Why is the number 7 such a significant number in the bible?

[Gentile]

As I read the bible I mark where the number 7 is mentioned. I think I heard the number is mentioned 500 times in the bible?

[Yukerboy]

I just did a search at biblegateway.com

Seven or forms of it appear 562 in the KJV, 524 in the NIV...

Yuke

[timmyb]

seven is regarded as the number of completion...

just a side note 8 is the number of rebirth

[JordanW]

7 is a very significant number in the Bible, as is the number 3.

[theleast]

What about the number 12?

[timmyb]

number of government... the twelve pillars in heaven... the twelve thrones upon the apostles will sit judging the tribes of Israel...

[crawfish]

Numbers have special significance in the bible, beyond their literal meaning. 7 is the number of spiritual completeness. 40 is the number of ritual purification. Six is the number of man, the number of evil. Three is the number of divine perfection. One is the number of unity, as in "one god".

Sometimes, even combinations are used. Consider Moses' 120 years; he spent life in three separate stages (in Egypt, in the wilderness, leading the Israelites to the promised land), each stage took him into a new state of holiness - three stages (divine perfection), 40 years apiece. This simple number tells you worlds about Moses' place in God's divine plan.

[threebigrocks]

Simple answer: God is constant, never changing. He works in the familiar, although sometimes we miss much of it.

[merjorg]

Heard a pastor talk about the number 7 once. He talked about how God made the heavens and the earth and then rested on the 7th day. Supposedly, apples have 7 seeds. There are 7 continents (or major land masses) on the earth, a woman's reproductive cycle is normally 28 days - 14 days of ovulation, 14 days of "whatever else happens" . I've even read that although most women vary in the length of their cycle, that it is almost always between 21 and 35 days. These numbers are all divisible by 7. Interesting stuff...

[timmyb]

interesting indeed

[Ta-An]

....7 is the number of spiritual completeness.

or for perfection..... the fullness of completion , like 100%

[dancedwithdolphin]

I just recently heard a commentary about this subject.

The number three being the heavens (God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit). And the number four (the four corners of the earth- like in Zechariah where God sends out the four horsemen to roam the earth in all four directions). Then taking the two sets, which connect heaven with earth- and together making us complete; seven. (And perhaps then by resting on the Sabbath day it is to remind us that we need to be connected to God- and that one day we will).

[Teke]

As I read the bible I mark where the number 7 is mentioned. I think I heard the number is mentioned 500 times in the bible?

In Hebrew, the word for placing one under a sacred vow or oath relates to the word for seven. Don't bother looking in your Strongs Concordance for this info, it's not there.

I stumbled on this info when studying about a Christian prayer rope known as a chotki, which basically is a knotted rope used to pray with. A Jewish equivalent would be their phylacteries. The word "knot" basically relates of binding or loosing, which also relates to oath, vow or covenant, as well as to sign/symbol.

It's far to much to go into here, but if anyone is interested in further reading on the subject, the book is "The Knot in Hebrew Literature, or from the Knot to the Alphabet" by Solomon Gandz.
Great deal of meaning in a simple knot.

[dan p]

If you really want to see numbers, any book store can order Bullinger Number in Scripture and he really devles deep from the number one - 666 and combo of numbers 292 pages.

[Bethshaya]

If you really want to boggle your mind with the number seven, count the sevens just in revelation alone. Not the just number seven...but the number of times things are mentioned throughout that book...you guessed it, seven times.

The obvious Revelation sevens:
Seven Churches
Seven Spirits of God
Seven Golden Candlesticks
Seven Stars
Seven Angels
Seven Lamps of Fire
Seven backside Seals
Seven Horns
Seven Eyes
Seven Trumpets
Seven Thunders
Seven Heads
Seven Crowns
Seven Last Plagues ...
Seven Golden Vials
Seven Mountains
Seven Kings
Seven "Right Hands"
Seven things are "opened" in Revelation
Seven types of men "hid" themselves
Seven "Bottomless Pits"
Seven promises of the overcommer
Seven Beattitudes ("Blessed be those...." statements)
Seven features in chapter 1
Seven parathensis between chpt 12 and 13
Seven years of judgement
Seven "I Am" statements
Seven "new things"