'Three' in the Bible

Noah fathered three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

On that very day, Noah entered the ark with his sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, Noah's wife, his sons' three wives with them,

These three were Noah's sons, and from these men the whole earth was repopulated.

he glanced up and saw three men standing there, not far from him. As soon as he noticed them, Abraham ran from the tent entrance to greet them and bowed low to the ground.

Abraham hurried into the tent and told Sarah, "Quick! Take three measures of the best flour, knead it, and make some flat bread."

As he was observing a well that had been dug out on the open range, all of a sudden he noticed three flocks of sheep lying there, because shepherds watered their flocks from that well. There was a very large stone that covered the opening of the well,

Later, she conceived again and said, "This time my husband will become attached to me, now that I've borne him three sons." So he named him Levi.

He sent them as far away from Jacob as a three days' journey could take them.

Three days later, somebody reported to Laban that Jacob had left,

Three days later, while they were still in pain, Jacob's sons Simeon and Levi, two of Dinah's brothers, each grabbed a sword and entered the city unannounced, intending to kill all the males.

Three months later, it was reported to Judah, "Your daughter-in-law Tamar has turned to prostitution! And look! She's pregnant because of it!" "Bring her out," Judah responded. "Let's burn her to death!"

On the vine were three branches that budded. Blossoms shot out, and clusters grew up that produced ripe grapes.

Then Joseph told him, "This is what your dream means: The three branches are three days.

Within three days, Pharaoh will encourage you and return you to your responsibilities. You'll attend to Pharaoh's personal wine cup, just as you did when you were his senior security advisor.

When the head chef heard that the interpretation was good, he told Joseph, "I was also in my dream. All of a sudden, there were three baskets with white bread stacked on top of my head.

Joseph replied, "This is what your dream means: The three baskets are also three days.

Within three more days, Pharaoh will behead you and hang you on gallows, where birds will eat your flesh from you."

Then Joseph locked them all together in prison for three days.

Three days later, Joseph told them, "I fear God, so do this and you'll live.

Later, the woman became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She saw that he was a beautiful child, and hid him for three months.

So Moses stretched his hand toward the sky, and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days.

No one could see anyone else, nor could anyone get up from his place for three days. But there was light for all the Israelis in their dwellings.

Then Moses led Israel from the Reed Sea and they went to the desert of Shur. They traveled into the desert for three days and did not find water.

If he does not do these three things for her, she may go out without paying anything at all."

"Three times a year you are to celebrate a festival for me.

Three times a year all your males shall appear in the presence of the Lord GOD."

Six branches are to extend from its sides, three branches of the lamp stand from one side of it and three branches of the lamp stand from its other side.

Three cups shaped like almond blossoms with calyxes and flowers are to be on one branch and three cups shaped like almond blossoms with calyxes and flowers are to be on the other branch, and so for the six branches extending from the lamp stand.

"You are to make the altar of acacia wood. It is to be five cubits long and five cubits wide; the altar is to be a square, and it is to be three cubits high.

The hangings for the one section are to be fifteen cubits long, with their three pillars and three sockets.

"For the second section there are to be hangings of fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and three sockets.

Three times during the year all your males are to appear in the presence of the LORD God of Israel,

since I'm going to drive out nations before you, and enlarge your borders, and no one will covet your land, when you go up to appear in the presence of the LORD your God three times a year.

Six branches extended from its sides, three branches of the lamp stand from one side of it, and three branches of the lamp stand from its other side.

Three cups shaped like almond blossoms with calyxes and flowers were on one branch and three cups shaped like almond blossoms with calyxes and flowers were on the other branch, and so on for the six branches extending from the lamp stand.

Then he made the altar for burnt offerings of acacia wood. It was a square, five cubits long and five cubits wide, and it was three cubits high.

The hangings for one section were fifteen cubits long, with their three pillars and three sockets,

and also for the second section. On either side of the gate of the court were hangings of fifteen cubits long with their three pillars and three sockets.

"When you have entered the land and planted all sorts of trees for food, regard its fruit as uncircumcised for the first three years for you. It is not to be eaten.

I'll command my blessing on you during the sixth year so that it will yield produce for three years!

If a person is from one month to five years old, then your valuation for a male is to be five shekels of silver, and for a female your valuation is to be three shekels of silver.

So they traveled from the mountain of the LORD, a three-day trip, with the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD traveling in front of them a three day trip to explore a place for them to rest.

All of a sudden, the LORD told Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, "The three of you are to come out to the Tent of Meeting." So the three of them went out.

then the bullock is to be presented accompanied by a meal offering of three tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with half a hin of oil.

That's when the LORD enabled the donkey to speak. She asked Balaam, "What did I do to you that you would beat me in the space of only three footsteps?"

Then the angel of the LORD asked him, "Why did you beat your donkey in the space of only three footsteps? I've come to oppose you, because I say that what you're doing is perverted.

The donkey saw me and turned in front of me in the space of those three footsteps.

Balak flew into a rage and he started hitting his fists together. "I called you to curse my enemies," he yelled at Balaam. "But look here! You've blessed them three times!

along with three tenths of an ephah of fine flour for a grain offering, mixed with olive oil, for each bull, two tenths of an ephah of fine flour for a grain offering, mixed with olive oil, for the one ram,

along with their grain offering of fine flour mixed with olive oil. Offer three tenths of an ephah for each bull, two tenths of an ephah for the ram,

along with their corresponding grain offerings of fine flour mixed with olive oil; specifically, three tenths of an ephah for each bull, two tenths of an ephah for the one ram,

along with their corresponding grain offering of fine flour mixed with olive oil three tenths of an ephah for the young bull, two tenths of an ephah for the ram,

along with these corresponding grain offerings of fine flour mixed with olive oil: three tenths for the bull, two tenths for the one ram,

along with their grain offering of fine flour mixed with olive oil three tenths for each of the thirteen bulls, two tenths for each of the two rams,

They rested outside of Migdol. They traveled from Hahiroth and passed through the midst of the sea to the wilderness. They were on the road three days in the wilderness of Etham, then rested in Marah.

