Part 6: Creation In Chinese
(Genesis 1:1)
(可 惜 這 頁 沒 有 中 文 繙 譯)
起 初 神 創 造 天 地
(Genesis 1:1; 創 世 記 1:1 Chinese Union Version [MPT])1
Any Chinese person reading Genesis 1:1 without a Christian background will not know who or what 神 refers to without first being told. In fact, Chinese who are knowledgeable about their own ancient traditions will immediately find the above quote a contradiction. The 神 (Sahn) was/were not the main creator(s). However, if the title 上 帝 (Seung Dai) is used, most Chinese will immediately know it refers to the one supreme God. It will make sense to the Chinese mind and be acceptable.
For this reason (and as seen in The Proclamation), the word 神 (Sahn) must be replaced by the title 上 帝 (Seung Dai). And it is with this change that numbersNumerics Gematria following Revelation 1:8 appear.2
起 初 上 帝 創 造 天 地
(Genesis 1:1; 創 世 記 1:1 Kuoyu BibleShangtiedition 1033, China Bible House, HK 1953)
| Chinese | 起 | 初 | 上 | 帝 | 創 | 造 | 天 | 地 |
| Big5 Hexadecimal: | B05F | AAEC | A457 | ABD2 | B3D0 | B379 | A4D1 | A661 |
| Adjusted Decimal Equivalent | 3104 | 1709 | 24 | 1939 | 3985 | 3898 | 146 | 546 |
| Approximate English: | in beginning | God | created | heaven | earth | |||
| See: Alphanumeric Substitutions for converting Chinese to numbers. | ||||||||
There are now eight words. While seven words might be nice for Westerners, eight words is nice for Chinese people.
1.Numeric total: 15351 = 3 x 7 x 17 x 43. 15351 is a very symmetrical numberNumerics Gematria, reading the same from left to right or right to left. The digit 1 at the beginning and end refer to the one God. The sum of the factors: 70 = 2 x 5 x 7. And the sum of these factors: 14 = 2 x 7.
The number 17 may seem coincidental or insignificant, but it actually has meaning to the Chinese. Seventeen in Cantonese is sap chat
, which sounds a lot like 實出 (sat cheut) something that definitely will come out. And of course, the earth definitely came out of creation.
The number 43 is also significant. In Chinese this would be 四十三 (sei sap sam), which also sounds similar to 死實生 (sei sat sang). 死實生 means the dead will live
pointing to God’s saving work through Jesus. In the context of creation, dead matter became living matter.
2.1First and last words: 3650. There is no feature, but the mind leaps in recognition of the number of days it takes for the earth to orbit the sun ten times. (Of course one could quibble about the leap days.)
2.2There might not be a feature in the first and last words, but there is a first and last feature. First four words (first half): 6776 = 2 x 2 x 2 x 7 x 11 x 11. 6776 is another symmetrical numberNumerics Gematria pointing back to God. The first two digits and the last two digits add up to the factor in the Hebrew divine name. The sum of the factors: 35 = 5 x 7. This goes a second level of factors: 12 = 2 x 2 x 3. And everything ends at the third level with 7.
The pair of elevens is also noteworthy in emphasizing the same one God. 6776 ÷ 11 = 616 (another symmetrical numberNumerics Gematria). In this case, the first pair of digits and the last pair of digits add up to 7 rather than 13.
2.3Last four words (last half): 8575 = 52 x 73. Three factors of 7 show that creation is complete.
3.1Odd positioned words: 3104 + 24 + 3985 + 146 = 7259 = 7 x 17 x 61.
3.2Even positioned words: 1709 + 1939 + 3898+ 546 = 8092 = 2 x 2 x 7 x 17 x 17.
The number 17 shows up in the total, and now even in every other word. This perfect distribution of 7 and 17 shows the design of creation.
3.3The values of odd positioned characters and even positioned characters can be compared by taking the difference: 8092 − 7259 = 833 (72 x 17). Now the result is two factors of 7. Seventeen is not divisible by 7, but it does contain a digit of 7. (See feature 9.3 below for a parallel result.)
4.Separating odd and even valued words:
4.1Odd valued words: 1709 + 1939 + 3985 = 7633 = 17 x 449.
4.2Even valued words: 3104 + 24 + 3898 + 146 + 546 = 7718 = 2 x 17 x 227.
There is no 7 in these two features, but 17 still appears.
