Step by step
How Are the 72 Names of God Derived?
The 72 Names are derived by arranging Exodus 14:19–21 as three 72-letter Hebrew rows, reversing the middle row, and reading corresponding letters vertically. Each column produces one three-letter triplet.
Derivation
Step 1: identify the three source verses
Begin with Exodus 14:19, 14:20 and 14:21 in Hebrew. The traditional derivation treats each as a row of 72 letters.
Step 2: reverse the middle row
Keep the first verse in its normal sequence, reverse the second verse, and keep the third verse in its normal sequence. This creates the forward/reverse/forward arrangement described by medieval commentators.
Step 3: read down each column
Take one corresponding letter from each of the three rows. The first column gives והו; the next gives ילי; the process continues until all 72 columns have been read.
This is a mechanical description of the letter arrangement, not a claim about what any individual triplet “means.”
Step 4: keep number and triplet together
The number is useful because some three-letter combinations recur. Numbering preserves each position in the full derivation and prevents duplicate letter combinations from being confused.
Quick answers
Direct answers.
Is this method documented historically?
Yes. Rashi on Sukkah 45a and Rabbeinu Bahya on Exodus 14:21 are important medieval witnesses.
Why is verse 20 reversed?
The reverse middle row is part of the traditional extraction method described by those commentators.
Can I reproduce the derivation myself?
Yes, if you work from the Hebrew text, remove spacing/vocalization for the traditional letter count, arrange the rows correctly and read corresponding columns.
Does the derivation itself assign healing, prosperity or other meanings?
No. Those are later or modern interpretive associations and are labeled separately on this site.
Sources used on this page
Trace the claim.
- Exodus 14:19–21 — Sefaria / JPS ↗
Biblical source text for the three verses used in the later 72-triplet derivation.
- Rashi on Sukkah 45a:2 ↗
Medieval commentary explicitly describing 72 names embedded in the three 72-letter verses and the first/reversed-middle/last extraction pattern.
- Rabbeinu Bahya on Exodus 14:21 ↗
Medieval commentary stating that the three verses contain 72 letters each and explaining the forward/reverse/forward arrangement into three-letter units.