The Meaning of Numbers: The Number 80
Part of the meaning of the number 80 comes from the fact that it can represent the start or duration of freedom from oppressors.
Moses was 80, and his older brother Aaron was 83, when they challenged Pharaoh to free the children of Israel from their bondage (Exodus 7:7). Moses, whom God blessed by not having his strength or eyesight diminish as he aged, lived to the age of 120 (Deuteronomy 34:7).
Ehud was a rare left-handed warrior in ancient Israel. He freed the people from eighteen years of Moabite oppression by killing their king and rallying the Israelites around his cause. After his victory, he was Israel's Judge for 80 years, the longest person to serve in the position (Judges 3:12 - 4:1).
Appearances of the number eighty
King Solomon, according to the Bible, used 80,000 (80 x 1000) aliens living in Israel to dig stones out of quarries that would be used to build God's temple in Jerusalem (1Kings 5:15, 2Chronicles 2:17 - 18).
Solomon states that a particular woman he loved was more precious than 60 queens, 80 concubines and an innumerable number of virgins (Song of Solomon 6:8).
A man named Ishmael, after he murdered Babylon's governor over Judah, killed eighty men who came to Jerusalem to mourn its destruction (Jeremiah 41:5).
Lifespans and the number 80
The only Psalm which credits Moses for writing it is Psalm 90 (see verse 1). In his prayerful hymn to God, he declares that humans live an average of 70 years. If, however, they are strong, they can live to be the ripe old age of 80.
For all our days pass away in Your wrath; we finish our years as with a sigh. The days of our years are threescore years and ten (70); and if by reason of strength they are fourscore years (80), yet their span is but trouble and sorrow . . . (Psalm 90:9 - 10).
Moses' statement that humans live seventy to eighty years, even though made more than 3,500 years ago, is surprisingly accurate today!
According to the CIA Factbook, the life expectancy in the world is almost 70 years (69.8). Men live an average of close to 68 years and women average living to 72. In the United States, a male can expect to live almost 78 years with females living to 82. The average for those in America is 80.
The two countries in the world with the highest average life expectancy are Japan and Singapore. Their citizens can expect to live 5.5 more years than the U.S. average of 80!
More Info on Biblical Meaning of 80
King Uzziah of Judah, after winning several battles against his enemies, became a strong and respected leader who was well-known abroad (2Chronicles 26:1 - 15). He soon, however, became filled with vanity and pride. In an impulsive act, he attempted to offer incense at Jerusalem's temple, a ceremony only priests could perform.
Azariah the High Priest, along with eighty other priests, confront Uzziah in the temple over his intentions. The king, as he grew angry with the priests, was struck with leprosy (2Chronicles 26).
One of Jesus' many parables was of an unjust steward who was told he would be fired (Luke 16). Before leaving his position, he reduced the debt of several who owed his boss. One person had their debt lessened from 100 to 80 measures of wheat (Luke 16:7). The parable was given to underscore a Christian's responsibility to use, as wisely as possible, the resources he has been given (verses 10 - 13).