Topical Encyclopedia
In biblical literature, the term "melt" is often used metaphorically to describe the process of transformation, dissolution, or the weakening of strength and resolve. The imagery of melting is employed in various contexts, including the physical, emotional, and spiritual realms.
Physical Melting:The concept of melting is occasionally used in the Bible to describe the physical transformation of materials. For instance, in the context of refining metals, melting is a necessary process to purify and separate valuable elements from impurities. This imagery is used to illustrate God's refining work in the lives of His people. In
Ezekiel 22:20-22 , God speaks of gathering Israel into the furnace of affliction to melt them as silver is melted, symbolizing purification and judgment: "As silver, copper, iron, lead, and tin are gathered into a furnace to be melted with a fiery blast, so I will gather you in My anger and wrath, put you inside, and melt you."
Emotional and Spiritual Melting:The Bible also uses the concept of melting to describe the emotional and spiritual state of individuals or groups. This is often associated with fear, despair, or a loss of courage. In
Joshua 2:11 , Rahab recounts the fear that gripped the inhabitants of Jericho upon hearing of the Israelites' approach: "When we heard this, our hearts melted and everyone's courage failed because of you, for the LORD your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below."
Similarly, in
Psalm 22:14 , David uses the imagery of melting to express his profound anguish and vulnerability: "I am poured out like water, and all my bones are disjointed. My heart is like wax; it has melted within me." This vivid description captures the psalmist's intense emotional distress and sense of being overwhelmed.
Divine Judgment and Cosmic Melting:The prophetic literature of the Bible sometimes employs the imagery of melting to depict divine judgment and cosmic upheaval. In
Nahum 1:5-6 , the mountains quake before the LORD, and the earth melts at His presence, illustrating the overwhelming power and holiness of God: "The mountains quake before Him, and the hills melt away; the earth trembles at His presence—the world and all its dwellers. Who can withstand His indignation? Who can endure His burning anger? His wrath is poured out like fire; even rocks are shattered before Him."
This imagery is also present in eschatological contexts, where the melting of the earth and heavens signifies the final judgment and the establishment of a new creation. In
2 Peter 3:10-12 , the apostle Peter describes the day of the Lord, when "the heavens will disappear with a roar, the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and its works will be laid bare."
Symbolism and Application:The metaphor of melting in the Bible serves as a powerful symbol of transformation, purification, and the overwhelming presence of God. It underscores the transient nature of human strength and the ultimate sovereignty of God over creation. Believers are reminded of the refining process that God may use to purify their faith and character, as well as the assurance of His presence in times of fear and distress.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
n.) See Milt.
2. (v.) To reduce from a solid to a liquid state, as by heat; to liquefy; as, to melt wax, tallow, or lead; to melt ice or snow.
3. (v.) Hence: To soften, as by a warming or kindly influence; to relax; to render gentle or susceptible to mild influences; sometimes, in a bad sense, to take away the firmness of; to weaken.
4. (v. i.) To be changed from a solid to a liquid state under the influence of heat; as, butter and wax melt at moderate temperatures.
5. (v. i.) To dissolve; as, sugar melts in the mouth.
6. (v. i.) Hence: To be softened; to become tender, mild, or gentle; also, to be weakened or subdued, as by fear.
7. (v. i.) To lose distinct form or outline; to blend.
8. (v. i.) To disappear by being dispersed or dissipated; as, the fog melts away.
Greek
5080. teko -- tomelt (down), tomelt away... to
melt (down), to
melt away. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: teko Phonetic
Spelling: (tay'-ko) Short Definition: I make liquid,
melt Definition: I make
...3089. luo -- to loose, to release, to dissolve
... break up, dissolve, loose. A primary verb; to "loosen" (literally or figuratively) --
break (up), destroy, dissolve, (un-)loose,melt, put off....
Strong's Hebrew
4549. masas -- to dissolve,melt... 4548, 4549. masas. 4550 . to dissolve,
melt. Transliteration: masas Phonetic
Spelling: (maw-sas') Short Definition:
melt. Word Origin a prim.
...4127. mug -- tomelt
... mug. 4128 . tomelt. Transliteration: mug Phonetic Spelling: (moog) Short Definition:
away.... consume, dissolve, be fainthearted,melt away, make soft....
4529. masah -- tomelt, dissolve, be liquefied
... tomelt, dissolve, be liquefied. Transliteration: masah Phonetic Spelling:
(maw-saw') Short Definition: consume.... make to consume away, make tomelt, water....
6694. tsuq -- to pour out,melt
... 6693, 6694. tsuq. 6695 . to pour out,melt. Transliteration: tsuq Phonetic
Spelling: (tsook) Short Definition: poured. Word Origin a prim....
5413. nathak -- to pour forth, be poured out
... Word Origin a prim. root Definition to pour forth, be poured out NASB Word Usage
emptied (2),melt (2), melted (3), pour (2), poured (11), rained (1)....
