gematria

Gematria is a system of assigning numerical values to letters, words, or phrases, so that words with the same numerical value are considered related. It is most closely associated with Hebrew and Jewish tradition, but parallel practices exist in other languages.

In Hebrew, each letter carries a numerical value: Aleph 1, Bet 2, Gimel 3, Dalet 4, He 5, Vav 6, Zayin 7, Het 8, Tet 9, Yod 10, Kaf 20, Lamed 30, Mem 40, Nun 50, Samekh 60, Ayin 70, Pe 80, Tzadi 90, Qof 100, Resh 200, Shin 300, Tav 400. Values combine additively to yield numbers for words. Common variants include mispar gadol (full values), mispar katan (reduced to 1–9 by dropping tens and hundreds), and mispar shemi (values of the full name). The result can be used to notice verbal or thematic connections; for example, the word chai (life) has the value 18 (8 + 10), making 18 a symbol in Jewish culture.

Gematria has ancient parallels in the Greek isopsephy, where letters of the Greek alphabet are assigned numeric values; both practices are used to find hidden relationships or to interpret texts.

In practice, gematria is used among scholars, mystics, and numerologists. In modern scholarship, it is viewed as a traditional or stylistic device rather than a scientifically verified method, with interpretations varying and often subjective.