Famous Gematria Examples from Hebrew Tradition
Well-known examples of gematria in Jewish tradition, including chai (18), love and one (13), and wine and secret (70), with the arithmetic shown.
These examples are often quoted when gematria is explained. We show the letter-by-letter arithmetic so you can check each one yourself.
Chai: life = 18
חי is ח (8) + י (10) = 18. The number 18 is widely used for gifts and charitable donations.
Love and one = 13
אהבה (ahavah, love) is א (1) + ה (5) + ב (2) + ה (5) = 13. אחד (echad, one) is א (1) + ח (8) + ד (4) = 13. Teachers often point out that the two words share a total.
Wine and secret = 70
יין (yayin, wine) is י (10) + י (10) + ן (50) = 70. סוד (sod, secret) is ס (60) + ו (6) + ד (4) = 70. A rabbinic saying links the two ("wine goes in, a secret comes out").
Eliezer and 318
Genesis 14:14 says that Abraham led out 318 trained men. A midrashic reading notes that the name of his servant אליעזר (Eliezer) totals 318: א (1) + ל (30) + י (10) + ע (70) + ז (7) + ר (200).
Messiah and serpent = 358
משיח (mashiach) is מ (40) + ש (300) + י (10) + ח (8) = 358, and נחש (nachash, serpent) is נ (50) + ח (8) + ש (300) = 358. The match is often cited in Jewish mystical writing.
Beyond Hebrew
Greek writers used isopsephy in the same way. A graffito often cited from Pompeii reads, in translation, "I love her whose number is 545", a playful use of letter values. Another example is the "number of the beast" in the Book of Revelation, which most manuscripts give as 666, and some as 616.
Calculate your own with the calculator, or see the full chart of Hebrew letter values.