Topical Encyclopedia
In biblical literature, the term "cliff" often refers to a steep rock face or precipice, typically found in mountainous or rugged terrain. Cliffs are mentioned in various contexts throughout the Bible, symbolizing both physical and spiritual elements.
Geographical Significance:Cliffs are prominent in the geography of the ancient Near East, particularly in regions like Judea and Samaria, where the landscape is marked by rocky hills and steep escarpments. These natural formations provided strategic advantages in warfare and served as places of refuge and isolation.
Biblical References:1.
Judges 15:8 · In the narrative of Samson, cliffs play a role in his exploits against the Philistines. After striking them down, Samson retreats to a cleft in the rock of Etam, a location characterized by its cliffs and caves, offering him a temporary sanctuary.
2.
1 Samuel 14:4-5 · The account of Jonathan and his armor-bearer describes their approach to the Philistine garrison, which involved navigating between two cliffs named Bozez and Seneh. These cliffs were significant in the tactical maneuvering of Jonathan's surprise attack.
3.
2 Chronicles 20:16 · The account of Jehoshaphat's battle against the Moabites and Ammonites mentions the ascent of Ziz, a location associated with cliffs. The strategic positioning of the cliffs played a role in the ambush and subsequent victory of Judah.
4.
Job 30:6 · In a poetic lament, Job describes the outcasts of society dwelling "in the clefts of the valleys, in caves of the earth and the rocks." This imagery highlights the cliffs as places of desolation and marginalization.
5.
Jeremiah 49:16 · The prophet Jeremiah speaks against Edom, whose inhabitants pride themselves on dwelling "in the clefts of the rocks" and making their homes high in the cliffs. This passage underscores the false security that can be associated with such natural fortifications.
Symbolic Meaning:Cliffs in the Bible often symbolize strength, refuge, and isolation. They can represent the divine protection offered by God, as seen in the metaphorical language of the Psalms. For instance,
Psalm 18:2 declares, "The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge."
Conversely, cliffs can also symbolize danger and judgment. The precariousness of standing on a cliff's edge serves as a metaphor for the instability of relying on anything other than God's providence.
Theological Implications:From a theological perspective, cliffs remind believers of the dual nature of God's creation—both a place of refuge and a potential site of peril. They call to mind the need for reliance on God's strength and wisdom, rather than on human fortifications or pride. The imagery of cliffs in Scripture encourages a deeper trust in God's protection and guidance, recognizing that true security is found not in physical locations but in the steadfastness of the Lord.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
n.) A high, steep rock; a precipice.
2. (n.) See Clef.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
CLEFT; CLIFF; CLIFTkleft, klif, klift: The first of these words, from cleave, "to split," is a crevice or narrow opening, as "of the ragged rocks" (Isaiah 2:21); "under the clefts of the rocks" (Isaiah 57:5). "Clift" is an obsolete form of cleft, found in the King James VersionExodus 33:22Isaiah 57:5, but not in the Revised Version (British and American). "Cliff," an abrupt, precipitous, towering rock, is not in the Revised Version (British and American), but is found in the King James Version2 Chronicles 20:16, the Revised Version (British and American) "ascent,"Job 30:6.
CLIFF; CLIFT
SeeCLEFT.
Greek
4074. Petros -- "a stone" or "a boulder," Peter, one of the twelve...... 4074 ("small stone") then stands in contrast to 4073 ("
cliff, boulder," ). "4074 ()
is an isolated rock and 4073 () is a
cliff" (, 3, 100).
...2630. katakremnizo -- to throw over a precipice
... Word Origin from kata and kremnos Definition to throw over a precipice NASB
Word Usage throw...down thecliff (1). cast down headlong....
4073. petra -- a (large mass of) rock
... rock. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: petra Phonetic Spelling:
(pet'-ra) Short Definition: rock Definition: a rock, ledge,cliff, cave, stony...
2911. kremnos -- a steep bank
... a steep bank,cliff. From kremannumi; overhanging, ie A precipice -- steep place.
see GREEK kremannumi. (kremnou) -- 3 Occurrences. 2910, 2911. kremnos. 2912...
Strong's Hebrew
5553. sela -- a crag,cliff... 5552, 5553. sela. 5554 . a crag,
cliff. Transliteration: sela Phonetic
Spelling: (seh'-lah) Short Definition: rock. Word Origin
...6697. tsur -- rock,cliff
... 6696c, 6697. tsur. 6698 . rock,cliff. Transliteration: tsur Phonetic
Spelling: (tsoor) Short Definition: rock. Word Origin from...
5573. Senneh -- acliff in Isr.
... 5572, 5573. Senneh. 5574 . acliff in Isr.... Word Origin of uncertain derivation
Definition acliff in Isr. NASB Word Usage Seneh (1). Seneh....
