[FONT="][/FONT] [FONT="]Dear Friends[/FONT]
[FONT="][/FONT]
[FONT="]Sorry for this long post. However I hope that it could open a discussion about the symbolic use of numbers in the Bible.[/FONT]
[FONT="]
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[FONT="]In the Ancient Near East the idea to use numbers symbolically was common. The Sumerians already made use of this literary device in their poetic and religious texts. Numbers meant more than their face value. [/FONT]
[FONT="] [/FONT]
[FONT="]When it comes to numbers in the Bible, it resembles the Ancient Near East usage to interpret numbers symbolically. (A symbol is an object or concept that represents something that is different from the nature of the object itself. A concept that is not intrinsic to an object was linked to it.) In the Bible numbers like three, seven and 40 are good examples of concepts that convey specific ideas that were not inherent to it.
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[FONT="]Here follows a few prominent numbers that the Bible uses to convey its message. It isn’t complete, and might be mistaken or misinterpreted by my. Yet, I hope that it could start a conversation about the symbolic use of numbers.
One (1)
This number is constantly associated with God. It wants to convey God’s uniqueness. (No other deity has the right to exist) In Revelation 4:2 the Greek makes it clear that God is the “ONE” that sits on the throne. Deuteronomy 6:4 reminds us, “Hear Israel, YHVH is one. JHVH is our Lord.” [/FONT]
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[FONT="]Three (3) [/FONT][FONT="]
Three is the smallest number used to group ideas, concepts or objects. People also tend to remember triads better than a single concept. In oral culture, triads are used to focus someone’s attention on a specific point of interest/reference.In 1 Samuel 3 the Lord calls Samuel three times. Samuel goes to Eli every time and say: “Here I am.” But the third time Eli realises that God is calling Samuel. He says to him, “Go, lie down, and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant hears’” (ESV). In 1 Kings 19:15-17 the Lord tells Elijah to anoint three people to continue with his work. The number three creates expectation. When something has happened thrice, the hearer expects more to happen. In Proverbs 30 the step-proverbs are mostly using the number three, “Three things are too wonderful for me; four I do not understand: the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a serpent on a rock, the way of a ship on the high seas, and the way of a man with a virgin” (Proverbs 30:18-19 ESV). The one-over-three pattern immediately focuses the hearer’s attention on the example that doesn’t fit into the pattern. In this case the focus is on how wonderful the way of a man is with a young woman.[/FONT]
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[FONT="]The number three also signify the border between two important phases or situations. It creates the expectation that something will change or that a new life will begin (Exodus 19:16, Hosea 6:2 and Jonah 1:7). When it is used in a more static situation it symbolises “finality” or “completeness” (for example 1 Kings 19 as well as the grouping of the dragon, the beast from the sea and the false prophet in Revelation 12 and 13. Together they symbolises complete and ultimate evil.)[/FONT]
[FONT="] [/FONT]
[FONT="]Three and a halve (3½)[/FONT][FONT="]
The number 3½ is derived from history. King Antioch IV (175-164 v.C) a Seleucid conducted a reign of terror for three and a half years under the Jewish people of Palestine. In Revelatation the period of 3½ years, 42 months and 1260 days (all indicates the same period), is used to indicated a period of persecution and terror. [/FONT]
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Four (4)
When things are grouped in numbers of fours in the Bible, it usually indicated comprehensiveness. This is based on the four compass directions – North, South, East and West. People believed that it was the four corners of the earth. Revelation 4:7-8 tells us of four living beings around God’s throne. They represent the whole of creation. In Genesis 2:10 we read how a river flows from the garden of Eden. This river has four shoots. The step-proverbs in Proverbs 30, already mentioned above, also mention the number four. In Jeremiah 15:2-3 God announces judgment. He uses four words in verse 2 to indicate how comprehensive and irreversible his judgment is. The words are ‘pestilence,’ ‘sword,’ ‘famine,’ and ‘captivity.’ Jeremiah 15:3 reads: “I will appoint over them four kinds of destroyers, declares the Lord; the sword to kill, the dogs to tear, and the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth to devour and destroy”(ESV). This verse underlines the decisiveness of God’s judgment. In the Apocalyptic literature, the number four becomes a symbol of supreme power and completeness (Revelation and to an extend Daniel). In Revelation 13, John uses the fourfold formula “every tribe and people and language and nation” to indicate the beast’s deceit. [/FONT]
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Five (5) and ten (10)
Five and ten is often found together in the Bible, but can function alone. Five indicates that something is insignificant, while ten conveys something that smoothed off/ completed. This idea probable comes from the fact that a human being has two hands, each with ten fingers. There are the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20 en Deuteronomy 5) en the ten plagues (Exodus 7:14-11:10).
