– Certain numbers recorded in the Bible, such as 7, 10, 12, have a broader meaning than the simple representation of quantity. The number twelve meant wholeness and completeness, as we can see.
– Ishmael will be the father of twelve princes:
Gen 17:20 : He will be the father of twelve princes, and I will bring forth a great nation from him.
– The sons of Jacob were twelve:
Gen 35:23 : The sons of Jacob were twelve in number.
– Twelve are the tribes of Israel and their offerings:
Exodus 24:4 : The next day […] he built an altar at the foot of the mountain and set up pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel.
Exodus 28:21 : They will be twelve in number, and on each one will be engraved the name of one of the twelve tribes.
Num 7,84 : They offered for the dedication of the altar on the day it was anointed: […] twelve silver bowls and twelve gold bowls.
Num 17:17 : Let them give you one rod per tribe, that is, twelve rods from all the princes of the twelve patriarchal houses.
Deut 1:23 : No one will marry his father’s wife, nor will he lift the covering of his father’s bed.
Joshua 4 :2, 20 : Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe, and give them orders.
1Kings 11:30 : Then Ahijah, taking the new cloak that he was wearing, tore it into twelve pieces.
1 Kings 18:31 : He took twelve stones, according to the number of the twelve tribes that came out of the sons of Jacob.
Ezr 6 : [They offered] twelve goats as victims for the sins of all Israel, according to the number of the tribes of Israel.
Eclo 44,26 : He distinguished him with his blessings, gave him the inheritance, and divided it among the twelve tribes.
Eclo 45,13 : It was an artist’s work, of scarlet thread, with twelve precious stones set in gold.
– The authors of the NT writings also followed the same custom.
– There are twelve apostles:
Mt 10,1-2 : Jesus gathered his twelve disciples.
Mt 19:28 : You will sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
Mk 3,13-19 : He appointed twelve of them to stay with him.
Lk 6,12-13 : At dawn, he called his disciples and chose twelve of them whom he called apostles.
Jn 6:70 : Jesus added: “Did I not choose you, all twelve? However, one of you is a demon!…”.
Acts 1,13.15-25 : They were: Peter and John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James […] Simon […] and Judas.
Acts 7 :8 : So Abraham had a son, Isaac, and after eight days he circumcised him; and […] Jacob, the twelve patriarchs.
Acts 26:7: And which our twelve tribes hope to reach, serving God night and day.
1Cor 15,5 : Appeared to Cephas and then to the Twelve.
Rev 7,4-5.12,1 : A Woman clothed with the sun, the moon under her feet and on her head a crown of twelve stars.
Rev 22,2 : In the middle of the avenue and on both sides of the river, there was a tree of life, which bears twelve fruits.
– There are 12 x 12 servants of God:
Rev 7,4-5 : Of the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand were assigned; from the tribe of Reuben, twelve thousand; from the tribe of Gad, twelve thousand.
– The Woman has a crown of twelve stars:
Rev 12 :1 : The moon under his feet and on his head a crown of twelve stars.
– There are twelve fruits of the tree of life:
Rev 22 : 1 : Then the angel showed me a river of living water, shining like rock crystal.
