Meaning Of Biblical Numbers

When twenty-one is used in terms of time (as in a 21-year period) it is the number of trouble or distress (tsarah),
during which time we are in need of God’s strength, offered by an open hand. When it is used as a number in itself, it
speaks of the end of the distress. Thus, it speaks of the blessing at the end.
Israel entered the land of Canaan after 21 sins were recorded against them in their wilderness wandering. Yet the
tabernacle had 21 coverings to cover all of Israel’s sins (Ex. 26:3, 7). So we see God’s provision in the midst of this
distress.
Sin is always the cause of distress, because God brings distress in order to teach them the consequences of their sin.
Yet 21 is also the number signifying the end of distress. Jacob’s times of distress ended after 21 years. At the end of this
distress, he went to Bethel and “called on the name of the Lord.”
Likewise, the 21 st time Abram is mentioned is in Gen. 13:3, where he returned to Bethel after being in distress in
Egypt. Verse 4 says that there he “called on the name of the Lord.”
The 21 st time Isaac is mentioned is in Gen. 24:67, after Eliezer has returned from finding a wife (Rachel) for his
master.
67 Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and she became his wife; and he loved her; thus
Isaac was comforted [nacham] after his mother’s death.
Though we are not told whether or not Isaac was distressed while awaiting his bride, we do know that this prophesies
of the time when the Bride of Christ will be joined with Him. Prophetically speaking, the world’s time of distress and
tribulation ends with the day Christ meets His Bride. This day is foreshadowed with David’s coronation in Jerusalem, on
which occasion Psalm 21 was written.
The 21 st time Jacob is mentioned is in Gen. 27:41,
41 So Esau bore a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him; and
Esau said to himself, “The days of mourning for my father are near; then I will kill my brother Jacob.”
Jacob is the deceiver, the supplanter, and in this verse Esau plots to kill him. Jacob’s deception had brought about this
reaction from Esau. One cannot merely blame Esau for this. We must recognize that although Jacob was a believer and
had faith in God, he was not yet spiritually mature, for he thought God needed the arm of flesh to help him fulfill His
purposes. Jacob also thought that he was justified in lying to his father to obtain the birthright, which God had promised to
him before he and his brother were even born. This immature attitude brought him into this time of distress, or trouble,
and at the end of this time, after learning his lesson, God changed his name to Israel.
So when we look at the 21 st time Israel is mentioned is in Gen. 47:27 says,
27 Now Israel lived in the land of Egypt in Goshen, and they acquired property in it and were fruitful and
became very numerous.
Note how this portrays a time of prosperity and fruitfulness, rather than distress. This example is of particular interest
because it combines fruitfulness with being in Egypt. It deals with fruitfulness, because of the name Israel. But it is a time
in Egypt, which created a mixed situation of both pain and joy.
We know that Joseph’s sons were given the name Israel (Gen. 48:16). The 21 st time Joseph is mentioned is in Gen.
39:2,
2 And the Lord was with Joseph, so he became a successful man. And he was in the house of his master, the
Egyptian.
Here we see the same type of contrast. Joseph was in bondage in Egypt, but he was also “a successful man,”
prospering in the midst of distress.
The 21 st time Joshua is mentioned is in Deut. 31:3, where Moses told the people of Israel that Joshua would be leading
them into the Promised Land:
3 It is the Lord your God who will cross ahead of you; He will destroy these nations before you, and you
shall dispossess them. Joshua is the one who will cross ahead of you, just as the Lord has spoken.
17