Topical Bible: Seven: Weeks: Ten Times For

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Topical Encyclopedia

The concept of "seven weeks" appears in various contexts within the Bible, often symbolizing completeness, divine order, and fulfillment of God's promises. The number seven is frequently associated with God's creation and covenantal relationships, while the term "weeks" often signifies a period of time set apart for specific divine purposes.

Biblical References:

1. Feast of Weeks (Pentecost): One of the most significant occurrences of "seven weeks" is found in the context of the Feast of Weeks, also known as Pentecost. This feast is celebrated seven weeks (or fifty days) after the Passover. In Leviticus 23:15-16 , it is written: "From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, you are to count seven full weeks. You shall count fifty days until the day after the seventh Sabbath, and then present an offering of new grain to the LORD." This period marks the completion of the grain harvest and is a time of thanksgiving and offering to God.

2. Daniel's Prophecy of Seventy Weeks: In the prophetic book of Daniel, the concept of weeks is used to convey a timeline of divine intervention and fulfillment of prophecy. Daniel 9:24-27 speaks of "seventy weeks" decreed for the people and the holy city to finish transgression, make an end of sin, and bring in everlasting righteousness. The prophecy is divided into segments, with the first seven weeks often interpreted as a period of restoration and rebuilding of Jerusalem.

3. Sabbath Year and Jubilee: The principle of counting weeks extends to the Sabbath year and the Year of Jubilee. Leviticus 25:8-10 instructs: "You are to count off seven Sabbaths of years—seven times seven years—so that the seven Sabbaths of years amount to forty-nine years. Then you shall sound the ram’s horn everywhere on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement you shall sound the horn throughout your land." This cycle culminates in the Year of Jubilee, a time of liberation and restoration.

Symbolic Significance:

The repetition of "seven weeks" in biblical texts underscores the importance of divine timing and the fulfillment of God's plans. The number seven, often associated with perfection and completion, combined with the concept of weeks, highlights periods of preparation, waiting, and eventual fulfillment. These periods are marked by divine intervention, covenant renewal, and the anticipation of God's promises coming to fruition.

Theological Implications:

From a theological perspective, the use of "seven weeks" in Scripture emphasizes God's sovereignty over time and history. It reflects the belief that God orchestrates events according to His divine timetable, ensuring that His purposes are accomplished. The observance of these periods serves as a reminder of God's faithfulness and the hope of ultimate redemption and restoration for His people.

In summary, the concept of "seven weeks" in the Bible is rich with meaning, symbolizing divine order, fulfillment, and the anticipation of God's promises. It serves as a testament to God's meticulous planning and the assurance that His purposes will be realized in His perfect timing.

Nave's Topical Index

Daniel 9:24
Seventy weeks are determined on your people and on your 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.
Nave's Topical Index

Library

Ten Reasons Demonstrating the Commandment of the Sabbath to be ...
... that at the end of seventy weeks or Sabbaths of years, that is, seventy times seven
years, or ... Daniel, containing seventy Sabbaths or ten jubilees of ...
/.../bayly/the practice of piety/ten reasons demonstrating the commandment.htm

On Daniel. Ii. The Interpretation by Hippolytus, (Bishop) of Rome ...
... the times are fulfilled, and the ten horns spring from the beast in the last (times),
then Antichrist ... Christ the Prince, shall be seven weeks, and threescore ...
/.../on daniel ii the interpretation.htm

Whether the Times for the Church Fast are Fittingly Ascribed?
... our Lord fed four thousand men with seven loaves, which ... Gospels: since forty is the
product of ten multiplied by ... the fasting days during the six weeks of Lent ...
//christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/whether the times for the.htm

A Man Expects to Reap the Same Kind as He Sows.
... a drunkard and committed suicide a few weeks ago and left a widow with seven children;
they ... years, and during that time his wages were changed ten times. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/moody/sowing and reaping/chapter iv a man expects.htm

An American Reformer.
... became to me the chiefest among ten thousand; and the ... captivity (Jer.25:11);
Nebuchadnezzar's seven times (Dan.4:13-16); and the seven weeks, threescore and ...
/.../the great controversy between christ and satan /18 an american reformer.htm

He Abandons the School-Room. Remarkable Meeting Near Alexandria. ...
... The meeting continued two weeks, and resulted in fifty-two ... A few of the twenty-seven,
the man with whom I ... In about ten minutes he came crowding in from the ...
/.../chapter xi he abandons the.htm

Letter iii. --For 331. Easter-Day xvi Pharmuthi; iii Id. April ...
... him, and give it to him that hath ten talents [3985 ... will leap over a wall [4015] .'
At all times let us ... first day in the holy week, the seven weeks of Pentecost ...
/.../select works and letters or athanasius/letter iii for 331 easter-day xvi.htm

The Miracle of Pentecost and the Birthday of the Christian
... heorte hebdomadon, hagia hepta hebdomadon, festival of (seven) weeks, as the harvest
continued for seven weeks (Deut. ... 258] Acts 1:15; 2:7. Ten times the number ...
/.../schaff/history of the christian church volume i/section 24 the miracle of.htm

The Jewish Institutions and Laws of Far Higher Antiquity than the ...
... five hundred and seventy-two years, six months, and ten days ... and Jerusalem to be
built, to Christ the Prince, are seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; and the ...
/.../the stromata or miscellanies/chapter xxi the jewish institutions and.htm

Daniel
... beasts, especially cruel and terrible, had ten horns, and ... to emphasize Daniel's prayer
three times a day ... seven weeks (=forty-nine years), sixty-two weeks, and ...
//christianbookshelf.org/mcfadyen/introduction to the old testament/daniel.htm