The Number Three in Scripture

The number three appears prominently in the Judeo-Christian canon. Some of the more important of those instances follow:

Noah had three sons (Genesis 6:10)

The ark was three hundred cubits long (Genesis 6:15)

God commanded Abram to sacrifice a three-year-old cow, female goat, and ram (Genesis 15:9)

Three men appear to Abraham (Genesis 18:1-2)

Joseph interprets Pharoah's cupbearer's and butler's dreams that their fate would be determined in three days (Genesis 40)

The baby Moses was hidden for three months (Exodus 2:2)

Three days journey into the wilderness to worship God (Exodus 3:18, 5:3 and 8:27)

Three days of darkness over Egypt (Exodus 10:21-23)

Three times each year a festival before the Lord (Exodus 23:14-17)

Three branches and three bowls on the candlestick (Exodus 25:32-33)

After planting fruit trees in the new land, the fruit was not to be consumed for 3 years (Leviticus 19:23)

The entire tithe every three years for Levites, foreigners, widows, orphans (Deuteronomy 14:28)

Three pilgrimage festivals at the central sanctuary (Deuteronomy 16:16)

Job had three friends to "comfort" him (Job)

Three Jews (Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego) refused to worship a statue (Daniel 3)

Daniel prayed three times each day (Daniel 6:10-13)

Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights (Jonah 1:17)

Three wise men from the East (Matthew 2)

Satan tempted Christ in three ways (Matthew 4:1-11 and others)

Jesus to be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth (Matthew 12:40)

Jesus, Moses, and Elijah appeared together (Matthew 17:4 and others)

Tear down the Temple and rebuild it in three days (Matthew 26:61 and others)

Peter denied Christ three times (Luke 22:54-62)

Do you love me? Feed my sheep three times to Peter (John 21:15-17)

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19)

Three thousand souls added to the Church on Pentecost (Acts 2:41)

Saul was blind for three days (Acts 9:9)

In Peters vision, the tarp of unclean animals lowered three times (Acts 11:10)

Paul reasoned with the people of Thessalonica three days in a row (Acts 17:1-2)

Faith, hope, and love (I Corinthians 13)

Three that bear witness on earth - Spirit, water, and blood (I John 5:8)

Three gates in each of the cardinal directions (Revelation 21:13)