The Number Eleven in Scripture

The number eleven does not occur frequently in the Bible, nevertheless, it has meaning as the other numbers. We are all more familiar with the number twelve. Eleven is one short of it. Wherever we find eleven it seems to be associated with incompleteness, imperfection, disorder, disruption and disintegration.

The first mention of eleven is associated with Jacob and his sons (Gen. 32:22). This was twenty-one years after his flight to Haran, and these years spent out of Canaan were marked by chastening, incompleteness and disorder. Eleven sons speak of that incompleteness. It was one short of the twelve from which the twelve tribes of Israel sprang.

Later on, eleven sons told of the disruption, disintegration and incompleteness of Jacob's family, for he said, "One is not" (Gen. 42:32). Joseph was supposedly dead.

It was an eleven day journey from Horeb to Kadesh at the southern border of the promised land (Deut. 1:2). One more day's journey would have brought Israel into the land. In unbelief they turned back into the wilderness. The following years were marked by chastening, disruption and disintegration.

The tabernacle of the wilderness had eleven curtains for a covering (Ex. 26:7-8). It was associated with the disorganized life of Israel in the wilderness.

In the final years of Judah's kingdom two of the final kings reigned eleven years each. Jehoiakin reigned eleven years in Jerusalem, at the end of which he became servant of Nebuchadnezzar (II Kings 23:36, 24:1). Zedekiah reigned eleven years in Jerusalem, at the end of which came the disruption of the Southern kingdom at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian hordes (II Kings 24:18 with chapter 25). These two kings each reigned eleven years.

At the end of each reign was disaster.

Eleven hundred occurs three times in the Scriptures. All three occurrences are associated with the days of defective administration, marked by the fact that there was no king. The Philistines bribed Delilah with eleven hundred pieces of silver in order to entice Samson to make known the source of his great strength (Jud. 16:5). Israel was thus deprived of their mighty ruler and deliverer. The other two occurrences of eleven hundred are connected with the introduction of idolatry into Israel (Jud. 17:2-3). Dan and Ephraim were the offending tribes. Micah was an Ephraimite. Those who stole the eleven hundred sheckels were from the tribe of Dan.

Eleven apostles were a witness to their incompleteness and disorganization, so they immediately set to work and elected another to fill the place of Judas (Acts 1:26).

(The next installment will be the number twelve.)