In Genesis 18 God informs Abraham of his decision to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham asks the following from God in verse 23-25: [/FONT]
[FONT="]“Then Abraham drew near and said, ‘Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there are fifty righteous [5 (A unmentionable group) X 10 (totality) = any insignificant person] within the city. Will you then sweep away the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it? Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?’” (ESV).[/FONT]
[FONT="] [/FONT]
[FONT="]Hereafter the Lord confirms that He will save Sodom and Gomorrah if there are indeed fifty righteous. Twice Abraham asks what shall happen (verse 28 & 29) if he reduces the number 50 by 5, 45 and 40. God will spare them even if the righteous are less significant as 50. Hereafter Abraham subtracts 10 until the number ends on 10. By this time the Ancient hearers of Genesis 18 would have grasped that there were no righteous person left in Sodom and Gomorrah. The reason why Abraham stopped at 10, is to indicate to the hearer that Sodom and Gomorrah in totality didn’t have one righteous person in it. [/FONT][FONT="][/FONT]
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[FONT="]Seven (7) [/FONT][FONT="]
The number seven is probably the most important number in die Bible. It indicated totality and completeness. If an issue is associated with seven, it indicates that it is rounded off. The sever days of creation in Genesis 1 isn’t something that happened along. According to Genesis 4:14 and 24 Cain’s murder will be avenged seven times, should someone murder him. Noah must take seven pairs of clean animals into the ark (Gen 7:2). Remember the seven fat cows (years of abundance) and seven lean cows (years of famine) in Josef’s dream in Genesis 47. Hegai, the palace official ensures that Esther has seven chosen women (i.e. servants) to assist her (Esther 2:9). This indicates that she would undergo the complete beauty treatment – only the best! Seven also want to tell us that God’s order is applicable and that he reigns. Seven is the number of God. (In the book Esther the Lord’s name is absent but there are seven ‘accidental’ things that happen, indicating that God is behind it. In Revelation it becomes clear that God is in control of everything that happens. Just think about the “seven Spirits” (Revelation 1:4, 3:1, 4:5 and 5:6) that is send out over the earth. It illustrates how far God’s reign reaches. [/FONT]
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Twelve (12)
In the Ancient Near East there were twelve moons/months in the moon calendar. The consequence of this was that 12 started to symbolise cyclic perfection or the perfection of order. In the Bible twelve is prominent due to the division of Israel into twelve tribes. In the New Testament the number also carries the meaning of restoration. Jesus appointed 12 disciples to “restore” Israel. Revelation uses 12 frequently. 12 000 people, from the 12 tribes of Israel are sealed (Revelation 7:5-8). The woman (the church) that gives birth to her child (Jesus Christ) receives the gift of 12 stars as a crown (12:1-2). Meanwhile the New Jerusalem has twelve doors and watchers at the gates and the twelve names of the twelve tribes are written on it (Revelation 21).[/FONT]
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[FONT="]Forty (40) [/FONT][FONT="]
Periods of 40 days (and nights) are important markers in the Bible. Difficult times, suffering and judgment are usually associated with this number. More generally, 40 can indicate any period in time that is seen as a completed event. The number 40 is also continually used as an approximation of a number that cannot be determined. God says to Noah before the world flood in Genesis 7:4, “[/FONT][FONT="]For in seven days I will send rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and every living thing that I have made I will blot out from the face of the ground” [/FONT][FONT="](ESV).[/FONT][FONT="][/FONT]
[FONT="]In Exodus 16:35 we read: “[/FONT][FONT="]The people of Israel ate the manna forty years, till they came to a habitable land. They ate the manna till they came to the border of the land of Canaan[/FONT][FONT="]” (ESV).[/FONT][FONT="][/FONT]
[FONT="]In Exodus 24:18 we are told how Moses met God on the mountain, “[/FONT][FONT="]Moses entered the cloud and went up on the mountain. And Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights” (ESV).[/FONT][FONT="][/FONT]
