The placement of the rulers over a thousand, over a hundred, or over ten, represented in the abstract sense, separately from any idea of numbers, many truths in first, second, and third degrees. This use of the numbers is like that found elsewhere in the Word, for example where the Lord said of the servant that he owed ten thousand talents and that the fellow-servant owed him a hundred denarii, Matt 18:24, 28, and where He speaks of the king, about to make war against another king, considering whether He was able with ten thousand to meet the other who was coming with twenty thousand, Luke 14:31.

An angel coming down from heaven laid hold of the dragon, and bound him for a thousand years, and cast him into the abyss, so that he should not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years had come to an end. The rest of the dead did not live again before the thousand years came to an end. This is the first resurrection. Rev 20:1-3, 5, 7.

Here 'a thousand' does not mean a thousand but much, without the idea of some number. Likewise in Moses,

Jehovah shows mercy to a thousand generations who love Him. Exod 20:6; Deut 5:9, 10; 7:9; Jer 32:18.

In David,

The word He has commanded to a thousand generations. Ps 105:8.

In the same author,

A thousand will fall at your side, and a myriad at your right hand; it will not come near you. Ps 91:7.

In the same author,

The chariots of God are myriad on myriad!, thousands of peacemakers. Ps 68:17.

In the same author,

Our flocks are thousands, and ten thousands in our streets. Ps 144:13.

In the same author,

A thousand years in Your eyes are as a day. Ps 90:4.

The situation is much the same with a hundred and with ten, for a smaller number or a factor is similar in meaning to the powers of that number, 5291, 5335, 5708, 7973. For the meaning of 'a hundred' and 'ten' also as much, see 3107, 4400, 4638.

Notes