Topical Encyclopedia
In biblical terminology, the term "blast" often refers to a powerful and destructive force, typically associated with the breath or wind of God. This concept is used both literally and metaphorically throughout the Scriptures to convey God's might and judgment.
Old Testament References1.
Divine Judgment and Power: The "blast" is frequently depicted as an instrument of divine judgment. In
Exodus 15:8, during the Song of Moses, the parting of the Red Sea is described: "At the blast of Your nostrils the waters piled up; the flowing waters stood upright like a heap; the depths congealed in the heart of the sea." Here, the "blast" signifies God's direct intervention and power over creation, delivering the Israelites from the Egyptians.
2.
Prophetic Imagery: In
Isaiah 37:7, the term is used in a prophetic context: "Behold, I will put a spirit in him so that he will hear a rumor and return to his own land, and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land." The "blast" here is understood as a divine influence or spirit that leads to the downfall of the Assyrian king, Sennacherib, demonstrating God's sovereignty over nations.
3.
Natural Phenomena: The "blast" is also associated with natural phenomena, as seen in
Job 4:9: "By the breath of God they perish, and by the blast of His anger they are consumed." This verse highlights the destructive power of God's breath, equating it with His righteous anger and the inevitable judgment upon the wicked.
New Testament ContextWhile the New Testament does not frequently use the term "blast," the concept of God's powerful breath or spirit is present. The Holy Spirit, often symbolized by wind or breath, plays a crucial role in the life of believers and the early Church. The idea of a divine "blast" can be seen as a precursor to the New Testament understanding of the Spirit's work in both judgment and empowerment.
Theological SignificanceTheologically, the "blast" represents God's omnipotence and His active role in the world. It serves as a reminder of His ability to control and direct the forces of nature and history according to His divine will. The imagery of a "blast" underscores the seriousness of God's judgment and the awe-inspiring nature of His power.
Practical ImplicationsFor believers, the concept of a "blast" from God serves as a call to reverence and obedience. It is a reminder of the consequences of sin and the importance of aligning oneself with God's purposes. The "blast" also offers comfort, as it assures believers of God's ultimate control and His ability to deliver and protect His people in times of trouble.
In summary, the biblical use of "blast" conveys a multifaceted understanding of God's power, judgment, and presence, serving as a profound reminder of His sovereignty and the reality of His intervention in the world.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
n.) A violent gust of wind.
2. (n.) A forcible stream of air from an orifice, as from a bellows, the mouth, etc. Hence: The continuous blowing to which one charge of ore or metal is subjected in a furnace; as, to melt so many tons of iron at a blast.
3. (n.) The exhaust steam from and engine, driving a column of air out of a boiler chimney, and thus creating an intense draught through the fire; also, any draught produced by the blast.
4. (n.) The sound made by blowing a wind instrument; strictly, the sound produces at one breath.
5. (n.) A sudden, pernicious effect, as if by a noxious wind, especially on animals and plants; a blight.
6. (n.) The act of rending, or attempting to rend, heavy masses of rock, earth, etc., by the explosion of gunpowder, dynamite, etc.; also, the charge used for this purpose.
7. (n.) A flatulent disease of sheep.
8. (v. t.) To injure, as by a noxious wind; to cause to wither; to stop or check the growth of, and prevent from fruit-bearing, by some pernicious influence; to blight; to shrivel.
9. (v. t.) Hence, to affect with some sudden violence, plague, calamity, or blighting influence, which destroys or causes to fail; to visit with a curse; to curse; to ruin; as, to blast pride, hopes, or character.
10. (v. t.) To confound by a loud blast or din.
11. (v. t.) To rend open by any explosive agent, as gunpowder, dynamite, etc.; to shatter; as, to blast rocks.
12. (v. i.) To be blighted or withered; as, the bud blasted in the blossom.
13. (v. i.) To blow; to blow on a trumpet.
27. (n.) A suffix or terminal formative, used principally in biological terms, and signifying growth, formation; as, bioblast, epiblast, mesoblast, etc.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
BLAST(neshamah, ruach):
(1) The blowing of the breath of Yahweh, expressive of the manifestation of God's power in Nature and Providence. "With the blast of thy nostrils the waters were piled up" (Exodus 15:8), referring to the east wind (Exodus 14:21; compare2 Samuel 22:16 andPsalm 18:15). "I will send a blast upon him" (2 Kings 19:7 the King James Version; the Revised Version (British and American) "put a spirit in him," i.e. "an impulse of fear" (Dummelow in the place cited.); compareIsaiah 37:7). "By the blast of his anger are they consumed" (Job 4:9; compareIsaiah 37:36).
(2) The word ruach is used with reference to the tyranny and violence of the wicked (Isaiah 25:4).
