The Meaning of the Number Three in Scripture—Part 11

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

Introduction and Review

This is the eleventh part of a series that examines the number three and how it categorizes themes in Scripture. The previous lesson studied Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph and their association with this number. (Links to all articles in this series are listed at the end of this installment.)

This lesson will explore the life of Moses and how the number three highlights certain elements associated with it.

Moses was discovered by Pharaoh's daughter after being hidden for three months.

Moses Hid for Three Months

The writer of Hebrews informs us that Moses's mother hid him for three months, which was considered an act of faith. The Hebrew word translated "hidden" appears 33 times in 30 verses of Scripture.

By faith, Moses, when he was born, was hidden by his parents for three months.

— Hebrews 11:23

Faith is an invisible, eternal, spiritual substance.

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.

By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.

— Hebrews 11:1-3

There is a type of resurrection associated with this story. When Moses' mother could no longer hide him, she placed him in a basket and put him in the river, where Pharaoh's daughter discovered him. She decides to keep him but sends him back to his mother until he is weaned. His name describes his resurrection from the water, much as on day three of creation, when the land was resurrected from the water.

So she called his name Moses, saying, “Because I drew him out of the water.
— Exodus 2:10

In the Book of Acts, Stephen furthers the resurrection by describing the life Moses was lifted up to.

At this time, Moses was born, and was well pleasing to God; and he was brought up in his father’s house for three months. But when he was set out, Pharaoh’s daughter took him away and brought him up as her own son. And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and deeds.
— Acts 7:20-22

God Gives Moses Three Signs

When God tells Moses to go back to Egypt and tell Pharaoh to let His people go, Moses is a bit nervous that the people will not believe he is their deliverer. God gives Moses three signs. The first is the rod in his hand, turning into a serpent and then back to a rod again.

So the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?”
He said, “A rod.”
And He said, “Cast it on the ground.” So he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it. Then the Lord said to Moses, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail” (and he reached out his hand and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand), “that they may believe that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.”
— Exodus 4:2-5

The second sign was his hand turning leprous and then healed.

... the Lord said to him, “Now put your hand in your bosom.” And he put his hand in his bosom, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous, like snow. And He said, “Put your hand in your bosom again.” So he put his hand in his bosom again, and drew it out of his bosom, and behold, it was restored like his other flesh. “Then it will be, if they do not believe you, nor heed the message of the first sign, that they may believe the message of the latter sign.
— Exodus 4:6-8

The third sign is water turning to blood on dry ground.

Then it will be, if they do not believe you, nor heed the message of the first sign, that they may believe the message of the latter sign. And it shall be, if they do not believe even these two signs, or listen to your voice, that you shall take water from the river and pour it on the dry land. The water that you take from the river will become blood on the dry land.”
— Exodus 4:8-9

The three form a unified message to His people about the salvation He is about to accomplish. The serpent brings us back to the garden, where Adam handed over his lordship to the serpent, as represented by the rod. God was going to allow humankind to pick it up again.

The second sign of leprosy is a metaphor for sin, which also goes back to the garden. Like a nasty disease, sin had infiltrated human life, defiling and distorting the original intended image beyond recognition. God was about to heal that.

Exodus's whole metaphoric image illustrates the bondage of sin from which we need deliverance through the blood.

Moses Confronts Pharaoh by James Tissot
Brooklyn Museum

Three Days' Journey

The Exodus account mentions the phrase "three days' journey" three times. The first was with God's speech, which Moses was instructed to present to the Pharaoh.

... you shall say to him, ‘The Lord God of the Hebrews has met with us; and now, please, let us go three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.’

— Exodus 3:18

The second is when Pharaoh repeats what he has heard concerning this command directed at him.

So they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please, let us go three days’ journey into the desert and sacrifice to the Lord our God, lest He fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.
— Exodus 5:3

The third one is Moses's declaration that they will indeed leave as God has spoken.

We will go three days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord our God as He will command us.
— Exodus 8:27

These three days, of course, allude to their resurrection from Egypt and slavery. The three repetitions make it a done deal. There is no question that they will be delivered.

In chapters eight and nine of Exodus, the phrases "rise up early" and "I raised thee up" are used three times, as well as "saith the Lord God."

Then the Lord said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh, and tell him, Thus saith the Lord God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me.
— Exodus 9:1
And the Lord said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me.
— Exodus 9:13

Sandwiched between the above two occurrences is the third of the three "three-day" journey mentions.

