The Number 123

I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day.

Acts 22:3

THE NUMBER 123 has an obvious elementary character from its near universal use as a symbol of simplicity and elementary education as seen, for example, in the phrase "its as simple as ABC, 123." This number also marks the Greek form of the Hebrew name Gamaliel, the teacher of the great Apostle Paul. This further integrates with the root meaning of Gamaliel, which is based on the word gamal (camel), the root of Gimel, the name of the Third Hebrew letter. These various lines continue to converge in that its plural, gamallim, also sums to 123, and that the Third Letter is a symbol of the Third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit who nourishes, guides, and weans us as we grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Thus the fact that Paul was "brought up at the feet of Gamaliel" has a rich set of symbolic overtones from a host of biblical sources.

The Number 123

Gamaliel [Acts 22:3]