Significance of Number 7 in Bible
The number 7 often signifies perfection or completion. It first appears when God rests on the 7th day after Creation, signifying that His work is both complete and perfect. It's also associated with completed promises, like when Joshua marches around the city of Jericho 7 times, or when Jacob completes his 7 years of service with Laban. Some people believe that 7 represents the combination of God (3) and His Creation or the world (4), so it symbolizes everything, or completeness. Short periods of time in the Bible are sometimes represented by 7 days, like when God tells Noah the flood will begin in 7 days.
Appearances of Number 7 in Bible
God rested on the 7th day in the Creation story. In Genesis, God creates the world over the course of 6 days. On the 7th day, He rests, symbolizing that His work has been completed. Genesis 2:2–3 says, “By the seventh day God had finished the work He had been doing; so on the seventh day He rested from all His work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy.” To honor His Creation, God instructs his followers to observe a day of rest on the 7th day of every week.
The number 7 is used frequently in Revelation. The book of Revelation is typically regarded as both symbolic and prophetic—while many Christians believe that the events described in Revelation will actually come to pass, most also believe that the book relies heavily on symbols. For instance, in Revelation 1:4, John addresses the book to “7 churches in Asia Minor” (probably the area around modern-day Turkey), but he is likely referring to God’s complete church rather than 7 specific churches. In a vision, John sees 7 golden lampstands (Rev 1:12) surrounding Jesus (Rev 1:14), who holds 7 stars in his right hand (Rev 1:16). He also sees the throne of God surrounded by 7 churches (Rev 4:5), and God is holding a scroll sealed with 7 seals (Rev 5:1). The Lamb who opens the scroll has 7 horns and 7 eyes (Rev 5:6). After the 7th seal is opened, 7 angels appear blowing 7 trumpets (Rev 8:2), and each trumpet unleashes havoc on earth. A dragon also appears, with 7 heads and 7 crowns (Rev 12:3), followed by 7 more angels (Rev 15:1) who unleash 7 plagues on mankind (Rev 16:1–21).
God instructs Noah to bring 7 pairs of every clean animal onto the ark. In Genesis, when God is preparing to flood the earth, He tells Noah to bring 7 male-female pairs of every clean animal, or animals that God’s followers were allowed to eat. This helped provide for Noah’s family on the ark and after they returned to dry land, symbolizing the perfection of God’s plan. Genesis 7:1–3 says, “The Lord then said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation. Take with you seven pairs of every kind of clean animal, a male in its mate, and one pair of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate, and also seven pairs of every kind of bird, male and female, to keep their various kinds alive throughout the earth.” God also gives Noah 7 days notice about the flood after he finishes building the ark: “Seven days from now I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the earth every living creature I have made.” (Genesis 1:4)
God instructed Joshua to march around Jericho 7 times. After the Israelites had wandered the desert for 40 years, God led Joshua to conquer the city of Jericho by marching his army around the city once a day for 6 days. On the 7th day, they marched 7 times, then they army shouted while the priests blew trumpets, and the walls of Jericho fell down. Joshua 6:4–5 says, “Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up, everyone straight in.”
The Bible names 7 annual feasts for God’s followers. These holy holidays spanned from early spring through mid-fall, and some are still observed in the Christian church today. Passover: A holiday commemorating God’s protection of the Hebrew people in Egypt and Jesus’ death on the cross. Unleavened Bread: A 7-day observance beginning the day after Passover where followers ate bread that had not been leavened with yeast. First Fruits: A feast held the first day after the Sabbath during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. This feast originally celebrated the fertility of the Promised Land and its spring crops, but today in Christianity it’s celebrated as Easter. Pentecost: 50 days after the 7th Sabbath, Pentecost was a feast to celebrate the summer harvest, and was marked by an offering of two leavened loaves of bread. Trumpets: The Feast of Trumpets was a celebratory holiday in the Bible that was observed in September. Atonement: Atonement was a solemn occasion where people repented for their sins and made a fire offering to God. Tabernacles: The Feast of Tabernacles was a 7-day celebration of God’s protection over the Israelites in the wilderness.
Jesus instructed us to forgive someone 77 times. In Matthew 18:21–22, the Bible says, “Peter came up to Jesus and asked, ‘Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.” This probably isn’t meant to be an exact count of how many times you should forgive, but a symbolic number that means we should offer endless forgiveness to people who wrong us.