[FONT="]After the song of Deborah (Judges 5) it is mentioned that the land had rest for forty years (Judges 5:31) before there again was war. After Ehud it was 80 years [40 x 2) (Judges 3:30). Goliath pestered the Israelites for 40 years (1 Samuel 17:16). Ish-bosheth was 40 years old when he became king of Israel (2 Samuel 2:1). The Israelites were forty years in the wilderness / desert before they entered the Promised Land. Jesus was also forty day in the wilderness / desert before Satan tempted Him (Mark 1:13, Matthew 4:2 & Luke 4:2).[/FONT]
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[FONT="]Fifty (50) [/FONT][FONT="]
This number is often applied to someone’s life. It’s often part of a larger number. Noah reaches the age of 950 years (Genesis 9:29). The number 50 is a symbol of a fruitful and ripe life. When the number is used alone, it never indicates the end of someone’s life. In Numbers 4:23 the Lord orders that Moses must count the descendants of Gershon, “F[/FONT][FONT="]rom thirty years old up to fifty years old, you shall list them, all who can come to do duty, to do service in the tent of meeting” (ESV). (Compare also the rest of the family groups in Number 4.) When someone reached 50 years of age he would stop working, almost like retirement today. According to Number 8:25 a person of 50 was released from military duty. In John 8:57 the Jews remarks to Jesus, “So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” (ESV). [/FONT]
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[FONT="]The number 50 is not only applied to humans but also to the land – in the Sabbath year which comes around every 50 years, the land must rest (Leviticus 25:11-12).[/FONT]
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50 also communicate to the hearer that something is enormous. The gallows that Haman built for Mordecai was 50 cubits high (Esther 5:14 & 7:9) In Ezekiel’s vision Jerusalem’s gate entrance were 50 cubits wide (Ezekiel 40:15). Read through the whole of Ezekiel 40 to see how many times 50 cubits is mentioned to describe the glorious Jerusalem.
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[FONT="] Seventy (70)
The number 70 is probable a compilation of the numbers 7 and 10. In Genesis 10 we read about 70 nations that were the descendants of Noah’s sons. The 70 descendants of Jacob also became a great many (Deuteronomy 10:22). It is not clear how 70 must be interpreted. In Daniel 9:24 there are 70 eras determined for Israel and Jerusalem. When 70 is connected with time it often portrays the idea of ‘judgment’ or ‘being lost.’ [/FONT]
[FONT="] [/FONT]
[FONT="]Hundred (100) [/FONT][FONT="]
When the Bible refers to the number 100 it usually is an indication of God’s miracles. Abraham was 100 years old when he had his son. It also indicated something that is complete, for instance the parable of the 100 sheep of which one went missing (Matthew 18:12-14).
Thousand (1000)
This number is a symbol for a large number. It is almost never meant to be taken literally. The Lord will show his steadfast love to “thousands of those who love me and keep my commmandments” (Exodus 20:6 ESV). The Satan is bound for a 1000 years (Revelation 20). In Psalm 105:8 we read, “[/FONT][FONT="]He remembers his covenant forever, the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations” (ESV).[/FONT][FONT="][/FONT]
[FONT="] [/FONT]
[FONT="]The number 1000 is very functional in Ecclesiastes 6:3-8, “If a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his soul is not satisfied with life's good things, and he also has no burial, I say that a stillborn child is better off than he. For it comes in vanity and goes in darkness, and in darkness its name is covered. Moreover, it has not seen the sun or known anything, yet it finds rest rather than he. Even though he should live a thousand years twice over, yet enjoy no good—do not all go to the one place? All the toil of man is for his mouth, yet his appetite is not satisfied. For what advantage has the wise man over the fool? And what does the poor man have who knows how to conduct himself before the living?” (ESV).[/FONT]
[FONT="]
[/FONT]
[FONT="]Kind regards[/FONT]
[FONT="][/FONT]
[FONT="]Sorry for this long post. However I hope that it could open a discussion about the symbolic use of numbers in the Bible.[/FONT]
[FONT="]
[/FONT]
[FONT="]In the Ancient Near East the idea to use numbers symbolically was common. The Sumerians already made use of this literary device in their poetic and religious texts. Numbers meant more than their face value. [/FONT]
[FONT="] [/FONT]
[FONT="]When it comes to numbers in the Bible, it resembles the Ancient Near East usage to interpret numbers symbolically. (A symbol is an object or concept that represents something that is different from the nature of the object itself. A concept that is not intrinsic to an object was linked to it.) In the Bible numbers like three, seven and 40 are good examples of concepts that convey specific ideas that were not inherent to it.
