Latter-day Saints may be surprised to learn how ancient and symbolically significant the number 10 is.
Numbers and numerology, both real and symbolic, are part of the expansive world of our ancient scriptures. By saying this, we are not speaking of numerology as such or calling on cabalistic mysticism or alleged Bible codes, but rather of the simple fact that certain numbers can be significant and important in fully appreciating the scriptures. Many things happen seven times in the books of Leviticus and Revelation; other things happen ten, forty, or seventy times, as most Bible readers can quickly recall. In many cases, these repeated occurrences are emphatically loaded with symbolic meaning. This Sunday marks the tenth day of the tenth month of 2010 (10-10-10 for short). Ten being the number of perfection, we couldn’t think of a more perfect time to revisit the significant instances of the number ten in the Bible and Book of Mormon.
The number ten has long been meaningful in religions and cultures around the world. Yet, most modern readers do not stop to count these clusters of ten, even though they can be conveniently counted on the fingers of their own two hands. Readers of the Book of Mormon have special cause to take note of the things that happen ten times in that book. While Benjamin, or Alma, or Nephi may have been aware of these perfect instances, one may be assured that Joseph Smith or Oliver Cowdery were not checking off on a ten-point punch list as they experienced these ten-fold repetitions while translating and transcribing the Book of Mormon.
These instances of ten can be organized and analyzed in several ways. It seems appropriate to approach this phenomenon under ten headings: perfection, worthiness, consecration, testing, justice, reverence, penitence, atonement, supplication, and ascension into the holy of holies or highest degree of heaven.
1. Ten is the number of perfection in many cultures. Modern people have come to refer to a “perfect 10” in ice skating, gymnastics, and beauty contests. But ten has been the symbolic number of perfection for millennia. Buddha is said to be possessed of ten noble states, ten powers, understands ten paths of karma and is endowed with ten attributes of arhat-ship. In the Ottoman Empire, the aura of the fabled sultan Suleiman the Magnificent was enhanced because he was the tenth son of the tenth generation of his dynasty. In Sumero-Akkadian mythology, ten kings ruled in primeval times. Gilgamesh, the central character in the ancient Mesopotamian Epic of Gilgamesh, was “laden with axes and swords weighing 10 talents.” Aristotle explains that Pythagoreans thought that the number ten was the perfect number, for it was said to comprise the whole nature of numbers, being the sum of 1+2+3+4. As shall be seen, similar observations about the number ten can be discovered in the world of ancient Israel, as well as in the worlds that derived from that seminal Hebrew culture, such as the Book of Mormon people. As the widely published nineteenth-century British scholar E. W. Bullinger has concluded: Ten “signifies the perfection of Divine order. . . . It implies that nothing is wanting; that the number and order are perfect; that the whole cycle is complete.”
2. Ten signifies full worthiness before God. In Exodus, God gave Moses the Ten Commandments as stipulations of his covenant with Israel. The Ten Commandments (or Sinaitic Decalogue) had everything to do with standing worthily before God. The Ten Commandments in Exodus 20 and Mosiah 13 may have functioned somewhat like a list of modern temple recommend requirements to determine who might ascend into the mountain of the Lord, or the temple (see Psalm 24). A second set of “Ten Words,” known as the Priestly Decalogue, appears in Exodus 34:12-27. Obedience to its “ten” regulations for worship and sacrifice will allow God to go perfectly among his people (Exodus 34:9). Jewish writers associated the holiest of the Hebrew prophets and patriarchs with the number ten. Noah was the tenth descendant from Adam, and ten generations passed from Noah to Abraham. Counterbalancing the holy decalogues, Paul lists ten evils that must be avoided in order live a saintly life (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). In the Book of Mormon, Jacob invoked ten woes on the unrighteous: “Wo unto him that . . . has all the commandments . . . and transgresses them,” “wo unto the rich,” “wo unto the deaf that will not hear,” and so on, down to “wo unto all those who die in their sins” (2 Nephi 9:27-38). Counting these ten woes, we can better hear Jacob’s urgent plea for covenant people to eschew all unrighteousness fully and completely.
