What Does The Number 11 Mean Biblically: A Message To Interpret

Angel Reader Darren
5 min readMay 10, 2021

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The Bible expresses itself through its own language that needs to be decoded in order for people to understand the message that this sacred book wants to convey. In the specific case of the Bible, numbers can have a theological, qualitative, prophetic meaning and also indicate an ideological order.

The number 11 is considered a master number in traditional numerology, although in the Bible this number has a negative connotation. For this reason it generates a great intrigue and people wonder: “What does the number 11 mean biblically?”. While in the Bible the number 12 indicates perfect government, 11 indicates insufficiency. The following is an analysis of the meaning of the number 11 in the Holy Scriptures.

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Meaning of the number 11 in the Bible

The number 11 appears 24 times in the Holy Scriptures, while “11th” appears 19 times. This number always indicates a negative connotation as to its meaning and also in the prophetic sense. For the Bible, 11 means chaos, disorder, desolation and disintegration. In fact the eleventh hour is described as chaotic and it is pointed out that the order will return at 12 o’clock when Christ returns to reign. The 11th also refers to the Last Judgment since the apostle John saw 11 things that relate to that long awaited day.

Destructive governments

The Bible describes that there were two reigns in Judah that lasted 11 years each and both were totally unfortunate. Jehoiakim never followed God’s teachings and allowed misfortune to come to Judah. Nebuchadnezzar declared war on Jehoiakim and destroyed Jerusalem. Then reigned Zedekiah who also disobeyed God in every way. Nebuchadnezzar completed the conquest of Jerusalem thanks to the ineptitude of Zedekiah and completely destroyed that sacred city. During these events one can appreciate the chaotic connotation of the number 11, which describes the disintegration of Jerusalem.

11 days

The book of Deuteronomy begins by saying that “there are only 11 days’ journey between Hareb and Kadesh-Barnea, the Promised Land, following the road to Mount Seir”. However the people of Israel spent 40 years wandering through the wilderness until they reached the Promised Land. Here the number 11 indicates the suffering experienced by the Israelites until they reached freedom. In addition, the number 11 takes on a negative prophetic meaning, because it figuratively announces desolation, sadness and disasters. During Deuteronomy God emphasizes that the Jewish people should not have suffered so much to conquer their freedom.

False prophets

During the New Testament the Greek word “pseudoprophetes”, meaning “false prophets” appears 11 times. Here the number 11 acquires a meaning of deception and lies. The Bible says that false prophets will appear during the course of history, claiming to come from God and to have good intentions towards mankind. The Bible clearly warns that this is a lie and that faithful believers should stay away from false prophets and should not listen to what they say. The worst of all is that many people will believe them, which will generate confusion in the believers. God warns to ignore them because they only seek destruction. Once again, the number 11 points to confusion and destruction.

Time of confusion

The book of Genesis describes the family life of Jacob who has 11 sons. Then he becomes the father of another son, Benjamin, which brings him to 12 (the number of perfection) sons. Benjamin’s mother, before dying, names Benjamin as “Son of my sorrow”, alluding to the suffering of Jesus crucified. Then Jacob calls Benjamin “Son of my right hand” referring to the triumph of Jesus as the true son of God. One of Jacob’s sons, Joseph, was sold. So Jacob has 11 sons again and therefore disorder and confusion reigns again.

The eleventh hour

In the Holy Scriptures the “Eleventh Hour” is described as chaotic, disorderly and dark. However, the 12th hour is designated as the hour in which Christ will return to reign and become King of Kings. What the Bible clearly means is that the world will live an era of tribulations, confusion, chaos and problems of all kinds until Christ returns to Earth. The number 11 indicates the disorder and confusion that humanity will suffer until the Second Coming of Christ. He will reestablish order, balance and peace among human beings.

11, an incomplete number

In the book of Acts the number 11 appears as an incomplete and insufficient figure that must be corrected. Originally Jesus was followed by 12 disciples, but one of them, Judas, turned out to be a traitor and committed suicide, leaving 11 disciples. To change that number, Matias is chosen to replace Judas and return to 12 disciples. The number 11 again has a totally negative connotation, because it is related to evil and betrayal. Since the number 11 is basically the number of “insufficiency” in the Bible, it always seeks to be corrected to achieve the number 12, which is a divine number.

Evil and perdition

The number 11 in the Bible can take on a meaning of evil and the perdition of souls. The world of darkness manifests itself through the number 11 indicating chaos, misfortune and tragedy. This number points to the absence of God and the reign of evil. In the book of John, Jesus says: “The day has 12 hours and the 11th hour is the hour where confusion prevails”. When the 12th hour arrives, chaos ends and God returns to reign. That means that God conquers Evil and his infinite love prevails on Earth.

Conclusion

The number 11 is a master number for classical numerology, but in the Holy Scriptures it acquires a different meaning. People then ask themselves: “What does the number 11 mean biblically?”. The number 11 has a bad meaning in the Bible: chaos, disorder, tragedies and misfortunes. People get confused and act wrongly.

This sacred text points to this number as incomplete and insufficient and must be “corrected” to achieve the number 12, which is considered perfect and divine. The number 11 is prophetically negative, as it always announces unfortunate events that inevitably occur.

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Angel Reader Darren

The spiritual path is not one we walk alone but with those around us. I don’t pretend to have all the answers but I’m open to the search for truth and love.