5.Words divisible by 7 are perfectly distributed to the 4th and 8th words, and the last word is also divisible by 13 as if God were stamping His approval on creation's completion by calling it very good.
(Genesis 1:31)
5.1God’s title, 上帝, is also perfectly positioned as the third and fourth characters (3 + 4 = 7).
| Hexadecimal: | B05F | AAEC | A457 | ABD2 | B3D0 | B379 | A4D1 | A661 | ||||||||
| Bytes: | B0 | 5F | AA | EC | A4 | 57 | AB | D2 | B3 | D0 | B3 | 79 | A4 | D1 | A6 | 61 |
| Decimal equivalents: | 176 | 95 | 170 | 236 | 164 | 87 | 171 | 210 | 179 | 208 | 179 | 121 | 164 | 209 | 166 | 97 |
6.1.The total of the bytes: 2632 = 2 x 2 x 2 x 7 x 47.
6.2.First and last bytes: 176 + 97 = 273 = 3 x 7 x 13.
6.3First byte of each hex number: 1369 = 37 x 37 (no feature except a perfect square). There is no matching feature in the last byte of each hex number.
6.4Split the hex numbers into individual digits and convert to decimal.
a) Single hex digit b) Decimal c) First & last digit of each hexadecimal a) B 0 5 F A A E C A 4 5 7 A B D 2 B 3 D 0 B 3 7 9 A 4 D 1 b) 11 0 5 15 10 10 14 12 10 4 5 7 10 11 13 2 11 3 13 0 11 3 7 9 10 4 13 1 c) 11 15 10 12 10 7 10 2 11 0 11 9 10 1 a) A 6 6 1 b) 10 6 6 1 c) 10 1
The total of the decimals (line b): 247 = 13 x 19.
The total of the first and last digits (line c): 130 = 2 x 5 x 13.
7.The fifth word can be removed from the phrase and yet still retain the essential meaning. This would be a phrase of 7 words.
起 初 上 帝 創 天 地
The total would be 11453 = 13 x 881. Unfortunately, many of the previous features will be completely absent in this version.
8.The Chinese Union Version and the Chinese New Version put a space in Genesis 1:1, 起初 神創造天地.
This is to alert readers that the character 神 actually stands in for something that is missing. The Chinese title for God is what is missing: 上帝. This is done wherever translators use 神 to represent God. In Big5, this empty space has a value: −767 (−1 x 13 x 59). Note what happens if 神 is removed, but the empty space representing God is retained.
起 初 創 造 天 地 3104 1709 -767 3985 3898 146 546
The total is another symmetrical number: 12621 = 3 x 7 x 601. SF: 611 = 13 x 47. Even the numbers make it clear the empty space represents God, and it shows that the character 神 is inappropriate and out of place in this verse. (Both the space and 上帝 are divisible by 13.)
Two symmetrical totals for the phrase leads to comparing them: 15351 − 12621 = 2730 = 2 x 3 x 5 x 7 x 13. The difference points back to God with a number divisible by 13.
9Since Genesis 1:1 is about creation, and creation is the assembling of the building blocks of matter, one could view the Hebrew verse as the finished product, the words as smaller building blocks, and the letters as the atoms. Chinese characters don't have letters, but they do consist of smaller parts called radicals. In dictionaries, Chinese characters are classified under these radicals. These could be termed the building blocks of Chinese characters. The eight characters fall under seven different radicals.
Character: 起 初 上 帝 創 造 天 地 Radical: 走 刀 一 巾 刀 辵 大 土 Number: 1132 14 1 58 14 8855 43 40 The radicals have numeric values just like the characters.
Total of the radicals: 10157 = 7 x 1451.
9.1As the numeric values of the odd postioned characters were divisible by 7, so are the odd positioned radical values:
1132 1 14 43
Total: 1190 = 2 x 5 x 7 x 17.
9.2This also holds for the even positioned radical values:
14 58 8855 40
Total: 8967 = 3 x 72 x 61. SF: 78 = 2 x 3 x 13.
9.3The difference between the even and odd positioned radical values reveals something else in creation: 8967 − 1190 = 7777. (7 x 11 x 101. SF: 119 = 7 x 17.)
7777 is a visual and numerical representation of the completion of God’s work in creation. Its factors of 7, 11 and 101 show the perfect one God who is beginning and end. The sum of these factors is 119 another number divisible by 7.
9.3.1Considering the difference between the odd and even positioned radicals naturally leads to comparing the total of the characters minus the total of the radicals: 15351 − 10157 = 5194 (2 x 72 x 53). Once again there is an extra 7.
