Is there a mathematical basis for gematria?

gematria is an ancient practice used in many religious traditions that assigns numerical values to words and phrases. The word itself comes from the Greek word 'geōmetron' which means a measuring instrument. This practice is ancient and has been used by cultures around the world for thousands of years, with some claiming it goes back as far as the time of Moses. It was important in ancient culture because it contained a hidden meaning which could be interpreted by those who had access to the numerical interpretations. This has lead to much speculation about whether there is some sort of mathematical basis for gematria.

At first glance, it may seem reasonable to assume that the basis of gematria lies in mathematics, as it involves numbers and calculations after all. However, while there are many interesting theories surrounding gematria, we do not have any concrete evidence to prove a definite mathematical foundation for its use. This has led many scholars and historians to suggest that gematria instead relies more on symbolism than hard mathematics.

One popular theory suggests that gematria is based on Hebrew Alphabet Number Systems (HANS) which give every letter of the Hebrew alphabet a numeric value between one and five hundred, thus allowing symbols and words to be represented by their associated number. For example, the word 'love' would have a numerical value of 431 because each letter would be assigned one particular value from HANS (l=30, o=6, v=2, e=5). Disputing this concept are other academics who insist that such an approach may work at interpreting words numerically but does not demonstrate an underlying mathematical theory behind its creation or usage in any way whatsoever