Meaning of Numbers: The Number 12
The English word "twelve" used for the number 12 is recorded 189 times in 165 King James Bible verses. It occurs 114 times in the Old Testament and has 75 occurrences in the New Testament. The word "twelfth" is found an additional 23 times in Scripture.
The number 12 is one of the foundations of Scripture. The meaning of 12 is that it symbolizes God's power and authority, as well as serving as a perfect governmental foundation. It can also symbolize completeness or the nation of Israel as a whole.
Jacob (Israel) had 12 sons, each of which represented a tribe. These sons were Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph and Benjamin. Ishmael, who was born to Abraham through Hagar, also produced twelve tribes or princes.
God specified that twelve unleavened cakes of bread be placed every week in the temple with frankincense next to each of the two piles that were to be made. The priests were commanded to change the bread every Sabbath day (Leviticus 24).
Christ called twelve men to bear witness to what he did and to spread the good news of the gospel to the entire world. After he was raised from the dead, Jesus told the eleven disciples (Judas had killed himself) that God had given him ALL power and authority in both earth and heaven (God's divine authority - Matthew 28:18).
Appearances of the Number Twelve
The Biblical books of Ecclesiastes and Daniel each have 12 chapters. The chapters in God's word that number twelve verses are Deuteronomy 34, 1Samuel 5 and 27, 2Chronicles 22, Psalm 2, 5, 26, 30, 60, 76, 84, 97, 143, Ecclesiastes 6, Isaiah 25, 53, 56, 62, 64, Hosea 11, Micah 3, Zechariah 10 and 2Thessalonians 1.
There are 12 names in the Bible that have only two letters. They are Ai (Joshua 7:2), Ar (Num. 21:15), Ed (Joshua 22:34), Er (Genesis 38:3), Ir (1Chronicles 7:12), No (Jeremiah 46:25), Og (Num. 21:33), On (Num. 16:11), Pe (Psalm 119:129), So (2Kings 17:4), Ur (Genesis 11:28) and Uz (Genesis 10:23).
The twelve patriarchs from and including Shem (one of Noah's sons saved in the Ark) to Jacob (Israel) are Shem, Arphaxad, Salah, Heber, Peleg, Reu, Serug, Nahor, Terah, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
In 1692 B.C., at the ripe old age of 108, the patriarch Jacob (Israel) and his huge family of 12 sons arrive near Mamre (Hebron). Jacob has travelled many miles to be near his father Isaac who is now 168. Shortly after he arrives, he makes a "coat of many colors" for Joseph (Genesis 37). The family will sojourn near Isaac for the next twelve years until his death at the age of 180 (Genesis 35:28 - 29)!
Solomon appointed 12 officers over Israel (1Kings 4:7).
Anointing and the Number 12
Twelve people are specially noted in the Bible as being anointed for a unique task or responsibility. They are Aaron and his four sons to serve as priests (Exodus 29:7 - 9) and Saul (1Samuel 10:1), David (1Samuel 16:13) and Solomon (1Kings 1:39) to serve as kings over a united Israel.
David's son Absalom, who wanted to take the throne of his David but was killed (2Samuel 19:10), was also anointed by some to be king. The remaining three specially anointed are King Jehu of Israel (2Kings 9:6) and Kings Joash (2Kings 11:12) and Jehoahaz (2Kings 23:30) of Judah.
The Twelve Passovers of the Bible
There are six Passovers mentioned in the Old Testament and six in the New Testament for a total of 12.
1) The original Passover in Egypt (Exodus 12).
2) Passover kept in the wilderness of Sinai a year after the original one was celebrated in Egypt (Numbers 9).
3) Passover kept after the children of Israel, led by Joshua, crossed the Jordan River into the Promised Land (Joshua 5).
4) Passover kept during the reign of righteous King Hezekiah of Judah (2Chronicles 30). Hezekiah ruled over the people from 715 to 686 B.C.
5) Passover kept during the reign of Judah's King Josiah, the last righteous ruler over God's People (2Kings 23:21 - 23, 2Chronicles 35). He reigned from 640 to 609 B.C.
6) The Jews, after returning to Judah from Babylonian captivity, rebuild Jerusalem's temple. After the temple is rebuilt, in the time of Ezra the prophet, they keep the Passover (Ezra 6)
7) Jesus, with his parents and relatives, keeps the Passover in Jerusalem when he is 12 years old (Luke 2:41 - 42).
