The word ubiquitous suggests that something is common, widespread, and constantly encountered in daily life. For example, cell phones, air, and the internet are all ubiquitous in today’s world.
Abraham ibn Ezra, a famous medieval Jewish scholar and philosopher, had a unique take on the number three. He was one of the most distinguished Jewish biblical commentators and philosophers of the Middle Ages. He was born in c.1089, in Tudela, Spain, and died c.1167 at age 78 in Calahorra, Spain.
While many cultures see three as a lucky or perfect number, Ibn Ezra taught that three is half of seven. In his biblical commentaries, he viewed seven as the ultimate symbol of completeness and perfection. Because three is approximately half of seven, he argued that it represents a turning point or a stepping stone toward ultimate completion, rather than being complete in itself.
Humans are naturally drawn to the number three. It is the smallest number of points needed to form a flat geometric shape (a triangle), creating an instant sense of balance. Because of this, it appears everywhere.
Three appears in the Bible. Jewish tradition is built on three founding fathers: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Christianity is centered on God existing in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. According to Christian tradition, Jesus preached for three years and rose from the dead on the third day. The Hebrew Bible, the Tanakh, is divided into three parts: the Torah (Law), Nevi’im (Prophets), and Ketuvim (Writings).
The number three is found frequently in ancient cultures. Ancient Egyptians often grouped their gods into teams of three, such as Osiris, Isis, and Horus. The universe was divided among three brother gods in Greek mythology: Zeus rules the sky, Poseidon rules the sea, and Hades rules the underworld. Also, the three Fates controlled time and destiny.
In ancient China, Daoist philosophy states that “Dao produces One, One produces Two, Two produces Three, and Three produces all things.” Taoism also features the Three Pure Ones as the highest deities.
It appears often in fairy tales and Folklore. Characters who meet a genie or a magical creature are almost always granted three wishes. Children’s stories often rely on the number three to build tension, as in The Three Little Pigs and Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Stories use three attempts to build a pattern. A hero usually fails twice before succeeding on the third try.
Three appears in modern usage. For example, Protestant clergy and public speakers frequently organize their speeches into three main points. This is because human brains find a trio of ideas satisfying to listen to and easy to remember. Also, we naturally group things into threes for impact, like “Blood, sweat, and tears,” “Red, white, and blue,” or the classic countdown, “Ready, set, go!”
In the Book of Genesis, there are three separate stories in which a patriarch moves to a foreign land due to local troubles and claims that his wife is actually his sister to protect his own life. The first is Abraham and his wife, Sarah, in Egypt. The story is told in Genesis 12:10-20.
A severe famine forces Abram (later called Abraham) and Sarai (later called Sarah) to leave Canaan and travel to Egypt to survive. Knowing Sarah is beautiful, Abraham fears the Egyptians will kill him to take her. He asks her to say she is his sister. Pharaoh’s officials notice her beauty and take her into the royal palace. God punishes Pharaoh’s house with plagues. Once Pharaoh learns the truth, he confronts Abraham for the lie and sends the couple away with many riches.
The second story is Abraham and Sarah in Gerar, told in Genesis 20:1-18. Abraham travels into the southern region of Negeb and stays in the foreign kingdom of Gerar. Abraham again introduces Sarah as his sister because he believes the locals have “no fear of God.” King Abimelech of Gerar takes Sarah into his harem but does not touch her. God warns Abimelech in a dream that he is a dead man if he touches another man’s wife. Abimelech returns Sarah, reprimands Abraham, and gives him livestock and silver as an apology.
The third tale focuses on Isaac and his wife Rebekah in Gerar. The episode is in Genesis 26:1-16. Another famine strikes, and Isaac moves his family to Gerar. Isaac fears the locals will kill him for his beautiful wife, Rebekah, so he mimics his father and claims she is his sister. This time, no one takes her. Instead, King Abimelech looks out a window and sees Isaac “fondling” Rebekah. Realizing they are married, Abimelech scolds Isaac for putting the kingdom at risk of accidentally committing adultery, then issues a royal order protecting them from harm.
