Topical Encyclopedia
The term "flat" in the context of the Bible can refer to several concepts, including geographical features, descriptions of objects, or metaphorical uses. While the Bible does not frequently use the word "flat" in the Berean Standard Bible translation, the concept can be explored through related terms and descriptions.
Geographical Features:In biblical times, the landscape of the Near East included various geographical features, some of which were flat plains or plateaus. These areas were often significant for agriculture, settlement, and travel. For example, the "plain of Shinar" (
Genesis 11:2) is a flat region where the Tower of Babel was constructed. The flatness of such plains made them suitable for large gatherings and construction projects.
Objects and Descriptions:The Bible occasionally describes objects or surfaces as flat. For instance, the construction of the Tabernacle and the Temple involved crafting items with flat surfaces. The altar, tables, and other furnishings required precise, flat surfaces for their intended use. In
Exodus 25:23, the instructions for the Table of Showbread include making it with specific dimensions, implying a flat top for holding the bread.
Metaphorical Uses:While the Bible does not explicitly use "flat" metaphorically in the BSB, the concept can be inferred in certain passages. For example, the idea of something being "leveled" or "made straight" can imply a flattening process.
Isaiah 40:4 states, "Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill made low; the uneven ground shall become smooth, and the rugged places a plain." This passage uses the imagery of flattening to describe the preparation for the coming of the Lord, symbolizing the removal of obstacles and the creation of a direct path.
Theological Implications:From a theological perspective, the concept of flatness can symbolize equality and justice. In a spiritual sense, the leveling of mountains and valleys can represent God's justice and the establishment of His kingdom, where all are equal before Him. This is reflected in the teachings of Jesus, who emphasized humility and the equal value of all individuals in the eyes of God.
Cultural and Historical Context:Understanding the cultural and historical context of flat regions in the Bible enhances our comprehension of biblical narratives. Flat areas were often chosen for significant events, such as battles or gatherings, due to their accessibility and visibility. The flat plains of Megiddo, for example, were the site of numerous historical battles, including those mentioned in the Bible (
Judges 5:19).
In summary, while the term "flat" itself may not be frequently used in the BSB, its implications and related concepts are woven throughout the biblical narrative, offering insights into the physical and spiritual landscapes of the biblical world.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
superl.) Having an even and horizontal surface, or nearly so, without prominences or depressions; level without inclination; plane.
2. (superl.) Lying at full length, or spread out, upon the ground; level with the ground or earth; prostrate; as, to lie flat on the ground; hence, fallen; laid low; ruined; destroyed.
3. (superl.) Wanting relief; destitute of variety; without points of prominence and striking interest.
4. (superl.) Tasteless; stale; vapid; insipid; dead; as, fruit or drink flat to the taste.
5. (superl.) Unanimated; dull; uninteresting; without point or spirit; monotonous; as, a flat speech or composition.
6. (superl.) Lacking liveliness of commercial exchange and dealings; depressed; dull; as, the market is flat.
7. (superl.) Clear; unmistakable; peremptory; absolute; positive; downright.
8. (superl.) Below the true pitch; hence, as applied to intervals, minor, or lower by a half step; as, a flat seventh; A flat.
9. (superl.) Not sharp or shrill; not acute; as, a flat sound.
10. (superl.) Sonant; vocal; -- applied to any one of the sonant or vocal consonants, as distinguished from a nonsonant (or sharp) consonant.
11. (adv.) In a flat manner; directly; flatly.
12. (adv.) Without allowance for accrued interest.
13. (n.) A level surface, without elevation, relief, or prominences; an extended plain; specifically, in the United States, a level tract along the along the banks of a river; as, the Mohawk Flats.
14. (n.) A level tract lying at little depth below the surface of water, or alternately covered and left bare by the tide; a shoal; a shallow; a strand.
15. (n.) Something broad and flat in form
16. (n.) A flat-bottomed boat, without keel, and of small draught.
17. (n.) A straw hat, broad-brimmed and low-crowned.
18. (n.) A car without a roof, the body of which is a platform without sides; a platform car.
19. (n.) A platform on wheel, upon which emblematic designs, etc., are carried in processions.
20. (n.) The flat part, or side, of anything; as, the broad side of a blade, as distinguished from its edge.
21. (n.) A floor, loft, or story in a building; especially, a floor of a house, which forms a complete residence in itself.
22. (n.) A horizontal vein or ore deposit auxiliary to a main vein; also, any horizontal portion of a vein not elsewhere horizontal.
