Topical Encyclopedia
Inundation refers to the act of flooding or being overwhelmed by water. In the context of the Bible, inundation is often associated with divine judgment, purification, and renewal. The most significant biblical account of inundation is the Great Flood during the time of Noah, which serves as a pivotal event in the narrative of Scripture.
The Great FloodThe Great Flood, as described in
Genesis 6-9, is the most prominent example of inundation in the Bible. God, seeing the wickedness of humanity, decided to cleanse the earth through a flood. Noah, a righteous man, was instructed to build an ark to preserve his family and pairs of every living creature.
Genesis 7:11-12 states, "In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, on the seventeenth day of the second month—all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. And the rain fell upon the earth for forty days and forty nights."
The floodwaters covered the earth, destroying all living things except those on the ark. This event is seen as both a judgment against sin and a means of renewal, as God established a covenant with Noah afterward, promising never to destroy the earth by flood again.
Genesis 9:11 records God's promise: "I establish My covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth."
Symbolism and TypologyInundation in the Bible often symbolizes judgment and cleansing. The floodwaters represent God's righteous judgment against sin, while the preservation of Noah and his family signifies God's grace and mercy. The apostle Peter references the flood as a typology of baptism, which symbolizes salvation and purification through Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 3:20-21 states, "In the ark a few people, only eight souls, were saved through water. And this water symbolizes the baptism that now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the body, but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God through the resurrection of Jesus Christ."
Other ReferencesWhile the Great Flood is the most notable instance, other biblical passages also mention inundation. In the Psalms, floods are often used metaphorically to describe overwhelming circumstances or divine intervention.
Psalm 29:10 declares, "The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; the LORD is enthroned as King forever." This verse emphasizes God's sovereignty and control over the forces of nature.
In the prophetic literature, inundation is sometimes used to describe the coming judgment upon nations. For example, in
Isaiah 8:7-8 , the Assyrian invasion is likened to a flood: "Therefore the Lord is about to bring against them the mighty floodwaters of the Euphrates—the king of Assyria with all his pomp. It will overflow its channels and overrun its banks. It will pour into Judah, swirling and sweeping over it, reaching up to the neck."
ConclusionInundation in the Bible serves as a powerful image of God's judgment and mercy. Through the narrative of the Great Flood and other scriptural references, it underscores themes of divine justice, human sinfulness, and the hope of redemption.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
n.) An overspreading; overflowing or superfluous abundance; a flood; a great influx; as, an inundation of tourists.
2. (n.) The act of inundating, or the state of being inundated; an overflow; a flood; a rising and spreading of water over grounds.
Greek
2627. kataklusmos -- a flood... Word Origin from katakluzo Definition a flood NASB Word Usage flood (4). flood.
From katakluzo; an
inundation -- flood. see GREEK katakluzo.
...Strong's Hebrew
6824. tsaphah -- an outflow... Word Origin from tsuph Definition an outflow NASB Word Usage discharge (1). swim.
From tsaphah; an
inundation (as covering) -- X swimmest. see HEBREW tsaphah.
...Library
While Valens Persecutes the Orthodox Christians in the East, a...
... the Orthodox Christians in the East, a Usurper arises at Constantinople named Procopius:
and at the Same Time an Earthquake andInundation take Place and...
Extension of Our Doctrines, and Complete Demolition of Idolatrous...
... Book VII. Chapter XX."Extension of our Doctrines, and Complete Demolition
of Idolatrous Temples.Inundation of the Nile. While...
Egypt and Greece.
... Form of Egypt."Delta of the Nile."Fertility of Egypt."No rain in Egypt."Rising of
the Nile."Preparations for theinundation."Gradual rise of the...
Egypt
... When the annualinundation covers the fields the land of Egypt exists no more; it
becomes a watery plain, out of which emerge the villages and towns and the...
The Birth of Cyrus.
... dream. He had dreamed of a greatinundation, which overwhelmed and destroyed
his capital, and submerged a large part of his kingdom....
The Fulfilment
... At the head of theinundation passed a melodious voice crying:... The Christian
overlooked this ferociousinundation and shook his head....
The Mystery
... cast out of his mouth." That is, the multitude of Christians in the councils persisting
in the orthodox faith, exhausted the diabolicalinundation, as the...
"And if Christ be in You, the Body is Dead Because Sin,"
... Now, the consideration of the generalinundation of death over all mankind, and
the certain approaching of it to every particular man's door, hath made many...
Babylonia and Assyria
... The reclamation of the marsh was the first work of the new-comers. The rivers
were banked out and theinundation regulated by means of canals....
Essay on Faith.
... Frequent are the instances in which it is suspended, and, as it were, drowned in
theinundation of the appetites, passions, and imaginations to which I have...
Thesaurus
Inundation (6 Occurrences)... 1. (n.) An overspreading; overflowing or superfluous abundance; a flood; a great
influx; as, an
inundation of tourists.
...Inundation (6 Occurrences).
...Nile (37 Occurrences)
... Testament or in the English translation): I. THE NILE IN PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY 1.
Description 2. Geological Origin 3. The Making of Egypt 4. TheInundation 5. The...
Invade (15 Occurrences)
Overflow (43 Occurrences)
... 3. (vi) To run over the bounds. 4. (vi) To be superabundant; to abound. 5.
(n.) A flowing over, as of water or other fluid; aninundation....
Waterflood (2 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (n.) A flood of water; aninundation. Multi-Version
Concordance Waterflood (2 Occurrences). Job 38:25 Who...
Inundated (1 Occurrence)
Flood (70 Occurrences)
... flowing stream, as of a river; especially, a body of water, rising, swelling, and
overflowing land not usually thus covered; a deluge; a freshet; aninundation...
Flooding (4 Occurrences)
... 1. (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Flood. 2. (n.) The filling or covering with water or other
fluid; overflow;inundation; the filling anything to excess....
Raging (26 Occurrences)
... of His voice, And the coming down of His arm He doth shew with the raging of anger,
And the flame of a consuming fire, Scattering, andinundation, and hailstone...
Rivulets (11 Occurrences)
... Isaiah 32:2 And each hath been as a hiding-place 'from' wind, And as a secret
hiding-place 'from'inundation, As rivulets of waters in a dry place, As a shadow...
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