Meaning of Numbers: The Number 27
The number 27 derives part of its meaning from being the cube of 3.
Sarah, Abraham's wife who name means "princess" or "princess of the multitude," is the only woman in Scripture whose age at death is recorded. She died at the age of 127 (100 + 27, see Genesis 23:1). Abraham, after mourning for his wife, bought a cave in Hebron in which to bury her. Abraham himself would ultimately be laid to rest in the cave (Genesis 25:9), as well as Isaac and his wife Rebekah and Jacob and his wife Leah (49:29 - 32).
The New Testament, in most modern translations like the King James Bible, the NIV and others, contains 27 separate books. The Old Testament, meanwhile, has 39 books making 66 total. The original version of Scripture, however, canonized by Ezra and the Apostle John, had only 49 books (7 x 7, which is perfection squared).
Appearances of Number Twenty-Seven
Syrian king Benhadad, who did not like King Ahab's rejection of what he told him to do, decided to attack the Kingdom of Israel (1Kings 20:1 - 12). A prophet was then sent to Ahab assuring him of victory over Benhadad.
On the seventh day of battle the Israelites slew 100,000 footmen in the Syrian army (1Kings 20:29). The remnants of the Syrian army then fled to Aphek. After entering Aphek the city's wall fell and killed 27,000 (27 x 1000) of the remaining troops, thus assuring Ahab's victory (verse 30).
Jesus' First Full Year
Jesus' ministry began in the fall of 26 A.D. when he turned thirty years old. His first few months entailed being baptized then tempted by the devil for 40 days. He made initial contact with some of his disciples and also performed his first miracle by turning water into wine at a Cana wedding (John 2).
27 A.D. begins the first full Roman calendar year of Jesus' ministry. The public becomes aware of his ministry when in April he dramatically tosses out the moneychangers and other thieves from Jerusalem's temple (John 2). He then meets with a member of the Jewish Sanhedrin who admits the nation's religious leaders know he is doing God's will (John 3).
27 A.D. also marks the year when John the Baptist is thrown into prison by Herod Antipas for criticizing his marriage to his half-brother's wife Herodias (Luke 3:19 - 20).
The year will see the Lord revealing he is the Messiah at Pentecost (Luke 4), performing his first miraculous healing (John 4:49 - 53), and spreading the gospel with zeal. He will call several men to follow him as disciples (Mark 1:16 - 20), perform great signs and wonders, and give his famous Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1 - 8:1, Luke 6:20 - 7:1).
Jesus, this year, will also begin to confront religious leaders over their teachings and practices that do not, in spite of what they believe, reflect God's will.
Number 27 and Israel's Kings
The number 27 is linked to the shortest reign of any King of Israel or Judah. Zimri, in the twenty-seventh year of Judah's King Asa (885 B.C.), murdered King Elah of Israel and assumed the throne (1Kings 16:9 - 10). He then proceeded to murder all the male descendants of Baasha, who had ruled Israel from 908 to 886.
Zimri's reign of terror and wanton bloodshed, however, did not last long. The people, after discovering that Zimri had executed Elah, made Omri Israel's new king (1Kings 16:16). After only seven days of rule, Israel trapped Zimri in Tizrah. The murderous king, seeing the city was conquered, set his palace on fire and died within its flames.
Judah's King Azariah, the second longest reign of any king of Judah or Israel at 52 years, co-ruled with his father Amaziah for many years. He began to govern, solely, God's people in year 27 of Israel's King Jeroboam II's rule (2Kings 15:1). He is considered one of the better monarchs over Judah.
More Info on Biblical Meaning of 27
27 is the product of 3 cubed which is a prime number. If we add the two digits, 2 + 7, we get 9 which when also multiplied by 3 gives us 27.
There are 27 bones in a human hand.
The Persian Empire, which held sway over millions of people, is arguably the most powerful empire in the ancient world. At its peak, it controlled 2.9 million square miles (7.5 million square kilometers) of land and spanned three continents. It lasted for an astonishing 249 years from 549 to 330 B.C.
The book of Esther, written by the Jewish Queen and Mordecai, underscored Persia's power no less than three times. It mentions in Esther 1:1, 8:9 and 9:30 that the empire ruled over 127 (100 + 27) provinces from "India unto Ethiopia."
Jesus' ministry likely started in a Jubilee year (Luke 4:18 - 19) that ran from the Day of Atonement in 26 A.D. to Atonement in 27. The Jubilee was a time when liberty was declared throughout Israel (Leviticus 25:10, 39 - 40). The next Jubilee year in this cycle begins October 13, 2035 and ends October 1, 2036.
The name Abraham, one of the top ten occurring names in God's word, is recorded in 27 Biblical Books.
The Old Testament phrases 'mercy seat' and 'the candlestick' each number 27 occurrences. The only book that contains exactly twenty-seven chapters is Leviticus.
The twenty-seventh book found in most modern Bible translations is Daniel.
The book of Leviticus contains 27 chapters in the KJV.
In the Old Testament, the Biblical chapters of Genesis 17, Exodus 15, 18, Leviticus 20, Numbers 6, Joshua 6, 9, 1Samuel 9, 10, 2Samuel 1, 11, 2Kings 3, 5, 1Chronicles 17, 2Chronicles 24, 28, 30, 35, Job 5, Proverbs 4, 7, 27, 29, Jeremiah 13, 17, Ezekiel 3, 7, 24, 43, Daniel 8, 9 and Obadiah 5 contain 27 verses in the King James translation.
In the New Testament, the chapters Matthew 17, John 15, Acts 24, 25, Roman 16, James 1 and Revelation 21 have 27 verses in the KJV.