Fifty is the numerical value of the Arabic letter Nūn (ن), whose name means 'fish' or 'great fish.' In the abjad system, Nūn is the fourteenth letter and occupies a pivotal position between the lower, single-digit values and the hundreds of the higher sephiroth. Its shape—a crescent or a bowl—evokes the vessel that contains hidden wisdom, while its phonetic association with the word nūn (fish) ties it to the primordial waters of creation and the unconscious depths of the soul.

Position on the Tree of Life

On the Tree of Life, the number 50 corresponds to Path 24, which connects Tiphereth (Beauty) to Chesed (Mercy). This path is the Path of Nun in the Hebrew alphabet, and its Arabic counterpart, Nūn, carries the same numerical value. In the 32 Paths of Wisdom, Path 24 is attributed to the Imagination (or the Intelligence of Trial), a faculty that tests and refines the images received from higher spheres. The path bridges the solar radiance of Tiphereth with the expansive mercy of Chesed, suggesting a journey through the waters of transformation—a descent into the depths of the soul to retrieve hidden treasures.

Astrological and Planetary Correspondence

The astrological sign linked to Path 24 (and thus to the number 50) is Scorpio, a fixed water sign ruled by Mars and Pluto. Scorpio’s symbolism—the scorpion, the serpent, the eagle—mirrors the fish of Nūn: both are creatures of the deep, associated with death, rebirth, and the hidden mysteries of life. The number 50, therefore, is not a static quantity but a dynamic force of transformation, dissolution, and regeneration. In the planetary sphere, Scorpio’s ruler Mars imparts a martial, purifying energy, while Pluto (in modern correspondences) adds the dimension of the underworld and the unconscious.

Historical Context

The number 50 holds profound significance across multiple traditions. In Judaism, it is the Jubilee year (Leviticus 25:10), a time of liberation, debt forgiveness, and return to ancestral lands. It also marks the 50 days of the Omer between Passover and Shavuot, a period of spiritual preparation leading to the revelation of the Torah at Sinai. In the Zohar, the letter Nun (Hebrew, value 50) is associated with the 50 Gates of Understanding (Binah), the 50th gate being the highest level of mystical knowledge, accessible only to the most purified souls. The fish symbolism of Nun appears in the story of Jonah, who was swallowed by a great fish (often interpreted as a whale) and emerged after three days—a prefiguration of death and resurrection.

In Islamic tradition, the number 50 is mentioned in the Quran in the context of Noah’s flood (the waters prevailed for 50 days) and in the 50 gates of mercy (a hadith states that Allah has 100 gates of mercy, 99 of which are reserved for the Day of Judgment, and one is distributed among creation). The letter Nūn itself opens Surah 68, Al-Qalam (The Pen), where it is a mysterious, disconnected letter (muqatta‘at). Classical commentators like Ibn Abbas and Al-Tabari interpreted Nūn as the Inkwell or the Great Fish that carries the earth on its back, a cosmic symbol of divine knowledge and creation.

In the Hermetic and Thelemic traditions, the number 50 is the value of the Hebrew letter Nun and the path of Scorpio. It appears in the Liber 777 table as the numeration of the Arabic alphabet for Path 24, aligning the Arabic Nūn with the Hebrew Nun and the astrological sign Scorpio. This correspondence reinforces the theme of hidden wisdom, transformation, and the descent into the abyss—a journey that mirrors the alchemical nigredo and the dissolution of the ego.

In Liber 777

In the table Liber 777, the number 50 appears in the column 'Numeration of Arabic Alphabet' at the row for Path 24. This placement links the Arabic letter Nūn to the Hebrew letter Nun, the astrological sign Scorpio, and the sephirothic path between Tiphereth and Chesed. The number 50 thus serves as a key to the mysteries of the abyss, the regenerative power of the divine, and the hidden depths of the soul.