Could one half be a symbol of mercy?
Almost all civilisations have believed whole numbers mean something mystical. Chinese people are particularly fond of the number 8. The August 2008 Summer Olympics held in Beijing officially started at 08:08:08 local time. But 8 is considered very unlucky in Bulgaria, so does luck depend on where you are on the globe? In Antarctica perhaps only negative numbers are lucky?!
The Britannica article referenced below, lists lucky numbers from 20 civilisations old and new. With one exception all are whole numbers only. One civilisation is unique; it declared one half is one symbol of the furniture of heaven – that unique civilisation is Judaism.
There are three main Judaistic biblical symbols using “one half”: the measurements of their historic Ark of the Covenant, their phrase “a time, times and half a time”, and perhaps their half-shekel census fee. “One half” is not just a single, isolated instance in their culture.
Moses was supposed to follow all the directions of God for building the Ark of the Covenant precisely, because it was somehow a copy of the heavenly reality – part of the furniture in the heavenly temple. The ark was 2.5x1.5 x1.5 cubits, and a cubit was about the length of a forearm; 44 cm. The measurements are quite odd because they seem far more precise than lucky numbers in other civilisations. In all three dimensions, length, width, depth, they are not whole numbers.
This Ark/box/seat was gold-plated and supposed to be carried by four men each carrying one end of a gold-plated pole, and the gold plating is assumed to be as thin as possible. Various authors have calculated the weight; see (Schatz 2007). Schatz finds a surprisingly heavy total weight of 83 kg - about 21 kg for each carrier. [From my hiking/tramping days, I know that the maximum long-term weight for a backpack to avoid tissue injury is perhaps about 18 kg for a modern 90 kg man, so that 21 kg is about the maximum reasonable for a man with outstanding physique in biblical times.] Other authors besides Schatz have calculated the weight of the Ark and find even higher figures than 21 kg, making it too heavy to transport by hand! The weight seems high? Well dealing with gold is a weighty business ...
But elegant symbology would demand a whole number for each dimension; and the smallest proportionate ones would be 5x3x3 cubits and prove at least 4x as heavy - impossibly heavy for four carriers. Mercifully, the weight Moses prescribes is just within reasonable bounds, but what are we to make of the “half”? Are there really halves in heaven?!
I’m going to suggest that the odd symbolic measurements are intended to show mercy! A practical mercy, because the ark did not prove injurious to carry, but symbolically this was called a “mercy seat”, and the idea of mercy is that hard things are cut back or even passed over completely.
The phrase “time, times and half a time” or equivalents, occur in the Bible often in the context of apocalyptic disasters, and one text says if those days were not cut short, no flesh would be saved. Instead of a whole time of pain, it is cut short and there is only half. Isn’t that mercy?
The half-shekel census fee was also a mercy; the poor could just pay it. It was probably worth about 50 US cents.
So a merciful God shows mercy in three dimensions, length, width and depth.
Stewart, I. Undated. Number symbolism. https://www.britannica.com/topic/number-symbolism. Last accessed 23-Aug-22.
Schatz E. 2007. The Weight of the Ark of the Covenant. Jewish Bible Q. 35(2):115–118.