The Meaning of the Number Three in Scripture—Part 1

The Value of Studying Biblical Numbers

The number four and its use in Scripture were exhaustively studied in a previous article series. Four was connected to the physical, natural, and created realms, as well as to transformation processes. Things that are subject to change and transition were discovered to be associated with this number.

In contrast, this study will expound on the number three, its use in Scripture, and its association with spiritual and eternal themes. This number is used to express things and events associated with things that don't change and are solid, real, and dependable.

That is what I genuinely love about God's Word. He has made His truth consistent in so many ways, and if you question the literary presentation, He will confirm it in a mathematical or even geometrical conclusion.

Studying Biblical numbers in no way supports any form of numerology that looks to numbers for personal, private future foretelling. These kinds of practices are clearly forbidden in the Scriptures. We seek God alone for our daily guidance. Studying Bible numbers is simply a helpful tool God has provided to categorize and easily confirm themes. (Links to all articles in this series are listed at the end of this installment.)

The Geometry of Three

Three is the first number that can form a geometrical figure, that being a triangle. It takes at least three lines to enclose a space.

We will begin by looking at how geometry, specifically a triangle, illustrates the number three and connects us to its Biblical usage and application. It expresses themes of strength, durability, dependability, and spiritual things.

The above video demonstrates why triangles are such stable, dependable figures and highlights this connection with the characteristics of God, His Spirit, and His Word.

An Illustration of how triangular numbers work.

Triangular Numbers

In its original language, the Bible text can be expressed numerically in equations that form geometric patterns, including triangles. A quick example is demonstrated in the phrase "Spirit of God." This phrase, in its Hebrew numeric translation, equals 300. Not only is 300 a multiple of three, but it is also a number that, if represented by dots, can be arranged into a triangle. The triangular pattern represents the dependability and stability of the Spirit of God. As we shall study in greater depth later, the number three also represents spiritual things as being much more real and substantial than created things.

Constructing with triangles for strength and dependability.
"It is indeed wonderful that so simple a figure as the triangle is so inexhaustible in properties ... " (Wells 1991, p. 21). — August Leopold Crelle

The Triangular Truth—Its Stability and Eternality

A triangle, a polygon with three angles and three sides, is the only stable figure with straight lines in plane geometry. This fact connects us with three stable things in Scripture: wisdom, knowledge, and the fear of the Lord.

Wisdom and knowledge will be the stability of your times, And the strength of salvation. The fear of the Lord is His treasure.
— Isaiah 33:6

The prophet continues his discourse, describing how everything else is subject to change in the rest of the chapter.

The Hebrew word translated as "stability" in the above verse is "emunah" (אמונה). Its numeric interpretation (Gematria - letters expressed as numbers) is 102, which can also be expressed as 3x34.

Also, this trio of wisdom, knowledge, and the fear of the Lord is expressed three times in Scripture in connection with God's stability. Its second use is discovered in the book of Proverbs.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
For by me your days will be many, and years will be added to your life.
If you are wise, you are wise for your own benefit;
If you mock, you alone will bear the consequences

— Proverbs 9:10-12

The above expression informs us that a stable life is central to these three. The third trio occurs in the book of Isaiah and describes the coming Messiah who will stabilize all things through His faithfulness.

The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him,
The Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The Spirit of counsel and might,
The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.

His delight will be in the fear of the Lord.
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
He will not execute justice by what he hears with his ears,
but he will judge the poor righteously and execute justice for the oppressed of the land.
He will strike the land with a scepter from his mouth,
and he will kill the wicked with a command from his lips.
Righteousness will be a belt around his hips; faithfulness will be a belt around his waist.

— Isaiah 11:2-5

Notice also in the Isaiah verse that "The Spirit of the Lord" is expressed in three doublets.

Wisdom and knowledge
counsel, and might
knowledge and the fear of the Lord

Spiritual things will be a central theme connected with the number three and will be addressed more specifically later in this article.

Once assembled, a triangle's angles cannot change. This unchangeability is why triangles are commonly used in architecture, particularly for structures such as bridges and domes.

This facet of the number three reflects God's unchangeability.

“For I am the Lord, I do not change."

— Malachi 3

A fascinating, fun fact that includes the number three and the concept of eternity, or infinity, is the fraction 1/3, which is also expressed as .33333333333... infinitely.

Three is Solid

Three is the number of spatial dimensions needed to mathematically describe a solid (length, width, and height) and, therefore, express that which is solid, real, and substantial.

Jesus Christ is the same

1. yesterday,
2. today, and
3. forever.

— Hebrews 13:8

How this relates to spiritual matters is the consideration that the realm of spiritual things is more real and substantial than that of the physical. As discovered in the study of four, the physical is ever-changing and transforming, but the spiritual things are eternal.

... while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
— 2 Corinthians 4:18

E.W. Bullinger, biblical scholar and theologian who specialized in the study of these number themes, also noted the following.

" ... three is the symbol of the cube, or solid contents."

J Preston Eby of Sigler Ministries observes something significant and relatable to the cube, a three-dimensional figure, as it is used in Scripture.

"There are only two cubes described in Scripture. One is the Holy of Holies ...
And he prepared the inner sanctuary inside the temple, to set the ark of the covenant of the Lord there. The inner sanctuary was twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and twenty cubits high ...
... and the other is the New Jerusalem ...

The city is laid out as a square; its length is as great as its breadth. And he measured the city with the reed: twelve thousand furlongs. Its length, breadth, and height are equal.
— Revelation 21:16
The perfect cube in the Holy of Holies finds its fulfillment in the City of God. A cube is the most perfect figure, being equal on all sides = finite perfection. It is the most comprehensive and holds the most. Nothing contains as much as a cube. It speaks of perfection and fullness. It was in the Holy of Holies where God was met, and the High Priest was in His presence. It is God's presence that is perfect and fulfilling, and nothing can contain as much as His presence does."

Three is also the first odd prime number. Like Spiritual things, it is indivisible.

The Threefold Structure of a Diamond

The diamond, a traditional symbol of fidelity and most commonly used in wedding rings, is one of the hardest minerals in the world due to its threefold symmetrical lattice structure.

The diamond is noted in Scripture as an engraving tool for permanently inscribing text. The prophet Jeremiah records this metaphor of a diamond making a permanent record of Judah's sins concerning their unfaithfulness to God.

The sin of Judah is inscribed with an iron stylus.
With a diamond point it is engraved on the tablet of their hearts and on the horns of their altars ...
... for you have set my anger on fire; it will burn forever.

— Jeremiah 17:1

God also told the prophet Ezekiel that he would make his forehead as hard as a diamond so he could confront the hard-hearted infidelity of His people.

I have made your forehead like a diamond, harder than flint. Don’t be afraid of them or discouraged by the look on their faces, though they are a rebellious house
— Ezekiel 3:9

Sources used for all parts of this series can be found in Part 20, the final installment.