shows that this type of activity was not welcome. Belief in the power of numbers was unacceptable in reformed circles, and gematria was not part of the reformation agenda.<ref name=Tatlow/>{{rp|44, 60}}<ref name=Dudley>Dudley, Underwood. ''Numerology, Or, What Pythagoras Wrought''. Cambridge University Press, 1997. {{ISBN|0-88385-524-0}}</ref>

An analogue of the Greek system of isopsephy using the Latin alphabet appeared in 1583, in the works of the French poet [[Étienne Tabourot]]. This cipher and variations of it were published or referred to in the major work of Italian [[Pietro Bongo]] ''Numerorum Mysteria,'' and a 1651 work by [[Georg Philipp Harsdörffer]], and by [[Athanasius Kircher]] in 1665, and in a 1683 volume of ''Cabbalologia'' by Johann Henning, where it was simply referred to as the ''1683 alphabet''.  It was mentioned in the work of {{interlanguage link|Johann Christoph Männling|de}}  ''The European Helicon or Muse Mountain'', in 1704, and it was  also called the ''Alphabetum Cabbalisticum Vulgare'' in ''Die verliebte und galante Welt'' by [[Christian Friedrich Hunold]] in 1707. It was used by [[Leo Tolstoy]] in his 1865 work ''[[War and Peace]]'' to identify [[Napoleon I of France|Napoleon]] with the [[Number of the beast|number of the Beast]].<ref name=Tatlow/><ref name=Dudley/>

===English===
{{further|English Qaballa|Numerology#English systems}}
English Qabalah refers to several different systems<ref name=Nema>{{cite book |author-link=Nema (occultist) |author=Nema |year=1995 |title=Maat Magick: A Guide to Self-Initiation |location=York Beach, Maine |publisher=Weiser |isbn=0-87728-827-5}}</ref>{{Rp|24–25}} of [[mysticism]] related to [[Hermetic Qabalah]] that interpret the letters of the [[English alphabet]] via an assigned set of numerological significances.<ref>{{cite book |last=Hulse |first=David Allen |title=The Western Mysteries: An Encyclopedic Guide to the Sacred Languages and Magickal Systems of the World |publisher=Llewellyn Publications |year=2000 |isbn=1-56718-429-4}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Rabinovitch |first1=Shelley |last2=Lewis |first2=James |title=The Encyclopedia of Modern Witchcraft and Neo-Paganism |publisher=Citadel Press |year=2004 |isbn=0-8065-2407-3}}</ref>{{Rp|269}} The first system of English gematria was used by the poet [[John Skelton (poet)|John Skelton]] in 1523 in his poem "The Garland of Laurel".<ref>Walker, Julia. M. Medusa's Mirrors: ''Spenser, Shakespeare, Milton, and the metamorphosis of the female self'', pp. 33&ndash;42 University of Delaware Press, 1998. {{ISBN|0-87413-625-3}}</ref>

[[File:Agrippa cipher.jpg|thumb|alt=Shows a picture of a cipher with the English alphabet, missing the J, U, and W, but with 4 extra letters after the Z which appear as I, V, HI and HV.|The Agrippa Cipher, pg. 143 of ''De Occulta Philosophia'' 1533]]

The [[Agrippa code]] was used with English and Latin. It was defined by [[Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa]] in 1532, in his work ''De Occulta Philosopha''. Agrippa based his system on the order of the [[Classical Latin alphabet]] using a ranked valuation as in [[isopsephy]], appending the four additional letters in use at the time after Z, including J (600) and U (700), which were still considered letter variants.<ref name=Tyson>{{cite book |last=Agrippa von Nettesheim |first=Heinrich Cornelius |editor-last=Tyson |editor-first=Donald |translator=James Freake |year=1993 |title=Three Books of Occult Philosophy |publisher=Llewellyn Publications |pages=Book II, Ch. 22 |isbn=978-0-87542-832-1}}</ref> Agrippa was the mentor of English magician [[John Dee]],<ref>{{cite book |title=Magic as Science and Religion: John Dee and Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa Paperback |year=2012 |first=Kambiz |last=Mostofizadeh |publisher=Mikazuki}}</ref> who makes reference to the [[Agrippa code]] in Theorem XVI of his 1564 book, ''[[Monas Hieroglyphica]]''.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Hieroglyphic Monad |first=John |last=Dee |translator=J. W. Hamilton-Jones |publisher=Weiser Books |year=1975 |isbn=1-57863-203-X}}</ref>

Although Aleister Crowley, as a former Adept of the Golden Dawn, used a [[#Transliterated Hebrew|transliterated]] approach to gematria in his works, since Crowley's death a number of people have proposed numerical correspondences for English gematria in order to achieve a deeper understanding of Crowley's ''[[The Book of the Law]]'' (1904). One such system, the [[English Qaballa]], was discovered by English magician [[James Lees (English magician)|James Lees]] on November 26, 1976.<ref>{{cite book |last=Thompson |first=Cath |title=The Magickal Language of the Book of the Law: An English Qaballa Primer |publisher=Hadean Press Limited |year=2016 |isbn=978-1-907881-68-8 |chapter=Preliminaries}}</ref> The founding of Lees' magical order in 1974 and his discovery of EQ are chronicled in ''All This and a Book'' by Cath Thompson.<ref>{{cite book |last=Thompson |first=Cath |title=All This and a Book |year=2018 |publisher=Hadean Press Limited |isbn=978-1-907881-78-7}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Mathematics|Judaism|Asia|Ancient Greece|Ancient Rome|History|Language|Religion}}
{{Div col|colwidth=22em}}
* ''[[About the Mystery of the Letters]]''
* [[Bible code]]
* [[Chinese numerology]]
* [[Chronogram]]
* [[Goroawase]]
* [[Hurufism]]
* [[Isopsephy]]
* [['Ilm al-huruf]]
* [[Katapayadi system]]
* [[Notarikon]]
* [[Numbers in Germanic paganism]]
* [[Numerology]]
* [[Roman numerals]]
* [[Significance of numbers in Judaism]]
* [[Temurah (Kabbalah)]]
* [[Theomatics]]
* [[Untranslatability]]
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{full citations needed|date=June 2023}}
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book |last=Clawson |first=Calvin C. |title=Mathematical Mysteries: The Beauty and Magic of Numbers |year=1999 |publisher=Basic Books |isbn=978-0-7382-0259-4}}
* {{cite book |last=Menninger |first=Karl |title=Number Words and Number Symbols: A Cultural History of Numbers |place=Cambridge, MA |publisher=MIT Press |year=1969 |isbn=978-0-262-13040-0}}

{{Hebrew language}}
{{Divination}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Hebrew alphabet]]
[[Category:Jewish mysticism]]
[[Category:Kabbalah]]
[[Category:Kabbalistic words and phrases]]
[[Category:Numerology]]