4608. maaleh -- an ascent
... section (1). ascent,cliff, going up, hill, mounting up,. From alah; an
elevation, ie (concretely) acclivity or platform; abstractly...
4869. misgab -- a secure height, retreat, stronghold
... From sagab; properly, acliff (or other lofty or inaccessible place); abstractly,
altitude; figuratively, a refuge -- defence, high fort (tower), refuge, Misgab...
8127. shen -- tooth, ivory
... From shanan; a tooth (as sharp); specifically (for shenhabbiym) ivory; figuratively,
acliff -- crag, X forefront, ivory, X sharp, tooth. see HEBREW shanan....
6159. Oreb -- a Midianite
... Oreb. Or mowreb {o-rabe'}; the same as oreb; Oreb, the name of a Midianite and of
thecliff near the Jordan -- Oreb. see HEBREW oreb. 6158, 6159. Oreb. 6160...
Library
Be for Thou Art'
... is identical, and the difference between them is insignificant; one being a rock
of any shape or size, the other being a perpendicularcliff or elevated...
Athor, the Golden
... A company of half a score of children were ascending in single file, along a slanting
plane of planks, into the hollow in thecliff upon which work had been...
The Apocalypse of Peter.
... 31. And other men and women were being hurled down from a greatcliff and reached
the bottom, and again were driven by those who were set over them to climb up...
Samson who did to Others as they did to Him
... do, I will not stop until I have had my revenge on you!" So he fought fiercely and
killed many of them; then he went and stayed in a cavern in thecliff of Etam...
At Gerasa - the Healing of the Demonised.
... perhaps the silvery moon was shedding her pale light on the weird scene, and laying
her halo around the shadows cast upon the sea by the steepcliff down which...
The Inch-Worm and the Mountain
... They decided that the only thing to do was to try to climb up the face of thecliff.
But the rock, was too steep, and so they tried to jump up....
Sappho
... SAPPHO. She lay among the myrtles on thecliff; Above her glared the noon;
beneath, the sea. Upon the white horizon Atho's peak Weltered...
"A Kind of Waterspout"
... Just was quite full at five, and God gave us a parting blessing. At noon I preached
on thecliff near Penzance, where no one now gives an uncivil word....
The Alps
... Thou speakest from each rolling cloud. That pours its stormy mirth on high,.
Whencliff tocliff is shouting loud,. Responsive to the sky:"....
The Treasure Cave
... There he permitted the rubble to slide with a mixture of earth, like a natural
displacement, into the talus, of a similar nature, at the base of thecliff....
Thesaurus
Cliff (11 Occurrences)... 2. (n.) See Clef. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. CLEFT;
CLIFF; CLIFT.
...CLIFF; CLIFT.
See CLEFT. Multi-Version Concordance
Cliff (11 Occurrences).
...Clift
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (n.) Acliff. 2. (n.) A cleft of crack; a narrow
opening.... Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. CLEFT;CLIFF; CLIFT....
Crag (5 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (n.) A steep, rugged rock; a rough, broken
cliff, or point of a rock, on a ledge. 2. (n.) A partially...
Inaccessible (1 Occurrence)
... Inaccessible (1 Occurrence). Job 39:28 On thecliff he dwells, and makes his
home, on the point of thecliff, and the stronghold. (See NAS)....
Peniel (4 Occurrences)
... Some have thought it might be a prominentcliff, the contour of which
resembled a human face. Such acliff on the seashore to the...
Partridge (2 Occurrences)
... This bird, unlike our own partridge, is distinguished by "its ringing call-note,
which in early morning echoes fromcliff tocliff amidst the barrenness of the...
Bozez (1 Occurrence)
... the two cliffs that stand one on each side of the gorge of Michmash (1 Samuel
14:4). It catches the sun during most of the day, while the southerncliff is in...
Cleft (15 Occurrences)
... wood. 8. (n.) A disease in horses; a crack on the band of the pastern. Int.
Standard Bible Encyclopedia. CLEFT;CLIFF; CLIFT. kleft...
Seneh (1 Occurrence)
... The acacia; rock-thorn, the southerncliff in the Wady es-Suweinit, a valley south
of Michmash, which Jonathan climbed with his armour-bearer (1 Samuel 14:4, 5...
Stays (21 Occurrences)
... (WEB KJV ASV WBS). Job 39:28 On thecliff he dwells, and makes his home,
on the point of thecliff, and the stronghold. (See NIV)....
Resources
Did Nazareth exist during the life of Jesus? | GotQuestions.orgWho was Simon the tanner? | GotQuestions.orgWhat did Jesus mean when He said “I am the door” (John 10:7)? | GotQuestions.orgCliff: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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