Number of gatekeepers in Jerusalem after the exile; otherwise no well-established symbolic meaning
The number 172 appears in Nehemiah 11:19, where it states that the gatekeepers Akkub, Talmon and their brothers, who kept watch at the gates of rebuilt Jerusalem, numbered one hundred and seventy-two. This reference is connected to the rebuilding of Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile, during which organizing temple service and city defense was central. Beyond this specific occurrence, 172 has no widely accepted symbolic meaning in classical biblical or Jewish tradition. Although one can find Hebrew words that sum to 172 in gematria, there is no prominent traditional interpretation linked to this number. The gatekeepers (Hebrew: שׁוֹעֲרִים, sho'arim) were responsible for guarding the temple gates and city gates. They were Levites with an important liturgical and security function, and their role is described in several texts, including 1 Chronicles 9:17–27. Nehemiah 11 describes the distribution of Jerusalem's population after the exile, where one out of ten was chosen by lot to settle in the city. The detailed numbers in the chapter reflect an administrative census of the various service groups.*