Topical Encyclopedia
Definition and Context:Floating refers to the act of remaining on the surface of a liquid without sinking. In the biblical context, floating is often associated with divine intervention, protection, and the miraculous. It is a phenomenon that underscores God's sovereignty over nature and His ability to preserve and deliver His people.
Biblical Instances:1.
The Ark of Noah: One of the most significant instances of floating in the Bible is the account of Noah's Ark. In
Genesis 6-9, God instructs Noah to build an ark to save his family and pairs of every living creature from the impending flood. The ark floats on the waters for many days, symbolizing God's provision and protection.
Genesis 7:17 states, "For forty days the floodwaters were upon the earth, and the waters increased and lifted the ark high above the earth."
2.
The Basket of Moses: In
Exodus 2, the infant Moses is placed in a basket and set afloat on the Nile River to save him from Pharaoh's decree to kill all Hebrew male infants. The basket, made of papyrus and coated with tar and pitch, floats safely until Pharaoh's daughter discovers Moses. This event highlights God's providence and the preservation of His chosen leader.
Exodus 2:3 describes, "But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and set it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile."
3.
The Floating Axe Head: In
2 Kings 6:1-7, the prophet Elisha performs a miracle by causing a borrowed axe head to float on the Jordan River. When a prophet's disciple loses the axe head in the water, Elisha throws a stick into the river, and the iron axe head miraculously floats to the surface. This event demonstrates God's concern for the needs of His people and His power over the natural world.
2 Kings 6:6 records, "The man of God asked, 'Where did it fall?' When he showed him the place, Elisha cut a stick and threw it there, and made the iron float."
Theological Significance:Floating in the Bible often signifies God's intervention in human affairs. It serves as a reminder of His omnipotence and His ability to transcend natural laws for the sake of His purposes. The instances of floating underscore themes of salvation, divine protection, and the miraculous provision of God. They illustrate how God can use ordinary elements of creation to achieve extraordinary outcomes, reinforcing the belief in His active presence and care in the lives of His people.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
p. pr. & vb. n.) of Float.
2. (a.) Buoyed upon or in a fluid; a, the floating timbers of a wreck; floating motes in the air.
3. (a.) Free or lose from the usual attachment; as, the floating ribs in man and some other animals.
4. (a.) Not funded; not fixed, invested, or determined; as, floating capital; a floating debt.
5. (n.) Floating threads. See Floating threads, above.
6. (n.) The second coat of three-coat plastering.
Strong's Hebrew
7642. shabluwl -- a snail... snail From the same as shebel; a snail (as if
floating in its own slime) -- snail.
see HEBREW shebel. 7641, 7642. shabluwl. 7642a . Strong's Numbers.
Library
The Next Night Diamond was Seated by his Open Window...
... Her hair and her garments wentfloating away behind her over the tree,
whose top was swaying about while the others were still....
The Story of Moses, the Child who was Found in the River
... How anxious the mother and the sister were as they saw the little arkfloating away
from them on the river! [Illustration: She placed her baby in the ark]....
The Night Bird: a Myth
... THE NIGHT BIRD: A MYTH. Afloating, afloating Across the sleeping sea,
All night I heard a singing bird Upon the topmost tree. 'Oh...
The Saviour's Last Command.
... They have sold to them guns, powder and rum. Many of their ships have beenfloating
grog-shops"floating exhibitions too of Sodom and Gomorrah....
All the Bells were Ringing the Angelus. ...
... and from the many quaint and beautiful grey towers which crown the ancient city
of Rouen, the sacred chime pealed forth melodiously,floating with sweet and...
Outward Bound
... eddy, or central pool of the Atlantic, between the Gulf Stream and the equatorial
current, unmoved save by surface-drifts of wind, asfloating weeds collect...
A Revival Sermon
... Hervey once said, "Eachfloating ship, afloating hell." Of all classes of men,
the sailor has been supposed to be the man least likely to be reached by the...
Marvellous Increase of the Church
... Up towards the north I flew; and my eye looked keenly through the mist and darkness,
if perhaps it might find somefloating substance, on which my soul might...
The Finding of Moses
... She knew that presently the great princess, Pharaoh's daughter, would come down
to bathe in the river, and would notice the queer little arkfloating there....
Introductory Notice to Apocrypha of the New Testament.
... well says: "The method employed in these compositions is always the same, whether
the author intended simply to collect and arrange what wasfloating in the...
Thesaurus
Floating (1 Occurrence)... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Float. 2. (a.) Buoyed upon or
in a fluid; a, the
floating timbers of a wreck;
floating motes in the air.
...Ark (212 Occurrences)
... ark, a building of gopher-wood, and covered with pitch, 300 cubits long, 50 cubits
broad, and 30 cubits high (Genesis 6:14-16); an oblongfloating house of...
Vapor (6 Occurrences)
... 2. (n.) In a loose and popular sense, any visible diffused substancefloating in
the atmosphere and impairing its transparency, as smoke, fog, etc....
Bulrushes (3 Occurrences)
... Into thisfloating vessel the mother of Moses placed the boy when he was three months
old, and put the vessel in the water among the sedge along the banks of...
Draw (212 Occurrences)
... 18. (vt) To require (so great a depth, as of water) forfloating; -- said of a vessel;
to sink so deep in (water); as, a ship draws ten feet of water. 19....
Deluge (17 Occurrences)
... the anger of Bel (II. 146-50). (6) In all the accounts, the ark is represented
asfloating up stream. According to Genesis, it was...
Noah (55 Occurrences)
... the anger of Bel (II. 146-50). (6) In all the accounts, the ark is represented
asfloating up stream. According to Genesis, it was...
Vagabond (4 Occurrences)
... 2. (a.) Moving from place to place without a settled habitation; wandering. 3.
(a.)Floating about without any certain direction; driven to and fro....
Levity (2 Occurrences)
... 2. (n.) The quality of weighing less than something else of equal bulk; relative
lightness, especially as shown by rising through, orfloating upon, a...
Gossamer (1 Occurrence)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (n.) A fine, flimsy, sheer fabric or substance, like
cobwebs,floating in the air, in calm, clear weather, especially in autumn....
Resources
How are magicians / illusionists able to levitate / perform levitation tricks? | GotQuestions.orgWhat are some popular illustrations of the Holy Trinity? | GotQuestions.orgWhat is the serenity prayer? | GotQuestions.orgFloating: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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