Ray Liotta as Clarice Starling's FBI supervisor, Paul Krendler.
Let us explore the etymology of the surname of Clarice Starling's supervisor, Paul Krendler. Kren is the German word for horseradish, which is typically used for maror, one of the two types of bitter herbs eaten during the Jewish feast of Passover seder. This meal marks the beginning of the Jewish holiday of Passover. The bitter herbs symbolize the bitterness and harshness of the slavery which the Jews endured in Ancient Egypt, as recorded in the biblical book of Exodus. We see that Krendler's name is a reference to Passover seder, and therefore, that the movie-makers are making reference to the biblical Jews.
The '253' in the same photo from Starling's work area shown in part 4 of this analysis, refers to Exodus 5:3 (Exodus is the second book of the bible, thus the leading '2'). Exodus 5 verses 1-4 read as follows [from the Revised Standard Version of the bible]:
1. Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.'" 2. But Pharaoh said, "Who is the LORD, that I should heed his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, and moreover I will not let Israel go." 3. Then they said, "The God of the Hebrews has met with us; let us go, we pray, a three days' journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice to the LORD our God, lest he fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword." 4. But the king of Egypt said to them, "Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people away from their work? Get to your burdens."
Lecter's 'mug shot' as shown in the movie. Note the sequence of numbers typed at the lower left. The '966' and '656' are biblical references.
From the numerals on Lecter's mug shot shown in the above screencap, '966' corresponds to 1 Samuel 6:6 (1 Samuel is the ninth book in the bible), which falls under 'The Ark Returned to Israel', in which the priests and the divinities are instructing the Philistines. From the Revised Standard Version:
"Why should you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? After he had made sport of them, did not they let the people go, and they departed?"
'656' refers to Joshua 5:6 (Joshua is the sixth book in the bible). From the Revised Standard Version:
For the people of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, till all the nation, the men of war that came forth out of Egypt, perished, because they did not hearken to the voice of the LORD; to them the LORD swore that he would not let them see the land which the LORD had sworn to their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey.
Note that both Exodus 5:3 and and Joshua 5:6 mention the Israelites journeying in the wilderness, and that Exodus 5:3 and 1 Samuel 6:6 both have to do with the Egyptian Pharaoh's actions toward the Israelites.
