The Meaning of the Number Three in Scripture—Part 13

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

Introduction and Review

This is the thirteenth part of a series that examines the number three and how it categorizes themes in Scripture. The previous lesson studied the wilderness wanderings of God's people 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 Tabernacle and the Priesthood, and how the number three highlights certain elements associated with them.

A Replica of the Tabernacle

Threes in the Tabernacle

The Tabernacle itself was composed of three main areas: the outer court, the inner court, and the Holy Place. The inner court also consisted of three main pieces of furniture:

the table of bread,
the table of lights,
and the altar of incense.

The Holy Place contained the Ark of the Covenant, which consisted of three layers (gold-wood-gold—think Father, Son, and Holy Spirit again). This was where God's presence was.

Scripture contains three Arks. The first is Noah's Ark, which is a picture of salvation in and of itself. The second is the basket of Moses (the same word used for Noah's Ark), which also symbolizes salvation. The third is the Ark of the Covenant, which inhabited three different sanctuaries. The first was known as David's Tabernacle.

So they brought the ark of God, and set it in the midst of the tabernacle that David had erected for it. Then they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before God.

— 1 Chronicles 16:1

Of which there are three primary references

In mercy, the throne will be established;
And One will sit on it in truth, in the tabernacle of David,
Judging and seeking justice and hastening righteousness.

— Isaiah 16:5

"On that day, I will raise up
The tabernacle of David, which has fallen down,
And repair its damages;
I will raise up its ruins,
And rebuild it as in the days of old.

— Amos 9:11

After this, I will return
And will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down;
I will rebuild its ruins,
And I will set it up;

— Acts 15:16

The three items that were in the Ark of the Covenant

Three Items in the Ark

The Ark of the Tabernacle contained three items: the Ten Commandments, the Golden Pot of Manna, and the Rod of Aaron that budded. The third item represents resurrection.

A type of the miraculous attestation of the unchangeable priesthood of Christ. God, who "fulfills himself in many ways," about, hereafter, to replace the priesthood of Aaron by a Priest chosen by himself, after the order of Melchizedec. This priesthood attested by a resurrection (Acts 13:33; Hebrews 5:9, 10), of which the resurrection of this dead tree was a type. And now that the risen Christ is in the holiest place, in the presence of God, his resurrection and reign in glory are signs to all murmurers of his appointment as the one High Priest and King, who "shall send forth the rod of his strength," and reign till all enemies are placed beneath his feet.

— E.S. Prout

Three precious metals were used in the Tabernacle: gold, silver, and brass. Gold represents God and His attributes. Thirty pieces of silver are the price of redemption. See this prophecy concerning the coming Messiah in Zechariah.

"If it is agreeable to you, give me my wages; and if not, refrain." So they weighed out for my wages thirty pieces of silver. And the Lord said to me, "Throw it to the potter"—that princely price they set on me. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the Lord for the potter.
— Zechariah 11:11-13

Fast-forward to the New Testament, to a scene involving Judas and thirty pieces of silver. A phrase used three times in the account.

Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?” And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver. So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him ... Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders ... Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the value of Him who was priced, whom they of the children of Israel priced
— Matthew 26:15; 27:3; 27:9

The third metal mentioned is brass, which could mean copper. According to Kevin J. Connor in his book "The Tabernacle of Moses," brass symbolizes judgment. Christ once again fulfills all in that He, being God (gold), redeemed us by paying the price (silver) and bearing our judgment for sin (brass)

Isaiah, the prophet, records a vision concerning the Temple with a three-times-repeated cry.

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw

the Lord sitting on a throne,
high and lifted up,
And the train of His robe filled the Temple.

Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings:

With two, he covered his face,
With two, he covered his feet, and
With two, he flew.

And one cried to another and said:

"Holy,
holy,
holy

is the Lord of hosts;

The whole earth is full of His glory!”

