3 - some more examples from the Old Testament

  1. Three days is the length of time after making the treaty with the Gibeonites that the Israelites heard that they were neighbours, living near them. (Joshua 9:16)
  2. Three sons is the number of sons of Anak the giant in Hebron driven out by Caleb - Sheshai, Ahiman and Talmai (Joshua 15:14, Judges 1:20)
  3. Three men from each tribe were sent to make a survey of the land and write a description of it, according to the inheritance of each (Joshua 18:4)
  4. Three companies blew the trumpets and smashed the jars, under Gideon, grasping the torches in their left hands and holding in their right hands the trumpets they were to blow and shouting, "A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!" (Judges 7:20)
  5. Three men it is said will meet the newly anointed Saul at the great tree of Tabor, he is told. Going up to worship God at Bethel, one would be carrying three young goats, another three loaves of bread, and another a skin of wine. (1 Samuel 10:3)
  6. Three arrows are the number David says he will shoot when arranging things with Jonathan 1Sa_20:20
  7. Three times is the number of times David bowed down before Jonathan, with his face to the ground as they kissed each other and wept together before parting (1 Samuel 20:41)
  8. Three is the number of David's special warriors: Josheb-Basshebeth, a Tahkemonite, Eleazar son of Dodai the Ahohite and Shammah, the son of Agee the Harʹarite (2 Samuel 23)
  9. Three months is the length of time the ark remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite (2 Samuel 6:11)
  10. Three options is the number given by God to David in  through Gad - three years of famine or three months of fleeing from his enemies while they pursue him or three days of plague in his land (2 Samuel 24)
(Also three divisions is the number into which Saul separated his men when attacking the Ammonites and slaughtering them, 1 Samuel 11:11)

3 - some examples from the Old Testament




  1. Three men (or angels or whatever) meet Abraham in Genesis 18
  2. Three is prominent in the dreams of the chief baker and cupbearer to Pharaoh interpreted by Joseph. The cupbearer dreams of a vine with three branches on it signifying three days, the time in which Pharaoh would lift up his head and restore him to his position. The baker dreams of three baskets of bread, again standing for three days, the time in which Pharaoh would lift off his head and impale his body on a pole. (Genesis 40)
  3. Thee days is the lengh of time Joseph imprisons his brothers in Egypt (Genesis 42:17)
  4. Three months was Moses' age when his parents hid him (Exodus 2:2)
  5. Three days is the length of time the plague of darkness lasted (Exodus 10:22, 23)
  6. Three things that must be provided - (Exodus 21:11)
  7. Three times a year Jewish men were to cebrate festivals to God at the Temple (Exodus 23:14, 17, 34:23, 24)
  8. Three years is the length of time a tree was to be considered forbidden on entering the Promised Land (Leviticus 19:23)
  9. Three times is the number of times Balaam beat his donkey when it refused to move (Numbers 22)
  10. Three years was the gap between each gathering of tithes in ancient Israel (Deuteronomy 4:28)

3 things carved on the doors of Solomon's temple according to 1 Kings 6:32

1 Kings 6:32

And on the two olive-wood doors he carved

cherubim,
palm trees
and open flowers

 and overlaid the cherubim and palm trees with hammered gold.

7 men chosen to be 'deacons' in Acts 6


Acts 6:6, 7

This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose 

Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit;
also Philip,
Procorus,
Nicanor,
Timon,
Parmenas,
and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism.

They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them

40, 50, 60 - some examples from the New Testament

  1. Forty days and forty nights is the length of time Jesus fasted in the wilderness (Matthew 4:2, etc)
  2. Forty days is also the length of time Jesus presented himself to the disciples after his resurrection giving many convincing proofs he was alive and speaking about the kingdom of God. (Acts 1:3)
  3. Forty years old and perhaps more is the age of the man in Acts healed by Peter (Acts 4:22)
  4. Forty is the number of men involved ina plot to kill Paul mentioned in Acts 23 (Acts 23:13, 41)
  5. Forty lashes minus one is the number of lashes Paul received five times (2 Corinthians 11:24)
  6. Fifty denarii is the amount owed by the man i the parable in Luke 7 (Luke 7:41)
  7. Fifty were in each group that sat to be fed when Jesus fed the 5000 (Luke 9:14)
  8. Fifty years old is the age the Jews say Jesus cannot be  in John 8:57.
  9. Fifty thousand drachmas is the etimated cost of the scrolls burnedpublicly (Acts 19:19)
  10. Sixty is the age a widow had to be before being placed on the liist Paul speaks of (1 Timothy 5:9)

4 members of the high priest's family listed in Acts 4:6


Acts 4:6

Annas the high priest was there
and so were Caiaphas,
John,
Alexander
and others of the high priest’s family.

4 things the people devoted themselves to in Acts 2:42


Acts 2:42
They devoted themselves to

the apostles’ teaching
and to fellowship,
to the breaking of bread
and to prayer.