And Moses and Aaron came in unto Pharaoh, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord God of the Hebrews, How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before me? let my people go, that they may serve me.
— Exodus 10:3

A depiction of Pharaoh

Moses turns the staff into a serpent, which swallows the serpents of Pharaoh. (Exodus 7:7-12) Pharaoh wore a snake on his crown. Moses's serpent/staff swallowing Pharaoh's staves reveals the authority the enemy gained over us as he held us captive to his whim, and that authority will be swallowed up one day. Understanding something about Egyptian mythology may shed light on this, according to the Atlantis Quest website.

"The serpent Nehebkau (he who harnesses the soul) was the two headed serpent diety who guarded the entrance to the underworld."

Three Sets of Three Plagues

E. W Bullinger, a late 1800s Bible scholar, reveals the triplet pattern of the plagues God invoked to raise up His children out of Egypt. This pattern indicates that it was a spiritual project and battle that only God could undertake: "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood ..." and "the battle belongs to the Lord."

Set one:

The first plague of blood came with a warning
The second plague of frogs came with a warning
The third plague of lice did not come with a warning

Set two:

The fourth plague of the mixture of insects came with a warning
The fifth plague of animal diseases came with a warning
The sixth plague of boils did not come with a warning

Set three

The seventh plague of hail came with a warning
The eighth plague of locusts came with a warning
The Ninth (3 x 3 the fruit of one's doings) plague of darkness did not come with a warning.

He also notes that Aaron acted in the first set and Moses in the last one. No warning is given in the third of each set. This event was indeed the divine act or "finger of God."

God's people passing through the Red Sea
Dr. Lidia Kozenitzky

Moses' Three-Day Darkness and a Resurrection Through the Sea

Just before the death of the firstborn plague in the book of Exodus, a three-day darkness plagued the land of Egypt. This final event was part of God's plan to resurrect His people from slavery in Egypt.

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, darkness which may even be felt.” So Moses stretched out his hand (who else stretched out His hands) toward heaven, and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days. They did not see one another; nor did anyone rise from his place for three days. But all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.

— Exodus 10:21-23

And Jesus stretched out his arms in the darkness of death, and in three days, He rose from the grave.

Now, from the sixth (3 x 2) hour until the ninth (3 x 3) hour, there was darkness over all the land (12:00-3:00).
— Matthew 27:45

This event connects us again with a resurrection.

Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised.
— Matthew 27:51-52

During this tenth plague, Pharaoh finally surrenders and lets the people go.

The water-splitting event appears to be an event in the creation narrative during the first three days. That narrative contains three similar elements: darkness, wind, and water, as observed by Rabbi David Fohrman in his book The Exodus You Almost Passed Over.

Then Moses stretched out his hand (who else stretched out His hands) over the sea (masses of peoples); and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind (Spirit moving over the waters in the beginning) all that night (darkness in the beginning), and made the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided (also in the beginning).
— Exodus 14:21
... darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters ... Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters let it divide the waters from the waters ... Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
— Genesis 1:2-9

They travel for three days through three cities when Pharaoh changes his mind. The Israelites had not returned from their three-day journey, and he was in hot pursuit. On this third day, the sea split, and the people passed through it onto dry land.

The Lord's presence goes with them in the form of fire by night and a cloud by day, which is mentioned three times in Exodus concerning this event.

And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.
— Exodus 13:21-22
And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the Lord looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians.
— Exodus 14:24

Numbers chapter 33 records that after they pass through the sea, they take a three-day journey to Marah.

And they departed from before Pihahiroth, and passed through the midst of the sea into the wilderness, and went three days' journey in the wilderness of Etham, and pitched in Marah.
— Numbers 33:8

Marah was the place where the bitter waters were made sweet by a tree cast into them, and God revealed His plan and purpose in this, revealing Himself as a "healer."

“If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you.”
— Exodus 15:26

Exodus chapter 15 records the spiritual transaction and eternal accomplishment that mirrors Christ's death and resurrection.

You, in Your mercy, have led forth
The people whom You have redeemed;
You have guided them in Your strength
To Your holy habitation.

Fear and dread will fall on them;
By the greatness of Your arm
They will be as still as a stone,
Till Your people pass over, O Lord,
Till the people pass over
Whom You have purchased.
You will bring them in and plant them
In the mountain of Your inheritance,
In the place, O Lord, which You have made
For Your own dwelling,
The sanctuary, O Lord, which Your hands have established.