Modern Bible critics examine these three similar tales through scientific and literary lenses rather than religious ones. They generally focus on two theories: Bible scholars suggest that the Book of Genesis was stitched together from several source documents written by different authors at different times. They believe these three stories are actually different versions (or doublets/triplets) of a single original folk tale. For example, the writer known as “J” (the Yahwist) likely wrote the stories in Genesis 12 and 26, while the writer known as “E” (the Elohist) wrote Genesis 20.
Literary critics take a different approach. They call this a “type-scene.“ In ancient storytelling, certain plots (such as meeting a future wife at a well or entering a foreign land with a beautiful wife) were standard templates. The authors deliberately used these recurring templates to draw parallels between the lives of Abraham and Isaac, showing that the sons’ lives mirrored their fathers’.
The ancient rabbis and sages took a totally different approach. They did not see the three tales as duplicates. They see the Torah using the ubiquitous number three to emphasize important lessons. Different sages saw different lessons in the three episodes. I will suggest three.
The first Abraham story emphasizes the lesson that Maimonides stressed. God gifted humans with intelligence. God did not intend, as Nachmanides thought, to constantly aid humans with miracles. The concept of Divine Providence does not mean that God will help people in need. It means that God’s gift of intelligence will save them, and the person who uses that intelligence more will benefit more than others.
The second Abraham episode recognizes that life is filled with difficulties. If something seems easy, it is probably wrong. Even the best plans can go awry. Humans must learn to persevere. Even if people cannot think of a better plan than the one they were using, they can modify their current plan until it works. There are numerous examples of people being persistent in the Bible.
The story of Isaac, following the technique used by his father, emphasizes that we must learn from the past. People who fail to do so will have no future. The best source from the past is the Torah.
There is one of three choices that people can make: They can accept the views of the Bible critics, or those of the Jewish sages, or ignore the entire matter, for isn’t fun more important than study and thinking?
I suggest we choose the second because the Bible has much to teach us, and it is better to seek the truth than to look for fault.
Imo, the number three’s presence in stories about Abraham underscores its symbolic importance as a number of divine harmony and completeness. It appears in key moments of Abraham’s life, representing divine intervention, promises, and tests of faith, thus reinforcing the idea of spiritual perfection and divine order, dear Rabbi Israel Drazin. The deeper meaning invites reflection on how spiritual truths are structured—not as simple binaries, but as rich, triadic relationships that encompass complexity, unity, and transcendence. It points to a fundamental pattern in the cosmos, where divine relationships and human journeys unfold in triads that symbolize growth, unity, and ultimate truth: In the sacred triad of sky, earth, and soul,Abraham’s journey whispers of divine whole.Threefold the promise, three trials the test,In faith’s embrace, our spirits find rest.
From call to covenant, from sacrifice to grace,The number three reveals the eternal face—A unity woven in divine harmony,The path of the faithful, the key to eternity. Best, stephen
Yes, we agree Stephen, the number three is used in many cultures to teach many lessons. It is a shame that people do not pay attention to it and many other things.
I agree with you. I also think it is more likely that the ubiquitous use of three in Genesis teaches a lesson, the lesson you described. This led me to conclude that the Bible is not a history book. The Bible states that Abraham and Isaac traveled for three days to reach Mount Moriah, and Exodus 4 states that God gave Moses three miraculous signs to prove his divine mission: his staff turns into a serpent, his hand turns leprous but is healed, and water turns into blood. I do not think that these things really occurred in sets of three. I agree with you that the Bible authors are using symbolism to convey a lesson.
You understand the use of three perfectly, my friend Turk.
What about the lying? This is not mentioned in your summary of the rabinnic views. Do they think it justifiable under the circumstances?
Hi Robin. It is always great hearing from you. Yes, Maimonides and other philosophers, from Plato to the present, taught that it is even necessary to lie in many cases. Maimonides called it “essential truths.” An example is that even though rationalists recognize that we can know nothing about God other than what we see that God created or formed, it is necessary to teach most people that God punishes people who do wrong things because this will keep them from always misbehaving.