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38
The number 38
Slavery, bondage to sin
Thirty-eight represents bondage and the consequences of unbelief. Israel wandered 38 years after Kadesh-barnea (Deut 2:14). The man at Bethesda was infirm for 38 years (John 5:5).
In Hebrew and Greek
Hebrew
Shloshim u'shemoneh (שְׁלוֹשִׁים וּשְׁמוֹנֶה) - thirty-eight
Greek
Triakonta okto (τριάκοντα ὀκτώ) - thirty-eight
First occurrence
Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
The pattern in Scripture
- 38 years of wilderness wandering (Deut 2:14)
- Man infirm 38 years (John 5:5)
- 38 years of judgment
38:38 verses
Job 38:38
When the dust groweth into hardness, and the clods cleave fast together?