“The Lord shall reign forever and ever.”

— Exodus 15:13,16-18

It took them thirty (3 x 10) days to reach the wilderness of sin. In the wilderness of sin, the people complain about the lack of food, and God provided them with bread from heaven.

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you.
— Exodus 16:4

Moses kept a measure of the manna as a memorial, later placed in the ark of the covenant. The Bible records it as an omer, equivalent to three seahs.

And Moses said to Aaron, “Take a pot and put an omer (three seahs) of manna in it, and lay it up before the Lord, to be kept for your generations.” As the Lord commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept.
— Exodus 16:33-34

The next thirty (3 x 10) day journey took them to Sinai.

Art by Gerhard Schmidt depicts both the Old and New Testament correlations of 3000 perished and saved.

3000 Perish—3000 Saved

In both the Old and New Testaments, a couple of mirrored events occur, involving 3000 people on either side. On one occasion, there is death; on the other, there is salvation. The Old Testament event occurs after Moses's first forty days and nights on Mount Sinai at the giving of the law. The children of Israel thought things were taking too long and conspired with Aaron to make a new god to worship. They donated some gold, and "out came this golden calf," as Aaron explained to Moses. God sent Moses down from the mount, broke the tablets of the covenant before them, and demanded that they decide right then whether they would go with the one and only true God. Those who chose not to come to the Lord's side were killed, as was commanded by Moses.

So the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And about three thousand men of the people fell that day.
— Exodus 32:28

The New Testament event occurs at Pentecost and the giving of the Spirit.

When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.... And with many other words, he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.” Then those who gladly" received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.

— Acts 2

Paul explains this to new converts, referring to law, spirit, death, and resurrection.

... clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart ... the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
— 2 Corinthians 3:6

The Ten Commandments in Hebrew

The Three Recitings of the Ten Commandments

The Ten Commandments, first recorded in Exodus during the third month and third day of the Mount Sinai event, are the covenant requirements and terms of an agreement between God and His people.

There are technically three occurrences of them. The first and the last renditions are almost identical. The center recording showcases the heart of them all.

First occurrence:

And God spoke all these words, saying:

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

“You shall have no other gods before Me.

“You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.

"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.

“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.

"You shall not murder.

"You shall not commit adultery.

"You shall not steal.

"You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

"You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's."

— Exodus 20:1-17

The Middle occurrence is a renewal with the second set of tablets. The first two tablets were broken because of their unfaithfulness to God and symbolize the breaking of the covenant with God. This giving of the second emphasizes complete loyalty to God and promises of future deliverance. This new set is the heart of the entire list of God's expectations. Only the first four commandments are noted; all of these concern faithful love to God and God alone. The remaining first and last mentions express our faithfulness to God, as exhibited in our human relationships. This pattern clearly shows that loyalty and faithfulness to God are the only dependable, stable foundation for any human relationship.

And He said: "Behold, I make a covenant. Before all your people, I will do marvels such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation; and all the people among whom you are shall see the work of the Lord. For it is an awesome thing that I will do with you. Observe what I command you this day. Behold, I am driving out from before you the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite. Take heed to yourself, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land where you are going, lest it be a snare in your midst. But you shall destroy their altars, break their sacred pillars, and cut down their wooden images (for you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God), lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they play the harlot with their gods and make sacrifice to their gods, and one of them invites you and you eat of his sacrifice, and you take of his daughters for your sons, and his daughters play the harlot with their gods and make your sons play the harlot with their gods.
"You shall make no molded gods for yourselves.
"The Feast of Unleavened Bread you shall keep. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, in the appointed time of the month of Abib; for in the month of Abib you came out from Egypt.
“All that open the womb are Mine, and every male firstborn among your livestock, whether ox or sheep. But the firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb. And if you will not redeem him, then you shall break his neck. All the firstborn of your sons you shall redeem.
"And none shall appear before Me empty-handed.
"Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest; in plowing time and in harvest you shall rest. "
And you shall observe the Feast of Weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the year's end.
"Three times in the year, all your men shall appear before the Lord, the Lord God of Israel. For I will cast out the nations before you and enlarge your borders; neither will any man covet your land when you go up to appear before the Lord your God three times in the year.
“You shall not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leaven, nor shall the sacrifice of the Feast of the Passover be left until morning.
“The first of the firstfruits of your land you shall bring to the house of the Lord your God. You shall not boil a young goat in its mother's milk.”
Then the Lord said to Moses, "Write these words, for according to the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel." So he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he neither ate bread nor drank water. And He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.
And He said: "Behold, I make a covenant. Before all your people, I will do marvels such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation; and all the people among whom you are shall see the work of the Lord. For it is an awesome thing that I will do with you.
— Exodus 34

The third occurrence is in Deuteronomy, where the covenant terms are reviewed for the new generation entering the promised land.

