Why does the number six mean in the Bible?

The number six appears multiple times throughout Scripture and is often associated with mankind, imperfection, work, and incompleteness. Unlike seven, which represents divine perfection and completion, six falls short, symbolizing what is earthly, human, and incomplete without God. It is also linked to sin, evil, and rebellion, particularly in prophecy.

Let’s explore the biblical significance of the number six through creation, historical events, laws, and prophecy.

The Number Six in Creation: Man’s Number

The first and most foundational meaning of six is that it is the number of man because God created humans on the sixth day of creation:

“Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’”
(Genesis 1:26, NKJV)

“So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.”
(Genesis 1:31, NKJV)

Key Points About Six and Humanity:

• Man was created on the sixth day, distinguishing human effort from divine completion (seventh day).
• Humanity, without God’s blessing and rest (seventh day), remains incomplete.
• Adam and Eve sinned soon after being created, reinforcing the association of six with imperfection and sin.

Six in the Old Testament: Labor and Incompleteness

A. Six Days of Work

The sixth day of creation established the principle of human labor:

“Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God.”
(Exodus 20:9-10, NKJV)

• Work lasts six days, but without the seventh day of rest (Sabbath), labor is incomplete.
• This pattern shows that human effort alone is insufficient without God’s sanctification.

B. Six Years of Servitude

“If you buy a Hebrew servant, he shall serve six years; and in the seventh he shall go out free and pay nothing.”
(Exodus 21:2, NKJV)

• A slave was required to serve for six years, reinforcing that six represents toil, bondage, and incompleteness.
• In the seventh year, the slave was set free, paralleling God’s redemption and completion.

C. Goliath and the Number Six

“The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and his iron spearhead weighed six hundred shekels; and a shield-bearer went before him.”
(1 Samuel 17:7, NKJV)

• Goliath represents human arrogance, pride, and opposition to God.
• His armor included six pieces, and his spear weighed six hundred shekels, suggesting a human system in rebellion against God.

Six in the New Testament: Worldly Systems and Evil

A. Jesus’ First Miracle and the Six Waterpots

At the wedding at Cana, Jesus transformed six waterpots into wine:

“Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece.”
(John 2:6, NKJV)

• The six waterpots represented Jewish ceremonial law, which was incomplete without Jesus.
• When Jesus transformed the water into wine, He symbolized how He completes what is lacking in human effort.

B. The Sixth Hour and Jesus’ Sacrifice

“Now it was the third hour, and they crucified Him.”
(Mark 15:25, NKJV)

“Now it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.”
(Luke 23:44, NKJV)

• At the sixth hour, darkness fell over the land as Jesus was on the cross.
• This symbolizes how the number six is linked to sin, suffering, and humanity’s separation from God.

The Number 666: The Mark of the Beast

One of the most infamous uses of the number six is in Revelation 13:18, where 666 is described as the number of the Beast:

“Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666.”
(Revelation 13:18, NKJV)

A. Why Is 666 the Number of the Beast?

1. Six is the number of man – The Beast represents a human system opposed to God.
2. Six repeated three times (666) represents complete human rebellion.
3. It is a counterfeit of God’s perfection (777), showing that the Antichrist tries to replace God but falls short.

Who is the 666 or the Antichrist?

B. The Mark of the Beast and Worldly Control

The number 666 is linked to economic and political oppression:

“He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark.”
(Revelation 13:16-17, NKJV)

• The Beast’s system is fully human and opposed to God’s order.
• Just as God sealed His people with His name, the Beast marks people with 666—a symbol of total allegiance to human government over divine authority.

The Spiritual Meaning of Six: Man’s Need for God

A. Human Effort Without God Is Incomplete

The pattern of six in Scripture teaches that man, by himself, is always lacking.

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
(Romans 3:23, NKJV)

• No matter how much we work, fight, or strive, without God’s intervention, we fall short.

B. Six Symbolizes the Worldly System

The number six represents the world’s corrupt systems that reject God’s rule:

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”
(1 John 2:15, NKJV)

• Governments, economies, and human philosophies operate under the influence of the number six, seeking to replace God’s authority with human control.

C. Six Points to Our Need for Redemption

Since six symbolizes human weakness, it ultimately points to our need for Jesus Christ.

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
(Matthew 11:28, NKJV)

Jesus, as the true Sabbath rest (seventh day), completes what six lacks.

Conclusion: The Biblical Meaning of Six

– Six represents mankind – Created on the sixth day but incomplete without God.
– Six represents labor and toil – Work lasts six days, but true rest comes from God.
– Six represents rebellion – From Goliath to the Beast (666), six symbolizes opposition to God.
– Six is incomplete – It lacks the spiritual perfection of seven and points to man’s need for redemption.

Ultimately, the number six teaches us that without God, we are incomplete. We must seek Jesus Christ, the only One who can bring completion, salvation, and eternal rest.

“And you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.”
(Colossians 2:10, NKJV)

Trust in Christ—the One who brings rest, redemption, and true completeness!