Topical Encyclopedia
In the context of the Bible, "droppings" generally refer to animal excrement, which is mentioned in various passages, often in relation to agricultural practices, daily life, or as a metaphorical expression. The use of droppings in biblical times was multifaceted, serving both practical and symbolic purposes.
Practical Uses:1.
Fuel: In ancient times, animal droppings, particularly from livestock such as cattle and camels, were commonly used as fuel. This practice is still observed in some parts of the world today. The droppings would be dried and then burned, providing a necessary resource for cooking and heating in regions where wood was scarce.
2.
Fertilizer: Droppings were also used as a natural fertilizer to enrich the soil. This practice is implied in various agricultural contexts within the Bible, where the fertility of the land is a recurring theme. The use of droppings as fertilizer would have been essential for maintaining the productivity of the land, especially in the agrarian society of ancient Israel.
Symbolic and Metaphorical Uses:1.
Uncleanliness and Defilement: In the Mosaic Law, contact with animal droppings could render a person ceremonially unclean. This is part of the broader Levitical code that emphasizes purity and cleanliness, both physically and spiritually. The presence of droppings in a dwelling or camp required specific cleansing rituals to restore purity.
2.
Judgment and Desolation: In some prophetic passages, droppings are used metaphorically to describe desolation and judgment. For example, in
2 Kings 6:25, during the siege of Samaria, the scarcity of food led to the sale of dove droppings at a high price, highlighting the severity of the famine and the dire conditions faced by the people.
3.
Humility and Lowliness: Droppings can also symbolize humility and lowliness. In
Philippians 3:8, the Apostle Paul uses the term "rubbish" (often translated from the Greek word "skubalon," which can mean refuse or dung) to describe all things he once valued compared to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ. This metaphor underscores the idea of forsaking worldly gains for spiritual riches.
Biblical References:·
2 Kings 6:25 : "So there was a great famine in Samaria, and they besieged it until a donkey’s head sold for eighty shekels of silver, and a quarter cab of dove’s dung for five shekels of silver."
·
Philippians 3:8 : "More than that, I count all things as loss compared to the surpassing excellence of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ."
The use of droppings in the Bible, whether literal or metaphorical, reflects the broader themes of purity, judgment, humility, and the practical aspects of daily life in ancient times.
Library
Internal Evidence Demonstrated to be the Very Reverse of...
... Like ceaselessdroppings, which at last are known To leave their dint upon the solid
stone. I observe that Scholars and Divines of the best type (as the Rev....
Internal Evidence Demonstrated to be the Very Reverse of...
... Like ceaselessdroppings, which at last are known To leave their dint upon the solid
stone. I observe that Scholars and Divines of the best type (as the Rev....
Song 7. Summer's Evening. 11,11,11,9
... How lovely and joyful the course that he run; Though he rose in a mist when his
race he begun, And there followed somedroppings of rain: But now the fair...
Song 7. Summer's Evening.
... Though he rose in a mist when his race he begun,. And there followed somedroppings
of rain: But now the fair traveller's come to the west,....
"Lord, I Hear of Showers of Blessing. "
... Lord, I hear of showers of blessing Thou art scattering full and free" Showers
the thirsty land refreshing; Let somedroppings fall on me"...
The Resurrection Proved by Examples.
... in drinking it has swallowed a seed of apple or fig, or something else, has come
to some rocky hillock or tomb, and has left the seed in itsdroppings, and the...
of Religion and Wisdom.
... citizens, how much better and more rightly shall we follow up in writing the divine
Institutions, in which we shall not speak about rain-droppings, or the...
Salvation in the Cross.
... 1 Here at thy cross, my dying God, I lay my soul beneath thy love, Beneath
thedroppings of thy blood, Jesus, nor shall it e'er remove....
Salvation in the Cross.
... Salvation in the cross. Here at thy cross, my dying God,. I lay my soul beneath
thy love,. Beneath thedroppings of thy blood,. Jesus, nor shall it e'er remove....
"Thou Art Now the Blessed of the Lord. "
... "Lord, I hear of showers of blessing,. Thou art scattering full and free; Showers,
the thirsty land refreshing; Let somedroppings fall on me,. Even me."....
Thesaurus
Droppings (4 Occurrences)... Multi-Version Concordance
Droppings (4 Occurrences).
... Job 36:27 When He doth diminish
droppings of the waters, They refine rain according to its vapour, (YLT).
...Dropping (33 Occurrences)
... The continuous "droppings" of rain through a leaking roof (roofs were usually made
of clay in Palestine, and always liable to cracks and leakage) on a "very...
Drops (27 Occurrences)
Honey (62 Occurrences)
... The ordinances of Yahweh were "sweeter than honey and thedroppings of the
honeycomb" (Psalm 19:10; Psalm 119:103). "Thou didst eat....
Refine (9 Occurrences)
... (WEB JPS ASV DBY YLT NAS RSV NIV). Job 36:27 When He doth diminishdroppings
of the waters, They refine rain according to its vapour, (YLT)....
Drop (32 Occurrences)
... The continuous "droppings" of rain through a leaking roof (roofs were usually made
of clay in Palestine, and always liable to cracks and leakage) on a "very...
Diminish (22 Occurrences)
... before God. (YLT). Job 36:27 When He doth diminishdroppings of the waters,
They refine rain according to its vapour, (YLT). Psalms 107...
Comb (3 Occurrences)
... Proverbs 24:13 My son, eat honey, for it is good; thedroppings of the honeycomb,
which are sweet to your taste: (Root in WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV...
Doves (25 Occurrences)
... of food in Samaria; for they kept it shut in till the price of an ass's head was
eighty shekels of silver, and a small measure of doves'droppings was five...
Honeycomb (9 Occurrences)
... Proverbs 24:13 My son, eat honey, for it is good; thedroppings of the honeycomb,
which are sweet to your taste: (WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY YLT RSV)....
Resources
What is the book of Tobit? | GotQuestions.orgDroppings: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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