Topical Encyclopedia
In biblical terms, "descent" often refers to lineage, genealogy, or the act of coming down from a higher place. It is a concept that appears in various contexts throughout the Scriptures, highlighting both physical and spiritual dimensions.
Genealogical DescentGenealogical descent is a significant theme in the Bible, emphasizing the importance of family lineage and heritage. The genealogies in the Bible serve to trace the lineage of key figures, particularly in the context of God's covenant promises. For instance, the genealogy of Jesus Christ is meticulously recorded in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, underscoring His rightful place in the line of David and Abraham.
Matthew 1:1 begins, "This is the record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham."
The genealogies in Genesis also highlight the descent from Adam through Noah to the patriarchs, establishing the foundation for the nation of Israel.
Genesis 5 and 10 provide detailed accounts of these lineages, demonstrating God's unfolding plan through specific family lines.
Descent from HeavenThe concept of descent is also used to describe divine intervention and the coming of God to earth. A notable example is the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
Acts 2:1-4 describes this event: "When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like a mighty rushing wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw tongues like flames of a fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them."
This descent signifies the empowering presence of God among His people, marking the birth of the Church and the fulfillment of Jesus' promise to send the Helper (
John 14:16-17).
Descent into HadesThe Apostles' Creed, an early statement of Christian belief, includes the phrase "He descended into hell," referring to Jesus' descent into Hades between His crucifixion and resurrection. This concept is rooted in passages such as
1 Peter 3:18-20 , which states, "For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit, in whom He also went and preached to the spirits in prison who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built."
This descent is interpreted as Christ's victory over death and His proclamation of triumph to the spirits, affirming His authority over all realms.
Descent in HumilityPhilippians 2:5-8 provides a profound example of descent in the context of humility and servanthood: "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross."
This passage highlights the voluntary descent of Christ from His divine status to become human, ultimately leading to His sacrificial death. It serves as a model for believers to emulate Christ's humility and selflessness.
Descent in JudgmentThe Bible also speaks of descent in the context of divine judgment. In
Genesis 11:5 , the Lord descends to observe the city and the tower that the people were building, leading to the confusion of languages and the scattering of the people: "Then the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the sons of men were building."
This descent signifies God's active involvement in human affairs, executing judgment and ensuring that His purposes prevail.
In summary, the concept of descent in the Bible encompasses a range of meanings, from genealogical lineage and divine intervention to humility and judgment, each reflecting different aspects of God's interaction with humanity.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
n.) A change of place from higher to lower; as, a descent from a mountaintop.
2. (n.) Incursion; sudden attack; especially, hostile invasion from sea; -- often followed by upon or on; as, to make a descent upon the enemy.
3. (n.) Progress downward, as in station, virtue, as in station, virtue, and the like, from a higher to a lower state, from a higher to a lower state, from the more to the less important, from the better to the worse, etc.
4. (n.) Derivation, as from an ancestor; procedure by generation; lineage; birth; extraction.
5. (n.) Transmission of an estate by inheritance, usually, but not necessarily, in the descending line; title to inherit an estate by reason of consanguinity.
6. (n.) Inclination downward; a descending way; inclined or sloping surface; declivity; slope; as, a steep descent.
7. (n.) That which is descended; descendants; issue.
8. (n.) A step or remove downward in any scale of gradation; a degree in the scale of genealogy; a generation.
9. (n.) Lowest place; extreme downward place.
10. (n.) A passing from a higher to a lower tone.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
DESCEND; DESCENTde-send', de-sent' (yaradh; katabaino, "go down"); (katabasis): Of Yahweh (Exodus 34:5); of the Spirit (Matthew 3:16); of angels (Genesis 28:12Matthew 28:2John 1:51); of Christ (1 Thessalonians 4:16Ephesians 4:9). "He also descended into the lower parts of the earth" is variously interpreted, the two chief interpretations being the one of the incarnation, and the other of the "descent into hell" (1 Peter 3:19). The former regards the clause "of the earth," an appositive genitive, as when we speak of "the city of Rome," namely, "the lower parts, i.e. the earth." The other regards the genitive as possessive, or, with Meyer, as governed by the comparative, i.e. "parts lower than the earth." For the former view, see full discussion in Eadie; for the latter, Ellicott and especially Meyer, in commentaries on Eph.
