I keep hearing that the Bible is the inspired word of God. So how come your god does not know the value of pi?

Question

1 Kings 7:23-26 reports the value of pi being 3.

Pi is the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter

Answer 1

Our "god"? dont you mean THE ONE AND ONLY GOD????? with a CAPITAL G thank-you-very-much. and DUH God know the value of pi.

Answer 2

The circumference of 30 cubits is evidently a round figure, for more precisely it would be 31.4 cubits. In this regard, Christopher Wordsworth quotes a certtain Rennie as making this interesting observation: "Up to the time of Archimedes [third century BC], the circumference of a circle was always measured in straight lines by the radius; and Hiram would naturally describe the sea as thirty cubits round, measuring it, as was then invariably the practice, by its radius, or semi-diameter, of five cubits, which being applied six times round the perimeter, or 'brim,' would give the thirty cubits stated. There was evidently no intention in the passage but to give the dimensions of the Sea, in the usual language that every one would understand, measuring the circuference in the way in which all skilled workers, like Hiram, did measure circles at that time. He, of course, must however have known perfectly well, that as the polygonal hexagon thus inscribed by the radius was thirty cubits, the actual curve circumference would be somewaht more." (Notes on the King James Version, London, 1887) Thus, it qppears that the ratio of three to one (that is, the circumference being three times the diameter was a customary way of stating matters, intended to be understood as only approximate.

Mate, I respect your effort in finding out things that doesn't make sense very much. However, the Bible is not a science text book or a mathematics text book. It was written for everyone, mostly not educated to your level (especially back in their days), therefore the language needs to be simple and easy, thus the rounded up number.

Thank you for helping others like me find out why the passage said this by asking this question.

Answer 3

1Ki 7:23 Then Huram cast a large round tank, 15 feet across from rim to rim; it was called the Sea. It was 71/2 feet deep and about 45 feet in circumference.

1Ki 7:24 The Sea was encircled just below its rim by two rows of decorative gourds. There were about six gourds per foot* all the way around, and they had been cast as part of the tank.

1Ki 7:25 The Sea rested on a base of twelve bronze oxen, all facing outward. Three faced north, three faced west, three faced south, and three faced east.

1Ki 7:26 The walls of the Sea were about three inches* thick, and its rim flared out like a cup and resembled a lily blossom. It could hold about 11,000 gallons* of water.

Thats not what I see, You have taken that out of context, oh how so silly.
Trying to find faults in everything out of Bias hate.

Answer 4

1 Kings 7:23 says that a line of thirty cubits went around a ten cubit vessel.

EXACTLY how long is a cubit? You can't tell me because it is based on the size of a man's arm rather than a standard. How much precision do you think is present in such a measurement? Do you know how to determine the number of significant digits that exist in the result of a calculation?

Since you claim to know the value of pi, what is it? We all know you can't tell us.

Answer 5

The Greek letter π (pi) is used in mathematics to represent the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. Its exact value is an infinitely-long non-repeating decimal, approximately equal to 3.14159.

A common argument for biblical errancy is that the verse 1 Kings 7:23 and its parallel in 2 Chronicles 4:2 imply that π = 3. Sometimes this argument is made in jest as a way to point out the problems of interpreting the Bible in a literal fashion.

1 Kings 7:23 reads (NRSV translation),

Then he made the molten sea; it was round, ten cubits from brim to brim, and five cubits high. A line of thirty cubits would encircle it completely.

This is a description of a molten (that is, cast in a mold rather than hammered out) metal bowl, with a circumference of 30 cubits and a diameter of 10 cubits. If one interprets these measurements as exact, then indeed it would imply that π = 3. However, it is probably a mistake to interpret these as exact. One may indeed point out that more exact approximations of π were available even in the time in which the bowl was made. It does not follow from this that the authors of the books of Kings and Chronicles would have reported values based on those approximations even if they had heard of them (and they may not have). The cubit itself was an uncertain length, the distance from one's fingertips to one's elbow. Neither the books of Kings nor Chronicles uses a precision greater than half a cubit for the lengths it reports, and then only for smaller lengths such as two and a half or five and a half cubits, where half a cubit is a greater proportion of the total length. 1 Kings 10:26 and 2 Chronicles 1:14 report that King Solomon had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horses. The numbers are probably exaggerated, but even if they weren't, it would probably be understood that they were rounded. Given this, it is highly unlikely that an ancient Hebrew reading the text would interpret the measurements given as being exact, or would even care.

