Job 5:19

5:19 He will deliver you ¹  from six calamities;

yes, in seven ²  no evil will touch you.

Proverbs 6:16

6:16 There are six things that the Lord hates,

even ³  seven ⁴  things that are an abomination to him: ⁵ 

Micah 5:5

5:5 He will give us peace. ⁶ 

Should the Assyrians try to invade our land

and attempt to set foot in our fortresses, ⁷ 

we will send ⁸  against them seven ⁹  shepherd-rulers, ¹⁰ 

make that eight commanders. ¹¹ 

Matthew 18:22

18:22 Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, I tell you, but seventy-seven times! ¹² 

Luke 17:4

17:4 Even if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times returns to you saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive ¹³  him.”

[5:19]  ¹ tn The verb is the Hiphil imperfect of נָצַל (natsal, “deliver”). These verbs might have been treated as habitual imperfects if it were not for the use of the numerical images – “six calamities…in seven.” So the nuance is specific future instead.

[5:19]  ² tn The use of a numerical ladder as we have here – “six // seven” is frequent in wisdom literature to show completeness. See Prov 6:16; Amos 1:3, Mic 5:5. A number that seems to be sufficient for the point is increased by one, as if to say there is always one more. By using this Eliphaz simply means “in all troubles” (see H. H. Rowley, Job [NCBC], 56).

[6:16]  ³ tn The conjunction has the explicative use here (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 71, §434).

[6:16]  ⁴ sn This saying involves a numerical ladder, paralleling six things with seven things (e.g., also 30:15, 18, 21, 24, 29). The point of such a numerical arrangement is that the number does not exhaust the list (W. M. Roth, “The Numerical Sequence x / x +1 in the Old Testament,” VT 12 [1962]: 300-311; and his “Numerical Sayings in the Old Testament,” VT 13 [1965]: 86).

[6:16]  ⁵ tn Heb “his soul.”

[5:5]  ⁶ tn Heb “and this one will be peace”; ASV “and this man shall be our peace” (cf. Eph 2:14).

[5:5]  ⁷ tc Some prefer to read “in our land,” emending the text to בְּאַדְמָתֵנוּ (bÿ’admatenu).

[5:5]  ⁸ tn Heb “raise up.”

[5:5]  ⁹ sn The numbers seven and eight here symbolize completeness and emphasize that Israel will have more than enough military leadership and strength to withstand the Assyrian advance.

[5:5]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “shepherds.”

[5:5]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and eight leaders of men.”

[18:22]  ¹² tn Or “seventy times seven,” i.e., an unlimited number of times. See L&N 60.74 and 60.77 for the two possible translations of the phrase.

[17:4]  ¹³ sn You must forgive him. Forgiveness is to be readily given and not withheld. In a community that is to have restored relationships, grudges are not beneficial.