H. E. Jacobs
DESCENT, OF JESUS
de-sent'.
SeeAPOCRYPHAL GOSPELS.
Greek
2600. katabasis --descent...descent. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: katabasis Phonetic Spelling:
(kat-ab'-as-is) Short Definition:
descent Definition:
descent.
...1075. genealogeo -- to trace ancestry
... of Speech: Verb Transliteration: genealogeo Phonetic Spelling: (ghen-eh-al-og-eh'-
o) Short Definition: I put into a genealogy, reckon mydescent Definition: I...
35. agenealogetos -- without genealogy
... Phonetic Spelling: (ag-en-eh-al-og'-ay-tos) Short Definition: of unrecorded genealogy
Definition: of unrecorded genealogy, whosedescent cannot be traced....
1080. gennao -- to beget, to bring forth
... Word Origin from genna (descent, birth) Definition to beget, to bring forth NASB
Word Usage bear (1), bearing children (1), became the father of (4), became...
5449. phusis -- nature
... From phuo; growth (by germination or expansion), ie (by implication) natural production
(linealdescent); by extension, a genus or sort; figuratively, native...
1078. genesis -- origin, birth
... Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: genesis Phonetic Spelling:
(ghen'-es-is) Short Definition: birth, lineage Definition: birth, lineage,descent....
36. agenes -- unborn, of no family, ignoble
... base things. From a (as negative particle) and genos; properly, without kin, ie
(of unknowndescent, and by implication) ignoble -- base things. see GREEK a....
3965. patria -- lineage, family
... As if feminine of a derivative of pater; paternaldescent, ie (concretely) a group
of families or a whole race (nation) -- family, kindred, lineage....
1085. genos -- family, offspring
... Word Origin from ginomai Definition family, offspring NASB Word Usage birth (2),
countrymen (2), descendant (1),descent (1), family (2), kind (3), kinds (3...
Strong's Hebrew
4174. morad -- adescent, slope... 4173, 4174. morad. 4175 . a
descent, slope. Transliteration: morad Phonetic
Spelling: (mo-rawd') Short Definition:
descent. Word
...5183b. nachath --descent
... nachath. 5184 .descent. Transliteration: nachath Short Definition: descending.
Word Origin from nacheth Definitiondescent NASB Word Usage descending (1)....
5183. Nachath -- quietness, rest
... From nchath; adescent, ie Imposition, unfavorable (punishment) or favorable (food);
also (intransitively; perhaps from nuwach), restfulness -- lighting down...
8435. toledoth -- generations
... Tolad. Or toldah {to-led-aw'}; from yalad; (plural only)descent, ie Family;
(figuratively) history -- birth, generations. see HEBREW yalad. 8434, 8435....
2233. zera -- a sowing, seed, offspring
... from zara Definition a sowing, seed, offspring NASB Word Usage carnally* (1), child
(1), children (3), descendant (3), descendants (105),descent (1), family (6...
5157. nachal -- to get or take as a possession
... A primitive root; to inherit (as a (figurative) mode ofdescent), or (generally)
to occupy; causatively, to bequeath, or (generally) distribute, instate...
3382. Yered -- a descendant of Seth, also a man of Judah
... Jared. From yarad; adescent; Jered, the name of an antediluvian, and of an Israelite --
Jared. see HEBREW yarad. 3381, 3382. Yered. 3383 . Strong's Numbers
4163. motsaah -- going forth
... draught house; going forth. Feminine of mowtsa'; a familydescent; also a sewer
(marg.; compare tsow'ah) -- draught house; going forth. see HEBREW mowtsa'....
Library
TheDescent from the Mount
... Strong Meat for Hungry Souls: The Gospel of St. Mark CHAPTER 9:9-13 THE
DESCENT FROM THE MOUNT. "And as they were coming down from...
The Lord'sDescent from Heaven.
