Hebrew Numerals

Hebrew numerals are a system of writing numbers using the letters of the Hebrew alphabet. This system, known as Gematria, is an alphabetic numeral system where each Hebrew letter has a numerical value. It is still used today in Jewish religious texts, calendar dates, and other traditional contexts.

The Hebrew numeral system is an additive system, where the values of individual letters are summed to get the total. The system uses 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet, with separate sets for units (1-9), tens (10-90), and hundreds (100-900). Numbers are written from right to left (like Hebrew text), with larger values typically appearing first.

Key Features:

• Uses 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet, organized into units, tens, and hundreds.
• Additive system - values of letters are summed to get the total.
• Written from right to left (like Hebrew text).
• Thousands are indicated by placing a geresh (׳) after the thousands portion.
• Special cases: 15 is written as טו (not יה), 16 as טז (not יו), and 18 as חי.
• Still used in Jewish religious texts, Hebrew calendar dates, and traditional contexts.
• Each letter has both a name and a numerical value (used in Gematria).

Formation Rules:

• Units (1-9) use the first nine letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
• Tens (10-90) use the next nine letters.
• Hundreds (100-900) use the remaining letters, with some combinations for 500-900.
• Thousands use the same letters as units, followed by a geresh (׳) separator.
• Numbers are written from right to left, with larger values first.
• Special avoidance: 15 and 16 avoid spelling the Divine Name (יהוה).

Further Reading:

• Hebrew Numerals on Wikipedia
• Gematria on Wikipedia

Units (1-9)

Tens (10-90)

Hundreds (100-900)

Special Cases

Hebrew numerals have special forms for certain numbers to avoid spelling the Divine Name (יהוה):

Examples of Numbers:

Larger Numbers (with Thousands Separator):

Numbers 1000 and above use a geresh (׳) to separate the thousands portion from the rest: