Topical Encyclopedia
In biblical times, the concept of "floats" as understood in modern contexts, such as parade floats or flotation devices, is not directly mentioned. However, the term can be explored through related biblical themes and historical contexts, particularly in relation to construction and transportation on water.
Construction and Transportation:The closest biblical reference to the concept of floats can be found in the context of construction and transportation, particularly in the building of Solomon's Temple. In
1 Kings 5:9 , we read about the transportation of timber from Lebanon to Israel: "My servants will bring the logs down from Lebanon to the sea, and I will make them into rafts to go by sea to the place you indicate to me. There I will have them broken apart, and you can take them away." Here, the logs were bound together to form rafts, which floated on water to facilitate their transport. This method of using rafts can be seen as an ancient form of floats, serving a practical purpose in the movement of heavy materials.
Symbolism and Imagery:While the Bible does not explicitly mention floats in a symbolic sense, water and flotation can carry significant metaphorical meanings. Water is often used as a symbol of life, cleansing, and divine provision. In
Genesis 7:17-18 , during the account of the Great Flood, the ark built by Noah floated on the waters: "For forty days the floodwaters prevailed on the earth, and the waters rose and lifted the ark high above the earth. So the waters continued to surge and rise greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the waters." The ark's ability to float symbolizes God's provision and protection amidst judgment and chaos.
Miracles and Divine Acts:The Bible also recounts miraculous events involving flotation. In
2 Kings 6:5-7 , the prophet Elisha performs a miracle involving a floating axe head: "As one of them was cutting down a tree, the iron axe head fell into the water. 'Oh, my master,' he cried out, 'it was borrowed!' The man of God asked, 'Where did it fall?' When he showed him the place, Elisha cut a stick and threw it there, and he made the iron float. 'Lift it out,' he said, and the man reached out his hand and took it." This miracle demonstrates God's power over natural laws and His concern for the needs of His people.
Cultural and Historical Context:In the ancient Near East, the use of rafts and other flotation devices was a practical solution for transporting goods and people across bodies of water. The biblical references to such practices highlight the ingenuity and resourcefulness of ancient peoples in utilizing available resources to overcome geographical challenges.
In summary, while the Bible does not directly address the modern concept of floats, it provides insights into ancient practices of flotation for transportation and construction, as well as symbolic and miraculous uses of flotation in the narrative of God's interaction with His people.
Strong's Hebrew
1702. doberah --floats, rafts... 1701, 1702. doberah. 1703 .
floats, rafts. Transliteration: doberah Phonetic
Spelling: (do-ber-aw') Short Definition: rafts. Word
...Library
Two Ways of Rising
... But the sun, with its warming rays, smiles down upon the water, and the
water rises in unseen vapor andfloats into the atmosphere....
Striking Similes
... A drowsy murmurfloats into the air like thistledown. A face as imperturbable as
fate. A face as pale as wax.... A white birdfloats there, like a drifting leaf....
Paul's Desire to Depart
... now the signal is given; the anchor is taken up; the rope which held the ship to
the shore is loosed, and lo, the ship is moving and shefloats outward towards...
Survival of the Fittest
... of the four winds bears up their bodies to the judgment seat: the firmament is all
full of them, a very dust of human souls, that drifts, andfloats, and falls...
The Nativity
... On whose broad back grim Death triumphant rides,. While havocfloats on all thy
swelling tides,. Thy shores a scene of ruin strewed around....
The Beatific vision. (Continued. )
... But the drop of oil is such a type; for while itfloats on the bosom of the deep,
it does not mingle with the water, nor lose its individuality....
Mystery and Faith
... what seemed a solid boundary of rock dissolves andfloats away into a depth of darkness,
the path opens into an immense void, new shapes of mystery start out...
Christianity in Poverty and Lowliness, and on the Sick Bed.
... So much the more unwise, therefore, is it to judge of the effect of Christianity
in any age, by whatfloats on the surface; and so much the more important is...
The Ministry of Intercession
... Beneath the Orient moon, And catch the golden noting From the busy Western noon;
And pine-robed heights would echo As the mystic chant up-floats, And the sunny...
Other Charges Repelled by the Same Method the Story of the Noble...
... Reflect, therefore, on the licentiousness whichfloats about amongst men's passions
[703] as if they were the winds, and consider whether there be any...
Thesaurus
Floats (2 Occurrences)... Multi-Version Concordance
Floats (2 Occurrences). 1 Kings 5:9 My servants
shall bring them down from Lebanon unto the sea: and I
...Float (4 Occurrences)
... 1. (vi) Anything whichfloats or rests on the surface of a fluid, as to sustain
weight, or to indicate the height of the surface, or mark the place of...
Joppa (14 Occurrences)
... to flee from the presence of the Lord" (Jonah 1:3). To this place also the wood
cut in Lebanon by Hiram's men for Solomon was brought infloats (2 Chronicles 2...
Convey (6 Occurrences)
... 1 Kings 5:9 My servants shall bring them down from Lebanon unto the sea: and I will
convey them by sea infloats unto the place that thou shalt appoint me, and...
Fishing (4 Occurrences)
... (b) A long net or seine of one or two fathoms depth, leaded on one edge and provided
withfloats on the other, is payed out from boats in such a way as to...
Boats (11 Occurrences)
... Hiram also undertook to make the cedar and the fir into rafts (1 Kings 5:9, dobheroth,
the King James Version "floats"; 2 Chronicles 2:16, raphcodhoth, "flotes...
Ships (46 Occurrences)
... Hiram also undertook to make the cedar and the fir into rafts (1 Kings 5:9, dobheroth,
the King James Version "floats"; 2 Chronicles 2:16, raphcodhoth, "flotes...
Logs (12 Occurrences)
... 2 Chronicles 2:16 and we will cut wood out of Lebanon, as much as you shall need;
and we will bring it to you infloats by sea to Joppa; and you shall carry it...
Ice (20 Occurrences)
... Its specific gravity (0.92, that of water at 4 C. being 1.0) being less
than that of water, icefloats. 2. (n.) Concreted sugar....
Ferry (1 Occurrence)
... of the king.Floats or rafts for this purpose were in use from remote times
(Isaiah 18:2). Noah Webster's Dictionary. 1. (vt) To...
Resources
What is the significance of the refiner's fire and launderer's soap in Malachi 3:2? | GotQuestions.orgWhat is the No True Scotsman fallacy? | GotQuestions.orgIs it wrong to feel disappointment with God? | GotQuestions.orgFloats: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
Bible Dictionary •
Bible Encyclopedia •
Topical Bible •
Bible Thesuarus