— Isaiah 6:1-3

Kevin J Connor, in his book "The Tabernacle of Moses," observes that there were three pieces of furniture in the Tabernacle that were of the same height: one was in the Outer Court (Brazen Altar), and one was in the Holy Place (Table of Showbread). One was in the Holy of Holies (the Ark of the Covenant), all representing the same truth. We see the body and blood of Christ in the first two, and we see them sprinkled on the mercy seat of the Ark on our behalf.

Three fires burned in the Tabernacle: the Altar of Sacrifice, the Menorah, and the Altar of Incense. The Sacrificial Altar had three piles of wood for various purposes: one for the burning of the sacrifice, one for the coals used on the altar of incense, and the other for the perpetual fire on the altar.

There are three orders of temples in Scripture:

the Tabernacle of Moses,
Solomon's Temple
and Ezekiel's Temple.

There are three temples on three levels of location:

heaven,
earth,
and the heart of man.

The Levitical Priesthood

The Levitical Priesthood

The Priesthood of the Tabernacle included a threefold priesthood consisting of a High Priesthood, Aaronic Priesthood, and Levitical Priesthood. The temple assembly and service were assigned to the Levitical Priesthood, which consisted of the three sons of Levi, Gershon, Kohath, and Merari, the third son of Jacob, who was the third patriarch of the covenant, and their instructions for service are recorded in the third book of the Bible, Leviticus.

The purpose of the Tabernacle/temple was to meet with and worship a Holy God who could, in no other way, be accessed by human means. And they were also to uphold the three territories of law: Moral, Ceremonial, and Civil. The Levitical cities they occupied were 48 (3 x 16).

The High Priests from the time of Moses were appointed for life. At the time of Jesus, they were appointed by the Roman government, of which three are acknowledged in the New Testament. (Annas and Caiaphas, and Ananias at the time of Paul) The requirement for service is interestingly phrased seven times.

And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, Take the sum of the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, after their families, by the house of their fathers, from thirty years old and upward, even until fifty years old, all that enter into the host, to do the work in the tabernacle of the congregation.

— Numbers 4:1-3

Jesus was thirty years of age when He began His public ministry.

And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased. And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age.
— Luke 3

He came to fulfill the entire duty of all the Priesthood in bringing us near to God.

Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
— Hebrews 4:14-16

The Priestly blessing consisted of three parts, each beginning with "The Lord."

The LORD bless you and keep you;
The LORD make His face shine on you and be gracious to you;
The LORD lift up His face on you and give you peace.

— Numbers 6:24-26

God's people traveled to Jerusalem three times a year to attend Yahweh's appointed feasts.

The Three Pilgrimage Feasts

In the Old Testament, there were seven religious observances. Three of them required the Hebrew males to appear before the Lord in Jerusalem: Passover/Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, and Tabernacles. The command is presented three times in Scripture.

“Three times you shall keep a feast to Me in the year:

You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread (you shall eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month of Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt; none shall appear before Me empty);
and the Feast of Harvest, the firstfruits of your labors which you have sown in the field;
and the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you have gathered in the fruit of your labors from the field.

“Three times in the year, all your males shall appear before the Lord God
— Exodus 23:14-17

This rendition of the feasts is reiterated in more detail later in the book, at the renewal of the covenant in Exodus 34.

"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 the wheat harvest,
and the Feast of Ingathering at the year's end.

— Exodus 34:18-23
“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.
— Exodus 34:19-2

Its final occurrence is in Deuteronomy, which details this even further and actually begins in verse one, but for the sake of space and time, I will give the first occurrence.

“Three times a year, all your males shall appear before the Lord your God in the place which He chooses: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Tabernacles; and they shall not appear before the Lord empty-handed.
— Deuteronomy 16:16

The Passover, being the first of these, is reminiscent of this "going up" phraseology.

“Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘I brought you up from Egypt and brought you out of the house of bondage."
— Judges 6:8

The second observance, the "Feast of Weeks," which concerns the grain harvest, is the New Testament Pentecost (a word used only three times in Scripture) and symbolizes the giving of the Holy 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.
— Acts 2:1-4

Thirdly, the Feast of Tabernacles concerns the fruit harvest. It expresses our waiting and preparing for the redemption of our souls to a resurrected eternal life with Him in these human tents of flesh.