3. Consecration and sacrifice involve the giving of a tenth. Ancient peoples from Egypt to Greece dedicated a tenth to their gods on various occasions. In the Bible, while God has given us everything, he asks us to return as tithing a holy tenth to him (Leviticus 27:32). “The tenth” was given to the children of Levi as a holy inheritance (Numbers 18:21), on which they in turn offered as a heave offering “a tenth part of the tithe” (Numbers 18:26). As the Book of Mormon records that Abraham paid tithing to Melchizedek (Alma 13:15), and as Jesus required a tithing of his people in 3 Nephi 24:8-10, the sacred nature of giving a tenth should not be lost on Latter-day Saints today.
4. Testing and trials in the extreme run tenfold. Abraham was said by the Rabbis to have withstood ten trials: (1) His departure from Haran, (2) his flight to Egypt from the famine, (3) the seizure of Sarah, (4) his war to rescue Lot, (5) his taking Hagar to wife, (6) his circumcision, (7) the second seizure of Sarah at Gerar, (8) the expulsion of Ishmael, (9) the expulsion of Hagar, and (10) the offering of Isaac.
In other instances, God gave different nations ten chances to turn to him before his judgments were poured out. This pattern is obvious both in the ten plagues imposed on Egypt and in the ten rebellions of the Israelites against their God in the wilderness. More personal instances of judgment include Joshua’s trial of faith in crossing the River Jordan “on the tenth day of the first month” (Joshua 4:19), and Job complaining that God had reproached him ten times, completely vexing his soul (Job 19:3). Revelation 2:10 refers to a ten-day testing period as days of tribulation, telling the Church at Ephesus that it would suffer an extreme test. 3 Nephi 30:2 ends with a ten-fold call to repentance, listing nine evils in particular (lyings, deceiving, whoredoms, etc.) and culminating in an all-embracing tenth: and “all your wickedness and abominations.”
5. Justice and religious affairs are administered conclusively in tens. Abraham’s covenant possessions encompassed ten nations (Genesis 15:19). There are ten rules of judicial procedure set forth in Exodus 23:1-3, 6-8 (“thou shalt not raise a false report,” “thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil,” etc., down to “thou shalt not oppress a stranger.”) Under the law of Moses, the severest punishment was said to extend unto the “tenth generation” (Deuteronomy 23:2-3).
In the story of Ruth, Naomi and her sons and their wives dwell in Moab for “about ten years” (Ruth 1:4); ten names are associated with injustice and disappointment in Ruth 1:1-15.
Eventually, Boaz “took ten men of the elders of the city” and saw that justice was done concerning Ruth’s marriage and inheritance problems (Ruth 4:2), and in the end, ten generations are listed from Pharez to David.
6. Invoking the name of God ten times as a sign of complete reverence. Building on the foregoing examples, it is easy to understand how, in the minds of those who saw “ten” as the number of perfection, invoking the name of God ten times would seem especially appropriate. The Talmud reports that on the Day of Atonement, the holiest day of the year on the tenth day of the first month, the ineffable name of “Lord” (in Hebrew, “Jehovah”) was spoken by the High Priest the perfect number of ten times. What has not been noticed as much, however, is that such reverence for God’s divine name is shown very remarkably by Book of Mormon prophets. In the exquisitely phrased atonement Psalm of Nephi in 2 Nephi 4, the word “Lord” appears exactly ten times: “My soul delighteth in the things of the Lord” (4:16), “notwithstanding the great goodness of the Lord” (4:17), through other instances in verses 26, 30 (2x), 31, 32, 33 (2x), down to the perfectly completing declaration, “Lord, I have trusted in thee and I will trust in thee forever” (4:34). The interjection “O” also appears ten times in this psalm, as Nephi pours out his heart completely to the Lord.
