There’s a quiet but powerful symbolism surrounding the number five and the Hebrew letter He (ה) throughout Scripture. While it might go unnoticed at first glance, a closer look reveals a rich tapestry of spiritual truth—one that speaks of grace, creative expression, and the mystical window through which the invisible becomes visible.
The Power of Five: A Symbol of Creative Grace
The number five consistently appears in connection with abundance, transformation, and divine provision:
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Genesis 43:34 – “Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as any of theirs.”
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Genesis 45:22 – “To Benjamin he gave three hundred shekels of silver and five changes of garments.”
These verses come at the point of reunion between Joseph and his brothers—a symbolic moment where the state of Imagination (Joseph) begins to restore what was broken. The fivefold portions given to Benjamin represent the overflowing grace that accompanies spiritual awakening.
In biblical numerology, five often represents divine favour and creative power—the fingers of the hand, the five senses, the five books of the Torah—all pointing toward expression and manifestation.
The Letter He (ה): Breath, Window, Creative Life
The Hebrew letter He (ה) is the fifth letter of the alphabet. Its shape is said to represent a window or opening—a space through which breath flows and spirit is made manifest. It is also deeply associated with life-giving power and creative utterance.
When Abram’s name is changed to Abraham in Genesis 17:5, the letter He (ה) is added:
“No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations.”
This insertion marks the moment the divine breath enters into his identity—transforming him from individual to creator, from promise-holder to promise-fulfiller. The He brings with it not just a sound, but a force: the creative Word embedded in the human soul.
He (ה) in YHVH: The Creative Breath of Being
The divine name YHVH (יהוה)—often left unspoken—contains the letter He (ה) twice. This is no mere repetition; it is a symbol of breath echoed, of spirit entering form and returning fulfilled. The first He opens the name after the Yod (י)—the initial spark of imagination—and represents the first breath of creation, the internal movement of divine intention. The second He, placed after the Vav (ו)—symbolising connection and extension—reflects manifestation, the breath now expressed outwardly.
Together, the two He's form windows within the divine name itself—apertures through which the unseen passes into visibility. The very name of God becomes a model of the creative process: from spark, to breath, to connection, to form. This is the sacred rhythm of all true creation.
Biblical Windows: Openings of Consciousness
Windows in Scripture are never arbitrary. They symbolise a break in the wall between seen and unseen—an aperture through which vision, breath, or divine action enters the world.
1. The Ark’s Window: A View Beyond the Storm
“You shall make a window for the ark...”
—Genesis 6:16
Noah’s ark rises above the flood, and its single window provides light and direction from above. This window signifies the imaginative faculty that sees beyond destruction and limitation. In times of chaos, it is through the window of vision that we maintain alignment with the divine.
2. Isaac and Rebekah: Outer Consciousness Witnesses Inner Union
“...Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out at a window, and saw, and, behold, Isaac was sporting with Rebekah his wife.”
—Genesis 26:8
The king represents the outer man—worldly perception—while Isaac and Rebekah symbolise the inner union of thought and feeling. The window becomes a symbolic aperture through which the external world briefly glimpses the joy of spiritual alignment. This is the union that precedes creative manifestation.
3. Windows of Heaven: The Outpouring of Imagination
“...If the Lord would make windows in heaven, could this thing be?”
—2 Kings 7:2“...See if I will not open for you the windows of heaven, and pour out a blessing...”
—Malachi 3:10
One speaker mocks the idea that miracles could occur. The other verse assures us they can. Windows in heaven are openings through which divine provision—imaginative fulfilment—flows. When imagination is used faithfully, those windows open. When it is doubted, they remain closed.
4. Daniel’s Prayer: Facing the Promise
“...he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God... with his windows open toward Jerusalem.”
—Daniel 6:10
Daniel opens his windows not to the physical city of Jerusalem, but to the promise it symbolises: the peace and wholeness of the realised state. The open window represents spiritual intentionality—placing oneself in the posture of fulfilment.
5. Eutychus and the Danger of Sleep at the Window
“A certain young man named Eutychus… was sinking into a deep sleep. He was overcome by sleep; and as Paul continued speaking, he fell down from the third storey and was taken up dead.”
—Acts 20:9
Eutychus sits at a window and falls asleep—symbolic of losing awareness at the threshold of perception. The window here is a place of potential, but also of danger if not held in wakeful attention. The imaginative faculty must remain alert, or the opportunity for spiritual awakening may be missed.
From Breath to Breakthrough: Living the Fifth Principle
Whether it is five garments, the letter He, or a window opening to heaven—Scripture constantly returns to this theme: something hidden is ready to be made known. The fifth element is the breath, the spirit, the inspired imagination.
To live by the power of five is to live by grace. To receive the breath of He (ה) is to become a creator. And to notice the windows of Scripture is to begin seeing where the divine is already trying to get in.
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