Topical Encyclopedia
In the biblical context, the term "weeks" often refers to a unit of time that is significant in both historical and prophetic contexts. The concept of weeks is most notably associated with the Feast of Weeks, also known as Shavuot or Pentecost, and the prophetic "Seventy Weeks" described in the Book of Daniel.
Feast of Weeks (Shavuot/Pentecost):The Feast of Weeks is one of the three major pilgrimage festivals in the Jewish calendar, alongside Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles. It is celebrated seven weeks, or fifty days, after the Passover, hence its Greek name "Pentecost," meaning "fiftieth." This festival is a time of thanksgiving for the harvest and commemorates the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai.
Leviticus 23:15-16 provides instructions for this observance: "From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, you are to count seven full weeks. You shall count fifty days until the day after the seventh Sabbath, and then present an offering of new grain to the LORD."
In the New Testament, Pentecost holds significant importance as the day when the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles, marking the birth of the Church.
Acts 2:1-4 describes this event: "When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like a mighty rushing wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw tongues like flames of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them."
Seventy Weeks of Daniel:The prophetic "Seventy Weeks" is a key eschatological passage found in
Daniel 9:24-27. This prophecy is delivered to Daniel by the angel Gabriel and outlines a period of seventy "weeks" or "sevens" that are decreed for the people of Israel and the holy city of Jerusalem. These weeks are generally understood to represent periods of seven years each, totaling 490 years.
Daniel 9:24 states: "Seventy weeks are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy Place."
The prophecy is divided into three segments: seven weeks, sixty-two weeks, and one final week. The first two segments are often interpreted as leading up to the coming of the Anointed One, while the final week is associated with end-time events, including the tribulation and the establishment of God's kingdom.
Sabbath and Jubilee Cycles:The concept of weeks also extends to the Sabbath and Jubilee cycles. Every seventh year was to be a Sabbath year, a time of rest for the land, as commanded in
Leviticus 25:4 : "But in the seventh year there shall be a Sabbath of complete rest for the land—a Sabbath to the LORD. You are not to sow your field or prune your vineyard."
After seven cycles of seven years, the fiftieth year was to be a Jubilee year, a time of liberation and restoration.
Leviticus 25:10 declares: "And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a Jubilee for you, when each of you is to return to his property and to his clan."
In summary, the concept of weeks in the Bible is rich with theological and prophetic significance, encompassing themes of harvest, divine revelation, prophecy, rest, and redemption.
ATS Bible Dictionary
WeeksOr successive periods of seven days each, were known from the earliest times among nations remote from each other in Europe, Asia, and Africa,Genesis 29:27. SeeSABBATH.
The Hebrew had only numeral names for the days of the week, excepting the Sabbath; the names now current among us being borrowed from Saxon mythology. The Jews called Sunday "one of the Sabbath." A prophetic week and a week of years were each seven years; and a week of sabbatical years, or fortynine years, brought round the year of jubilee. InJohn 20:26, the disciples are said to have met again after "eight days," that is, evidently after a week, on the eighth day after our Lord's resurrection. SeeTHREE.
For the "Feast of Weeks," seePENTECOST.
Easton's Bible Dictionary
Weeks, Feast of
seePENTECOST.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
SEVENTY WEEKSThe "seventy weeks" of the prophecy inDaniel 9:24-27 have long been a subject of controversy in the critical schools. The conflicting views may be seen very fully in Dr. Driver's Daniel, 94;, 143;, and Dr. Pusey's Daniel the Prophet, lectionaries II, III, IV. On both sides it is agreed that the "weeks" in this prophecy are to be interpreted as "weeks of years," i.e. the 70 weeks represent 490 years. This period, commencing with "the going forth of the commandments to restore and build Jerus" (Daniel 9:25), is divided into three parts, 7 weeks (49 years), 62 weeks (434 years), and one week (7 years). The 69 weeks extend to the appearance of "an anointed one (Hebrew "Messiah"), the prince" (Daniel 9:25), who, after the 62 weeks, shall be "cut off" (Daniel 9:26), apparently in the "midst" of the 70th week (Daniel 9:27). On the traditional view (see Pusey), the 69 weeks (483 years) mark the interval from the decree to rebuild Jerusalem till the appearance of Christ; and if, with Pusey, the decree in question be taken to be that of the 7th year of Artaxerxes (457-56 B.C.; the mission of Ezra; compareEzra 7:8;), confirmed and extended in the 20th year of the same king (mission of Nehemiah; compareNehemiah 2:1;), the 483 years run out about 27-28 A.D., when our Lord's public ministry began. On the other hand, the view which supposes that the Book of Daniel belongs wholly to the Maccabean age, and does not here contain genuine prediction, is under the necessity of making the 490 years terminate with the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes (171-164 B.C.), and this, it is admitted, cannot be done. To give time the violent expedient is adopted of dating the commencement of the 70 weeks from the prophecy of Jeremiah of the 70 years' captivity, or of the rebuilding of Jerusalem (606 or 587 B.C.), i.e. before the captivity had begun. Even this, as Dr. Driver admits (p. 146), leaves us in 171 B.C., some 67 years short of the duration of the 62 weeks, and a huge blunder of the writer of Daniel has to be assumed. The divergent reckonings are legion, and are mutually contradictory (see table in Pusey, p. 217). To invalidate the older view Dr. Driver avails himself of the altered renderings ofDaniel 9:25 and 27 in the English Revised Version. It is to be noted, however, that the American Standard Revised Version does not follow the English Revised Version in these changes. Thus, whereas the English Revised Version reads in 9:25, "Unto the anointed one; the prince, shall be seven weeks: and threescore and two weeks, it shall be built again," and accordingly takes "the anointed one" of 9:26 to be a distinct person, the American Standard Revised Version (as also the English Revised Version margin) reads, as in the King James Version, "shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks." Again, where the English Revised Version reads inDaniel 9:27 "For the half of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease," the American Standard Revised Version (and the English Revised Version margin) has as formerly, "In the midst of the week he shall cause" etc. (conversely, in 9:25 the American Revised Version margin gives the English Revised Version rendering). The question cannot be discussed here, but it is believed that the traditional interpretation may yet claim acceptance from those who do not accept the postulates of the newer critical writers.