It is sometimes said in defense of the Bible that it is not intended to be a science textbook and so should not be held to the same standard. In this case, the Bible can be held to the same standard. The figure of "ten cubits" for the diameter is clearly a rounded figure, and no-one would object if it was found that the "molten sea" was found to be, let us say, 9.945 cubits across. Given this, it is correct to give the circumference as a rounded number also. Science students are taught that if some number is an approximation to a few decimal places, then it is ridiculous to make calculations from that number and give the result to many decimal places. This is exactly what one would be doing if one said "The molten sea was 10 cubits across and 31.415926535897932384626433832795... cubits around". A diligent science student, given the diameter to one significant figure, as in this case, would give the circumference to one significant figure.

As π is an irrational number, it would not be possible to give the precise value of the circumference of a circle in any form known to the ancient Jews. Indeed, the number cannot be exactly expressed in our modern decimal notation without the use of an infinitely large book.

Against most evangelicals, the π = 3 argument , advises, "a text cannot mean what it never could have meant to its author or his or her readers." Someone taking this advice would never try to get an exact value of π from the 1 Kings 7:23 or 2 Chronicles 4:2. ,

Scriptural literalism is often associated with fundamentalism, but it isn't clear that fundamentalists are literalists, either.It is supposed to tell us about astronomy, psychology, biology, and every other topic. Where this type of interpretation errs is that the Bible is a religious text with a religious focus, it is not meant to give us information about every topic imaginable.

... there are those who want to make Christian beliefs look as ridiculous as possible and therefore interpret the text in most unfair way possible. But other than that, literally nobody is a Scriptural literalist.


There are another common interpretation that avoids both having π = 3 and numerical approximation.
But what if the sea had some thickness? And what if ... it was even flared at the rim? Then the 10 cubits could refer to the “outside” distance across, giving us information on its total size, while the circumference could be the inner circumference, telling us about the sea’s capacity. [1]
, it is also known that eastern writing of the time was numerically imprecise."

If one assumes "10" and "30" are merely rounded to the 1's, as one would do in light discussion rather than attempting to be mathematically rigorous, then 10 could represent anything from 9.5 through 10.499999...

A circle of diameter exactly 9.5 would have a circumference of 29.845130209103035765395112141155 (and then some) which would accurately qualify as "30" units in diameter.

By similar reasoning, "30" could mean anything from 29.5 through 30.499999..., and a circle, circumference of the latter, would have a diameter of 9.708. From this we conclude that a diameter listed as "10" could legitimately have been anywhere from 9.5 through 9.708 units in size and still maintain mathematical truth in the Bible.

Hence a pedantic Bible defender could even counter that the Bible is mathematically correct in its description of the situation, and that the skeptics are mistaken. Few would maintain that "10" was necessarily measured by that ancient surveyor as being accurate to anything more than the 1's digit, and maybe not even that.

Bible not the only place for inaccurate versions of pi

In 1897 the State Legislature of Indiana passed a bill that made the value of pi one of the following numbers: 3, 3.2, 4 or 9.2376

It was proposed by a "Dr. Edwin Goodwin, a physician. He claims - in the text of the bill itself (lines 27-28) - to have trisected the angle, duplicated the cube, and squared the circle; and that his solutions had already been accepted by the American Mathematical Monthly "[4] (which was untrue). The Guinness Book of World Records opts for "4" as the answer and records it as "the most inaccurate version of pi".

The bill was shelved by the Indiana Senate after much public derision. If enacted and applied to engineering, it would have made clocks, for example, 15 minutes fast for every hour.

Answer 6

Something was lost in the translation. I'm sure God knows the value of pi, but likely not a concern of His.

Answer 7

Let me help you with thee passages. Most women who are strong christian will face these passages at one point in their life (especially female pastors) 1 Timothy: It is currently believed by theologists that this passage was addressing a problem a town was having. False prophets were targeting young women and widows because they were often uneducated and vulnerable. Paul told the women to stay out of teaching positions and become education. He clearly put 'learn' in there for a reason. Back than Christian women were the only women truly educated in most ancient civilizations. This does not apply today because this was all situational. We don't have women being targeted by false prophets, and women are highly educated which means that they are not vulnerable to believing the false prophets. ----------------- 1 Corinthians: This is simply addressing a problem the church in Corinthians was having. Men were getting into physical fights, and women were being load and disruptive during the service. THis passage i simply addressing the women who interupted a lot to ask their husbands questions. Its not saying women shouldn't teach or speak, it was addresing a problem

Answer 8

According to the Jewish Kabalists, if you compute the value of PI to the last diget you will have the numerological name for the most holy name of God.

Watch the movie PI.

It's quite interesting.

Answer 9

Perhaps the measurment of the diameter is of the cast, and the circumference is of the water in it. Read it carefully

Answer 10

"Circular in shape" does not mean that is a perfect circle. Plus I highly doubt they used rulers, metric or english, to measure it thus saying it is 10 cubits in diameter and 30 in circumference should not expected to be exact figures.

Answer 11

Pi! God created Pi....I just wish he would have taken out all the calories first!