The number 17
Victory, spiritual perfection, overcoming
New beginnings — resurrection and a fresh start
Seventeen represents victory and the perfection of spiritual order. The ark rested on the 17th day. Christ rose on the 17th of Nisan. It is 10+7, combining ordinal completeness with spiritual perfection.
In Hebrew and Greek
Hebrew
Shivah asar (שִׁבְעָה עָשָׂר) - seventeen
Greek
Dekaepta (δεκαεπτά) - seventeen
First occurrence
In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep...
The pattern in Scripture
- Ark rested on 17th of 7th month (Gen 8:4)
- Joseph was 17 when sold (Gen 37:2)
- Romans 8:35-39 lists 17 things that cannot separate us from God's love
Key verses
In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the...
And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of ...
These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with hi...
And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years: so the whole age of Jacob was an hundred forty...
And caught a young man of the men of Succoth, and enquired of him: and he described unto him the pri...
17:17 verses
Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him ...
Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly m...
And Joshua spake unto the house of Joseph, even to Ephraim and to Manasseh, saying, Thou art a great...
And Jesse said unto David his son, Take now for thy brethren an ephah of this parched corn, and thes...
Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz stayed by En–rogel; for they might not be seen to come into the city: and a...