Three consecutive verses in the Red Sea story that, in traditional mystical counting, each have 72 Hebrew letters and serve as the classic scriptural source for the 72-fold Name.

A sequence of 72 three-letter combinations (triplets) derived from the letters of Exodus 14:19–21 by writing the verses in three rows, reversing the middle row, and reading down the columns.

Triplet (in this context)

One of the 72 groups of three Hebrew letters formed from Exodus 14:19–21. Together, the 72 triplets are often called the 72 Names of God.

Shem HaMephorash (historical meaning)

Literally “the Explicit Name.” In early rabbinic sources, it usually refers to the four-letter Name Y-H-W-H, pronounced only in the Temple.

Shem HaMephorash (later usage)

In medieval mystical and magical traditions, can also refer to extended divine Names, especially the 72-fold Name built from Exodus 14:19–21.

In this context, one of the 72 three-letter sequences formed from Exodus 14:19–21. The set of 72 triplets is often called the 72 Names of God.

A broad term for Jewish mystical traditions, especially those that developed from the 12th century onward, focusing on hidden aspects of God, the cosmos, and the Torah.

What is Boustrophedon?

A pattern of writing in alternating directions, like a plow turning at the end of a field row. The 72-fold Name derivation uses a similar idea by reversing the middle verse.

What is Tetragrammaton?

A scholarly term for the four-letter Name of God in Hebrew (Y-H-W-H). Considered the most sacred divine Name in classical Judaism.

Scriptural Roots: Exodus and the 72-Fold Name — The 72 Names of God: A Gentle Kabbalistic Introduction

Step 1 – Setting the Scene: Exodus and the Red Sea

From Story to Mystery

We will see how three short verses in Exodus 14 became the classic scriptural source for what later kabbalists call the 72-fold Name of God.

The Red Sea Moment

In Exodus 14, the Israelites stand trapped between the Red Sea and Pharaoh’s army. In the middle of this drama, three verses (14:19–21) describe God’s presence and the sea’s response.

Why These Verses?

In traditional counting used by mystics, each of these three verses has 72 Hebrew letters. Later readers treated this as a hidden code embedded in the Red Sea story.

What You Need to Know

You do not need Hebrew grammar. Just remember: Hebrew is written right to left, each verse has 72 letters, and later mystics built 72 three-letter units from them.

Our Learning Goals

You will learn why Exodus 14:19–21 became central, how the 72 triplets are conceptually derived, and how Shem HaMephorash shifted from the four-letter Name to expanded Names like the 72-fold form.

Step 2 – Reading Exodus 14:19–21 as the Source

The Three Verses

Exodus 14:19–21 describes the angel of God, the pillar of cloud, and Moses stretching his hand over the sea as God drives back the waters and splits the sea.

Plain Sense vs. Hidden Pattern

In modern Hebrew Bibles these verses look normal. The mystical reading does not come from the story alone but from how many letters the verses contain.

The Letter Math

In the traditional counting used by mystics, each of the three verses has 72 letters. That means 3 × 72 = 216 letters in total.

From 216 to 72

Those 216 letters can be arranged as 72 groups of 3 letters. Later kabbalists saw this as a hidden 72-fold Name encoded in the Red Sea narrative.

Key Takeaway

Exodus 14:19–21 is treated as the classic scriptural source for the 72-fold Name because of this letter-count pattern, not just because of the miracle story.

Step 3 – Visualizing the Three Verses as Rows

Three Rows of Letters

Imagine Exodus 14:19–21 in Hebrew as three rows, each with 72 letters: Row 1 (v19), Row 2 (v20), Row 3 (v21).

Labeling the Letters

We label them as L1–L72 for verse 19, M1–M72 for verse 20, and N1–N72 for verse 21, just to track positions.

Two Key Moves

Mystics do two things: (1) reverse the order of the middle row (verse 20), and (2) read down the resulting columns, not across the rows.

A Holy Puzzle

Think of it as a sacred letter puzzle encoded in the Torah. The pattern of movement, not the individual letters, is what matters for now.

Next Step

Next, we will walk through the flipping and reading process slowly, using simple symbols instead of real Hebrew letters.

