What Does the Number 3 Signify in the Bible?
- Hope Bolinger Author
- Updated May 08, 2024
Explore the profound symbolism of the number 3 in the Bible, which recurrently marks divine intervention, completeness, and spiritual significance. This article delves into how this numeral shapes key biblical narratives and doctrines, from the concept of the Trinity to the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Numbers have extreme symbolic purposes in the Bible, and number three stands out as one of the most prominent numbers featured in Scripture. It tends to symbolize harmony and wholeness, as we will explore.
This article will dive into the significance of numbers in the Bible, what the number three means, how often we see the number three in the Bible, and what this means for us today.
What Significance Do Numbers Have in the Bible?
Most numbers carry a symbolic purpose in the Bible.
Seven, for instance, also means completeness, as does the number 3. God created the earth (including the day he rested) in seven days (Genesis 1-2).
However, not all numbers signify something good. Six, for instance, tends to symbolize incompleteness or weakness, as indicated here. We can see a trinity of satanic incompleteness and weakness in the devil’s number 666 (Revelation 13:18).
In the Bible, numbers can have many purposes, such as conveying something significant in the narrative: prophetically, spiritually, or symbolically.
When Elisha brings a boy back to life, and he sneezes seven times, he may not have literally sneezed seven times (2 Kings 4:35). Even if he had sneezed literally seven times, readers or listeners would’ve picked up on the fact about the importance of the number seven, meaning completeness. He was completely healed.
What Does the Number 3 Mean in the Bible?
Before we dive into the number three, we have to explore the meaning of the number in Hebrew. Many numbers in the Hebrew language tend to have a deeper meaning.
Three, shelosh[f.], sheloshah [m.] means harmony, new life, and completeness.
The number three appears in the Bible 467 times, fewer than seven but more than most of the other symbolically important numbers.
Sometimes, three is used as an emphatic Semitic triplet to describe the intensity of something. It’s not just holy. It’s holy, holy, holy.
We must keep in mind that three isn’t always necessarily something good. In Revelation, we see an evil trinity: Satan, the Antichrist, and the False Prophet (Revelations 12-13).
However, typically, three means something complete and good. Satan does often like to take something good from God and corrupt it, much like the number three and the concept of the Trinity.
8 Ways the Number 3 is Significant in the Bible:
Although we don’t have time to dive into all 467 references to the number three, let's explore a handful.
1. God says something 3 times: We see God repeating a phrase thrice in several places in Scripture. Jesus goes back to pray in the Garden of Gethsemane three times (Matthew 26:4). God calls the prophet Samuel thrice (1 Samuel 3:8). Jesus repeats the phrase “feed my sheep” to Peter three times (John 21:15-17).
2. Three of the same words: We see several instances of three of the same words in a row. Woe (three of them) are called out by an eagle in revelation, foreshadowing terrible judgment (Revelation 8:13), Jeremiah repeats the word “land” thrice (Jeremiah 22:29), and we hear the triplet of holy in Isaiah (Isaiah 6:3).
3. The third day: We can’t talk three without discussing how Jesus rose after three days (1 Corinthians 15:4). In Jewish culture, three days past death indicated they were truly dead. Therefore, Jesus truly conquered death by not rising until the third day.
4. Three patriarchs: In Scripture, we have three patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Matthew 22:32). These were the fathers of the Israelite nation, God’s people.
5. Three prayers: This article suggests Early Christians may have had three set prayer times a day, modeled after verses like Psalm 55:17 and Daniel 6:10.
6. Three gifts: The Magi present to Jesus three gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh in Matthew 2.
7. Three angels: In Revelation 14:6-16, we encounter three angels. The first tells all the earth to worship God. The second declares the fall of Babylon. And the third declares that anyone who receives the Mark of the Beast will receive God’s wrath.
8. The Trinity: Of course, we can’t look at the number three without looking at the Trinity: God is three in one: the Father (1 Corinthians 8:6), the Son (Colossians 2:9), and the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:17).
Symbology of 3 in the Bible
The number 3 holds significant symbolic importance in the Bible, often appearing in contexts that underscore completeness, perfection, or divine presence. Here’s a detailed exploration of its symbolism:
Divine Wholeness and the Trinity: The most theologically significant occurrence of the number 3 in Christianity is the doctrine of the Trinity, which posits one God in three persons: the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit. This concept underscores the complexity and unity of God's nature.
Resurrection and Redemption: Jesus Christ's resurrection on the third day is a pivotal event in Christian theology, symbolizing victory over death and the promise of eternal life. This event fulfills Jesus' own predictions and is central to the Christian faith, reinforcing the theme of divine intervention and renewal.
Patterns of Testing and Validation: The number 3 frequently appears in contexts of testing and affirmation in the Bible. For example, Peter denied Jesus three times before the rooster crowed, yet later affirmed his love for Jesus three times. Jesus was tempted by Satan three times in the wilderness, each time rebuffing the temptation, which emphasizes his spiritual fortitude and readiness for his ministry.
Covenant and Promise: The number 3 is also involved in expressions of God’s promises and covenants. For instance, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are repeatedly referenced as the patriarchal foundation of God’s chosen people, Israel. Their lives and the God-given promises to each underscore the continuity and faithfulness of God's covenant with Israel.
Completeness in Events and Narratives: The number 3 can signify completeness or the entirety of an event within biblical narratives. Jonah spent three days and nights in the belly of a great fish, symbolizing a period of reflection and repentance before his mission to Nineveh. Similarly, there are three annual pilgrim festivals in the Old Testament where Israelites were commanded to appear before the Lord: Passover, Feast of Weeks, and Feast of Tabernacles, each representing key aspects of God's provision and deliverance.
Prophetic and Apocalyptic Significance: In prophetic and apocalyptic literature, such as the Book of Daniel and Revelation, the number 3 appears in various contexts that enhance the symbolic gravity of the visions. For instance, the three weeks of mourning by Daniel (Daniel 10:2-3), or the three angels with messages in Revelation 14, each carrying specific divine announcements.
The number 3 in the Bible generally conveys themes of divine perfection, completeness, and God's profound involvement in the world. It emphasizes key doctrinal truths and underscores the structure and unfolding of God's plan throughout biblical history.
What Should Christians Remember about the Number 3?
Even numbers aren’t outside of God’s grasp. God has ordered the world to follow mathematical and numerical patterns. We can see his design in how numbers operate even in nature, knowing that everything on earth points back to God's existence, so we have no excuse not to praise him.
Also, three is important in terms of the Trinity. If God were one in one, he would either be dependent on humans to satisfy his loneliness (which would make him limited in his power) or, worse, create humans to appease any of his needs. In that model, humans would be slaves to God, like the Canaanite gods of old, such as Moloch.
God doesn’t need us. He has love in his very essence. The dance of the Trinity, allows for God not to be dependent on our existence, but for every part of his being to be so, so full of love, each person of the Trinity giving of himself to the other members. Therefore, he created us as an act of love, not dependence.
Three carry extreme significance throughout Scripture in prophetic fulfillment of the nature of our prayers. As Christians, we should watch for any instance we see something thrice in Scripture. It’s either emphatically pointing to the essence of something or showing the completeness of something.
Numbers are important in the Bible. We can often overlook these because our culture doesn’t have the same emphasis on number symbolism that the original audience had. But by looking at Scripture in context, we can dive even more into the richness of God’s word.
Photo Credit: ©Pexels/Aphiwat
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The Meaning and Significance of Numbers in the Bible
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