Eighteen: Life (according to Jewish tradition)

Jewish tradition associates the number eighteen with the concept of life. The primary reason for this is when Hebrew letters are used to convey numbers (each Hebrew letter has a numerical value) the two letters which are used to express the number 18 spell life. In the New Covenant, the number 18 is only found in Luke chapter 13. There it appears three times (Luke 13:4, 11, and 16). Initially, Yeshua spoke about 18 people whom the Tower of Shiloach fell upon and killed. This occurrence of the number 18 would seem to relate to the opposite of life, i.e. death. However, it is important for the reader to understand the emphasis of this first section of this chapter is repentance. Next, Yeshua states, "Unless one repents, he shall perish." The message that Yeshua is teaching is repentance leads to life. The second and third time the number 18 is discussed concerns a woman who has been bound by her infirmity for 18 years. It was on the Shabbat (sabbath) that Yeshua healed her. In healing her, Yeshua remarked that it was proper that this woman be healed on the Shabbat, seeing that she too is a daughter of Abraham and was bound for 18 years. 

There are significant terms which Yeshua used in this passage. Shabbat relates to the Kingdom. The woman is called a daughter of Abraham.  This term expresses the inheritance of the promise that God had made to Abraham, i.e. blessing. And lastly the number 18 is again mentioned. The lesson which the reader should take from this section, is that repentance is fundamental to the Kingdom, i.e. the ultimate outcome of the Abrahamic Covenant. This all speaks to an abundant life, which the number 18 conveys.

When examining the more than two dozen occurrences for the number 18 in the Old Covenant, there is no clear connection of this number to life.

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