What is the significance of seven?

CerebralCherub said:

Apologies if this is in the wrong section, please move or educate me, as required.

I have asked if the chaplains are the place to go with these questions, because I don't know what a chaplain is, so while I'm awaiting response I hoped you all might be able to assist.

So, the bible makes so many references to the number 7. Everything happens in 7s, e.g. 7 days and I just wondered what the reason was for this?

There was a gentleman who I used to talk to who highlighted this and I scoffed at him telling him that the bible wasn't some mystical text filled with numerology so, if he explained it to me, I missed out due to my arrogance as I wasn't actually reading the Bible at the time and thought he was misguided about seeing a pattern of instances. But, as I read, he is correct and I have no idea why the number features so heavily.

Thanks for your help, as always, God bless.

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Numbers mean something in Scripture

7 represents perfection and completeness- it is God's number God rested on the seventh day from all His work. God blessed the seventh day and made it holy.

6 represents mans number. Man was made on the 6th day

2 represents witness- Jesus would often send people in pairs 3 represents the Godhead 4 represents the whole earth His created world (four corners of the earth). 10 represents God’s order and authority- the Ten Commandments, 12 represents God's people (12 disciples, 12 tribes) 40 represents a generation etc

I kind of agree we shouldn't read too much into the significance of certain numbers just b/c the number's in the Bible. 7 is common, but so is, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 9, 10, 0, 12, etc. You can find a meaning for any number in it if you look hard enough. They are sign-posts to God & his sovereign plan more then anything.

I think a lot of it is secular people studying the Bible looking for numerical patterns to come up w/ ways it's all metaphor

CerebralCherub said:

Apologies if this is in the wrong section, please move or educate me, as required.

I have asked if the chaplains are the place to go with these questions, because I don't know what a chaplain is, so while I'm awaiting response I hoped you all might be able to assist.

So, the bible makes so many references to the number 7. Everything happens in 7s, e.g. 7 days and I just wondered what the reason was for this?

There was a gentleman who I used to talk to who highlighted this and I scoffed at him telling him that the bible wasn't some mystical text filled with numerology so, if he explained it to me, I missed out due to my arrogance as I wasn't actually reading the Bible at the time and thought he was misguided about seeing a pattern of instances. But, as I read, he is correct and I have no idea why the number features so heavily.

Thanks for your help, as always, God bless.

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Although certain numbers in the bible do have meanings, (7 is perfection or completeness, for example), there are some people who take it much further, and claim that (for example) by using the number associated with each letter in a biblical name (in Hebrew or Greek), and adding up the numbers associated with all the letters in the name, one can get more understanding of God's word. I certainly don't agree with that. God would have made it clear to us that such numerology was needed in order to study the bible.

CerebralCherub said:

Thank you so much!

I assume this is not written in black and white, in scripture, but has been ascertained via patterns in scripture?

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Some things are written in black and white.

For example, God created the earth in six days and rested and sanctified the seventh day.

The seventh day is written three times in this passage and in the bible to emphasize something of importance, they do not get louder, they repeat it.

Exo 20:1 Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. 2 And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.

Then we see this pattern again and is literally written by the finger of God in the Ten Commandments Exo 31:18 and God showing the Sabbath day being holy started from Creation- so it was always part of His perfect plan before the fall of man and sin entered.

Exo 20:8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.


You also see this repeated later in Hebrews

Heb 4:4 For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all His works”

CerebralCherub said:

Do you know who originally saw the pattern or what other patterns there are?

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There is a pattern you will see when you start reading the Bible. Its not just numbers that mean something colors have meaning as do words- like a women in the Bible often refers to a church Eph 5:25. There are two women in revelations so the women clothed in light (or righteousness) means God's holy church, verses the adulteress women (harlot) represents the apostate church. The most important thing is to let the Bible define and explain Itself, which is does. Keep reading the Bible and ask for the presence of the Holy Spirit to help you understand His holy word. The more you read His word, the deeper understanding you will receive. It's important if someone else is telling you something different than what the Scriptures teach, the Scriptures are to be our guide and path Psa 119:105

CerebralCherub said:

I don't want to tell the family anything that's not correct (I read the bible to them almost nightly and they have asked this and so many other questions that I don't have the answers to), so really appreciate your help, thank you!

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I think everything God does is in perfect design and there are lots of layers to God's word, while its something I find interesting the patterns being used, but what's more important is what is the message God is trying to teach us though His word. I personally would not fixate on numbers too much and like anything we can take what God gave us and use it for our reasoning and make something good into something that was never God's intention.


I pray this helps a little!

God bless