8) Jesus keeps the first Passover of his ministry by chasing away the crooks and moneychangers from Jerusalem's temple (John 2).
9) The second Passover of Jesus' ministry is strongly hinted at when his disciples are criticized by the Pharisees for eating heads of grain on the "second sabbath after the first" (KJV). This unique phrase refers to the last day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
10) John 6:4 mentions the third Passover that took place during Jesus' ministry.
11) Jesus' fourth and last Passover was observed just before he was arrested, tried and crucified (Matthew 26, Mark 14, Luke 22, John 13).
12) The Apostle Paul chastises the Corinthians for keeping the Passover incorrectly (1Corinthians 11).
Prophecy
The Minor Prophets in Scripture are a group of 12 writings considered "minor" as they are much shorter than the other prophetic books of Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel. These writers are, in alphabetical order, Amos, Habakkuk, Haggai, Hosea, Joel, Jonah, Malachi, Micah, Nahum, Obadiah, Zechariah, and Zephaniah.
Twelve thousand from each tribe of Israel (144,000 total) will receive salvation during the end time's Great Tribulation (Revelation 7). A set of 144,000 (12 x 12,000), possibly the same as those in chapter 7, will be taken from earth in order to serve and follow the Lamb of God (Revelation 14:1 - 5).
Christ's prophetic bride, the church, wears a crown containing 12 stars.
Then there appeared a great wonder in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and having the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars (Revelation 12:1, HBFV).
The New Jerusalem, which is made in heaven and brought to the earth by God himself, contains 12 gates made of pearl that are each manned by an angel. Over each gate will be one of the names of Israel's twelve tribes. The city's 12 foundations will be an eternal memorial to the apostles who, through Christ, helped build the New Testament church.
And the city also had a great and high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and inscribed on the gates were the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel . . .
And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and written on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb (Revelation 21:12, 14, HBFV).
The walls of New Jerusalem will be 144 cubits high (12 multiplied by itself - Revelation 21:16 - 17), with the city itself being 12,000 furlongs square.
More Info on Biblical Meaning of 12
The Old Testament writings that use "twelve" the most are 1Chronicles (26 times) followed by Numbers (17). The New Testament books that use the word the most are the book of Revelation (22 times) followed by Mark (14) then both Matthew and Luke (13 each).
There are 181 words and phrases in the Bible's original languages that are recorded exactly 12 times.
It was on April 3, 30 A.D. (Nisan 12 on the Hebrew calendar) that Judas Iscariot meets with Jewish religious leaders. He agrees to betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver, an act which will fulfill prophecy (Psalm 41:9, Zechariah 11:12, Matthew 26:14 - 15).
Three of the four Gospel writers are silent regarding Jesus' life from the age of about six months until he turns thirty. We have Luke to thank, however, for offering us a glimpse into his early life (Luke 2:40 - 52). The gospel writer records the earliest words of Christ when he was only 12 years old. They were in response to Mary chiding him for not knowing where he was when the family left Jerusalem after the spring Feast days.
"Why is it that you were looking for Me? Don’t you realize that I must be about My Father's business?" (Luke 2:49).
The Greek word Magdalene, Strong's Concordance #G3094, appears 12 times in 12 verses of the Greek New Testament. The word, left untranslated in the King James, is written the most in Mark (4), followed by Matthew and John (3 each) then Luke (2).
Magdalene refers to a female inhabitant of the city of Magdala which was located in the district of Dalmanutha (Mark 8:10). A woman called Mary from Magdala, hence the name Mary Magdalene, began to follow Jesus sometime during the middle portion of his 3 1/2 year earthly ministry.
And it came to pass afterward, that he (Jesus) went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him and certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils (Luke 8:1 - 2, KJV).
The high priest's breastplate, also called the breastplate of decision, had 12 gemstones embedded in it. Each stone represented a tribe of Israel. The Urim and Thummim were part of the High Priest's breastplate. They were primarily used to consult God regarding important matters (1Samuel 28: 3 - 6, Numbers 27:21 and so on). Both the first century historian Josephus and the Talmud identify the Urim and Thummim with the breastplate stones.