Justin, you said you would post something, just so i could post again without having to feel like I am the only one posting. I am now succumbing to positive pressure from our group and posting anyhow. Here is a interesting section of commentary from a scholar named Sarna. This bit is also picked up by Bruce Waltke in his commentary on Genesis.
On Genesis 47:28 and other surrounding verses.
"- one hundred and forty seven -- The lifespans of the three patriarchs lend themselves to factorization according to the following pattern. Abraham 175 = 5x5x7; Isaac 180 = 6x6x5; Jacob 147 = 7x7x3. In this series, the squared number increases by one each time while the coefficient decreases by two. Furthermore, in each case the sum of the factors is 17. Through their factorial patterns, the patriarchal chronologies constitute a rhetorical device expressing the profound biblical conviction that Israel's formative age was not a concatenation of haphazard incidents but a series of events ordered according to God's grand design. " (end quote)
The bible often uses numbers in this way, in that numbers are used to express ideas rather than factual, scientific information.
Something to think about now and then
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