(3) The blowing of a wind instrument: "When they make a long blast with the ram's horn" (Joshua 6:5).
M. O. Evans
BLAST; BLASTING
blast'-ing (shiddaphon-root, shadhaph, literally "scorching"): This is the effect produced upon grain or other plants by the hot east winds which blow from the desert of Arabia. They usually continue to blow for two or three days at a time. If they occur in the spring near ripening time, the grain is often turned yellow and does not properly mature. The farmers dread this wind. In some localities, if they suspect that the east wind is coming, they set up a great shouting and beating of pans, hoping to drive it off. Sometimes this wind is a double pestilence, when it brings with it a cloud of locusts (2 Chronicles 6:28). The writer, while journeying in the northern part of the Arabian desert, the source of these winds, witnessed such a cloud of locusts on their way toward habitable regions. It did not call for a very vivid imagination on the part of the children of Israel to realize the meaning of the curses and all manner of evil which would befall those who would not hearken to the voice of Yahweh.Deuteronomy 28:22-24 could easily be considered a poetic description of the east winds (Arabic howa sharki'yeh) which visit Palestine and Syria at irregular intervals today. The heat is fiery: it dries up the vegetation and blasts the grain; the sky is hazy and there is a glare as if the sun were reflected from a huge brass tray. Woodwork cracks and warps; the covers of books curl up. Instead of rain, the wind brings dust and sand which penetrate into the innermost corners of the dwellings. This dust fills the eyes and inflames them. The skin becomes hot and dry. To one first experiencing this storm it seems as though some volcano must be belching forth heat and ashes. No other condition of the weather can cause such depression. Such a pestilence, only prolonged beyond endurance, was to be the fate of the disobedient. This word should not be confused with mildew. Since the words blasting and mildew occur together it may be inferred that mildew (literally "a paleness") must mean the sickly color which plants assu me for other causes than the blasting of the east wind, such, as for instance, fungus diseases or parasites (1 Kings 8:37Amos 4:9Haggai 2:17).
James A. Patch
Greek
4537. salpizo -- to sound a trumpet... to sound a trumpet. From salpigx; to trumpet, ie Sound a
blast (literally or
figuratively) -- (which are yet to) sound (a trumpet). see GREEK salpigx.
...985. blastano -- to sprout, produce
... Word Origin from a prim. rootblast- Definition to sprout, produce NASB Word
Usage budded (1), produced (1), sprouted (1), sprouts (1)....
4151. pneuma -- wind, spirit
... From pneo; a current of air, ie Breath (blast) or a breeze; by analogy or figuratively,
a spirit, ie (human) the rational soul, (by implication) vital principle...
2279. echos -- a noise, sound
... Word Origin a late form of a prim. word eche (noise, sound) Definition a noise,
sound NASB Word Usageblast (1), noise (1), report (1), roaring (1)....
Strong's Hebrew
8643. teruah -- a shout orblast of war, alarm, or joy... 8642, 8643. teruah. 8644 . a shout or
blast of war, alarm, or joy. Transliteration:
teruah Phonetic Spelling: (ter-oo-aw') Short Definition: shout.
...8629. teqa --blast (of a horn)
... teqa. 8630 .blast (of a horn). Transliteration: teqa Phonetic Spelling:
(tay-kah') Short Definition: sound.... sound. From taqa'; ablast of a trumpet -- sound....
8628. taqa -- to thrust, clap, give a blow,blast
... 8627, 8628. taqa. 8629 . to thrust, clap, give a blow,blast. Transliteration:
taqa Phonetic Spelling: (taw-kah') Short Definition: blow. Word Origin a prim...
7321. rua -- to raise a shout, give ablast
... 7320b, 7321. rua. 7322 . to raise a shout, give ablast. Transliteration: rua
Phonetic Spelling: (roo-ah') Short Definition: shout. Word Origin a prim....
8619. taqoa -- ablast or wind instrument
... 8618, 8619. taqoa. 8620 . ablast or wind instrument. Transliteration: taqoa
Phonetic Spelling: (taw-ko'-ah) Short Definition: trumpet....
5397. neshamah -- breath
... Word Origin from nasham Definition breath NASB Word Usageblast (2), breath (15),
breathes (1), life (1), persons alive (1), spirit (2), who breathed (3)....
4900. mashak -- to draw, drag
... deployed (1), drag (1), drag me away (1), drags (1), draw (3), drawn (2), draws
(1), drew (2), extend (1), follow (1), go (1), led (1), longblast (2), make a...
7307. ruach -- breath, wind, spirit
... Word Origin from an unused word Definition breath, wind, spirit NASB Word Usage
air (2), anger (1),blast (2), breath (31), breathless* (1), cool (1), courage...
