Topical Encyclopedia
The term "horrible" in the context of the Bible often conveys a sense of dread, fear, or something that is profoundly disturbing or repulsive. It is used to describe events, actions, or visions that evoke a strong emotional response due to their terrifying or abominable nature. The concept of "horrible" is often associated with divine judgment, sin, and the consequences of turning away from God.
Biblical Usage and Context1.
Divine Judgment: The Bible frequently uses the term "horrible" to describe the fearsome nature of God's judgment against sin and rebellion. In
Jeremiah 5:30-31 , the prophet declares, "A horrible and shocking thing has happened in the land: The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule by their own authority. My people love it so, but what will you do in the end?" Here, the "horrible" refers to the corruption and deceit among the spiritual leaders of Israel, which leads to divine judgment.
2.
Visions and Prophecies: In prophetic literature, "horrible" is often used to describe visions that reveal the severity of God's wrath. For example, in
Ezekiel 7:5-6 , the prophet warns, "This is what the Lord GOD says: Disaster! An unheard-of disaster is coming. The end has come! The end has come; it has roused itself against you. Behold, it has come!" The impending disaster is portrayed as something dreadful and inevitable, emphasizing the seriousness of God's impending judgment.
3.
Moral and Spiritual Corruption: The term is also used to describe the moral and spiritual decay of a society that has turned away from God. In
Jeremiah 23:14 , the prophet laments, "And among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horrible thing: They commit adultery and walk in lies; they strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that no one turns back from his wickedness. They are all like Sodom to Me, and the people of Jerusalem like Gomorrah." The "horrible thing" here is the pervasive sin and the failure of the prophets to lead the people in righteousness.
4.
Fear and Awe of God: The concept of "horrible" can also be linked to the fear and awe that God's presence and power inspire. In
Psalm 66:3 , the psalmist proclaims, "Say to God, 'How awesome are Your deeds! So great is Your power that Your enemies cower before You.'" While the term "awesome" is used here, the underlying idea is that God's mighty acts can be both awe-inspiring and terrifying to those who oppose Him.
Theological ImplicationsThe use of "horrible" in the Bible underscores the seriousness of sin and the reality of divine judgment. It serves as a warning to God's people to remain faithful and obedient, highlighting the consequences of turning away from His commandments. The term also reflects the holiness and righteousness of God, who cannot tolerate sin and will ultimately bring justice to the world.
In a broader theological context, the concept of "horrible" reminds believers of the need for repentance and the hope of redemption through Jesus Christ. While the Bible presents vivid images of judgment and wrath, it also offers the promise of forgiveness and restoration for those who turn to God in faith.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
(
a.) Exciting, or tending to excite, horror or fear; dreadful; terrible; shocking; hideous; as, a horrible sight; a horrible story; a horrible murder.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
HORRIBLEhor'-i-b'-l (sha`arur, sha`aruri): InJeremiah 5:30 sha`arur, "vile," "horrible," is translated "horrible," "a wonderful and horrible thing" the Revised Version margin "astonishment and horror"; alsoJeremiah 23:14; in 18:13;Hosea 6:10 it is sha`aruri; inPsalm 11:6 we have zil`aphah, "heat," the Revised Version (British and American) "burning wind"; inPsalm 40:2 sha'on, "noise," "tumult," "He brought me up. out of a horrible pit," the Revised Version margin "a pit of tumult" (or destruction). Horribly is the translation of sa`ar, "to shudder," "to be whirled away," inJeremiah 2:12, and of sa`ar, "fear," "trembling," inEzekiel 32:10; inEzekiel 27:35 the Revised Version (British and American) has "horribly afraid" (sa`ar) for "sore afraid." "Horrible" occurs frequently in Apocrypha (2 Esdras 11:45; 15:28, 34; The Wisdom of Solomon 3:19, "For horrible (chalepos) is the end of the unrighteous generation" the Revised Version (British and American) "grievous" etc.).
W. L. Walker
Strong's Hebrew
8186a. shaarurah -- a horror,horrible thing... 8186, 8186a. shaarurah. 8186b . a horror,
horrible thing. Transliteration:
shaarurah Short Definition: thing. Word Origin from the
...8186. sha'aruwrah -- a horror,horrible thing
... sha'aruwrah. 8186a . a horror,horrible thing. Transliteration: sha'aruwrah Phonetic
Spelling: (shah-ar-oo-raw') Short Definition: thing.horrible thing...
8186b. shaaruriyyah -- a horror,horrible thing
... 8186a, 8186b. shaaruriyyah. 8187 . a horror,horrible thing.
Transliteration: shaaruriyyah Short Definition: thing. Word Origin...