Step 4 – The Traditional Letter-Triad Derivation

Step 1: Three Rows

Write the three verses as three rows of 72 Hebrew letters each: Row 1 (v19), Row 2 (v20), Row 3 (v21), all originally right to left.

Step 2: Reverse the Middle Row

Keep Row 1 and Row 3 as they are, but reverse the order of all 72 letters in Row 2. This creates an alternating, zigzag pattern.

Symbol Picture

Think of Row 1 as A1–A72, Row 2 as B72–B1 (reversed), and Row 3 as C1–C72. The middle row now runs opposite to the other two.

Step 3: Read Downward

Now read vertically: Column 1 is A1–B72–C1, Column 2 is A2–B71–C2, and so on, until Column 72 is A72–B1–C72.

Step 4: 72 Triplets

Each column gives one 3-letter combination. The result is 72 triplets, not one long 72-letter word, all derived from Exodus 14:19–21.

Step 5 – Practice the Pattern With Simple Symbols

Try this symbolic exercise to lock in the pattern. We will use English letters instead of Hebrew.

Imagine three short “verses,” each with 4 letters instead of 72:

Row 1: `A B C D`
Row 2: `E F G H`
Row 3: `I J K L`

Your task

Reverse the middle row.

Original Row 2: `E F G H`
Reversed Row 2: `H G F E`

Now line them up:

Row 1: `A B C D`
Row 2: `H G F E`
Row 3: `I J K L`

Read down the columns to form 3-letter groups.

Column 1: A (from Row 1), H (from Row 2), I (from Row 3) → `A H I`
Column 2: B, G, J → `B G J`
Column 3: C, F, K → `C F K`
Column 4: D, E, L → `D E L`

You have just made 4 triplets from 3 rows of 4 letters, using the same pattern as the 72-fold Name.

Reflect

How did reversing the middle row change the combinations you got?
If you had not reversed the middle row, what would the first column have been?

Take 30–60 seconds to answer for yourself, then check:

Without reversing, Column 1 would be A–E–I, not A–H–I.
So the reversal changes every triplet.

This mirrors the kabbalistic method: the reversal of the middle verse is essential to the traditional 72-fold Name.

Step 6 – Early Mentions of Shem HaMephorash

What Is Shem HaMephorash?

Shem HaMephorash means “the Explicit Name” in Hebrew. Historically, it did not always refer to the 72-fold Name.

Early Rabbinic Usage

In the Mishnah and Talmud (about 3rd–6th centuries CE), Shem HaMephorash usually means the four-letter Name Y-H-W-H, the Tetragrammaton.

Temple and Pronunciation

This four-letter Name was pronounced fully only by the High Priest in the Temple, especially on Yom Kippur. After 70 CE, public use stopped and substitutes like Adonai were used.

Not Yet the 72-Fold Name

In this early period, Shem HaMephorash = Y-H-W-H. There is no clear evidence that it referred to the 72-fold Name yet.

Later Expansion

In medieval mystical and magical texts, Shem HaMephorash can also refer to longer Names built from verses, including the now-famous 72-fold Name.

Step 7 – Medieval Kabbalah and the 72-Fold Name

Medieval Kabbalah

By the 12th–13th centuries in Provence and Spain, Kabbalah flourishes. In this world, the 72-fold Name from Exodus 14:19–21 becomes more visible.

Early Kabbalistic Texts

Sefer HaBahir shows fascination with hidden Names and letter combinations, preparing the ground for more explicit 72-fold Name traditions.

Listing the 72 Triplets

Some medieval manuals list all 72 triplets and link them to angels, often by adding endings like -el or -yah to each three-letter unit.

Zohar and Exodus

The Zohar highlights the Exodus and Red Sea as moments when hidden divine powers are revealed, encouraging later readers to connect this with the 72-fold Name.

Meaning of Shem HaMephorash

By this time, Shem HaMephorash can mean either the four-letter Name or extended Names like the 72-fold Name. Modern popular usage often assumes the latter.

Step 8 – Quick Check: Source and Structure

Test your understanding of the scriptural source and the basic structure of the 72-fold Name.

Which statement best describes the classical kabbalistic derivation of the 72-fold Name?

