Remember that not every time the number seven appears in the Bible, do we have something significant, such as these,

“These were the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to Rachel his daughter, and she bore these to Jacob: seven persons in all” (Genesis 46.25).

“And the sons of Joseph who were born to him in Egypt were two persons. All the persons of the house of Jacob who went to Egypt were seventy” (Genesis 46.27).

“And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. So the length of Jacob’s life was one hundred and forty-seven years” (Genesis 47.28).

However, when Jacob died in the land of Egypt, the Bible says,

“Forty days were required for him, for such are the days required for those who are embalmed; and the Egyptians mourned for him seventy days” (Genesis 50.3).

Seventy, that is, ten times seven, days of mourning were no doubt an official time set by the Egyptian government, but that does not mean there was any spiritual significance to it. The Egyptian government settled on this number of days for a reason, but the Bible does not say anything special about it.

When Jacob’s family took him to the Land of Canaan to bury him, the record says,

“Then they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, and they mourned there with a great and very solemn lamentation. He observed seven days of mourning for his father” (Genesis 50.10).

A further week of mourning seemed appropriate for the family so that a total of 77 days were observed for the death of this great man, after whom the nation of Israel took its name.

Interesting, but can we make anything more out of it at this point, I am not prepared to say.

What is your opinion?