2152. zalaphah -- raging heat
...horrible, horror, terrible. Or ziliaphaph {zil-aw-faw'}; from za'aph; a glow (of
wind or anger); also a famine (as consuming) --horrible, horror, terrible....
7588. shaon -- a roar (of waters, etc.), din, crash, uproar
... 3), uproar (4).horrible, noise, pomp, rushing, tumultuous. From sha'ah;
uproar (as of rushing); by implication, destruction -- X...
6178. aruts -- dreadful
... cliffs. Passive participle of arats; feared, ie (concretely) ahorrible place or
chasm -- cliffs. see HEBREW arats. 6177, 6178. aruts. 6179 . Strong's Numbers
Library
AHorrible Proposition
... Chapter 7. Severe Weather; Ireland; Wesley's Protest against Lawlessness cWesley
and Faith-healing AHorrible Proposition. They filled...
Brought up from theHorrible Pit
... Brought Up from theHorrible Pit.... He brought me up also out of anhorrible pit, out
of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings....
He Compels to the Perpetration ofHorrible Turpitudes.
... Concerning the Nature of Good, Against the Manich??ans. Chapter 47. "He Compels to
the Perpetration ofHorrible Turpitudes. O abominable monster!...
Christ's Resurrection Song.
... cry. He brought me up also Out of anhorrible pit, Out of the miry clay;
And set my feet upon a rock, Established my goings. And...
'de Profundis'
... very strong passions and feelings, dragging him down into the deep, and great light
and understanding to show him the dark secrets of thathorrible pit when he...
On Predestination to Salvation, and on Damnation Considered in the...
... and in this very assertion are propounded two contrary volitions of God concerning
one and the same thing.8. It is ahorrible affirmation, that "God has...
The Heathen Perverted Judgment in the Trial of Christians
... Let our infanticides and the dressers (of ourhorrible repasts) be brought
out,"ay, and the very dogs which minister to our (incestuous) nuptials; [485] then...
Of the Mass.
... That the Mass in the Papacy must be the greatest and mosthorrible abomination,
as it directly and powerfully conflicts with this chief article, and yet above...
Chapter twenty-two
... The rags, the crowding, the vileness, the broken furniture, thehorrible animal
existence forced upon creatures made in God's image were so skilfully shown in...
The Meteor Shower (Preached at the Chapel Royal, St. James's, Nov....
... Tell us not that the world is governed by universal law; the news is not comfortable,
but simplyhorrible, unless you can tell us, or allow others to tell us...
Thesaurus
Horrible (12 Occurrences)... (a.) Exciting, or tending to excite, horror or fear; dreadful; terrible; shocking;
hideous; as, a
horrible sight; a
horrible story; a
horrible murder.
...HORRIBLE.
...Mistress (20 Occurrences)
... 1 Kings 15:13 and also Maachah his mother -- he turneth her aside from being mistress,
in that she made ahorrible thing for a shrine, and Asa cutteth down her...
Horrid (2 Occurrences)
... 1 Kings 15:13 and also Maachah his mother -- he turneth her aside from being mistress,
in that she made ahorrible thing for a shrine, and Asa cutteth down her...
Cutteth (37 Occurrences)
... 1 Kings 15:13 and also Maachah his mother -- he turneth her aside from being mistress,
in that she made ahorrible thing for a shrine, and Asa cutteth down her...
Shrine (34 Occurrences)
... 1 Kings 15:13 and also Maachah his mother -- he turneth her aside from being mistress,
in that she made ahorrible thing for a shrine, and Asa cutteth down her...
Burneth (67 Occurrences)
... 1 Kings 15:13 and also Maachah his mother -- he turneth her aside from being mistress,
in that she made ahorrible thing for a shrine, and Asa cutteth down her...
Beateth (7 Occurrences)
... 15:16 And also Maachah, mother of Asa the king -- he hath removed her from 'being'
mistress, in that she hath made for a shrine ahorrible thing, and Asa...
Appalling (2 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Appalling (2 Occurrences). Jeremiah 5:30 An appalling
andhorrible thing is committed in the land: (DBY JPS NAS RSV)....
Abiram (9 Occurrences)
... the death of the builder's eldest and youngest sons is not spoken of as the penalty
involved in the curse, but as an existinghorrible custom, mentioned in...
Nero
... time, broke out again, not only throughout Judea, where the mischief originated,
but through the city of Rome also, whither all thingshorrible and disgraceful...
Resources
What is finite godism? | GotQuestions.orgWhat are some biblical examples of dream interpretation? | GotQuestions.orgCan a person believe in some sense but not be saved? | GotQuestions.orgHorrible: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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