7710. shadaph -- to scorch, blight
... Word Origin a prim. root Definition to scorch, blight NASB Word Usage scorched
(3).blast. A primitive root; to scorch --blast. 7709, 7710. shadaph. 7711...
3104. yobel -- a ram, ram's horn (a wind instrument)
... Or yobel {yob-ale'}; apparently from yabal; theblast of a horn (from its continuous
sound); specifically, the signal of the silver trumpets; hence, the...
Library
The FirstBlast of the Trumpet
The FirstBlast of the Trumpet. <. The FirstBlast of the Trumpet John Knox.
Table of Contents. Title Page. BIBLIOGRAPHY. INTRODUCTION....
The FirstBlast of Tempest
... THE FIRSTBLAST OF TEMPEST. 'And as they spake unto the people, the priests,
and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, came...
ABlast of the Trumpet against False Peace
... ABlast of the Trumpet Against False Peace. A Sermon (No.301). Delivered on Sabbath
Morning, February 26th, 1860, by the. REV. CH SPURGEON. At Exeter Hall, Strand...
The FirstBlast of the Trumpet against the Monstrvovs Regiment of...
The FirstBlast of the Trumpet. <.... THE FIRSTBLAST OF THE TRUMPET AGAINST THE
MONSTRVOVS regiment of women. Veritas temporis filia, MD LVIII....
The FirstBlast to Awake Women Degenerate.
The FirstBlast of the Trumpet. <.... THE FIRSTBLAST TO AWAKE WOMEN
degenerate. To promote a woman to beare rule, superioritie...
The FirstBlast of the Trumpet
The FirstBlast of the Trumpet. <.... Title Page. The English Scholar's
Library etc. No.2. The FirstBlast of the Trumpet &c. 1558....
Recapitulation of the Various Arguments Adduced against Gnostic...
... XXIV."Recapitulation of the various arguments adduced against Gnostic impiety under
all its aspects The heretics, tossed about by everyblast of doctrine...
Bibliography.
The FirstBlast of the Trumpet. <.... BIBLIOGRAPHY. The FirstBlast of the Trumpet
etc. ISSUES IN THE AUTHOR'S LIFETIME. A. As a separate publication....
The Following Postscript Occurs at P. 78 of John Knox's...
The FirstBlast of the Trumpet. <....
Appendix.
The FirstBlast of the Trumpet. <.... APPENDIX. JOHN KNOX's apologetical Defence
of his FirstBlast &c. to Queen ELIZABETH. 12 July 1559....
Thesaurus
Blast (28 Occurrences)... Hence: The continuous blowing to which one charge of ore or metal is subjected
in a furnace; as, to melt so many tons of iron at a
blast.
...Blast-horn (1 Occurrence)
Blast-horn. Blasted,Blast-horn. Blasting . Multi-Version Concordance
Blast-horn (1 Occurrence). Joshua 6:5 And it shall...
Blast-trumpets (3 Occurrences)
Blast-trumpets. Blasts,Blast-trumpets. Blastus . Multi-Version
ConcordanceBlast-trumpets (3 Occurrences). Joshua 6...
Trumpet-blast (2 Occurrences)
Trumpet-blast. Trumpet, Trumpet-blast. Trumpeter . Multi-Version
Concordance Trumpet-blast (2 Occurrences). Matthew...
Blasting (4 Occurrences)
... 1. (p. pr. & vb. n.) ofBlast. 2. (n.) Ablast; destruction by ablast, or by some
pernicious cause.... Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia.BLAST; BLASTING....
Blasted (6 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (imp. & pp) ofBlast. 2. (a.) Blighted; withered. 3.
(a.) Confounded; accursed; detestable. 4. (a.) Rent open by an explosive....
Nostrils (22 Occurrences)
... (WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV). Exodus 15:8 With theblast of your nostrils,
the waters were piled up. The floods stood upright as a heap....
Breath (95 Occurrences)
... words differ but slightly in meaning, both signifying primarily "wind," then "breath,"
though the former suggests a gentler blowing, the latter often ablast....
Nip (1 Occurrence)
... 4. (vt) Hence: Toblast, as by frost; to check the growth or vigor of; to destroy....
9. (n.) Ablast; a killing of the ends of plants by frost. 10....
Lachish (22 Occurrences)
... Excavations at Lachish are still going on, and among other discoveries is that of
an ironblast-furnace, with slag and ashes, which is supposed to have existed...
Resources
What is the true meaning of Rosh Hashanah? | GotQuestions.orgIs the last trumpet of 1 Thessalonians 4 the same as the seventh trumpet of Revelation? | GotQuestions.orgWhat are the different Jewish festivals in the Bible? | GotQuestions.orgBlast: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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