In King Benjamin’s speech, the phrase “Lord God” appears seven times and the words “Lord Omnipotent” occur three times, for a total of ten (Mosiah 3:5, 13, 14, 17, 18, 21, 23 and Mosiah 2:30, 41; 5:15). Also, the holy “name” of the Messiah, which was revealed by King Benjamin to his people near the central climax of his masterful speech, can be seen as containing exactly ten nouns: “[1]Jesus [2] Christ, [3] the Son of [4] God, [5] the Father of [6] heaven and [7] earth, [8] the Creator of [9] all things from [10] the beginning” (Mosiah 3:8). This expansive divine name was quoted exactly, word for word, a century later by Samuel the Lamanite in Helaman 14:12.
7. Receiving the Word of the Lord. In 2 Nephi 27, the reading of the Book of Mormon is a steady refrain, with the word “read” emphatically appearing there in conjunction with the sacred record ten times (2 Nephi 27:11, 11, 15, 15, 18, 20, 20, 22, 22, 24). The subtle message is that this book will and must be read. The main unit of Jacob’s covenant speech (2 Nephi 9) contains the word Lord exactly ten times (2 Nephi 9:1, 3, 6, 16, 16, 24, 41, 41, 46, 53), as his people receive the word of the Lord by way of renewed covenant.
8. Penitence and Atonement associated with tens. One of the most important reasons for invoking the name of the Lord was to seek forgiveness and atonement from his throne of mercy. As mentioned above, ten was an important number in biblical times associated with achieving atonement or reconciliation with God. On the ancient Israelite calendar, the time of fasting, repentance, and reconciliation was especially concentrated during the ten days between the New Year and the Day of Atonement. These ten days were known as the ten days of penitence or ten days of awe (Lev. 16:29; 23:27; see also Num. 29:7).
In Alma 31:26-35, Alma gives a powerful petition supplicating the Lord for strength in bringing the Zoramites to penitence in Alma 31:26-35, “How long, O Lord, wilt thou suffer that thy servants” (31:26), “O Lord God, how long with thou suffer that such wickedness” (31:30), “O Lord, wilt thou give me strength” (31:30), down to “Therefore give unto us, O Lord,” power and wisdom that we may bring these, our brethren, again unto thee” (31:35).
In Alma 12-13, Alma proclaims the great plan of redemption and atonement using “Lord” and “Son,” as well as the key words men, hearts, and high (as in high priesthood), each ten times. It is impossible to know if this phenomenon was intentional on Alma’s part, but either way, his sermon emphasizes tenfold the sacred truth that men and God can eventually be reconciled by the Son through his high priesthood, which brings about the purification and eternal change of the repentant heart.
9. Supplication and prayer needs to endure ten times over. Calling on the name of God for forgiveness and atonement requires sincere prayer and earnest supplication. One must ask God in order to receive his divine intervention. Calling on God often involves other patterns of ten. At the time of Lehi, the armies of Judah implored the prophet Jeremiah to seek guidance from the Lord. Jeremiah prayed for ten days: “And it came to pass after ten days, that the word of the Lord came unto Jeremiah” (Jeremiah 42:7). Such patience epitomizes the sacred pattern of prayer. Hence, as Jewish philosopher Philo remarked, “only after a time and under the perfect number ten do we reach the desire for the lawful discipline which can profit us.”
In solemn words of prayer in Helaman 11, Nephi called out “O Lord” ten times as he first sealed up the heavens and called down a famine on the land as a sign from God to bring the people to repentance (11:4, 2x) and then prayed again to end that pestilence and complete that scourge (11:10-16, 8x).