Notice that all seven feasts, taken together, can be categorized into three groups, with the first and last containing three parts each. They indicate a divine assignment patterned from heaven.

1. The Feast Of Passover

Passover
Unleavened Bread
Firstfruits

2. The Feast of Weeks

3. The Feast Of Tabernacles

Blowing Of Trumpets
The Day Of Atonement
Booths

The fifteen steps of ascent leading to the Temple. Each step is noted at the beginning with the fifteen Psalms of Ascent. (120-134)
Stephen Craven

Psalms of Ascent

There were 15 (3 x 5 - grace) Psalms sung by those "going up" to the house of the Lord to observe these three feasts. They are known as the Psalms of ascent, meaning going up. The Psalms of Ascent are Psalms 120-134. Three contain the resurrection language, including healing, which we have become familiar with throughout this study.

Praise the Lord!
For it is good to sing praises to our God;
For it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful.

The Lord builds up Jerusalem;
He gathers together the outcasts of Israel.
He heals the brokenhearted
And binds up their wounds.
He counts the number of the stars;
He calls them all by name.
Great is our Lord, and mighty in power;
His understanding is infinite.
The Lord lifts up the humble;
He casts the wicked down to the ground

— Psalm 147:1-6

Praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord from the heavens;
Praise Him in the heights!
Praise Him, all His angels;
Praise Him, all His hosts!
Praise Him, sun and moon;
Praise Him, all you stars of light!
Praise Him, you heavens of heavens,
And you waters above the heavens! (Notice all things mentioned are heavenly things - angels, hosts, moon, and stars)

Let them praise the name of the Lord,
For He commanded and they were created.
He also established them forever and ever.
He made a decree which shall not pass away....

... For His name alone is exalted;

His glory is above the earth and heaven.
And He has exalted the horn of His people,
The praise of all His saints—
Of the children of Israel,
A people near to Him.

Praise the Lord!

— Psalm 148:1-14

Take note in the Psalm above of all the references to things that are above.

Praise the Lord!

Praise God in His sanctuary;
Praise Him in His mighty firmament.

— Psalm 150:1

This Psalm begins with three praises and totals 12 (3 x 4) in its entirety. His sanctuary, the firmament, is the highlight in this third one.

All three psalms begin by praising the Lord, signifying praise's spiritual significance: praise is divine, praise is heavenly, and praise ascends.

Judas is in charge of the money.
Wolfgang Sauber

The Pidyon Ha Ben—Thirty Pieces of Silver

In "The Book of Mysteries" by Jonathan Cahn, he writes about a temple ceremony known as the Pidyon Ha-ben, meaning "redemption of the son." He explains how the firstborn lambs were offered as sacrifices, and the sons of Israel were offered to the temple priesthood. There was a price of redemption if the father wanted the son back. That redemption price was that of silver (Numbers 18:16). This shadows the firstborn Son of God who, with His own life, purchased our redemption for thirty pieces of silver. "Thirty pieces of silver" is mentioned three times in the New Testament.

... and (Judas) said, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?” And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver.

— Matthew 26:15

Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,

— Matthew 27:3

Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the value of Him who was priced, whom they of the children of Israel priced.

— Matthew 27:9

This transaction was prophesied in Zechariah.

I dismissed the three shepherds in one month. My soul loathed them, and their soul also abhorred me“... If it is agreeable to you, give me my wages; and if not, refrain.” So they weighed out for my wages thirty pieces of silver. And the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—that princely price they set on me. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the Lord for the potter.
— Zechariah 11:8,12-13

Jonathan Cahn also observes that the Priesthood paid thirty pieces of silver from the temple treasury and purchased back the Firstborn Son of God, who was now a possession of the priests. The Lamb of God becomes the sacrifice.

The amount is significant because He paid the price of redemption for the least of us; it was indeed a spiritual transaction. Man is a spiritual being that requires a spiritual price.