23. (n.) A dull fellow; a simpleton; a numskull.
24. (n.) A character [/] before a note, indicating a tone which is a half step or semitone lower.
25. (n.) A homaloid space or extension.
26. (v. t.) To make flat; to flatten; to level.
27. (v. t.) To render dull, insipid, or spiritless; to depress.
28. (v. t.) To depress in tone, as a musical note; especially, to lower in pitch by half a tone.
29. (v. i.) To become flat, or flattened; to sink or fall to an even surface.
30. (v. i.) To fall form the pitch.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
FLAT NOSE(charum; Septuagint koloborin):
Used only inLeviticus 21:18 as the name of a deformity which disqualified a member of a priestly family for serving the altar.
The root of the word signifies "to cut off" or "to cut flat," and in the Revised Version, margin "slit nose" is substituted. The condition indicated is most probably the depressed, flattened nose which so often accompanies harelip, especially in its double form.
A mere snub-nose can scarcely be regarded as a blemish of sufficient importance to unfit a priest for the service of "offering the bread of God"; but harelip, like blindness or the other congenital malformations or deformities enumerated in this passage, might well render a son of Aaron unfit or unsuitable for public religious duty.
Alexander Macalister
Greek
4109. plax -- anythingflat and broad, hence aflat stone... anything
flat and broad, hence a
flat stone. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: plax Phonetic Spelling: (plax) Short Definition: a tablet,
flat...3474. moros -- dull, stupid, foolish
... 3474 (the root of the English terms, "moron, moronic") -- properly, (insipid),flat
("without an edge"); (figuratively) "mentally inert"; dull in understanding...
358. analos -- saltless
... saltless. Part of Speech: Adjective Transliteration: analos Phonetic Spelling:
(an'-al-os) Short Definition: saltless, tasteless,flat Definition: saltless...
5357. phiale -- a (shallow) bowl
... a (shallow) bowl. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: phiale Phonetic
Spelling: (fee-al'-ay) Short Definition: a shallow andflat bowl Definition: a...
4721. stege -- a roof
... a roof. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: stege Phonetic Spelling:
(steg'-ay) Short Definition: aflat roof of a house Definition: aflat roof of...
4746. stoibas -- branch.
... From a primary steibo (to "step" or "stamp"); a spread (as if trampedflat) of loose
materials for a couch, ie (by implication) a bough of a tree so employed...
5019. Tarsos -- Tarsus, a city of Cilicia
... Tarsus. Perhaps the same as tarsos (aflat basket); Tarsus, a place in Asia Minor --
Tarsus. (tarson) -- 2 Occurrences. (tarso) -- 1 Occurrence. 5018, 5019....
4116. platus -- broad, subst. a street
... a street NASB Word Usage street (4), streets (5), wide (1). wide. From plasso;
spread out "flat" ("plot"), ie Broad -- wide. see GREEK plasso....
3977. pedinos -- level, plain
... level, plain. Part of Speech: Adjective Transliteration: pedinos Phonetic Spelling:
(ped-ee-nos') Short Definition: level Definition: level, low-lying,flat....
Strong's Hebrew
6838. tsappichith -- aflat cake, wafer... 6837, 6838. tsappichith. 6839 . a
flat cake, wafer. Transliteration: tsappichith
Phonetic Spelling: (tsap-pee-kheeth') Short Definition: wafers.
...2281. chabittim --flat cakes, bread wafers
... 2280, 2281. chabittim. 2282 .flat cakes, bread wafers. Transliteration: chabittim
Phonetic Spelling: (khaw-bayth') Short Definition: pans....
6446. pas --flat (of the hand or foot)
... 6445, 6446. pas. 6447 .flat (of the hand or foot). Transliteration:
pas Phonetic Spelling: (pas) Short Definition: varicolored....
4227. machabath -- aflat plate, pan, griddle
... 4226, 4227. machabath. 4228 . aflat plate, pan, griddle. Transliteration:
machabath Phonetic Spelling: (makh-ab-ath') Short Definition: griddle....
8479. tachath -- in lieu of, as, beneath,flat, instead, same...
... tachath. 8480 . in lieu of, as, beneath,flat, instead, same place where.
Transliteration: tachath Phonetic Spelling: (takh'-ath) Short Definition: as....
3330b. yatsia --flat surface
...flat surface. Transliteration: yatsia Short Definition: stories. Word Origin from
yatsa Definitionflat surface NASB Word Usage stories (2), story (1)....
