The number three (3) in the bible

The lecture explains the significance of spiritual numbers in the Bible and church tradition, focusing on how numbers carry symbolic meaning that reveals the spiritual and existential dimension of man, God, and church life.

Detailed summary

1. The number three (3): It symbolizes being and real existence — it appears in times (past, present, future), pronouns (speaker, addressee, absent), numbers (singular, dual, plural), and dimensions (length, width, height). The number three represents being in the family (father, mother, children) and in forming shape and action (verb, doer, object). In the religious dimension it expresses the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) and liturgical and symbolic manifestations such as the anointing and the gifts for the king and the redeemer (gold, frankincense, myrrh).
2. Biblical and traditional examples: Many examples are presented in which threes recur: Peter’s denial of Christ three times, the transfiguration with Moses and Elijah, the parables of repentance in Luke (the prodigal son, the lost sheep, the lost coin), the three temptations of Christ, and important biblical names appearing in triads.
3. The number six (6): It symbolizes the completion of divine work in creation — God completed His creation in six days. The number six is linked to measures of time and human multiples (year, month, day, hour, minute, second) and indicates the perfection of human work derived from divine order.
4. The number five (5): It symbolizes man and his sensory and bodily dimension — the five senses and limbs, and the five books of the law (the Pentateuch). The number five appears in examples like the five loaves Christ used to feed the crowds, and it symbolizes the limits of human perfection compared to God’s perfection.
5. Interrelation of numbers: The lecture explains how numbers interact (for example: 30 = 5 × 6, and 60 as a multiple of six) showing the relation of divine grace with human work; a person alone reaches a certain measure (30) but with the work of grace it becomes 60.
6. Spiritual and educational dimension: Numbers are not mere arithmetic but pedagogical tools to distinguish spiritual and practical being: the three shows identity and existence, six the perfection of divine work, and five the limits of human perfection. These symbols are used to teach virtue, repentance, and ecclesial understanding (faith, hope, love).
7. Educational conclusion: The lecture invites reading numerical symbols with a spirit of ecclesial reflection to understand how God arranges existence, time, and human work, and shows that Scripture and tradition use numbers as spiritual teaching tools.

For better translation support, please contact the center.