If the ox gores a male or female servant, he shall give to their master thirty shekels of silver and the ox shall be stoned.
— Exodus 31:32

Pierre Monier

The Three Tithes

Three tithes were required in the Old Testament: one for the Priesthood and two for the poor. The first tithe, known in Judaism as the maasher rishon, is described in Numbers chapter 18. This particular tithe was for the Levites' support, who performed all the temple rights and duties on behalf of and in mediation for the entire congregation. They sincerely had no other means of support.

“Behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tithes in Israel as an inheritance in return for the work which they perform, the work of the tabernacle of meeting ...
... But the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer as an heave offering unto the LORD, I have given to the Levites to inherit
— Numbers 18:21,24

The Priesthood was required to lift up a tenth of the best of this tithe offering unto the Lord, and the rest was theirs.

... you shall also offer a heave offering to the Lord from all your tithes which you receive from the children of Israel, and you shall give the Lord’s heave offering from it to Aaron the priest. Of all your gifts you shall offer up every heave offering due to the Lord, from all the best of them, the consecrated part of them.’ Therefore, you shall say to them: ‘When you have lifted up the best of it, then the rest shall be accounted to the Levites as the produce of the threshing floor and as the produce of the winepress. You may eat it in any place, you and your households, for it is your reward for your work in the tabernacle of meeting.
— Numbers 18:28-31

The second tithe, known as the maasher sheni, was considered the tithe of the feasts. It involved bringing a tenth of their increase for consumption at the three required feasts in which they had to appear before the Lord.

“You shall truly tithe all the increase of your grain that the field produces year by year. And you shall eat before the Lord your God, in the place where He chooses to make His name abide, the tithe of your grain and your new wine and your oil, of the firstborn of your herds and your flocks, that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always.
— Deuteronomy 14:22-23

The third tithe, the maasher ani, was offered every third and sixth year of their seven-year agricultural cycle, supporting both the Levite and the poor. The poor are classified into three categories.

“At the end of every third year, you shall bring out the tithe of your produce of that year and store it up within your gates. And the Levite, because he has no portion nor inheritance with you, and

the stranger and
the fatherless and
the widow

who are within your gates, may come and eat and be satisfied, that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do.

— Deuteronomy 14:28-29

The above illustration is done by Bible Project, which also does a series of videos like the one below. Check out their videos and resources. They are very well done.

The Chiastic Structure of Leviticus and the Number Three

The Torah (the first five books of the Bible) is chiastic (a literary sandwich) in and of itself, with Leviticus at the center.

A. Genesis - creation of creation

B. Exodus - wilderness journey to the promised land

C. Leviticus - Tabernacle Priesthood and meeting with God.

B. Numbers - wilderness journey experiences

A. Deuteronomy - creation of a nation

When comparing the common letters, they are parallel in theme and surround a central theme of meeting with God through a sacrificial system and worship.

A more in-depth look reveals that the book of Leviticus is also chiastic in structure. So, we have a chiasm at the exact center of a chiasm. God is pointing to something that is of utmost importance. I will organize the sections of Leviticus into seven parts and label them according to their themes.

A) Chapters 1-7 are themed with instructions for sacrifices

B) Chapters 8-10 are themed with ordinances of the priesthood, of which there were three levels

C) Chapters 11-15 are themed with concepts of clean and unclean for all the people (interesting note that the clean and unclean animals were divided into three groups representing air animals, land animals, and sea animals)

D - central Axis) Chapters 16-17 are the ritual of Atonement and the sanctity of blood

C) Chapters 18-20 are rules on social justice and relationships for all people

B) Chapters 21-22 concern the conduct of the priests

A) Chapters 23-37 are the instructions for the sacred appointments, feasts, and observances. (three of which they were required to appear before the Lord.

The three groups surrounding the central axis could be categorized with A's related to ritual. The B's concern the Priesthood, and the C's concern the people's purity and relationships. They all point to the only way to be clean and draw near to God through the atonement of our great High Priest, Jesus Christ, and the sanctity of His blood.

Model of an Ear
RWhitwam

The Sanctuary of the Ear

As it refers to hearing the Word of the Lord, it might be an excellent place to look at the human ear and its marvelous construction. The human ear serves both as a center of hearing and as an organ of balance. The number three in anatomy also gives us a spiritual parallel.