3709. kaph -- hollow orflat of the hand, palm, sole (of the foot)...
... 3708b, 3709. kaph. 3710 . hollow orflat of the hand, palm, sole (of the foot),
a pan. Transliteration: kaph Phonetic Spelling: (kaf) Short Definition: hands...
2763. charam -- to ban, devote, exterminate
... make accursed, consecrate, utterly destroy, devote, forfeit, have aflat nose,
utterly slay A primitive root; to seclude; specifically...
7812. shachah -- to bow down
... bow self down, crouch, fall downflat, humbly beseech, do reverence, worship.
A primitive root; to depress, ie Prostrate (especially...
8478. tachath -- underneath, below, instead of
... 4), allegiance* (1), Amid (1), among (2), because (1), because* (12), below (1),
below* (10), beneath (13), beneath* (7), exchange (3),flat (2), foot (8...
Library
Voyage to Benares.
... on in this way. I accordingly embarked for Benares on aflat, tugged by
a steamer, in the first week of March. After going down...
Tire-Trouble
... The result of these things is what is known as aflat tire with all the
air gone out, and the automobile bumps on the hard rim....
The Central Sun
... tell you. The ancient way of explaining this text was this. People believed
in old times that the earth wasflat. Then, they held...
In the Course of this Crude Study we Shall have to Touch on what...
... Again, he does not desire aflat. He can eat and sleep and praise God in a
flat; he can eat and sleep and praise God in a railway train....
Book vi
... Dickinson and Allegheny Colleges; Genesee Conference Academy; death and character
of JM Smith; numbers; general improvement; Liberia mission;Flat head, or...
Prayer and Importunity (Continued)
... His plea was pressing: of a truth, he could not go back empty-handed. Theflat refusal
chagrined and surprised him. Here even friendship failed!...
Arrival at Benares.
... Word of the approach of our steamer andflat had reached Secrole, the European suburb
of Benares, three miles inland, and no sooner had we come to anchor than...
Lamps and Bushels
... each of the nouns has the definite article attached to it, and so suggests that
in the house there was but one of each article; one lamp, aflat saucer with a...
The Ark among the Philistines
... When the people of Ashdod rose early the next day and came to the temple of Dagon,
there was Dagon on the groundflat on his face before the ark of Jehovah....
The Shaking of the Heavens and the Earth (Preached at the Chapel...
... contain. It was simple enough, their theory of the universe. The earth
was aflat plain; for did not the earth lookflat? Or if...
Thesaurus
Flat (33 Occurrences)... 2. (superl.) Lying at full length, or spread out, upon the ground; level with the
ground or earth; prostrate; as, to lie
flat on the ground; hence, fallen
...Table (125 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (n.) A smooth,flat surface, like the side
of a board; a thin,flat, smooth piece of anything; a slab....
Tablet (7 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary. 1. (n.) A small table orflat surface.... TABLET. tab'-let:
A rigidflat sheet (plate, pad or slab) used to receive writing....
Disgusting (149 Occurrences)
... you. (BBE). Leviticus 11:41 Everything which goesflat on its body on the
earth is disgusting, and is not to be used for food. (BBE)....
Plate (34 Occurrences)
... 1. (n.) Aflat, or nearlyflat, piece of metal, the thickness of which is small
in comparison with the other dimensions; a thick sheet of metal; as, a steel...
Nose (23 Occurrences)
...FLAT NOSE.... The root of the word signifies "to cut off" or "to cutflat," and
in the Revised Version, margin "slit nose" is substituted....
Level (31 Occurrences)
... 9. (a.) Even;flat; having no part higher than another; having, or conforming to,
the curvature which belongs to the undisturbed liquid parts of the earth's...
Flatter (5 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (n.) One who, or that which, makesflat or
flattens. 2. (n.) Aflat-faced fulling hammer. 3. (n.) A...
Plat (1 Occurrence)
... 3. (n.) A small piece or plot of ground laid out with some design, or for a special
use; usually, a portion offlat, even ground.... 5. (n.) Plain;flat; level....
Cooked (35 Occurrences)
... (BBE). Leviticus 2:5 And if you give a meal offering cooked on aflat plate, let
it be of the best meal, unleavened and mixed with oil. (BBE)....
Resources
Does the Bible teach that the earth is flat? | GotQuestions.orgWhat is the argument from disbelief? | GotQuestions.orgWhat is post-theism? | GotQuestions.orgFlat: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
Bible Dictionary •
Bible Encyclopedia •
Topical Bible •
Bible Thesuarus