SeeDANIEL;JUBILEES, BOOK OF.
James Orr
WEEKS, FEAST OF
SeePENTECOST.
WEEKS, SEVENTY
SeeSEVENTY WEEKS.
Strong's Hebrew
7620. shabua -- a period of seven (days, years), heptad, week... 7619, 7620. shabua. 7621 . a period of seven (days, years), heptad, week.
Transliteration: shabua Phonetic Spelling: (shaw-boo'-ah) Short Definition:
weeks...Library
Fragment xvi. On the SeventyWeeks of Daniel. ...
... of Julius Africanus. Fragment XVI. On the SeventyWeeks of Daniel.? On
the SeventyWeeks of Daniel. 1. This passage, therefore...
Answer to Mr. W's Fourth Objection.
... yet for the sake of an indisputable miracle in her resurrection, it must be granted,
that she ought to have been much longer, some days if notweeks, dead and...
"The Kingdom of God is at Hand"
... "Seventyweeks," said the angel, "are... See Num.14:34; Ezek.4:6. The seventyweeks,
or four hundred and ninety days, represent four hundred and ninety years....
Fragment xviii. On the Circumstances Connected with Our Saviour's...
... suffer. And calculation makes out that the period of 70weeks, as noted
in Daniel, is completed at this time. 2. From Artaxerxes...
Seventh Chapter
... Now tell me, dear son, how long a time wilt thou give me to learn this lesson?"
The man answered, "We will take fiveweeks, in honour of the five wounds of...
On the Third, Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Commandments of the Church
... Therefore the whole Easter-time is from the first Sunday of Lent"that is, seven
weeks before Easter"to Trinity Sunday, eightweeks after it, or fifteen...
A Double Wrestling Match.
... A second day, a third, a fourth, a week, still no answer reaches them. They go quietly
on without hesitation. Twoweeks. How long it must have seemed!...
Ten Reasons Demonstrating the Commandment of the Sabbath to be...
... So that as seven days make a week, fourweeks a month, twelve months a year; so
seven years make a Sabbath of years; seven Sabbaths of years make a jubilee...
The Master Learns his ABC
... me now, dear son," continued the Master sadly, "how long a time wilt thou give me
to learn this lesson?" The man answered, "We will take fiveweeks, in honour...
With the Rev. William Burns
... This was a great joy and encouragement to me; but before manyweeks were over
complaints were made by the local authorities to the British Consul, who...
Thesaurus
Weeks (17 Occurrences)... Easton's Bible Dictionary
Weeks, Feast of. see PENTECOST. Int. Standard
Bible Encyclopedia. SEVENTY
WEEKS. The "seventy
weeks" of
...Pentecost (3 Occurrences)
... From the sixteenth of the month of Nisan (the second day of the Passover), seven
completeweeks, ie, forty-nine days, were to be reckoned, and this feast was...
Sevens (5 Occurrences)
... Daniel 9:24 Seventyweeks are determined for thy people, and for thy holy city,
to shut up the transgression, and to seal up sins, and to cover iniquity, and...
Sixty-two (8 Occurrences)
... and discern, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build
Jerusalem to the Anointed One, the prince, shall be sevenweeks, and sixty...
Adonijah (28 Occurrences)
... There is no reason to think that it lasted more than a fewweeks. Later in the year
a fewweeks are enough time to allow for the campaign against Sheba....
Firstfruits (37 Occurrences)
... At the Feast ofWeeks, sevenweeks after the offering of the sheaf, bikkurim of
corn in the ear, parched with fire and bruised, were brought to the House of...
First-fruits (45 Occurrences)
... At the Feast ofWeeks, sevenweeks after the offering of the sheaf, bikkurim of
corn in the ear, parched with fire and bruised, were brought to the House of...
Week (18 Occurrences)
... From the beginning, time was divided intoweeks, each consisting of six days of
working and one of rest (Genesis 2:2, 3; 7:10; 8:10, 12; 29:28)....
Seventy (97 Occurrences)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary Seventyweeks. A prophetic period mentioned in
Dan. 9:24... William Owen Carver. SEVENTYWEEKS. The "seventy...
Gabriel (5 Occurrences)
... designate the angel who was sent to Daniel (8:16) to explain the vision of the ram
and the he-goat, and to communicate the prediction of the seventyweeks (Dan...
Resources
What is the Feast of Weeks? | GotQuestions.orgWhat are the seventy weeks of Daniel? | GotQuestions.orgWhat is Tisha B'Av? | GotQuestions.orgBible Concordance •
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