Hearing God's Voice in DreamsA–Z symbolsSeventeen in a dream
Biblical meaning from Hearing God's Voice in Dreams by Apostle Nicholas V. Mbanjwa
Also: 17
What it means
Sacrifice, well, repossession, restoration of property; also the beginning of destiny or calling — Joseph was 17 when he began to dream and was hated by his brothers.
Jeremiah bought his uncle's son's field for seventeen shekels of silver as a prophetic act confirming Israel's eventual repossession of their land after captivity.
✦ When it is positive
- Sacrifice, well
- Repossession, restoration of property
- Beginning of destiny or calling
⚠ When it is a warning
- Premature, short-lived, untimely (Rehoboam's 17-year reign in Judah cut short for displeasing the Lord; Jehoahaz's 17-year reign over Israel likewise short-lived for evil done; Jacob's remaining years in Egypt were 17 — short-lived)
How to tell the difference
The author emphasises that every number in Scripture is by deliberate design — Joseph's age of 17 at the start of his dreaming life is treated as intentional, not incidental.
Scripture
9I bought the field that was in Anathoth of Hanamel my uncle’s son, and weighed him the money, even seventeen shekels of silver. 15For the LORD of Armies, the God of Israel says: ‘Houses and fields and vineyards will yet again be bought in this land.’
Jeremiah 32:9,15 (WEB)
Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the LORD had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there. His mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonitess.
1 Kings 14:21 (WEB)
1In the twenty-third year of Joash the son of Ahaziah, king of Judah, Jehoahaz the son of Jehu began to reign over Israel in Samaria for seventeen years. 2He did that which was evil in the LORD’s sight, and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, with which he made Israel to sin. He didn’t depart from it.
2 Kings 13:1-2 (WEB)
Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. So the days of Jacob, the years of his life, were one hundred forty-seven years.
Genesis 47:28 (WEB)