The Meaning of Numbers: The Number 75
The possible meaning of the number 75 is derived from events in Scripture as well as interesting facts about God's word.
Stephen's inspired testimony before Jewish religious leaders is the longest recorded message in the book of Acts (Acts 7). He utilizes the number 75 to recount the story of Jacob and his family migrating to Egypt due to a famine.
Then Joseph sent and called for his father Jacob, and all his kindred, being seventy-five (75) souls. And Jacob went down into Egypt; and he and our fathers died . . . (Acts 7:14 - 15, HBFV).
The original Hebrew account, however, does not mention 75 people migrating to Egypt. It states that all those who "came out of his (Jacob's) loins," meaning those genetically connected to him (not his son's wives), who traveled with him were sixty-six people (Genesis 46:26). If we add Jacob, Joseph and Joseph's two sons we get the 70 (not 75) people or "all the souls of the house of Jacob, who came into Egypt" of verse 27.
The reason for the difference is that Stephen, a Greek-speaking Jew, was not quoting from the Hebrew version of the Old Testament. He quoted from the commonly used (at the time) Greek translation of the Hebrew known as the Septuagint. The Septuagint version of Genesis 46:27 states 75 people of Jacob's house were in Egypt. Biblical commentaries offer differing explanations to account for the discrepancy.
Appearances of the Number Seventy-Five
One of God's Jubilee years, which occurs every 50th year and runs from one Day of Atonement to the next, began on September 9 in 75 A.D. This special holy period ran until September 26 in 76. It was the second Jubilee to take place since the birth of Jesus (the first one ran from 26 to 27 A.D.).
The English word "dragon," found thirteen times in the book of Revelation (Revelation 12:3 - 4, 7, 9, 13, 16 - 17, 13:2, 4, 11, 16:13 and 20:2), is derived from the Greek drakon (Strong's Concordance #G1404). Dragons in the New Testament are symbolic of God's chief adversary Satan the devil.
The Gematria, or total numeric value of the Greek word for dragon, is 4 + 100 + 1 + 20 + 800 + 50 for a value of 975. This total is 13 times 75. Thirteen is the number of sin, lawlessness and rebellion against God.
Number 75 and Blessings
Abram (later Abraham), at 70, leaves his hometown of Ur with his wife Sarai (later Sarah) and his entire family. The family lives in the city of Haran until, five years later, Abram's father Terah dies. It is at this moment that Abraham, at age 75 in 1885 B.C., is called by God and told to travel to Canaan.
And the Lord said to Abram, "Get out of your country, and from your kindred, and from your father's house into a land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation . . . And in you shall all families of the earth be blessed" (Genesis 12:1 - 3).
The calling of Abraham is one of the greatest events of the Old Testament! It is from this point forward that the narrative in the Bible primarily focuses on the history of Abraham's descendants.
More Info on Biblical Meaning of 75
Psalm 75, which was written by priests who served during King David's reign, offers some wise words concerning advancing in life.
For promotion comes neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is judge; He puts down one and sets up another (verses 6 - 7).
The word "Israel" appears more than 2,500 times in the King James Old Testament. It is recorded 75 times in the New Testament, with Acts containing the most occurrences (21) followed by a tie between Matthew, Luke and Romans listing it 12 times.
Matthew 26 is the only King James chapter that has exactly seventy-five verses. Although it has fewer verses than Luke 1 (80), it is the longest in the New Testament with 1,625 words.
Only the book of Psalms has more than 75 chapters in the KJV translation.