The Bible is heavy on numerical symbolism. There’s nowhere the Bible explicitly says that some numbers are holy and others are evil. But certain numbers are consistently associated with specific themes, aspects and messages.
In this post, we look at the number 7 and what it means in the Bible.
What You'll Learn Today
Seven In The Bible
Let’s start by looking at some of the verses where the number 7 appears. Hopefully, we’ll be able to spot a pattern in how the number is used and in what context it appears.
Genesis 2:2 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done.
Exodus 25:37 You shall make seven lamps for it. And the lamps shall be set up so as to give light on the space in front of it.
This refers to the number of lamps that God instructed be put on the golden lampstand (the temple menorah) that was to be set inside the sanctuary.
Revelations 1:20 As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
There are many other references to 7 in the Bible.
In Joshua 6, God instructs Joshua, the army and the priests to go march around Jericho for seven days: once around each day for the first six days and seven times around on the seventh day.
After the march, the priests blow their trumpets, the people shout and the walls of Jericho come crashing down.
In 2 Kings 5, Elisha instructs the leprosy-stricken Naaman to go wash himself seven times in the river Jordan and he shall be healed.
What Does 7 Mean In The Bible?
Completion/Wholeness/Fulfillment
Looking at these verses, one of the themes related to the number 7 is completeness or divine fulfillment.
The best example of this is God resting on the seventh day. That was when He finished his work of creation. In this case, 7 represents a completed world.
This theme appears again in the story of Jericho. Joshua is asked to go round the walled city for seven days and march around it seven times on the seventh day.
The walls coming down after the seventh march symbolizes God’s fulfillment of his promise to Joshua. God makes this promise then tells Joshua and his people to start marching.
Joshua 6:2 And the Lord said to Joshua: “See! I have given Jericho into your hand, its king, and the mighty men of valor.
Naaman also has to dip himself seven times in Jordan so that he can get healed from Leprosy.
Interestingly, the completion symbolized by the number 7 is not always something good.
Leviticus 26:18 And if in spite of this you will not listen to me, then I will discipline you again sevenfold for your sins.
Not once, not twice, but sevenfold. That’s when the punishment will be complete. In Genesis 4:15 God also promises to avenge anyone who hurts Cain sevenfold.
Another example of seven symbolizing completeness and readiness is in God’s instruction to the Israelites regarding sacrifices.
Exodus 22:30 Do the same with your cattle and your sheep. Let them stay with their mothers for seven days, but give them to me on the eighth day.
We could go on and on. But it’s clear that the primary meaning of 7 in the Bible is completion. It can also represent wholeness, perfection or the fulfillment of a promise, blessing or punishment.
Note that the use of 7 in the Bible is not always direct. Multiples of 7 are sometimes used. But they represent the same concepts.
One example of this is in Daniel 9:24 where the people are given seventy weeks to finish their transgressions and turn back to righteousness.
When Israelites are held captive in Babylon, they remain there for 70 years.
Holiness
The other major symbolism of 7 is holiness and righteousness. One example of this is the number of lamps on the golden lampstand that resides in the sanctuary (where the Ark of Covenant is).
As per God’s instructions, the lamp shall have seven lamps casting light in the sanctuary.
Light, as you may already know, represents God’s holiness and righteousness. So having seven lamps that cast out light is a symbol of holiness.
Revelation also uses the number 7 to represent holiness: ‘seven stars are the angels of the seven churches’, ‘seven lampstands are the seven churches’, ‘the seven spirits before his throne’ and so on.
In the Genesis story, God rests on the seventh day, which we honor as the sabbath day. It’s not just a day of rest, it’s also a day of holiness.
Genesis 2:3 Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.
Meaning of 6 In The Bible
The symbolism of number 7 in the bible is reinforced by the meaning of the number 6.
6 is one number short of 7. Thus, in the Bible, six often signifies imperfection and incompletion. It also symbolizes sin and evil, unlike 7 which represents holiness.
An example of this is in the creation story. God creates everything in the world in six days. But on the sixth day when he creates man, the creation process is still incomplete. Perfection is only achieved when God rests on the seventh day and makes it holy.
In creation, the number 6 also represents man and his weakness or imperfection. Adam and Eve would go on to sin in the Garden of Eden.
In the story of Joshua and the walls of Jericho, they march around the city once each day for six days. But victory is only given to them on the seventh day when they march around the city seven times.
Six is also a major symbol of the devil. The Bible says that 666 is the number of the beast.
There are other numbers in the Bible that also reinforce the perfection or completeness of 7. For instance, the bible uses three and a half days or years (and other variations like 42 months or 1260 days, which are equal to three and a half years) to signify the halfway point of a process.
There’s also the number 8, which represents a new beginning or a new creation. In Jewish culture, boys were circumcised on the eighth day. Spiritually, circumcision represents doing away with the old and being born again.
When you consider that 7 symbolizes completion, then it makes sense that the next number would represent a new beginning.
The Meaning of Numbers In Our Christian Life
If you find all this stuff about numbers and their meanings in the Bible interesting, you could dig a lot deeper than I have in this article.
But the most important question is what all this means for our faith. Should we associate 7 with good luck or blessings or be fearful of anything related to 6?
Certainly not. Giving power to numbers is a bit too close to sorcery and witchcraft, which the Bible forbids.
Knowing the meaning of numbers used in the Bible can help you understand and appreciate the scripture more. It’s especially fascinating to see how numbers tie the Bible together from the Old Testament to the New Testament.
But it should not shift your faith to anything else other than God.
