Numbers, please! 153 – Not such an inconspicuous number with many properties

At first glance, the number 153 seems boring. Yet it is mathematically exciting, is mentioned prominently in the Bible and was even a romantic network code.

(Image: heise online)

Mar 18, 2025 at 3:58 pm CET

5 min. read

By

Markus Will

Numbers, please! 153 – Not such an inconspicuous number with many properties

At first glance, the 153 looks really meaningless. Yet, it has amazing mathematical properties. Moreover, it was not only explicitly mentioned in the Bible and, for various reasons, brings a smile to the faces of lovers and lovers alike.

In mathematics, it has a lot to offer. The number 153 is the 17th triangular number: this means that if you add the numbers from 1 to 17, you get 153. If you were to divide the 153 into equal points, you could form an equilateral triangle.
1+2+3+4+5+6+7+8+9+10+11+12+13+14+15+16+17=153

In this section, we present amazing, impressive, informative and funny figures ("Zahlen") from the fields of IT, science, art, business, politics and, of course, mathematics every Tuesday. The wordplay "Zahlen, bitte!" for a section about numbers is based on the ambiguity of the German word "Zahlen." On one hand, "Zahlen" can be understood as a noun in the sense of digits and numerical values, which fits the theme of the section. On the other hand, the phrase "Zahlen, bitte!" is reminiscent of a waiter's request in a restaurant or bar when they are asked to bring the bill. Through this association, the section acquires a playful and slightly humorous undertone that catches the readers' attention and makes them curious about the presented numbers and facts.

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It is also the sum of the first five factorials.1!+2!+3!+4!+5!=1+2+6+24+120=153

The number 153 is the 17th triangular number. The different colors show the areas of the first five faculties.

(Image: Radagast3)

It is also the smallest Armstrong number. This means that if you work out the third power of the individual digits of the number and add the results together, the sum of the cubes of the divided digits is also 153:
1³+5³+3³=1+125+27=153

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But that's not all: If you add the cubes of individual digits of a number divisible by three, and then divide this number in the same way and calculate it mathematically, you will always arrive at 153 after a few steps.
Example: 12 – 1³⁺²^3=1+8=9, 9³⁼⁷²⁹, 7³⁺²³⁺⁹^{3=343+8+729=1080}, 1³⁺⁸^3=1+512=513, 5³⁺¹³⁺³^{3=125+1+27=153}

There is even a connection to the Fibonacci numbers: The 12th sequence of Fibonacci numbers is 144, and if you add its sum of digits 1+4+4=9, you get 144+9=153.

The inner monk enjoys the regularity of the binary code of 153: 10011001. It is also a number palindrome: 10011001 gives 153 when converted forwards and backwards.

Fishing for 153 fish

In the New Testament, the number 153 is explicitly mentioned at an important point. In the Gospel of John, chapter 21, verses 10 to 12, it says
“Jesus said to them: Bring of the fish that you have now caught! Simon Peter went in and drew the net on the land full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three. And though there were so many of them, the net was not broken.
Jesus said to them: Come and eat. But none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you? For they knew that it was the Lord.”

So at Jesus' command, the disciples made a big haul. Why exactly the 153 were mentioned so explicitly remains a mystery, as the Bible otherwise refrains from giving exact quantities.

Painting by Raphael: The Miraculous Draught of Fish. 153 fish are said to have landed in the net.

(Image: Raffael, etwa 1516)

It is assumed that the number mentioned refers to the numerology of Pythagoras, in which the sum of all species in nature is 153. However, this has not been proven. The fact is, however, that the sum of the chapters of the first four books of the Christian Bible is 153: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers.

153 sections in the Torah

The sedarim (sections) of the Jewish Torah are also 153. It is also assumed, according to number mysticism, that the Hebrew word טוב (“good”) is the number 17 and that, when increased as a triangular number, 153 represents perfection. It is possible that 153 also stands for the totality of all people. However, this is not certain.

The authors of the Old Testament probably didn't think that almost 2000 years later, nerds would be wondering why exactly 153 fish were caught.

The 153 also plays a role for secular sinners: Section 153 of the German Code of Criminal Procedure (StPO) regulates the exemption from prosecution for minor offenses. It states: “If the proceedings relate to an offense, the public prosecutor's office may, with the consent of the court responsible for opening the main proceedings, refrain from prosecution if the offender's guilt would be considered minor and there is no public interest in prosecution.

Proceedings may also be discontinued on the grounds of insignificance after a complaint has been filed. It is therefore clear that the defendant got off lightly if Section 153 of the Code of Criminal Procedure was applied.

Important figure in early network communication

And the number even found its niche in network culture: in the days of text messages and messengers, when you had to pay a fee to the telecommunications company for every 160-character message, clever abbreviations could save money.

The number 153 helped with this in one variant: in English-speaking countries, 153 stood for “I adore you” – If you wanted to go one romantic number further, simply go back to the number code 10: 143 stood for “I love you”. The individual digits corresponded to the number of letters.

Quite impressive for an inconspicuous number.