Home › Glossary › Letter N

Numbers

Biblical
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

The fourth book of the Bible, recounting the Israelites' wilderness wanderings and census.

Detailed Definition
Numbers combines historical narrative with divine testing, symbolizing journey and struggle, frequently invoked in poetry to explore themes of exile, faith, and human perseverance.
Example
Example in poetry:
Numbers: “Numbers’ wilderness journey symbolizes poetic themes of exile and perseverance”; “The book’s census and lists serve as poetic devices for order and identity”; “Poets evoke Numbers’ episodes of rebellion as metaphors for doubt and faith struggle”; “The narrative of divine guidance inspires poems on trust and providence”; “Numbers’ blend of history and theology enriches epic poetic forms”
Additional Notes
Numbers depicts Israel’s wilderness journey combined with censuses and narratives, symbolizing exile, testing, and perseverance. Poets can use its episodic stories and themes of divine guidance to write on identity, faith struggles, and communal experience. Its blend of history and theology supports epic and narrative poetry exploring human-divine interaction.
Also Known As
wilderness census journey narrative tribal organization
Skip to main content