9.3.2The total for the odd positioned characters and the total of the odd positioned radicals could be put together: 1190 + 7259 = 8449 (7 x 17 x 71). Every factor has a digit of 7.
9.3.3The total for the even positioned characters and the total for the even positioned radicals could be put together: 8967 + 8092 = 17059 (7 x 2437. SF: 2444 = 22 x 13 x 47). The second level of factors has a 13.
9.3.4Even the difference between the odd positioned characters and the odd positioned radicals has multiple digits of 7: 7259 − 1190 = 6069 (3 x 7 x 17 x 17). The only one that doesn't produce anything new is the difference between the even positioned characters and radicals (8967 − 8092 = 875 = 5 x 5 x 5 x 7).
9.4Conveniently, the only radical repeated is the one with a value of 14. This means the seven unique radical values are also divisible by 7: 10143 = 32 x 72 x 23. And not only are they divisible by 7, they are divisible by 7 twice.
9.4.1And also coincidentally, these two characters just so happen to be the second and fifth characters of the verse (2 + 5 = 7), and they sit on either side of the Chinese characters for God’s title.
9.4.2Their numeric values also work together: 1709 + 3985 = 5694 (2 x 3 x 13 x 73. SF: 91 = 7 x 13).
9.5These radicals are also numbered from 1 to 214 in Chinese dictionaries.
Radical: 走 刀 一 巾 刀 辵 大 土 Dictionary position: 156 18 1 50 18 162 37 32 Number of strokes: 7 2 1 3 2 7 3 3
The total of the dictionary positions of the radicals is not divisible by 7 or 13: 474 = 2 x 3 x 79, but it is a symmetrical number like the totals, and the sum of the factors is a multiple of 7: 84 = 22 x 3 x 7.
The number of strokes to write these radicals total 28 = 22 x 7.
10The first stanza of the Dao De Jing is the Chinese understanding of the creation of heaven and earth. In some aspects, its meaning parallels John 1:1-37. The total of its characters is compared with the total for Genesis 1:1.
10.1The Dao De Jing is added to Genesis 1:1: 119546 + 15351 = 134897 = 72 x 2753. An extra factor of 7 is produced.
10.2Genesis is subtracted from the Dao De Jing: 119546 − 15351 = 104195 = 5 x 7 x 13 x 229. An extra factor of 13 appears.
10.3Genesis 1:1 divides into the Dao De Jing 7 times (with 12089 remaining). The remainder is still divisible by seven, and has an extra feature in the sum of the factors: 12089 = 7 x 11 x 157. SF: 175 = 52 x 7.
11The Farsi version of Genesis 1:1 is compared with the Chinese.
11.1The Chinese character total is added to the Farsi: 23751 + 15351 = 39102 (2 x 3 x 73 x 19). There are three factors of 7!
11.2The Chinese character total is subtracted from the Farsi: 23751 − 15351 = 8400 = 24 x 3 x 52 x 7. SF: 28 = 22 x 7. A second level of factors becomes possible.
English Confirmation
Number features found in a Chinese version of Genesis 1:1 makes one wonder about other languages. What about English?
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. (KJV)
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (RSV)
Neither version produces any total divisible by 7. However, a simple change that brings the English closer to the Hebrew does produce something. The explanation of this change is given below.
| הָאָֽרֶץ׃ | וְאֵ֥ת | הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם | אֵ֥ת | אֱלֹהִ֑ים | בָּרָ֣א | בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית |
| earth | and the | heavens | the | God | created | in the beginning |
| (N.B. Hebrew is read from right to left.) | ||||||
The very first word of Genesis 1:1 in Hebrew is בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית (highlighted in green inside the table). The English translation in Genesis 1:1 is In the beginning
because English sounds strange without the definite article (e.g. in beginning
). While the Hebrew word (beginning) could be considered specific and definitive, the sense is not as clear and strong as the heavens
and the earth
, where both have the words אֵ֥ת and וְאֵ֥ת. Suppose improper English was tolerated for the sake of accuracy with the Hebrew.
In beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
a) 1 2 3 4 5 b) 30 104 10 148 87 c) 12 50 10 40 24 d) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 e) 12 2- 6- 12- 12- 12- 6 6- 4 3- 15- 1- 17- 4 17- 7 f) 30 2- 6- 30- 30- 30- 6 6- 4 3- 60- 1- 80- 4 80- 7 In beginning God created the a) 6 7 8 9 b) 198 35 87 148 c) 54 17 24 40 d) 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 e) 7- 1- 18- 12- 16 1- 12- 4 17- 7 1- 15- 17- 7 f) 7- 1- 90- 30- 70 1- 30- 4 80- 7 1- 60- 80- 7 heavens and the earth. a) Word position b) Word sum c) Place value sum d) Letter position e) Letter place value f) Letter value
The total of line b) 847 = 7 x 11 x 11. The result is seen without further manipulation.
(N.B. The only reason why this can be done is because this is English. It is a translation, not the original Hebrew. One could say we are making an English version with poor English.)
The first letter of each word (as in the beginning of our world):
Letter position: 1 2 8 10 15 17 22 25 27 Letter value: 30 2 6 3 80 7 1 80 1
Total: 210 = 2 x 3 x 5 x 7. There are no additional features from the last letter of each word, or from first and last together. The verse is about creation, not about God, so primary features matching the Proclamation should not be expected. Besides, this is an English translation and not the original Hebrew.
The divine name is run 13 times through the word sums.
a) Letter from God's name. b) Counting with line A. c) Word position. d) Word found. a) 10 5 6 5 10 5 6 5 10 5 6 5 10 5 6 5 10 5 6 b) 10 6 12 8 18 14 11 7 17 13 10 6 16 12 9 14 15 11 8 c) 1 6 3 8 9 5 2 7 8 4 1 6 7 3 9 5 6 2 8 d) 30 198 10 87 148 87 104 35 87 148 30 198 35 10 148 87 198 104 87 a) 5 10 5 6 5 10 5 6 5 10 5 6 5 10 5 6 5 10 5 b) 13 14 10 7 12 13 9 15 11 12 8 14 10 11 7 13 9 19 6 c) 4 5 1 7 3 4 9 6 2 3 8 5 1 2 7 4 9 1 6 d) 148 87 30 35 10 148 148 198 104 10 87 87 30 104 35 148 148 30 198 a) 6 5 10 5 6 5 10 5 6 5 10 5 6 5 b) 12 8 18 14 11 7 17 13 10 6 16 12 9 14 c) 3 8 9 5 2 7 8 4 1 6 7 3 9 5 d) 10 87 148 87 104 35 87 148 30 198 35 10 148 87
Total: 4830 = 2 x 3 x 5 x 7 x 23.
Only the seventh word is divisible by seven: 35 (5 x 7).
Only the second word is divisible by 13: 104 (2 x 2 x 2 x 13).
The relation between the seventh and second words might be because together they point to the number of English words in the verse.
The divine name in Hebrew can also be run 13 times through the letters.
a) Letter from God's name. b) Count. c) Adjusted count. d) New letter found. a) 10 5 6 5 10 5 6 5 10 5 6 5 10 5 6 5 10 5 6 5 10 5 b) 10 15 21 26 36 11 17 22 32 7 13 18 28 33 9 14 24 29 35 10 20 25 c) 10 15 21 26 6 11 17 22 2 7 13 18 28 3 9 14 24 29 5 10 20 25 d) 3 80 70 7 30 60 7 1 2 6 80 1 60 6 4 4 4 80 30 3 30 80 a) 6 5 10 5 6 5 10 5 6 5 10 5 6 5 10 5 6 5 10 5 6 5 b) 31 6 16 21 27 32 12 17 23 28 38 13 19 24 34 9 15 20 30 35 11 16 c) 1 6 16 21 27 2 12 17 23 28 8 13 19 24 4 9 15 20 30 5 11 16 d) 30 30 7 70 1 2 1 7 30 60 6 80 90 4 30 4 80 30 7 30 60 7 a) 10 5 6 5 10 5 6 5 b) 26 31 7 12 22 27 33 8 c) 26 1 7 12 22 27 3 8 d) 7 30 6 1 1 1 6 6
Total: 1372 = 2 x 2 x 7 x 7 x 7.
Beginning with the first letter, we can take every 6th letter in sequence:
Position: 1 7 13 19 25 Letter: 30 6 80 90 80
Total: 286 = 2 x 11 x 13. SF: 26 = 2 x 13.
We can also take every 13th letter.
Position: 1 14 27 Letter: 30 4 1
Total: 35 = 5 x 7.
Beginning with the seventh letter, we can take every 7th letter:
Position: 7 14 21 28 Letter: 6 4 70 60
Total: 140 = 2 x 2 x 5 x 7.
