Category: Seven

I Swear Sevens
At the heart of Daniel 9 is the fascinating Hebrew word shaba (shaw-bah) which means to swear. Now you won’t see shaba in the English text of Daniel 9, but it is the Hebrew root word from which 7, 70, Sevens, and oath are derived. In fact, the Hebrew phonetic spelling of swear and 7 are exactly the same.

It wasn’t until the Middle Ages that the Mesorites added vowel pointings (cantillation marks) to the Hebrew text in order to help the reader distinguish between the words (based upon their interpretation of the text).

Take a look at the images to the right, I’ve provided the phonetic spelling of swear and seven without the pointings. I’ve also included the Hebrew numerical letter value for each word. As you can see they are the exact same word.

The TWOT Bible Lexicon provides us with some fascinating insights into the word shaba (shaw-bah) to swear:

It is apparent that sh¹ba± “swear” is identical in its consonantal root to the word sheba± “seven.” It is identical, of course, to the feminine form of seven-the masculine adding a fourth letter, “he”-and it is in the feminine in which the Hebrew counts his cardinal numbers! [another approach is to call shib±â the fem. from though it is used with masc. nouns, and sheba± the masc. from used with fem. nouns. R.L.H.]

Not only is the Hebrew verb “to swear” identical in the ancient unpointed text to the number seven, but also a relationship is suggested by the 2000 B.C. incident of Gen 21:22-34 . Here Abimelech desires Abraham to swear to deal uprightly, while Abraham in turn requires Abimelech to swear that the well of water belongs to him, Abraham. Abraham then seals the oath by giving exactly seven ewe lambs as a testimonial witness to Abimelech, and the well is called Beer-sheba, or Well-of-the-seven-oath! Thus BDB has defined sh¹ba± by the pithy oneline paraphrase, “to… seven one self, or bind oneself by seven things” (p. 989). Gesenius cites Herodotus iii:8 and the Iliad, xix:243, to give evidence that in the ancient world it was not uncommon to seal an agreement by the septenary number….

Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment [dabar-word] to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks [sevens/70], and threescore and two weeks [sevens]: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. (Daniel 9:24-25)

Fascinating, isn’t it? Notice in verse 24 that the prophecy gives an overview of the 6 goals that will be accomplished in regards to the Jewish people and the city of Jerusalem. After this summary in verse 25 the angel then gives the first specifics of this countdown to the messiah. Notice it clearly states that from the going forth of this “commandment” (Hebrew dabar or word) it will be 7 “weeks” (sevens) until the coming of the Messiah.

Let me tell you about the Hebrew word the English text presents as “weeks” (sevens). This is one of the most fascinating Hebrew words in the Bible.

What I’m talking about is the prophecy found in the 9th chapter of the book of Daniel, commonly called “the 70 weeks”, but more accurately known to readers of this blog as the 70 Sevens. Let me tell you some fascinating and unusual details about this prophecy.

First, the prophecy begins its countdown to the messiah with a “commandment” (Hebrew dabar = word) to restore and build Jerusalem. As I’ve explained here, here, and here this “word” is none other than Yahweh’s divine word to restore and build Jerusalem as given through the prophets Haggai and Zechariah.
Second, this countdown is divided into distinct periods of time described as “sevens”.
Third, and most intriguing of all, is that while the prophecy gives a specific starting point, specific divisions, and events which take place during these periods of “sevens”, the prophecy is totally silent on the length of “time” meant for us to calculate these “seven” with. Here take a look:
Seventy weeks [sevens] are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to:

finish the transgression
and to make an end of sins
and to make reconciliation for iniquity
and to bring in everlasting righteousness
and to seal up the vision and prophecy
and to anoint the most Holy.

Did you know that the Bible tells us that someday all mankind will offer an oath of seven to YHWH, the living God of the Bible? This week we’ll learn about this oath, a covenant made with Abraham, the prophecy of 70 “Weeks”, and how all share a common thread in the Bible’s messianic symbolism.

In the past several articles we’ve explored the amazing influence the law of Moses has had on Bible prophecy in general and the Bible’s messianic symbolism in particular. We can say with the Apostle Paul that indeed the “law” is a shadow of good things to come.

If you haven’t read the other articles in this series I’d encourage you to do so. They provide important context for the thrilling information I’m going to share in today’s blog post.

Bible Prophecy and the Law of Moses
Part I – The Bible’s Holy Days: Pictures of the Messiah
Part II (a) – The Messiah Factors: Numerical Evidence of Yahweh’s Redemptive Plan
Part II (b) – The Messiah Factors: Numerical Evidence of Yahweh’s Redemptive Plan
Part III – Seven, 70, & Sevens: Daniel 9 & the Bible’s Messianic Symbolism

At the heart of the Bible’s messianic symbolism, that is entwined into the law of Moses, are what I’ve termed in these articles, the Messiah Factors. The Messiah Factors are the numbers 7, 13 & 14, and they are part of the Bible’s messianic symbolism that points us to Yahweh’s redemptive plan for mankind through Yeshua (Yahweh’s Salvation). These numerical symbols exemplify divine perfection, the messiah, atonement, and redemption.