5258. nacak -- to pour out
... nacak. 5258a . to pour out. Transliteration: nacak Phonetic Spelling: (naw-sak')
Short Definition: cover. cover,melt, offer, cause to pour out, set up...
1811. dalaph -- to drip, drop
... drop through,melt, pour out. A primitive root; to drip; by implication, to weep --
drop through,melt, pour out. 1810, 1811. dalaph. 1812 . Strong's Numbers
6884. tsaraph -- to smelt, refine, test
... cast, refiner, founder, goldsmith,melt, pure, purge away, try. A primitive
root; to fuse (metal), ie Refine (literally or figuratively...
5140. nazal -- to flow, trickle, drop, distill
... distil, drop, flood, cause to flowing, gush out,melt, pour down, running
water,. A primitive root; to drip, or shed by trickling...
8557. temes -- a melting (away)
... Word Origin from masas Definition a melting (away) NASB Word Usage melts away (1).
melt. From macah; liquefaction, ie Disappearance --melt. see HEBREW macah....
Library
Classification.
... except Life. We canmelt them down in the laboratory, but no ingenuity
of chemistry can reproduce their sculptured forms. We are...
Motives to Holy Mourning
... Mourning shows a heart of flesh' (Ezekiel 36:26). A stone will notmelt.... Jacob wept
end had power over the angel' (Hosea 12:4). Tearsmelt the heart of God....
'Let Him Alone'
... It used to be said that some old cannon-balls, that had been brought from some of
the battlefields of the Peninsula, resisted all attempts tomelt them down...
Temporary Hardening.
... deliverance, the Lord inclines His ear, full of compassion, and the hour approaches
when the Sun of Righteousness shall dispel the clouds andmelt the hardness...
Ezekiel's Discourse
... that thou shalt say, Because of the tidings, for it cometh: and every heart shall
melt, and all hands shall be feeble, and every spirit shall faint, and all...
Salted with Fire
... Just as we take a piece of foul clay and put it into the furnace, and can see, as
it gets red-hot, the stainsmelt away, as a cloud does in the blue, from its...
A Fallen Sister
... I know, I know how once she felt,. Have seen her spirit mount andmelt;... Send forth
Thy word to wound and heal;Melt off her spirit's icy chain,....
Folly of Idolatry.
... What then?Melt your useless images, and make useful vessels.Melt the unserviceable
and inactive metal, and make implements fit for the use of men....
Whether Favors Should be Withheld from the Ungrateful?
... For it is written (Wis.16:29): "The hope of the unthankful shallmelt away as the
winter's ice." But this hope would notmelt away unless favors were withheld...
Rejoicing Before God.
... convinced of this, the more must it concern us now, in commemorating the divine
help given in that struggle, that we be not of those who mustmelt like wax...
Thesaurus
Melt (33 Occurrences)... 2. (v.) To reduce from a solid to a liquid state, as by heat; to liquefy; as, to
melt wax, tallow, or lead; to
melt ice or snow.
...Melt (33 Occurrences).
...Melting (9 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (p. pr. & vb. n.) ofMelt. 2. (n.) Liquefaction; the
act of causing (something) tomelt, or the process of becoming melted....
Dissolve (4 Occurrences)
... 1. (vt) To diffuse; to break down; tomelt into; to separate into competent parts;
as, to dissolve sugar; to dissolve a company; to disorganize; to break up...
Melted (33 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (imp. & pp) ofMelt. Multi-Version Concordance Melted
(33 Occurrences). Exodus 15:15 Then the chiefs of Edom were dismayed....
Languish (13 Occurrences)
... that thou shalt say, Because of the tidings, for it cometh; and every heart shall
melt, and all hands shall be feeble, and every spirit shall languish, and all...
Fainthearted (7 Occurrences)
... and fainthearted? Let him go and return to his house, lest his brother's
heartmelt as his heart." (WEB KJV NAS RSV NIV). Joshua...
Tin (6 Occurrences)
... Ezekiel 22:20 As they gather silver and brass and iron and lead and tin into the
midst of the furnace, to blow the fire on it, tomelt it; so will I gather you...
Resolve (3 Occurrences)
... 1. (vi) To separate the component parts of; to reduce to the constituent elements; --
said of compound substances; hence, sometimes, tomelt, or dissolve....
Slack (19 Occurrences)
... strength is small. (See NAS). Isaiah 13:7 Therefore shall all hands be feeble,
and every heart of man shallmelt: (See JPS). Isaiah 33:23...
Smelt (3 Occurrences)
... 5. (vi) Tomelt or fuse, as, ore, for the purpose of separating and refining the
metal; hence, to reduce; to refine; to flux or scorify; as, to smelt tin....
Resources
What is ultimate reconciliation? | GotQuestions.orgAre there such things as aliens or UFOs? | GotQuestions.orgWhat is Hellenism, and how did it influence the early church? | GotQuestions.orgMelt: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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