Appoint three towns this side of the Jordan River and three towns in the land of Canaan to serve as the towns of refuge,

Then Moses designated three cities on the east side of the Jordan,

"Every male must appear in the presence of the LORD your God three times a year at the place where he will choose: for the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Seven Weeks, and the Festival of Tents. He must not appear in the LORD's presence empty-handed,

Based on the testimony of two or three witnesses, they must surely die. But they are not to die based on the testimony of one person.

You must reserve three cities within the land that the LORD your God is about to give you to possess.

Build roads throughout the land that the LORD your God is providing as an inheritance, and then divide it into three districts so that any killer may flee there.

Therefore I am commanding you to reserve three cities."

and if you are careful to observe all these commands that I am commanding you today to love the LORD your God and to walk daily in his ways then add three more cities in addition to these three cities.

"The testimony of one person alone is not to suffice to convict anyone of any iniquity, sin, or guilt. But the matter will stand on the testimony of two or three witnesses.

"Go through the camp," he said, "and command the people, "Prepare provisions for yourselves, because within three days you'll be crossing the Jordan River to take possession of the land that the LORD your God is giving you so go get it!'"

She told them, "Go out to the hill country, so the search party won't find you, and hide for three days. After that, you may go on your own way."

The scouts left for the hill country and remained there for three days until the search party returned. The search party searched the entire road, but was unable to find them.

Three days later, the officers went throughout the camp,

returned to Joshua. "Not all of the people need to go up," they reported. "Only about two or three thousand men should attack Ai. Since they are so few, don't make all of the army work hard up there."

So about three thousand went up there, but they ran away from the men of Ai.

But three days after they had made the treaty with them, they learned that they were their neighbors and were living in their midst.

So the Israelis set out for their cities and three days later they reached their cities of Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath-jearim.

From there Caleb drove the three descendants of Anak, Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai the Anakim.

In Issachar and Asher, Manasseh held Beth-shean and its towns, Ibleam and its towns, the inhabitants of En-dor and its towns, the inhabitants of Taanach and its towns, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and its towns, and the three coastal districts.

Appoint three men from each tribe and I'll send them. They'll begin to go through the land and record a description of it, categorized according to their inheritance, and then they'll report back to me.

From the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee with its pasture lands were allocated as a city of refuge for the unintentional killer, Hammoth-dor with its pasture lands, and Kartan with its pasture lands, for a total of three cities.

They gave Hebron to Caleb, just as Moses had promised, and he drove out the three sons of Anak from there.

There he announced, "Get up! The LORD has given the Midianite army into your control!" Then he separated the 300 men into three companies, gave them each trumpets to carry, along with jars into which he placed lit torches.

When the three companies sounded their trumpets and broke the jars, they held the torches in their left hands and sounded their trumpets with their right hands. Then they cried out, "A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!"

Abimelech dominated Israel for three years.

So he took his army, divided it into three separate companies, and laid in ambush out in the field. When Abimelech noticed the people coming out from the city, his army attacked them and killed them.

When Israel was living in Heshbon and its surrounding villages, in Aroer and its surrounding villages, and in all the cities that line the banks of the Arnon River these past three hundred years, why didn't you retake them during that time?

So he told them: From the eater came something edible; from the strong something sweet. For three days they couldn't solve the riddle.

Some time later, she asked him, "How can you keep saying "I love you!' when your heart isn't with me? These three times you've lied to me and haven't told me where your great strength lies."

The young woman's father (that is, his father-in-law) made him stay there for three days while they ate and drank during his visit there.

The custom of the priests with the people was that whenever a person offered a sacrifice, a servant of the priest would come with a three pronged fork in his hand while the meat was boiling, and

The LORD took note of Hannah, and she became pregnant and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel continued to grow, and the LORD was constantly with him.

Now as for your donkeys that were lost three days ago, don't give any thought to them, because they've been found. Meanwhile, to whom is all Israel looking, if not to you and all of your father's household?"

Then you'll go on further from there and come to the oak at Tabor. There three men going up to the LORD at Bethel will meet you. One will be herding three young goats, one will be carrying three loaves of bread, and one will be carrying a bottle of wine.

The next day Saul separated the people into three companies. They came into the camp during the morning watch, and struck down the Ammonites until the heat of the day. Those who survived were scattered so that no two of them remained together.

Raiders went out of the Philistine camp in three companies. One company turned in the direction of Ophrah, to the land of Shual,

The charge was one pin for plows, mattocks, three pronged forks, and axes, or for setting the goads.

The three oldest sons of Jesse followed Saul into battle. The names of his three sons who went to the battle were his firstborn Eliab, Abinadab, his second son, and Shammah, the third.

David was the youngest, while the three oldest had followed Saul.

I'll shoot three arrows to the side of the rock as though I were shooting at a target.

The servant went. Then David came out from the south side of the rock, fell on his face, and bowed down three times. The men kissed each other, and both of them cried, but David even more.

They gave him part of a fig cake and two bunches of raisins. After he had eaten, he revived, since he had neither eaten food nor had he drunk water for three days and three nights.

The Egyptian replied, "I'm a young Egyptian man, the slave of an Amalekite man. My master abandoned me, because I got sick three days ago. We raided the Negev of the Cherethites, the territory that belongs to Judah, and the Negev of Caleb, and we set Ziklag on fire."

As a result, Saul, his three sons, his armor bearer, and all his men died together that day.

The next day, the Philistines came to strip the dead, and they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.