12 - some examples from the New Testament

  1. Twelve years is the length of time the woman subject to bleeding went before being healed by Jesus when she touched him (Matthew 9:20)
  2. Twelve is the number of disciples or apostles of Jesus (Matthew 10:1-5, 11:1, etc)
  3. Twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over is the number of basketfuls picked up after the feeding of the 5000 (Matthew 14:20, etc)
  4. Twelve legions of angels and more is the number of legions Jesus says he could call on to be at his disposal if he wished (Matthew 26:53)
  5. Twelve years old is the age of Jairus's daughter who Jesus raised from the dead (Mark 5:42)
  6. Twelve years old is the age Jesus was when he and his family firsy went up to the festival, according to the custom (Luke 2:42)
  7. Twelve hours is the time of delight Jesus speaks of when a person will not not stumble but see by this world's light (John 11:9)
  8. Twelve gates are the number of gates of the New Jerusaem each made of a single pearl with twelve angels at the gatesand on them written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. (Revelation 21:12, 21)
  9. Twelve foundations are under the New Jerusaoelm, and on them are the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb (Revelation 21:14)`
  10. Twelve crops of fruit are the number borne by the tree of life in Paradise, a ctop every month  (Revelation 22:2)
(Also, twelve is the number of the men in Ephesus who were baptised and received the Spirit (Acts 19:17) and twelve stars form a crown that is seen on the head of the woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet in Revelation 12)

10 - some examples from the New Testament



  1. Ten disciples are indignant with James and John when they make a bid for glory (Matthew 20:24)
  2. Ten virgins are in a parable at the beginning of Matthew 25
  3. Ten bags of gold feature in another parable in Matthew 25
  4. Ten silver coins are said to belong to a woman who loses one and has to search for it (Luke 15)
  5. Ten lepers are healed by Jesus in Luke 17
  6. Ten servants are given ten minas and told to put the money to work in a parable. One makes ten more from the one he is given and is put in charge of ten cities (Luke 19)
  7. Ten days is the symbolic length of time the church in Smyrna is told it will suffer peresecution (Revelation 2:10)
  8. Ten horns are the number of horns the great red dragon has (Revelation 12:3)
  9. Ten horns are also the number of horns of the beast, horns with crowns on them, and on each head a blasphemous name (Revelation 13:1)
  10. Ten horns are also found on the scarlet beast covered with blasphemous names on which a woman sat, ten horns that are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but who for one hour will receive authority as kings along with the beast. (Revelation 17)





7 - some examples from Revelation

  1. Seven churches in Asia (Revelation 1-3)
  2. Seven spirits that are before Christ's throne also described as seven lamps (Revelation 1:11, 3:1, 4:5)
  3. Seven golden lampstands, representing the churches and among which Jesus walks (Revelation 1:12, etc)
  4. Seven stars held in Christ's right hand, representing the angels of the churches (Revelation 1:16, 20)
  5. Seven seals on the scroll opened by the Lamb (Revelation 5:1, 5)
  6. Seven horns and eyes, the number the Lamb has and that are the seven spirits (Reveltaion 5:6)
  7. Seve trumpets blown by seven angeels (Revelation 8:2, 6)
  8. Seven thunders that spoke and whose words were not recorded (Revelation 10:3, 4)
  9. Seven heads with seven crowns are the number on the great red dragon and seven heads with no crowns the number on the beast (Revelation 12:3, 13:1)
  10. Seven plagues in seven bowls full of God's wrath poured out on earth by seven angels (Revelation 15:1, 6-8, 16:1, 17:1)
(Seven heads are also found on the beast the woman rides. These are seven hills and seven kings, five already fallen (Revelation 17:3, 7-11))

7 - some examples from the New Testament


  1. Seven loaves (and a few small fish) are used by Jesus to feed the four thousand and a few basketfuls of left overs remain (Matthew 15, etc)
  2. Seven times is the number of times in a day a person may sin against us and if they repent we are to forgive them (Luke 17:4, see also Matthew 18:21, 22)
  3. Seven brothers are the number suggested by the sceptical Sadducees who marry the same woman in Matthew 22, etc.
  4. Seven demons are the number that came out of Mary Magdalene (Luke 8:2; Mark 16:9)
  5. Seven years is the length of time Anna the prophet was married before she became a widow (Luke 2:36)
  6. Seven men are the number of men chosen by the early believers to be responsible for practical matters (Acts 6)
  7. Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, are the ones who were casting out demons in the name of Jesus and Paul (Acts 19:14)
  8. Seven days is the length of time Paul stayed in Troas in Acts 20:6
  9. Seven days is also the length of time Paul spent in Tyre in Acts 21:4 
  10. Seven days is the time Paul had been in Jerusalem when some Jews from the province of Asia saw him at the temple and stirred up the whole crowd and seized him (Acts 21:27)

5 - some examples from the New Testament


  1. Five loaves of bread (and two fish) are what Jesus used to feed the 5000 (Matthew 14, etc)
  2. Five virgins were foolish and five were wise in the parable Jesus told (Matthew 25:2)
  3. Five bags of gold are the most bags given to the man in the parable Jesus told and who gained five bags more (Matthew 25)
  4. Five months - the period Elizabeth remained in seclusion after she became pregnant with John (Luke 1:24)
  5. Five sparrows could be bought for two pennies in Jesus's day (Luke 12:6)
  6. Five are in the family Jesus speaks of being divided against each other, three against two and two against three (Luke 12:52)
  7. Five yoke of oxen are the number purchased by the man who is on his way to try them out and so cannot follow Jesus (Luke 14:19)
  8. Five brothers are the number the rich man had and who he wanted warned so that they would not end up in Hades like him (Luke16:28)
  9. Five husbands is the number the Samaritan woman had before living with a man who was not her husband (John 4:18)
  10. Five covered colonnades surround the pool called Bethesda where the blind man was healed (John 5:2)
(Also, five intelligible words are the number Paul would prefer to speak over ten thousand in a tongue (1 Corinthians 14:19) and five times is the number of times Paul received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one (2 Corinthians 11:24). In Revelation five months is the length of time allowed for torture (Revelation 9:5) and Five kings have fallen of seven (Revelation 17:10))