Arcana Coelestia # 901
901. That the “seven and twentieth day” signifies what is holy, is evident from what has just been said, since it is composed of three multiplied by itself twice. Three multiplied by itself is nine, and nine multiplied again by three is twenty-seven. In “twenty-seven” therefore three is the ruling number. Thus did the most ancient people compute their numbers, and understood by them nothing but actual things [res]. That “three” has the same signification as “seven” is evident from what has been just said. There is a hidden reason why the Lord rose on the third day. The Lord’s resurrection itself involves all holiness, and the resurrection of all, and therefore in the Jewish Church this number became representative, and in the Word is holy; just as it is in heaven, where no numbers are thought of, but instead of “three” and “seven” they have a general holy idea of the resurrection and of the coming of the Lord.
[2] That “three” and “seven” signify what is holy, is evident from the following passages in the Word.
In Moses:
He that toucheth the dead shall be unclean seven days; the same shall expiate himself therefrom on the third day, and on the seventh day he shall be clean; but if he expiate not himself on the third day, on the seventh day he shall not be clean. He that toucheth one slain with a sword, or a dead body, or a bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days; the clean shall sprinkle upon the unclean on the third day, and on the seventh day; and on the seventh day he shall expiate him, and he shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and shall be clean at even (Numbers 19:11-12, 16, 19).
That these things are representative, or that the outward things signify internal ones, is very evident, as that one would be unclean who had touched a dead body, one slain, a bone of a man, a grave. All these things signify in the internal sense things proper to man, which are dead and profane. So also the washing in water and being clean at even were representative, and also the third day and the seventh day, which signify what is holy because on those days he was to be purified and would thus be clean.
[3] In like manner concerning those who returned from battle against the Midianites:
Encamp ye without the camp seven days; whosoever hath slain a soul, and whosoever hath touched one slain, ye shall expiate yourselves on the third day and on the seventh day (Numbers 31:19).If this were but a ritual, and the third day and the seventh were not representative and significative of holiness, or of expiation, it would be a dead thing, like that which is without a cause, and like a cause without an end, or like a thing separated from its cause, and this cause from its end, and thus in no way Divine. That the “third day” was representative, and thus significative, of what is holy, is very evident from the coming of the Lord upon Mount Sinai, for which it was thus commanded:
And Jehovah said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments, and be ready against the third day; for on the third day Jehovah will come down in the sight of all the people upon Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:10-11, 14-15).
[4] For a similar reason Joshua crossed the Jordan on the third day:
Joshua commanded, Pass through the midst of the camp, and command the people, saying, Prepare you victuals, for within three days ye are to pass over this Jordan, to go in to inherit the land (Joshua 1:11; 3:2).
The crossing of the Jordan represented the introduction of the sons of Israel, that is, of those who are regenerate, into the kingdom of the Lord; Joshua, who led them in, represented the Lord; and this was done on the third day. Because the third day was holy, as was the seventh, it was ordained that the year of tithes should be the third year, and that then the people should show themselves holy by works of charity (Deuteronomy 26:12-15); the “tithes” represented remains, which because they are of the Lord alone, are holy. That Jonah was three days and three nights in the bowels of the fish (Jonah 1:17) manifestly represented the burial and resurrection of the Lord on the third day (Matthew 12:40).
[5] That “three” signifies that holy thing is evident also in the Prophets, as in Hosea:
After two days will Jehovah revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live before Him (Hosea 6:2),where also the “third day” plainly denotes the coming of the Lord and His resurrection.
In Zechariah:
It shall come to pass that in all the land two parts therein shall be cut off and expire, but the third shall be left therein, and I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried (Zechariah 13:8-9),
where the “third part” like “three” denotes what is holy. The same is involved by the third part as by three, and also by the third part of the third part, as in the present passage, for three is the third of the third of twenty-seven.
Exodus 18
1
Now Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses, and for Israel his people, how that Yahweh had brought Israel out of Egypt.
2
Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, received Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her away,
3
and her two sons. The name of one son was Gershom, for Moses said, "I have lived as a foreigner in a foreign land".
4
The name of the other was Eliezer, for he said, "My father's God was my help and delivered me from Pharaoh's sword."
5
Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses into the wilderness where he was encamped, at the Mountain of God.
6
He said to Moses, "I, your father-in-law Jethro, have come to you with your wife, and her two sons with her."
7
Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, and bowed and kissed him. They asked each other of their welfare, and they came into the tent.
8
Moses told his father-in-law all that Yahweh had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel's sake, all the hardships that had come on them on the way, and how Yahweh delivered them.
9
Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which Yahweh had done to Israel, in that he had delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians.
10
Jethro said, "Blessed be Yahweh, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh; who has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians.
11
Now I know that Yahweh is greater than all gods because of the thing in which they dealt arrogantly against them."
12
Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God. Aaron came with all of the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses' father-in-law before God.
13
It happened on the next day, that Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood around Moses from the morning to the evening.
14
When Moses' father-in-law saw all that he did to the people, he said, "What is this thing that you do for the people? Why do you sit alone, and all the people stand around you from morning to evening?"
15
Moses said to his father-in-law, "Because the people come to me to inquire of God.
16
When they have a matter, they come to me, and I judge between a man and his neighbor, and I make them know the statutes of God, and his laws."
17
Moses' father-in-law said to him, "The thing that you do is not good.
18
You will surely wear away, both you, and this people that is with you; for the thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to perform it yourself alone.
19
Listen now to my voice. I will give you counsel, and God be with you. You represent the people before God, and bring the causes to God.
20
You shall teach them the statutes and the laws, and shall show them the way in which they must walk, and the work that they must do.
21
Moreover you shall provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God: men of truth, hating unjust gain; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.
22
Let them judge the people at all times. It shall be that every great matter they shall bring to you, but every small matter they shall judge themselves. So shall it be easier for you, and they shall share the load with you.
23
If you will do this thing, and God commands you so, then you will be able to endure, and all of these people also will go to their place in peace."
24
So Moses listened to the voice of his father-in-law, and did all that he had said.
25
Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.
26
They judged the people at all times. They brought the hard causes to Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves.
27
Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he went his way into his own land.