An interesting note is that the Hebrew word for ear, "ozen," can also be used to describe balance, measuring, and weighing. It is fascinating that God designed the body parts used for distinguishing, which is a form of weighing and balancing things in pairs, such as eyes, ears, and nostrils. Two of these, eyes and ears, have some relationship to balance. Two is the number that distinguishes, as is seen in the second day of creation, and on this day, God separated the waters above from the waters below.

The ear can distinguish between three types of sound: low, medium, and high pitch. Like the three primary colors, ears can create an entire spectrum of colors, so the brain can learn to interpret and distinguish many complex aspects of the sounds we hear, such as source, distance, and direction. Job knew this long before modern science discovered it.

Does not the ear test words?
— Job 12:11

Blausen.com staff (2014). "Medical gallery of Blausen Medical 2014"

Outer Ear, Middle Ear, and Inner Ear

The human ear, in its construction, consists of three parts;

the outer ear, which has three parts: the tragus, helix, and the lobule,
the middle ear, which has three parts: hammer, anvil, and stirrup, and
The inner ear also has three parts: the cochlear nerve, the canals, and the utricle/saccule.

This tri-part structure sounds much like the construction of the Tabernacle or Temple, which has an outer court, an inner court, and a Holy Place.

The outer ear (entrance to the Tabernacle) receives the surrounding sounds and guides the vibrations toward the ear canal to the eardrum, which forms a barrier to the middle ear (veil and entrance to the inner court). The eardrum transmits air vibrations through the three tiny bones in the middle ear (inner court), discussed later as fluid vibrations in the inner ear.

The eardrum itself consists of two parts with a connection, but also includes three;

the pars flaccida (triangular-shaped) and the
pars tensa (a three-layered part)

Blausen.com staff (2014). "Medical gallery of Blausen Medical 2014

Three Parts of the Middle Ear

The middle ear consists of three ossicle bones: malleus/hammer, incus/anvil, and stapes/stirrup (the smallest bone in the body at 3mm), much like the inner court of the Tabernacle that includes three pieces of furniture.

Table of bread,
lamp, and
the altar of incense.

The hammer is the first bone to receive the vibration, then next to the anvil. This process could be viewed as how the vibrations are broken down for more accurate interpretation.

“Is not My word like a fire?” says the Lord, “And like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?

— Jeremiah 23:28-29

Didier Descouens

Third Bone—The Stirrup—a Window

The third bone, known as the stirrup, has an oval window, considered the point where the middle and inner ears meet. This window may represent what comes from consuming, breaking down, and digesting God's Word.

There are also three recesses labeled elliptical, spherical, and cochlear, which express the concepts of "in every way" and "every direction." There is a medial wall that separates the middle ear from the inner ear. This illustration is reminiscent of the veil separating the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies.

For a tabernacle was prepared: the first part, in which was the lampstand, the table, and the showbread, which is called the sanctuary; and behind the second veil, the part of the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of All, which had the golden censer and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which were

the golden pot that had the manna,
Aaron's rod that budded, and
The tablets of the covenant, and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail.

— Hebrews 9:2-5

It was this second veil (medial) that Christ crossed over/tore through for us.

Oh, that You would rend the heavens!
That You would come down!

— Isaiah 63:1

And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split

— Matthew 27:51

Alfred Edersheim, a Jewish Historian, wrote that it took 300 priests to manipulate that curtain. It was four inches thick, making it impossible for any man to have torn it in two, especially from top to bottom. Only God could have done it.

The following is a diagram of the middle ear mapped out in box form, as described in textbooks.