[/FONT]
[FONT="]Here follows a few prominent numbers that the Bible uses to convey its message. It isn’t complete, and might be mistaken or misinterpreted by my. Yet, I hope that it could start a conversation about the symbolic use of numbers.
One (1)
This number is constantly associated with God. It wants to convey God’s uniqueness. (No other deity has the right to exist) In Revelation 4:2 the Greek makes it clear that God is the “ONE” that sits on the throne. Deuteronomy 6:4 reminds us, “Hear Israel, YHVH is one. JHVH is our Lord.” [/FONT]
[FONT="] [/FONT]
[FONT="]Three (3) [/FONT][FONT="]
Three is the smallest number used to group ideas, concepts or objects. People also tend to remember triads better than a single concept. In oral culture, triads are used to focus someone’s attention on a specific point of interest/reference.In 1 Samuel 3 the Lord calls Samuel three times. Samuel goes to Eli every time and say: “Here I am.” But the third time Eli realises that God is calling Samuel. He says to him, “Go, lie down, and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant hears’” (ESV). In 1 Kings 19:15-17 the Lord tells Elijah to anoint three people to continue with his work. The number three creates expectation. When something has happened thrice, the hearer expects more to happen. In Proverbs 30 the step-proverbs are mostly using the number three, “Three things are too wonderful for me; four I do not understand: the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a serpent on a rock, the way of a ship on the high seas, and the way of a man with a virgin” (Proverbs 30:18-19 ESV). The one-over-three pattern immediately focuses the hearer’s attention on the example that doesn’t fit into the pattern. In this case the focus is on how wonderful the way of a man is with a young woman.[/FONT]
[FONT="] [/FONT]
[FONT="]The number three also signify the border between two important phases or situations. It creates the expectation that something will change or that a new life will begin (Exodus 19:16, Hosea 6:2 and Jonah 1:7). When it is used in a more static situation it symbolises “finality” or “completeness” (for example 1 Kings 19 as well as the grouping of the dragon, the beast from the sea and the false prophet in Revelation 12 and 13. Together they symbolises complete and ultimate evil.)[/FONT]
[FONT="] [/FONT]
[FONT="]Three and a halve (3½)[/FONT][FONT="]
The number 3½ is derived from history. King Antioch IV (175-164 v.C) a Seleucid conducted a reign of terror for three and a half years under the Jewish people of Palestine. In Revelatation the period of 3½ years, 42 months and 1260 days (all indicates the same period), is used to indicated a period of persecution and terror. [/FONT]
[FONT="]
Four (4)
When things are grouped in numbers of fours in the Bible, it usually indicated comprehensiveness. This is based on the four compass directions – North, South, East and West. People believed that it was the four corners of the earth. Revelation 4:7-8 tells us of four living beings around God’s throne. They represent the whole of creation. In Genesis 2:10 we read how a river flows from the garden of Eden. This river has four shoots. The step-proverbs in Proverbs 30, already mentioned above, also mention the number four. In Jeremiah 15:2-3 God announces judgment. He uses four words in verse 2 to indicate how comprehensive and irreversible his judgment is. The words are ‘pestilence,’ ‘sword,’ ‘famine,’ and ‘captivity.’ Jeremiah 15:3 reads: “I will appoint over them four kinds of destroyers, declares the Lord; the sword to kill, the dogs to tear, and the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth to devour and destroy”(ESV). This verse underlines the decisiveness of God’s judgment. In the Apocalyptic literature, the number four becomes a symbol of supreme power and completeness (Revelation and to an extend Daniel). In Revelation 13, John uses the fourfold formula “every tribe and people and language and nation” to indicate the beast’s deceit. [/FONT]
[FONT="]
Five (5) and ten (10)
Five and ten is often found together in the Bible, but can function alone. Five indicates that something is insignificant, while ten conveys something that smoothed off/ completed. This idea probable comes from the fact that a human being has two hands, each with ten fingers. There are the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20 en Deuteronomy 5) en the ten plagues (Exodus 7:14-11:10).
