Drawing Numbers in the Matrix Sand / U2 with Aaron's lipstick case on the ground at 8:17

An interviewer once asked the Wachowski Brothers, creators of The Matrix trilogy if all the biblical allusions and references people spot in the movies were intentional.

I am guessing many fans were anxious for the  (hardly orthodox Christian) brothers to deny or at least defuse such expectations
 

They said something like:

 "Yes, and there are more than anyone knows!"


As examples, just trace the license plate references,

and the Nebuchaddnezzar's plaque.

One can go overboard and into numerology tracing number references in U2.
They begin with the name of the band itself.

Many of the number references are biblical..to chapter and verse.

We've found different ways of expressing it, and recognized the power of the media to manipulate such signs. Maybe we just have to sort of draw our fish in the sand. It's there for people who are interested. It shouldn't be there for people who aren't." -- Bono - atu2, click for list of U2 Bible references

 One can see demons behind every bush, and fish on every beach.

BUT:

Bono himself admits the J33:3 on an  album cover is a tip to Jeremiah 33:3, what he calls "God's phone number."  This would  almost certainly also cover the "3:33" on the clockface in "Unknown Caller."...see this classic video of fans wanting to help other fans with that interpretation.

A case can be made for the "Uno dos tres catorce' intro to "Vertigo"   being a throwaway...or:

This may sound like a stretch, but i think it may be the case.

Recent albums have included bible references, chapter and verse.  Bono has admitted as much with the J33 on the ATYCLB cover, etc.

UNO/ONE:  first testament
DOS/TWO: second book
TRES/THREE: third chapter
CATORCE/14: 14th verse

which=Exodus 3:14, where God reveals his name, Yahweh, or I AM.

If you see the notes for the book included in the deluxe album, Bono's scribbles make much of this name.  Of course the last song, "Yahweh" is named by this name..and "All because of you, I AM" as well.

link

Listening again to audio of an Oakland 2011 concert I attended, I noticed that in the prophetic  rap in the outro where Bono usually says   "Your case as you put it down 8:17 on the ground"  (see discussion here and here), he offered "8:17 as you put it down on the ground."

This resurrects several debates, but  as I googled to verify this change, one of the returns was:


 Exodus 8:17 : "They did this, and when Aaron stretched out his hand with the staff and struck the dust on the ground."

Hmmm..

Often it sounds like the case (sometimes "lipstick case" is what is put down on the ground.
Could we make the case that the case is Aaron's staff?

Does Bono love

Click here for U2.com interp of the song

Exodus or not? 

As a bonus find, Genesis  8:17 also has "on the ground' !


Whether he is found Bongolesing, glossolalia-ing, nigun-ing  and keening...or just plain forgetting the lyrics on a night like Oakland when he was sick and tired...you wonder.