God promised sevenfold vengeance on anyone who killed Cain. After Cain killed his brother Abel (Genesis 4:8), God cursed Cain, but He also protected Him by promising that anyone who killed Cain would receive 7 times the punishment that Cain did. Genesis 4:13–15 says, “Cain said to the Lord, ‘My punishment is more than I can bear … I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.’ But the Lord said to him, ‘Not so, anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over.” Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him.”
The leper Naaman was instructed to bathe 7 times. When the soldier Naaman was afflicted with leprosy, an Israelite girl of his household advised him to see the prophet Elisha who was in Samaria. Elisha instructed Naaman to wash himself 7 times in the Jordan River—a symbol of complete healing. 2 Kings 5:14 says, “So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and become clean like that of a young boy.”
Series of 7 things appear throughout the Bible. Sometimes the number 7 is used in a way that isn’t necessarily symbolic, but it may represent completion in a more literary way. Including 7 details or statements may have helped the narrative feel more complete from the author’s perspective (although one could argue that God led them to write the Scriptures that way). Proverbs 6:16–19 describes “six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him,” including “haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies, and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.” There are 7 petitions included in the Lord’s Prayer: “Hallowed be thy name,” “Thy kingdom come,” “Thy will be done,” “Give us this day our daily bread,” “Forgive us our trespasses,” “Lead us not into temptation,” and “Deliver us from evil.” Jesus made 7 statements while he was on the cross, including his final 7-word prayer, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” In Acts 6:1–4, the apostles appointed 7 deacons to guide the growing Christian church in Jerusalem.
The Hebrew people were instructed to forgive debts every 7 years. In Deuteronomy 15:1–18, God instructed his followers that every 7 years, they should forgive any debts. Any Hebrew held in captivity as a slave was to be released after six years, as well. This represents that their time of service is complete. Deuteronomy 15:2 says, “This is how it is to be done: Every creditor shall cancel the loan he has made to his fellow Israelite. He shall not require payment from his fellow Israelite or brother, because the Lord’s time for canceling debts has been proclaimed.”
Jacob worked for Laban for 7 years for each wife. Jacob fell in love with Laban’s daughter Rachel, so he pledged to work for Laban for 7 years in exchange for permission to marry her. After the 7 years were up, Laban gave Jacob his older daughter Leah instead, and Jacob worked for another 7 years so he could also marry Rachel. Genesis 29:26–27 says, “Laban replied, ‘It is not our custom here to give the younger daughter in marriage before the older one. Finish this daughter’s bridal week; then we will give you the younger one also, in return for another seven years of work.”
The temple menorah had 7 lamps. God told Moses to create a candelabra, or menorah, that had 3 branches on either side of a center branch. This design for the menorah is still used today in Judaism. The lamps of the candelabra burned olive oil. Exodus 25:31–22 describes the ornate menorah: “Make a lampstand of pure gold. Hammer out its base and shaft, and make its flowerlike cups, buds, and blossoms of one piece with them. Six branches are to extend from the sides of the lampstand—three on one side and three on the other.”
The Number 7 in Other Cultures
Many cultures consider the number 7 significant. This includes a number of ancient near-Eastern civilizations, which could potentially have influenced the ancient Hebrew thinking around this number. Here are a few cases where the number 7 is meaningful to other cultures or religions: Ancient Sumer: The temple Enamzu had 7 gates and 7 doors. It was dedicated to the goddess Nintu, and sacrifices to her were described as “seven times seven” oxen and sheep. Islam: In the holy rite of hajj, followers of Islam make a pilgrimage to Mecca, where among other rituals, they walk 7 times around the shrine Kaaba, make 7 trips between Mouth Safa and Mount Marwah, and throw 7 stones to represent stoning the Devil. Hinduism: In the ancient Hindu text Vishnu Purana, the earth is described as having 7 Dvipas (regions) and 7 seas. Buddhism: Legend says that after he was born, the Buddha (sometimes called Bhagavat or Bodhisattva) placed his feet on the ground and took 7 steps.
FAQs
How many times is the number 7 mentioned in the Bible? It depends on how you count, but at a minimum, the number 7 is mentioned nearly 500 times throughout the Old Testament and New Testament. It appears most frequently in Genesis and Revelation, the beginning and ending books of the Bible.
Why is 7 the number of God? Some people believe that the number 7 represents God because it symbolizes completion and perfection, and only God is perfect.
Is 7 the number of the Holy Spirit? If you consider 7 to be the number of God, and the Holy Spirit is a part of God, then yes, 7 can be considered the number of the Holy Spirit.
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