In Genesis 18 God informs Abraham of his decision to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham asks the following from God in verse 23-25: [/FONT]
[FONT="]“Then Abraham drew near and said, ‘Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there are fifty righteous [5 (A unmentionable group) X 10 (totality) = any insignificant person] within the city. Will you then sweep away the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it? Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?’” (ESV).[/FONT]
[FONT="] [/FONT]
[FONT="]Hereafter the Lord confirms that He will save Sodom and Gomorrah if there are indeed fifty righteous. Twice Abraham asks what shall happen (verse 28 & 29) if he reduces the number 50 by 5, 45 and 40. God will spare them even if the righteous are less significant as 50. Hereafter Abraham subtracts 10 until the number ends on 10. By this time the Ancient hearers of Genesis 18 would have grasped that there were no righteous person left in Sodom and Gomorrah. The reason why Abraham stopped at 10, is to indicate to the hearer that Sodom and Gomorrah in totality didn’t have one righteous person in it. [/FONT][FONT="][/FONT]
[FONT="] [/FONT]
[FONT="]Seven (7) [/FONT][FONT="]
The number seven is probably the most important number in die Bible. It indicated totality and completeness. If an issue is associated with seven, it indicates that it is rounded off. The sever days of creation in Genesis 1 isn’t something that happened along. According to Genesis 4:14 and 24 Cain’s murder will be avenged seven times, should someone murder him. Noah must take seven pairs of clean animals into the ark (Gen 7:2). Remember the seven fat cows (years of abundance) and seven lean cows (years of famine) in Josef’s dream in Genesis 47. Hegai, the palace official ensures that Esther has seven chosen women (i.e. servants) to assist her (Esther 2:9). This indicates that she would undergo the complete beauty treatment – only the best! Seven also want to tell us that God’s order is applicable and that he reigns. Seven is the number of God. (In the book Esther the Lord’s name is absent but there are seven ‘accidental’ things that happen, indicating that God is behind it. In Revelation it becomes clear that God is in control of everything that happens. Just think about the “seven Spirits” (Revelation 1:4, 3:1, 4:5 and 5:6) that is send out over the earth. It illustrates how far God’s reign reaches. [/FONT]
[FONT="]
Twelve (12)
In the Ancient Near East there were twelve moons/months in the moon calendar. The consequence of this was that 12 started to symbolise cyclic perfection or the perfection of order. In the Bible twelve is prominent due to the division of Israel into twelve tribes. In the New Testament the number also carries the meaning of restoration. Jesus appointed 12 disciples to “restore” Israel. Revelation uses 12 frequently. 12 000 people, from the 12 tribes of Israel are sealed (Revelation 7:5-8). The woman (the church) that gives birth to her child (Jesus Christ) receives the gift of 12 stars as a crown (12:1-2). Meanwhile the New Jerusalem has twelve doors and watchers at the gates and the twelve names of the twelve tribes are written on it (Revelation 21).[/FONT]
[FONT="] [/FONT]
[FONT="]Forty (40) [/FONT][FONT="]
Periods of 40 days (and nights) are important markers in the Bible. Difficult times, suffering and judgment are usually associated with this number. More generally, 40 can indicate any period in time that is seen as a completed event. The number 40 is also continually used as an approximation of a number that cannot be determined. God says to Noah before the world flood in Genesis 7:4, “[/FONT][FONT="]For in seven days I will send rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and every living thing that I have made I will blot out from the face of the ground” [/FONT][FONT="](ESV).[/FONT][FONT="][/FONT]
[FONT="]In Exodus 16:35 we read: “[/FONT][FONT="]The people of Israel ate the manna forty years, till they came to a habitable land. They ate the manna till they came to the border of the land of Canaan[/FONT][FONT="]” (ESV).[/FONT][FONT="][/FONT]
