Topical Encyclopedia
The term "overrun" in a biblical context often refers to the act of being overwhelmed or invaded, typically by enemies or adverse circumstances. This concept is prevalent throughout the Bible, where the people of God frequently faced threats from surrounding nations and forces that sought to conquer or subdue them. The notion of being overrun can also extend to spiritual and moral dimensions, where individuals or communities are overwhelmed by sin or false teachings.
Biblical Instances of Being Overrun1.
Military Conquests and Invasions: The history of Israel is marked by numerous instances where the nation was overrun by foreign powers. One notable example is the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem, leading to the exile of the Jewish people. In
2 Kings 25:1-4 , we read about the siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, which ultimately led to the city's fall: "So in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his entire army. They encamped outside the city and built siege works all around it."
2.
Prophetic Warnings: The prophets often warned Israel and Judah of impending judgment and being overrun by enemies as a consequence of their disobedience to God.
Isaiah 8:7-8 speaks of the Assyrian invasion as a flood that will overflow the land: "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; its spreading streams will cover your entire land, O Immanuel!"
3.
Spiritual Overrunning: Beyond physical invasions, the Bible also addresses the concept of being spiritually overrun. This can occur when false teachings or sinful practices infiltrate the community of believers. In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul warns against such spiritual overrunning in
Galatians 1:6-7 : "I am astonished how quickly you are deserting the One who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—which is not even a gospel. Evidently some people are troubling you and trying to distort the gospel of Christ."
Theological ImplicationsThe theme of being overrun serves as a reminder of the consequences of turning away from God and the importance of remaining faithful to His commandments. It underscores the need for vigilance, both in a physical and spiritual sense, to guard against forces that seek to undermine or destroy the faith and integrity of God's people.
Divine DeliveranceDespite the reality of being overrun, the Bible consistently affirms God's sovereignty and His power to deliver His people. In times of distress, believers are encouraged to trust in God's protection and provision.
Psalm 18:17 reflects this assurance: "He rescued me from my powerful enemy and from foes too mighty for me."
The concept of being overrun, therefore, is not only a historical reality but also a spiritual metaphor that calls believers to rely on God's strength and to remain steadfast in their faith amidst challenges.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
v. t.) To grow or spread over in excess; to invade and occupy; to take possession of; as, the vine overran its trellis; the farm is overrun with witch grass.
2. (p. p.) of Overrun.
3. (v. t.) To exceed in distance or speed of running; to go beyond or pass in running.
4. (v. t.) To go beyond; to extend in part beyond; as, one line overruns another in length.
5. (v. t.) To abuse or oppress, as if by treading upon.
6. (v. t.) To carry over, or back, as type, from one line or page into the next after, or next before.
7. (v. t.) To extend the contents of (a line, column, or page) into the next line, column, or page.
8. (v. i.) To run, pass, spread, or flow over or by something; to be beyond, or in excess.
9. (v. i.) To extend beyond its due or desired length; as, a line, or advertisement, overruns.
Strong's Hebrew
5628. sarach -- to go free, be unrestrained,overrun, exceed... sarach. 5629 . to go free, be unrestrained,
overrun, exceed. Transliteration:
sarach Phonetic Spelling: (saw-rakh') Short Definition: lap. Word Origin a prim.
...5674. abar -- to pass over, through, or by, pass on
... escape, fail, gender, get over, (make) go (away, beyond, by, forth, his way, in,
on, over, through), have away (more), lay, meddle,overrun, make partition...
Library
Your Narratives, My Opponent Says, areOverrun with Barbarisms and...
... Book I. 59 Your narratives, my opponent says, areoverrun with barbarisms
and solecisms? Your narratives, my opponent says, are...
Table of Contents.
... The Visigoth and Ostrogoth migrations, 27. Gauloverrun by Teuton invaders, 28.
Arianism... Burgundian kingdom of Lyons. Spainoverrun, 30. The...
Prefatory Notice
... Before his coming thither, the place wasoverrun with ignorance and profaneness;
but, by the Divine blessing on his wise and faithful cultivation, the fruits...
The Law of Change, or Mutation, Universal.
... streams by alluvial formation? There was a time when her whole orb, withal,
underwent mutation,overrun by all waters. To this day...
Canaan
... The "land of the Amorites" had beenoverrun by the armies of Babylonia at a very
remote period, and had thus come under the influence of Babylonian culture....
The Division Between East and West
... [Sidenote: Beginnings of disunion.] Western dioceses, now peopled by the barbarian
nations who hadoverrun Europe, still looked up to Rome as their centre and...
The Return of Xerxes to Persia.
... You have fought your way, against the most desperate resistance, through the Pass
of Thermopylae. You haveoverrun all Northern Greece. You have burned Athens....
The Adventures of Saint James of Spain.
... The country had been terriblyoverrun with wild beasts, and the Knight heard it
proclaimed that the Shah would give a corselet of finest steel, inlaid with gold...
For Godly Sorrow Worketh Repentance to Salvation, not to be...
... on the subject of religion. Were it so the church would not be sooverrun
with false and unprofitable professors. I have, of late...
Habakkuk-On his Watch-Tower
... We shall not die.". The Chaldeans had, by this time,overrun the whole land. Judah
and Jerusalem had for long been full of all but unpardonable sin....
Thesaurus
Overrun (4 Occurrences)... 1. (vt) To grow or spread over in excess; to invade and occupy; to take possession
of; as, the vine overran its trellis; the farm is
overrun with witch grass.
...Pekah (11 Occurrences)
... 5. Fall of Damascus; Northern and Eastern PalestineOverrun: The messengers sent
from Jerusalem to Nineveh appear to have arrived when the army of Tiglath...
Overrunning (5 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (p. pr. & vb. n.) ofOverrun. Multi-Version
Concordance Overrunning (5 Occurrences). Judges 11:33 And he...
Overruling (2 Occurrences)
Looted (9 Occurrences)
... Amos 3:11 Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: "An adversary willoverrun the land;
and he will pull down your strongholds, and your fortresses will be...
Fill (126 Occurrences)
... 3. (v.) To furnish an abundant supply to; to furnish with as mush as is desired
or desirable; to occupy the whole of; to swarm in oroverrun....
Defenses (8 Occurrences)
... Amos 3:11 Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: "An adversary willoverrun the land;
and he will pull down your strongholds, and your fortresses will be...
Bithynia (2 Occurrences)
... On the advent of the Turks its territory was quicklyoverrun, and Orchan, sultan
in 1326, selected Brousa as his capital, since which time this has been one.of...
Citadels (15 Occurrences)
... Amos 3:11 Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: "An adversary willoverrun the land;
and he will pull down your strongholds, and your fortresses will be...
Colossae (1 Occurrence)
... During the 7th and 8th centuries the place wasoverrun by the Saracens; in the 12th
century the church was destroyed by the Turks and the city disappeared....
Resources
Who was Simon the Zealot? | GotQuestions.orgWhat is the Salafi movement in Islam? | GotQuestions.orgWhat is Augustinianism? | GotQuestions.orgOverrun: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
Bible Dictionary •
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