Wishing to be heard by the Lord is one of the deepest desires of the righteous soul. Zenos’s memorable poem (Alma 33:4–11), which begins “Thou art merciful, O God, for thou hast heard my prayer,” emphatically affirms that the Lord hears the persistent prayers of the righteous whenever they pray “to be heard of [God] and not of men.” Through its ten occurrences of the root word hear, Zenos’s poem give full assurance that God has heard and “will hear” and answer prayers.
10. Sacred cosmology and the tenth heaven. Each of the foregoing meanings associated with the number ten extends beyond the mundane realm and reflects a wider view of divine cosmology and of God’s universe. Indeed, the cosmos itself was said by the Rabbis to have been created by ten sayings or words of God. That divine world, as well as the temple that was constructed as a model of that complete realm, was often depicted in terms of tens. The construction of the tabernacle in the wilderness employed several ten-fold elements: ten curtains (Exodus 26:1; 36:8), boards ten cubits long (Exodus 26:15-16; 36:20-21), with ten pillars on the west side (Exodus 27:12; 38:12). The Holy of Holies is said to have been a perfect cube, ten cubits wide, ten cubits deep, and ten cubits high. Solomon’s Temple was built with “two cherubims of olive tree, each ten cubits high. And five cubits was the one wing of the cherub, and five cubits the other wing of the cherub: from the uttermost part of the one wing unto the uttermost part of the other were ten cubits.
And the other cherub was ten cubits” (1 Kings 6:23-26). The diameter of the brazen sea was ten cubits (1 Kings 7:23-24). Ten bases were made for the ten lavers (1 Kings 7:27, 38, 43). The brass altar was ten cubits high; ten candlesticks were made of gold, and ten tables were placed, five on each side (see 2 Chronicles 4:1-8).
In close association with ancient temple symbolism, later Judaism recognized ten degrees of holiness, progressing from Palestine to the inner courts of the temple and culminating in the temple’s Holy of Holies. Echoing these ten degrees on earth were ten degrees in heaven. In the book of 2 Enoch, Enoch has a vision in which he progresses from the first heaven into the tenth heaven (symbolized by the Holy of Holies), where God resides and Enoch sees the face of the Lord, is anointed, given clothes of glory, and is told all the things pertaining to heaven and earth. Since the temple in the city of Nephi was built “after the manner of the temple of Solomon” (2 Nephi 5:16), this may explain why the number ten had significance in many cases for the Nephites as well.
Regardless of whether all the meanings of these occurrences of ten were intentionally or subliminally included in any particular text, it seems clear that, at least in some instances, ancient audiences knew to look for such messages in pondering and using their scriptures. In most cases, these meanings are rooted in very early Israelite texts. Detecting these tenfold occurrences in the Book of Mormon uncovers a previously unnoticed quality of the Nephite scripture that was probably more obvious and more important to ancient minds than to modern readers.
Still, modern readers can find significance in the symbolism of the number ten. How might its symbolism encourage us to be more well-rounded (complete) people? How might it help us to keep all of God’s commandments more fully? How might it improve our ability to withstand trials and afflictions, or to pray more earnestly? How might it make our payment of tithing or our other sacrifices of time and talents more meaningful? How might we see sacred cosmology in sacred spaces and in the world around us?
On October 10, 2010, we hope you will have a perfect day and won’t miss the opportunity to pause and ponder about many wonderful things found in the scriptures. They will bless your life. You can count on that.
Based on John W. Welch, “Counting to Ten,” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies, 12, no. 2 (2003): 42-57. For the complete text of that article, which more fully explores and footnotes these points, go to byustudies.byu.edu or maxwellinstitute.byu.edu.
John W. Welch studied Greek philosophy at Oxford University and law at Duke University. He established the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies (FARMS) and is the Editor-in-Chief of BYU Studies. He is the Robert K. Thomas Professor of Law at the J. Reuben Clark Law School
James Summerhays is the administrative editor of BYU Studies and has published numerous articles and has recently produced the documentary Witness the Restoration: The Smith Family Artifacts and Their Story.
