Diagram 002 – Greek Number Table (Isopsephy)

‘Isopsephy’ is the substitution of numbers for letters in the Greek alphabet according to a set system and aligns with the Hebrew tradition of ‘gematria’. Any interpretation derived from numbers must always remain within the constraints of biblical truth in the surface narrative.

Two methods are used in these studies for the calculation of the numerical values of Greek words. These are called the ‘Standard’ and ‘Ordinal’ methods and their letter substitution values are listed in the table below. The ‘Standard’ method is used in all Greek letter substitutions unless explicitly stated otherwise.

Note that there is one letter in the Greek alphabet, the letter ‘iota’, which is occasionally used as a subscript. When this occurs, and in both Isopsephy methods, the numerical value for ‘iota’ is added to the numerical value of the subscripted letter.

Standard Method

This is the most common method of Isopsephy. The numerical value of each Greek letter for this ‘Standard’ method is shown in the ‘Standard’ column of the table below. For numerical completeness the obsolete Greek letter ‘Stigma’ (ς) with a value of six, is included.

Ordinal Method

This method is simply the physical position of the letter in the Greek alphabet. The numerical value of each Greek letter for the ‘Ordinal’ method is shown in the ‘Ordinal’ column of the table below. Note that the obsolete Greek letter ‘Stigma’ (ς) is not applicable to the ‘Ordinal’ method.