The Number Seven in the Bible

Revelation 1:4: “Seven churches.”

             The most important aspect of the number seven in the Bible is its relationship to the oath of the Covenant.  In English the words ‘seven’ and ‘swear, (take an oath)’ look nothing alike; however, in Biblical Hebrew they can hardly be distinguished for they consist of the same consonants.[1]  In the Hebrew, ‘to swear’ could be translated “to seven oneself,” (Strong’s #7650)

            The word for ‘week’ is also from the same root as ‘seven’, merely distinguished by inner vowel differences.  For example, the passage in Ezekiel 21:23, (21:28 BH), translated ‘swear oaths’ could be accurately translated ‘weeks on weeks’ (BDB, 989).

            The noun form of this word is used of Jehovah‘s oath of the Covenant promises in Deuteronomy 7:8:

But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

 And Psalm 105:8-9:

He hath remembered his covenant for ever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations.  Which covenant he made with Abraham, and his oath unto Isaac.

             One sign of this ‘oath’, or Covenant between Mankind and God is to be the Sabbath, a word also closely related to ‘seven’, the cessation of labor on the seventh day.

And the LORD said to Moses, “Say to the people of Israel, ‘You shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the LORD, sanctify you. (Exod. 31 RSV)

 These Sabbaths, or sevens, was not only of days of the week, but also a system of weeks and years.  The seven-week period was to be climaxed with a Pentecost Sabbath and the seven-year period was to be climaxed by a sabbatical year, and the seven-sabbatical-year period was to be climaxed by a jubilee year.  These are the “Sabbaths” that God ordained for a sign of His Covenant, or oath.

            The number seven also functions mathematically with the number three to form the value of pi (pi), i.e. 3 1/7, which is necessary to reconcile the line with the circle.  Pi times the radius squared gives the area of a circle; pi times diameter gives the circumference of a circle.  Seven times 3 1/7, or 3 times 7 1/3, give the number 22, which was the number of the Hebrew alphabet letters.  Since the alphabet was also used as numerals, it was possible to designate any number by use of some combination of the 22 letters.  Therefore, some combination of sevens and threes could describe any number as well as reconcile the rectangular with the circular.  It is in this combination that we see the truth of the idea that “seven is the number of completion, or fullness.”

            In the idea of the reconciliation of the circle and the line, we see how the system was used for time-telling.  The passing overhead of the time-telling sun, moon and stars described a circular pattern; the earth represented the linear distance.  (This was, of course, the observed, or apparent pattern, not the concept of the space age.)  By use of the value pi, the priestly function of time-telling could be more exact.

            In the book of Revelation, the copious use of the number seven is the sign of the Covenant, the oath.  It would be correct, therefore, for an expanded translation to add to “the seven churches” the phrase: “the seven-fold Church in the Covenant”, and to the phrase, “the seven spirits“, the phrase: “the seven-fold Spirit of Covenant”.  The seven plagues are those promised in the Covenant to the rebellious and unbelieving, they are therefore Covenant plagues.

            There are spurious attempts to imitate the Covenant number; however, they turn out not to be that number, really, for the seven heads of the beast become eight or ten or so.  In contrast God’s Covenant seven is never changing.  The number 666 also falls short of the Covenant of God.

            The copious use of the number seven in the book of Revelation is a prominent reminder that the events depicted there are those promised in the Covenant of God.