[FONT="]In Exodus 24:18 we are told how Moses met God on the mountain, “[/FONT][FONT="]Moses entered the cloud and went up on the mountain. And Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights” (ESV).[/FONT][FONT="][/FONT]
[FONT="]After the song of Deborah (Judges 5) it is mentioned that the land had rest for forty years (Judges 5:31) before there again was war. After Ehud it was 80 years [40 x 2) (Judges 3:30). Goliath pestered the Israelites for 40 years (1 Samuel 17:16). Ish-bosheth was 40 years old when he became king of Israel (2 Samuel 2:1). The Israelites were forty years in the wilderness / desert before they entered the Promised Land. Jesus was also forty day in the wilderness / desert before Satan tempted Him (Mark 1:13, Matthew 4:2 & Luke 4:2).[/FONT]
[FONT="] [/FONT]
[FONT="]Fifty (50) [/FONT][FONT="]
This number is often applied to someone’s life. It’s often part of a larger number. Noah reaches the age of 950 years (Genesis 9:29). The number 50 is a symbol of a fruitful and ripe life. When the number is used alone, it never indicates the end of someone’s life. In Numbers 4:23 the Lord orders that Moses must count the descendants of Gershon, “F[/FONT][FONT="]rom thirty years old up to fifty years old, you shall list them, all who can come to do duty, to do service in the tent of meeting” (ESV). (Compare also the rest of the family groups in Number 4.) When someone reached 50 years of age he would stop working, almost like retirement today. According to Number 8:25 a person of 50 was released from military duty. In John 8:57 the Jews remarks to Jesus, “So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” (ESV). [/FONT]
[FONT="] [/FONT]
[FONT="]The number 50 is not only applied to humans but also to the land – in the Sabbath year which comes around every 50 years, the land must rest (Leviticus 25:11-12).[/FONT]
[FONT="]
50 also communicate to the hearer that something is enormous. The gallows that Haman built for Mordecai was 50 cubits high (Esther 5:14 & 7:9) In Ezekiel’s vision Jerusalem’s gate entrance were 50 cubits wide (Ezekiel 40:15). Read through the whole of Ezekiel 40 to see how many times 50 cubits is mentioned to describe the glorious Jerusalem.
[/FONT]
[FONT="]
[/FONT]
[FONT="] Seventy (70)
The number 70 is probable a compilation of the numbers 7 and 10. In Genesis 10 we read about 70 nations that were the descendants of Noah’s sons. The 70 descendants of Jacob also became a great many (Deuteronomy 10:22). It is not clear how 70 must be interpreted. In Daniel 9:24 there are 70 eras determined for Israel and Jerusalem. When 70 is connected with time it often portrays the idea of ‘judgment’ or ‘being lost.’ [/FONT]
[FONT="] [/FONT]
[FONT="]Hundred (100) [/FONT][FONT="]
When the Bible refers to the number 100 it usually is an indication of God’s miracles. Abraham was 100 years old when he had his son. It also indicated something that is complete, for instance the parable of the 100 sheep of which one went missing (Matthew 18:12-14).
Thousand (1000)
This number is a symbol for a large number. It is almost never meant to be taken literally. The Lord will show his steadfast love to “thousands of those who love me and keep my commmandments” (Exodus 20:6 ESV). The Satan is bound for a 1000 years (Revelation 20). In Psalm 105:8 we read, “[/FONT][FONT="]He remembers his covenant forever, the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations” (ESV).[/FONT][FONT="][/FONT]
[FONT="] [/FONT]
[FONT="]The number 1000 is very functional in Ecclesiastes 6:3-8, “If a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his soul is not satisfied with life's good things, and he also has no burial, I say that a stillborn child is better off than he. For it comes in vanity and goes in darkness, and in darkness its name is covered. Moreover, it has not seen the sun or known anything, yet it finds rest rather than he. Even though he should live a thousand years twice over, yet enjoy no good—do not all go to the one place? All the toil of man is for his mouth, yet his appetite is not satisfied. For what advantage has the wise man over the fool? And what does the poor man have who knows how to conduct himself before the living?” (ESV).[/FONT]
[FONT="]
[/FONT]
[FONT="]Kind regards[/FONT]