... Chapter Eight The Churchward Results of the Redeemer's Return 1. The Lord's
descent from Heaven.... The Lord Himself shalldescent....
Book iv. TheDescent: from the Mount of Transfiguration into the...
... Book IV. THEDESCENT: FROM THE MOUNT OF TRANSFIGURATION INTO THE VALLEY OF
HUMILIATION AND DEATH. But God forbede but men shulde leve...
TheDescent of the Spirit. --Acts, ii. 1-4.
... ORIGINAL HYMNS HYMN CXXXVI. TheDescent of the Spirit."Acts, ii. 1-4.... James Montgomery.
TheDescent of the Spirit."Acts, ii.1-4. Lord God, the Holy Ghost,....
A Detached Account of theDescent into Hell.
... CHAPTER LIX. A Detached Account of theDescent into Hell. When Jesus, after
uttering a loud cry, expired, I saw his heavenly soul...
The Names andDescent of Other ??ons; First Half a Score, Then Two...
... Chapter VIII."The Names andDescent of Other ??ons; First Half a Score, Then Two
More, and Ultimately a Dozen Besides. These Thirty Constitute the Pleroma....
Concerning theDescent to Hades.
... Book III. Chapter XXIX."Concerning theDescent to Hades. The soul [2245]
when it was deified descended into Hades, in order that...
Whether Christ by hisDescent into Hell Delivered Souls from...
... OF CHRIST'SDESCENT INTO HELL (EIGHT ARTICLES) Whether Christ by Hisdescent
into hell delivered souls from purgatory? Objection...
But theDescent into the Water, and the Trine Immersion of the...
... IV."Apologetic Works. Chapter XXXV. But thedescent into the water, and
the trine immersion of the person in it? But thedescent...
Eighth Tractate. The Soul'sDescent into Body.
... THE FOURTH ENNEAD EIGHTH TRACTATE. THE SOUL'SDESCENT INTO BODY. 1. Many
times it has happened: Lifted out of the body into myself...
Thesaurus
Descent (22 Occurrences)... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (n.) A change of place from higher to lower; as, a
descent from a mountaintop.
... Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. DESCEND;
DESCENT.
...Jared (7 Occurrences)
...Descent. (1.) The fourth antediluvian patriarch indescent from Seth (Genesis
5:15-20; Luke 3:37), the father of Enoch; called Jered in 1 Chronicles 1:2....
Luhith (2 Occurrences)
... lu'-hith, loo'-hith, ma`-aleh ha-luchith): A place named in Isaiah 15:5 Jeremiah
48:5. It is clearly identical with the way, ordescent, of Horonaim....
Great (10383 Occurrences)
... Older, younger, or more remote, by single generation; -- often used before grand
to indicate one degree more remote in the direct line ofdescent; as, great...
Features (3 Occurrences)
... or Shephelah. In the latter passage, it might mean the same, or it might
mean thedescent from the Judean hills to the Ghaur. In...
Blood (435 Occurrences)
... See under Arterial. 2. (n.) Relationship bydescent from a common ancestor;
consanguinity; kinship. 3. (n.)Descent; lineage; especially...
Antediluvians
... Professor William Henry Green, who maintains that it is not Intended to give chronology,
and does not give it, but only indicates the line ofdescent, as where...
Greeks (22 Occurrences)
... Old Testament Apocrypha, that, in consequence of the spread of Hellenism, the term
Hellenes was applied not only to such as were of Hellenicdescent, but also...
Grecians (4 Occurrences)
... Old Testament Apocrypha, that, in consequence of the spread of Hellenism, the term
Hellenes was applied not only to such as were of Hellenicdescent, but also...
God (45911 Occurrences)
... Revised Version (British and American) translates the latter Greek phrase more
accurately "sons of God." Tekna contains the idea of origin ordescent, but also...
Resources
Who was Simon of Cyrene? | GotQuestions.orgIs Barack Obama the antichrist? | GotQuestions.orgWhat does it mean that the Shulammite had dark skin (Song of Solomon 1:6)? | GotQuestions.orgDescent: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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