It is one continuous 72-letter word taken directly from Exodus 14:21.
It is 72 three-letter combinations built by arranging the letters of Exodus 14:19–21 in three rows, reversing the middle row, and reading down the columns.
It is a list of 72 Hebrew words that appear in order in the entire book of Exodus.
It is a secret pronunciation of the four-letter Name Y-H-W-H known only to the High Priest.

Show Answer

Answer: B) It is 72 three-letter combinations built by arranging the letters of Exodus 14:19–21 in three rows, reversing the middle row, and reading down the columns.

The traditional method uses all three verses (Exodus 14:19–21), each counted as 72 letters. They are written in three rows, the middle row is reversed, and then 72 vertical columns are read to form 72 three-letter combinations. It is not one long word, nor is it simply the High Priest’s pronunciation of Y-H-W-H.

Step 9 – Thought Exercise: Meaning vs. Method

Take a moment to think about how meaning is created in this tradition.

Consider these questions:

The story of Exodus 14:19–21 already has a clear meaning (God saves Israel at the sea). What happens to that meaning when mystics treat the letters as a code for a hidden Name?
Do you think the 72-fold Name is:

A way to deepen the original story,
A separate layer of meaning placed on top,
Or something else?

How does the method (letter counts, reversing rows, reading columns) affect how you feel about the text? Does it make it seem more mysterious, more distant, more intimate, or more like a puzzle?

Activity (2–3 minutes):

Write 3–4 sentences responding to one of the questions above, using your own words.
Try to use at least one key term from this module: Exodus 14:19–21, 72 triplets, or Shem HaMephorash.

This reflection will help you connect the technical method to the spiritual and interpretive questions that kabbalists were exploring.

Step 10 – Key Term Review

Use these flashcards to review the core ideas from this module.

Exodus 14:19–21: Three consecutive verses in the Red Sea story that, in traditional mystical counting, each have 72 Hebrew letters and serve as the classic scriptural source for the 72-fold Name.
72-fold Name of God: A sequence of 72 three-letter combinations (triplets) derived from the letters of Exodus 14:19–21 by writing the verses in three rows, reversing the middle row, and reading down the columns.
Triplet (in this context): One of the 72 groups of three Hebrew letters formed from Exodus 14:19–21. Together, the 72 triplets are often called the 72 Names of God.
Shem HaMephorash (historical meaning): Literally “the Explicit Name.” In early rabbinic sources, it usually refers to the four-letter Name Y-H-W-H, pronounced only in the Temple.
Shem HaMephorash (later usage): In medieval mystical and magical traditions, can also refer to extended divine Names, especially the 72-fold Name built from Exodus 14:19–21.
Boustrophedon pattern: A writing pattern where lines alternate direction. In this module, it refers to keeping verses 19 and 21 in one direction, reversing verse 20, then reading down the columns to form triplets.
216 letters: The total number of letters when Exodus 14:19–21 are each counted as 72 letters (3 × 72 = 216), which can be arranged into 72 triplets.

Key Terms

Triplet: In this context, one of the 72 three-letter sequences formed from Exodus 14:19–21. The set of 72 triplets is often called the 72 Names of God.
Kabbalah: A broad term for Jewish mystical traditions, especially those that developed from the 12th century onward, focusing on hidden aspects of God, the cosmos, and the Torah.
Boustrophedon: A pattern of writing in alternating directions, like a plow turning at the end of a field row. The 72-fold Name derivation uses a similar idea by reversing the middle verse.
Tetragrammaton: A scholarly term for the four-letter Name of God in Hebrew (Y-H-W-H). Considered the most sacred divine Name in classical Judaism.
Letter-counting: A traditional scribal and mystical practice of counting letters in biblical verses, sometimes used to derive hidden Names or patterns.
Shem HaMephorash: Hebrew for “the Explicit Name.” In early rabbinic texts, it usually refers to the four-letter Name Y-H-W-H; later, some mystical traditions also use it for extended Names like the 72-fold Name.
Exodus 14:19–21: Three verses in the Torah’s account of the splitting of the Red Sea. In mystical traditions, each verse is counted as 72 Hebrew letters and used as the source for the 72-fold Name.
72-fold Name of God: A kabbalistic construct made of 72 three-letter combinations derived from Exodus 14:19–21 through a specific letter arrangement method.