And Moses called all Israel, and said to them: “Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your hearing today, that you may learn them and be careful to observe them. The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. The Lord did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with us, those who are here today, all of us who are alive. The Lord talked with you face-to-face on the mountain from the midst of the fire. I stood between the Lord and you at that time, to declare to you the word of the Lord; for you were afraid because of the fire, and you did not go up the mountain.
He said: 'I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
'You shall have no other gods before Me.
'You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
‘You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.
Observe (first one says remember) the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. (not stated in the first set) Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your ox (ox not stated in the first), nor your donkey, nor any of your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates, that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore, the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day. ( This phrase is used instead: For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore, the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.)
‘Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you (addition to the first), that your days may be long, and that it may be well with you (addition to the first) in the land which the Lord your God is giving you. (in addition to the first)
'You shall not murder.
'You shall not commit adultery.
'You shall not steal.
'You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
‘You shall not covet your neighbor's wife; and you shall not desire your neighbor's house, (house is mentioned first and wife second in the first) his field (not mentioned in the first), his male servant, his female servant, his ox, his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's.’
"These words the Lord spoke to all your assembly, in the mountain from the midst of the fire, the cloud, and the thick darkness, with a loud voice; and He added no more. And He wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me.
— Deuteronomy 5:1-22

The phrase "Ten Commandments" occurs three times, forming a literary sandwich called a chiasm. A chiasm is a literary structure that helps us discover the central theme of a portion of text. As we observed above, the two outer occurrences were very similar and surrounded a more descriptive, pointed focus on them all.

Then the Lord said to Moses, "Write these words, for according to the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel." So he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he neither ate bread nor drank water. And He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.

— Exodus 34:27-28

And the Lord spoke to you out of the midst of the fire. You heard the sound of the words, but saw no form; you only heard a voice. So He declared to you His covenant, which He commanded you to perform, the Ten Commandments; and He wrote them on two tablets of stone. And the Lord commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that you might observe them in the land which you cross over to possess

— Deuteronomy 4:12-14 "

A. So I made an ark of acacia wood, hewed two tablets of stone like the first, and went up the mountain, having the two tablets in my hand.

B. And He wrote on the tablets according to the first writing, the Ten Commandments (central axis),

B. which the Lord had spoken to you in the mountain from the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly; and the Lord gave them to me.

A. Then I turned and came down from the mountain, and put the tablets in the ark which I had made; and there they are, just as the Lord commanded me."
— Deuteronomy 10:2-5

The first and last ones show Moses receiving the second set of stones and placing them in the ark of the covenant. An interesting observation is that the center and last events include the details of two stones. We tend to think there wasn't enough space on a single tablet, so God used two tablets, but ancient Near Eastern customs required two copies of covenant arrangements—one for each party. The first use concerns the people's copy of the agreement, and the last is the Lords. The center mentions details and points to the human response to this covenant. Both copies go into the "ark of the covenant." It will be God's work, not ours.

If we look at the two "a" phrases, we can see the parallel themes of the ark that Moses makes. In the first, he takes the hewn stone up the mountain. The second "a" shows us Moses coming down the mountain and placing them in the ark he has made.

The "B's" show both written and verbal understanding of this agreement.

The central axis shows us that this arrangement is expressed in terms of the "Ten Commandments" and is at the heart of our relationship with Him.

James Tissot's depiction of Moses with his face shining after being in the presence of God

The Shining on Moses' Face

Now it was so when Moses came down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the Testimony were in Moses' hand when he came down from the mountain)

1. Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone while he talked with Him. So when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses,

2. Behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him

3. Whenever the children of Israel saw Moses' face, the skin of Moses' face shone, and Moses would put the veil on his face again until he went in to speak with Him.

— Exodus 34:29-35

It is mentioned three times that Moses' face shone. The New Testament confirms our connection with the Spiritual component of this event.

But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious?
— 2 Corinthians 3:7-8

The verses before the above verse emphasize this with three mentions of the Spirit.

... clearly, you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God ... our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
— 2 Corinthians 3:3-7

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