The time designation appears to allude to a “completed time” (from 7 x 10, see Special Topic: Symbolic Numbers in Scripture). Notice usages in Scripture.
1. revenge, Gen. 4:24
2. age of Terah when Abram was born, Gen. 11:26
3. seventy in Jacob’s family moved to Egypt, Exod. 1:5
4. seventy elders during the Wilderness Wandering Period, Exod. 24:1,9; Num. 11:16,24,25 (also Ezek. 8:11)
5. number of Abimelech’s brothers who were killed, Jdgs. 9:56
6. expected life span, Ps. 90:10 (double is a special blessing from God, Job 42:16)
7. Ahab’s seventy sons, 2 Kgs. 10:1,6,7
8. seventy year judgment
a. Judah in Babylon, 2 Chr. 36:21; Ezra 1:1; Jer. 25:11; 29:10; Dan. 9:2; Zech. 7:5
b. Tyre, Isa. 23:15
9. Jesus sent out seventy, Luke 10:1,17 (possibly symbolically reflects Jewish belief there were 70 languages spoken in all the world)
10. forgiveness 70 times 7, Matt. 18:22
See note at Zechariah 1:12 online for more information.
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