Wesnorman.com

Middle ear cavity

The canal for the tensor tympani muscle
auditory tube
internal carotid artery
facial nerve
geniculate ganglion
greater petrosal nerve
lesser petrosal nerve
promontory formed by 1st turn of the cochlea
tympanic plexus
round window
lateral semicircular canal
facial canal and facial nerve
The oval window for the stapes
The tympanic nerve from IX
jugular vein
opening to mastoid air cells (aditus ad antrum)
the tendon of the stapedius muscle
malleus
tympanic membrane
chorda tympani
stylomastoid foramen

(3 x 7)

You can almost see the wings of the Cherubim in the semicircular canals

The Inner Ear

The inner ear, known as the Labyrinth, is named for the semicircular canals that comprise it. It contains the Vestibule (organ of balance) and the Cochlea (organ of hearing)

As far as hearing is concerned, the cochlea makes approximately three turns around the core of a bone called the modiolus, a column (rod) through which the cochlear nerve passes. The Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies contained three items: the rod of Aaron that budded. When Korah, Dathan, and Abiram challenged the Priesthood, God proved to all, through the budding rod of Aaron, that the only way for them to enter His presence was through the central Priesthood of Aaron that God had appointed.

A batch of nerve cells called the spiral ganglia is contained within the modiolus, a physiological illustration of the bridge the Priesthood would form.

The initial bridge between the physical world of sound and perception of that sound is established by neurons of the spiral ganglion. The cell bodies of these neurons give rise to peripheral processes that contact acoustic receptors in the organ of Corti (cochlea), and the central processes collect together to form the auditory nerve that projects into the brain

— According to the National Library of Medicine.

Aaron's rod was the center item listing the three Ark elements. The first was the golden pot of manna.

Blausen.com staff (2014). "Medical gallery of Blausen Medical 2014

Continued From the Above Section ...

Thirdly, there were the two tablets of the covenant. The two membranous sacs, the utricle and saccule, could represent these. The utricle is sensitive to horizontal movement, and the saccule is sensitive to vertical movement. Regarding the covenant tablets, we know that the first part of the commandments concerns our vertical relationship with God. (saccule) The others concern our connection to others, expressing horizontal relationships (utricle)

Inside the saccule and utricle is a macula. The macula consists of three layers; the first is lined with an inner row and three outer rows of hair cells sensitive to pressure waves generated by the stapes (the third bone in the middle ear). Gel covers the hairs.

The second, or middle, layer consists of granules that weigh against the hairs, imparting a sense of gravity and inertia. Small granular particles could be compared to manna, perhaps.

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you. And the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not ... And when the layer of dew lifted, there, on the surface of the wilderness, was a small round substance, as fine as frost on the ground.
— Exodus 16:4

The instructions for gathering the manna were a test, a measure, or a balance used to see whether they would listen to God and give weight to His words.

The third layer is the otolithic membrane, which consists of a bed of sensory cells that help interpret equilibrium. Regarding balance, there are three semicircular canals: horizontal, superior, and inferior. They provide information about the head's movements in three-dimensional space. The inferior and superior canals are at vertical 90-degree angles to each other, and the horizontal canal is at 30 degrees. Are we noticing the multiples of three so far?

So why are hearing and balance combined? What might one have to do with the other? In this physiological illustration, we can see how the equilibrium of life is primarily based on what and how we hear and, most importantly, whose voice we give weight and value.

Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given.
— Mark 4:24
... take heed how you hear. For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him.
— Luke 8:18

A sense of vertigo in life may be related to what, how, or who we listen to.

It could be concluded from the human ear study and the number three that hearing is a very spiritual activity.

The human ear is shaped like a womb.

The Human Ear Shaped Like a Womb

In a "Boing Boing" online article by David Pescovitz, French physician Paul Nogier observed that the human ear resembled a fetus in the womb.

Earlier in this article, the number three connection was made to the baby being considered the fruit of the womb, not to mention the nine-month gestation and three trimesters. The womb is considered a type of sanctuary, much like the womb. YouTuber Vlad Savchuk makes an interesting observation regarding seeds, words, and incubation.

Since your ear is shaped like a womb, whatever you listen to, good or bad, is conceived and will be given birth to in due time and season ...
... The Bible says that faith comes from hearing God's word (Rom 10:17) ... Jesus said to heed what we hear (Mark 4:24).

What we receive in our ears will be fruitful and multiply.