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You are here: Home / Language / What is the Religious Significance of a Deck of Cards and How Did They Originate?

What is the Religious Significance of a Deck of Cards and How Did They Originate?

May 1, 2020 by Karen Hill

Some people have found religious significance in a deck of cards.

To them, the thirteen cards in each suit represent Jesus and the twelve Apostles or Jacob and the twelve tribes of Israel.

The jack, king, and queen suggest the Holy Trinity, and when these court cards are removed the remaining forty cards remind them of the numerous references to the number forty in the Bible, including the number of days Jesus fasted and the years the Israelites wandered in the desert.

Other references include:

Moses was on Mount Sinai for forty days,

Jesus preached for forty months and was in the tomb for forty hours,

Jerusalem was destroyed forty years after the Ascension,

Elijah travelled forty days before he reached the cave where he had his vision,

and Nineveh was given forty days to repent.

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  • Where Did the Joker In a Deck of Cards Come From and How Did the Joker Get its Name?
  • Why Is the Ace of Spades Different From All Other Cards In the Deck?
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Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « How Else is the Number Thirteen Considered Unlucky and What Does Devil’s Luck Mean?
Next Post: Why is “Clubs” in a Suit of Cards in the Shape of a Black Clover and Where Did it Come From? »

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