The odd valued letters balance perfectly with the even valued letters:
Position: 10 12 16 17 18 22 26 27 30 Letter: 3 1 7 7 1 1 7 1 7
Total of odd valued letters: 35 = 5 x 7. (There are nine of them as if one for each word.)
Even valued:
Position: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 11 13 14 15 19 20 21 23 24 25 28 29 Letter: 30 2 6 30 30 30 6 6 4 60 80 4 80 90 30 70 30 4 80 60 80
Total of even valued letters: 812 = 2 x 2 x 7 x 29. (There are 21 of them.)
Letters divisible by 7:
Position: 16 17 21 26 30 Letter" 7 7 70 7 7
Total: 98 = 2 x 7 x 7. (An extra 7 appears.)
There are several additional coincidences concerning Genesis 1:1 (creation) and the Chinese language. The Chinese have an ancient phrase concerning the seven day week: 七日來復 (the returning seven days).
七 日 來 復 4 170 1172 4128
Total of these four characters: 5474 = 2 x 7 x 17 x 23. SF: 49 = 72 SF: 14 = 2 x 7.
The Chinese also have the concept of Yin and Yang. This shows up with odd and even positioned characters, and odd and even valued characters.
The odd positioned characters (七, 來): 4 + 1172 = 1176 = 23 x 3 x 72 The sum of the factors is 23. Of all created creatures, only man recognizes and uses the seven day week.
The even positioned characters (日, 復): 170 + 4128 = 4298 = 2 x 7 x 307. There is perfect balance.
There are no odd valued characters. Thus the value of odd valued characters is 0. Zero could be considered divisible by 7. Even valued characters are the original total: 5474 = 2 x 7 x 17 x 23.
In ancient times, when one first learned to read Chinese, there were standard primers that consisted of paired 3 character phrases. As one's vocabulary grew, one graduated to four character phrases, and then five and so on. And the first phrase all Chinese students learned, was this nursery rhyme:
人之初 性本善
This elementary phrase states that man's initial nature was virtuous. Some Christians have taken this to mean the Chinese did not believe in original sin, since Confucian philosophy posits education as the key to maintaining virtue. This viewpoint holds that the Chinese were ignorant of Old Testament teachings. Other Christians have taken this to refer to Adam and Eve before the fall, and that education became necessary because of the fall. This viewpoint finds similarities between Old Testament teachings and Chinese culture. (For more on this, see the book Discovery of Genesis: How the Truths of Genesis Were Found Hidden In the Chinese Language by C.H. Kang and Ethel R. Nelson.)
人 之 初 性 本 善 9 104 1709 1419 380 4478
The coincidence is that this six character phrase is divisible by 7 and 13: 8099 = 7 x 13 x 89.
Where did the Chinese get these concepts? No one knows. And how is it that the numeric values for the characters just so happen to be divisible by seven? Perhaps this is additional confirmation that the account in the Bible is true.
Conclusion
Now there are three versions of Genesis 1:1 (Hebrew, Chinese and English) with numbersNumerics Gematria pointing to the design and creation of the universe. The Chinese verse has the extra information identifying the one and only supreme God as the creator. The numbersNumerics Gematria distinguish between 上 帝 (Seung Dai) and 神 (Sahn), while the Hebrew word Elohim, and English word God might mistakenly be taken for other beings. This is a truth the Chinese have always known since ancient times. When and where they received or developed this truth is unknown.
(See also: Genesis 1:1 in Farsi.)
中 國 要 回 歸 上 帝
(For more on China and America in prophecy: Bible Issues.)
God created the world. That means He owns the world and does what He wants with it. His plan for creation is not in the numbers. To find out the ultimate plan for humanity, read the book of Revelation.
Notes
- Source: https://chinesestandardbible.com/ (accessed June 21, 2019 through https://biblehub.com).
- In Hebrew, Genesis 1:1 actually has the word אלהים (Elohim), which is the plural
gods.
There are no plural forms of characters in Chinese. Thus to be clear, and to follow the original Hebrew, the translation could have used the 神 character, and doubled it for the plural: 起初神神創造天地. This of course would be ignoring the fact that to the Chinese, the 神 character should never be used to refer to the one supreme God. The phrase 起初神神創造天地 is divisible by seven.起 初 神 神 創 造 天 地 3104 1709 2924 2924 3985 3898 146 546
Total: 19236 = 22 x 3 x 7 x 229. Many of the numeric features disappear.