THE PRINCIPLE OF THREE

Someone once made the observation that all the major things in life come in threes

(with exceptions, of course), but the following list that I have compiled over the years

consist of numerous things that break down into three parts. Some of these others have

discovered and I list from their work. Some of these I have discovered from reading the

Bible looking for triplets. You may know more, and if you do, please email them to me or

post them in comments!

The ultimate 3 is the Trinity. And God’s stamp on creation with 3’s is impossible to miss

and likely impossible to exhaust. Here are a few examples to get you started on your

quest to see what lies in the 3s.

Things that come in threes

Sciences/Math/Arts

Time: past, present, future

The strongest geometry shape is a triangle.

3 states of matter – solid, liquid, gas (land, sea, air)

3 types of fossil fuel – coal, oil, gas

3 parts to an atom -- Neutrons protons, electrons

3 geometries – Euclidean, spherical, and hyperbolic

Every object is 3 dimensional: length, breadth, width.

Any object in the universe can be plotted on just 3 co-ordinates.

A circle is plotted on 3 points.

3 bones in your ear

3 different type of cone cells in the eye

3 barleycorns in an inch, 3 feet in a yard, 3 miles in a league

In art threes are used to define structures: primary, secondary, and tertiary colors.

3 primary colors: red, yellow, blue

3 laws of motion

3 laws of physics

3 laws of robotics

3 laws of planetary motions

Earth is the 3 planets from the sun.

Id, ego, superego

On your mark, get set, go.

Of the people, by the people, for the people

Hear no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil.

Life:

3 ways to organize a business – sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation.

3 months in a quarter

Accounting – Assets = Liabilities + Equity

3 Rs in Education – reading, writing, arithmetic.

Lock, stock, and barrel are the three components of a gun.

3 answers to a question – yes, no, maybe

Morse Code, SOS is shown as 3 dots, 3 dashes, and 3 dots.

Language is based on 3’s: sender, message, receiver.

3 ways to end a sentence – full stop, question mark, exclamation point.

Essay has three parts, introduction, body, and conclusion.

Living flowers are either annuals, biennial, or perennial.

Rock, Paper, Scissors

Stop, Look and Listen

Slow to Speak, Swift to Hear, Slow to Wrath

Resting, working, or playing

We have the guarantee of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Safety for a fire: stop, drop, roll.

Olympic slogan: Faster, Higher, Stronger

Veni, vidi, vici (Latin for: “I came, I saw, I conquered”)

Me, myself, and I

1 st , 2 nd , 3 rd Degree Burns

3 hands on a clock to measure seconds, minutes, hours.

Upwards, backwards, sideways

Wash, rinse, repeat.

Birth, life, death

Standing, sitting, or lying down

Raw, medium, or well-done

Your favorite sandwich might be a BLT.

Culture:

Snap, Crackle, Pop

The Three Little Pigs

The Three Goats Gruff

The Three Bears

The Three Musketeers

3 blind mice

Blood, sweat and tears (Churchill)

3 ring circuses

3 stooges

Nina, Pinta, Santa Maria

Santa says, “HoHoHo”

Bible:

Jew, Gentile, Christian (Paul was a Hebrew, Christian, and a Roman citizen)

The third book of the Bible is named after the 3 rd son of Jacob (Priesthood)

God mentions three heavenly bodies: sun, moon, stars.

Garden: first fruits, harvest, gleanings

Man, wife, child.

Body, soul, spirit,

Law, Psalms, Prophets

Gospels, Epistles, Revelation

Eleazar, Shammah, Adino (David’s top 3 mighty men)

Stablish, settle, strengthen (God’s goal for a Christian)

Three Mary’s at the cross (John 19:25 – interesting two sisters named Mary, must have

been confusing)

Three words that occur once in the Bible (not counting names of people) Eternity,

grandmother, reverend.

3 gifs of the magi: Gold frankincense and myrrh

Christ is 3 days in the tomb, Jonah is 3 days in the whale, after 3 days one of Pharaoh’s

servants is hanged, the other restored, as Joseph prophesied.

3 rd day Israel presents themselves to God to receive the law (Ex. 19)

3 Patriarchs prior to the Flood: Able, Noah Enoch

3 Patriarchs after the Flood: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob

3 commandments after creation and the flood: be fruitful, multiple, and replenish.

3 sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, Japheth

3 visitors to Abraham

3 unclean frogs come forth from the unholy trinity – the dragon, the antichrist, the false

prophet.

Jesus’ triplet to describe himself: I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the

end, the first and the last.

He concludes his work on the cross by saying, “It is finished.”

Three feasts where all the men of Israel are to present themselves: Unleavened Bread

(Passover), Feast of Harvest, Feast of Ingatherings

3 nations are driven out by hornets: Hittites, Canaanites, Hivites

3 responsibilities to a maiden: food, raiment, duty of marriage

3 types of soil: stony, weeds, good

There are things in heaven, things in earth, and things under the earth (Phil 2:10)

3 places to place the blood in anointing the priests and cleansing a leper – blood on the

right ear lobe, right thumb, and right great toe (Lev.)

3 things in the ark of the covenant: manna, Aaron’s rod, the Ten commandments

Exodus 33:3 – The Spirit of God gives: wisdom, understanding, and knowledge.

Exodus 3 – Moses is given 3 signs: rod turned to serpent, water turned to blood, hand

turned to leper.

3 Colors in the Tabernacle: blue, purple, scarlet

3 rewards at judgment seat: gold, silver, precious stones

3 things burn up at judgment: wood, hay, stubble.

Preacher is to reprove, rebuke, and exhort (2 Tim 4:2)

The only wise God is eternal, immortal, invisible (1 Tim 1:17)

3 things to give attendance to until the second coming: reading, exhortation, doctrine (1

Tim 4:13)

Paul says he fought a good fight, finished his course, and kept the faith

Angel says: Woe, woe, woe (Revelation 8:13)

“Come up hither” 3 times in the Bible (Prov 25:7; Rev. 4:1; 11:12)

New heaven, new earth, new Jerusalem (Rev. 21)

Numbers 18 says you are to give God from your oil, wheat and wine.

You are to give a sheep, an ox, or a goat (Numbers 18)

Numbers 19 says it is to be without spot, blemish, and not been under a yoke.

Levi’s sons that were to move the ark: Gershon, Merari, Kothath.

The two witnesses in Rev 11 have power to shut heaven tat it does not rain, power over

waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with plagues as often as they will

(Rev. 11:7)

Book, Chapter, and verse

Three words express your deepest affection for someone: I love you.

Moses, Aaron, Hur help Joshua win Israel’s first battle (Ex. 16)