What is the meaning behind gematria?

gematria is a system of assigning numerical values to the letters of an alphabet, which is usually Hebrew. The numerical value assigned to each letter serves as a basis for assigning additional symbolic qualities and meanings to words in the alphabet.

Traditionally, gematria is believed to have originated from ancient times as cryptic and coded communication. Ancient scholars like Pythagoras are said to have studied the significance of numbers in language and words and how these could presumably be used to convey hidden meaning. Gematria could be used as a tool to reveal spiritual or prophetic meanings that would otherwise remain hidden within words or phrases. Some Jewish traditions believe that by looking at patterns of numeric values encoded in words, they can gain insight into spiritual truths written by God. This idea has spread beyond Judaism and into various spiritual traditions.

When using gematria, each letter in the Hebrew alphabet with its own unique numerical equivalent – aleph being 1, bet being 2, gimel being 3 etcetera - is used as a substitute for its corresponding letter in words or phrases. By adding up all of these numerical values in a particular word or phrase, it produces an overall value which can then be linked back to deeper meanings or traditions in other areas such as astrology, numerology or the Kabbalah. The meaning behind a word's numerical value can vary greatly from one tradition to another; some examples include 10 being representative of perfection and 12 being representative of completion - both numbers are often seen throughout Jewish scripture as important symbolic numbers.