Topical Encyclopedia
Definition and Usage:The term "reel" in the Bible is often associated with a state of staggering or being unsteady, typically as a result of intoxication or divine judgment. It is used metaphorically to describe the effects of God's wrath or the disorientation caused by sin and rebellion against God.
Biblical References:1.
Isaiah 24:20 : "The earth staggers like a drunkard and sways like a hut. Its transgression weighs it down, and it falls, never to rise again." In this passage, the prophet Isaiah uses the imagery of reeling to describe the earth's instability due to the weight of sin. The earth's staggering is symbolic of the judgment that comes upon it because of widespread iniquity.
2.
Isaiah 29:9 : "Stop and be astonished; blind yourselves and be sightless; be drunk, but not with wine; stagger, but not from strong drink." Here, the prophet Isaiah speaks to the spiritual blindness and confusion of the people. The reeling is not from physical intoxication but from a spiritual stupor, indicating a lack of understanding and discernment due to their rebellion against God.
3.
Psalm 107:27 : "They reeled and staggered like drunkards, and all their skill was useless." This verse is part of a psalm that describes the distress of those at sea during a storm. The reeling and staggering illustrate the helplessness and vulnerability of humans in the face of God's mighty power, emphasizing the need for divine intervention and deliverance.
Theological Implications:The concept of reeling in the Bible often serves as a metaphor for the consequences of sin and the judgment of God. It highlights the instability and confusion that result from turning away from God's commandments. The imagery of reeling underscores the futility of relying on human strength and wisdom in the face of divine judgment.
In a broader theological context, reeling can also represent the spiritual disorientation that occurs when individuals or nations reject God's truth. It serves as a warning of the chaos and disorder that ensue when God's order is disregarded.
Moral and Spiritual Lessons:The biblical use of "reel" calls believers to remain steadfast in their faith and to avoid the spiritual intoxication that comes from sin and disobedience. It encourages a reliance on God's wisdom and guidance to maintain spiritual stability. The imagery serves as a reminder of the importance of repentance and the need to seek God's mercy and grace to avoid the consequences of spiritual reeling.
Cultural and Historical Context:In ancient Near Eastern cultures, drunkenness was often associated with a loss of control and dignity. The biblical authors used this imagery to convey the severity of divine judgment and the disarray that follows sin. The metaphor of reeling would have been a powerful illustration for the original audience, who understood the physical and social implications of intoxication.
Overall, the concept of reeling in the Bible serves as a vivid portrayal of the effects of sin and the necessity of aligning oneself with God's will to achieve true stability and peace.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
n.) A lively dance of the Highlanders of Scotland; also, the music to the dance; -- often called Scotch reel.
2. (n.) A frame with radial arms, or a kind of spool, turning on an axis, on which yarn, threads, lines, or the like, are wound; as, a log reel, used by seamen; an angler's reel; a garden reel.
3. (n.) A machine on which yarn is wound and measured into lays and hanks, -- for cotton or linen it is fifty-four inches in circuit; for worsted, thirty inches.
4. (n.) A device consisting of radial arms with horizontal stats, connected with a harvesting machine, for holding the stalks of grain in position to be cut by the knives.
5. (v. t.) To roll.
6. (v. t.) To wind upon a reel, as yarn or thread.
7. (v. i.) To incline, in walking, from one side to the other; to stagger.
8. (v. i.) To have a whirling sensation; to be giddy.
Strong's Hebrew
7477. raal -- to quiver, shake,reel... 7476, 7477. raal. 7478 . to quiver, shake,
reel. Transliteration: raal Phonetic
Spelling: (raw-al') Short Definition: brandished. Word Origin a prim.
...6328. puq -- toreel, totter
... puq. 6329 . toreel, totter. Transliteration: puq Phonetic Spelling: (pook) Short
Definition: totter.... root Definition toreel, totter NASB Word Usage totter (2...
7686. shagah -- to go astray, err
... 7685, 7686. shagah. 7687 . to go astray, err. Transliteration: shagah Phonetic
Spelling: (shaw-gaw') Short Definition:reel. Word Origin a prim....
2287. chagag -- to make a pilgrimage, keep a pilgrim feast
... 1), observe (1), reeled (1). celebrate, dance, keep, hold a solemn feast
holiday,reel to and fro. A primitive root (compare chagra...
5128. nua -- to quiver, wave, waver, tremble, totter
... and figuratively (as subjoined) -- continually, fugitive, X make, to (go) up and
down, be gone away, (be) move(-able, -d), be promoted,reel, remove, scatter...
8582. taah -- to err
... A primitive root; to vacillate, ieReel or stray (literally or figuratively); also
causative of both -- (cause to) go astray, deceive, dissemble, (cause to...
2904. tul -- to hurl, cast
... A primitive root; to pitch over orreel; hence (transitively) to cast down or out --
carry away, (utterly) cast (down, forth, out), send out. 2903, 2904....
Library
The Scales of Judgment
... been made drunk with the wine of her fornication, shall soon also have to drink
with her of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath; and they shallreel to and...
Never! Never! Never! Never! Never!
... meaning following one after another, as I suppose David's five stones out of the
brook would have done if the first had not been enough to make the giantreel....
But If, for the Contest's Sake, God had Appointed Martyrdoms for...
... Where there are mere contests, there are some wounds: fists makereel, heels kick
like butting rams, boxing-gloves mangle, whips leave gashes....
A Preliminary Discourse to Catechising
... To be unsettled in religion, argues want of judgement. If their heads were not
giddy, men would notreel so fast from one opinion to another....
Gratitude and Love to God
... What bonds of gratitude I feel. No language can declare; Beneath the oppressive
weight Ireel,. 'Tis more than I can bear: When shall I that blessing prove,....
The Bible
... sin of man, he does not dash him away and spurn him with his foot; he does not shake
him by the neck over the gulf of hell, until his brain dothreel and then...
Frank Leigh's Song. AD 1586
... To worship, not to wed, Celestials bid me: I dreamt to mate in heaven, and wake
in hell; For ever doom'd, Ixion-like, toreel On mine own passions' ever...
A March
... East winds howling o'er us; Clay-lands knee-deep spread before us; Mire and ice
and snow and sleet; Aching backs and frozen feet; Knees whichreel as marches...
The Lesson of Memory
... Sunday in a year, are like the knots on a sailor's log, which, as they pass through
his fingers, tell him how fast it is being paid out from thereel, and how...
Nearness to God the Key to Life's Puzzle
... as to how it comes, if God is good and wise and strong, that bad men should prosper
and good men should suffer, has been making the Psalmist's faithreel....
Thesaurus
Reel (6 Occurrences)... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (n.) A lively dance of the Highlanders of Scotland;
also, the music to the dance; -- often called Scotch
reel.
...Stagger (20 Occurrences)
... 1. (n.) To move to one side and the other, as if about to fall, in standing or walking;
not to stand or walk with steadiness; to sway; toreel or totter....
Visions (43 Occurrences)
... Isaiah 28:7 But these alsoreel through wine, and stagger through strong drink;
the priest and the prophetreel through strong drink, they are confused because...
Totter (9 Occurrences)
... 2. (vi) To shake; toreel; to lean; to waver. Multi-Version Concordance Totter
(9 Occurrences). Psalms 46:6 The nations raged. The kingdoms were moved....
Swallowed (43 Occurrences)
... Psalms 107:27 Theyreel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, And are at their
wits end. (See JPS YLT).... The priest and the prophetreel with strong drink....
Fro (54 Occurrences)
... (See NIV). Psalms 107:27 Theyreel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken
man, and are at their wit's end. (KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT)....
Rock (176 Occurrences)
... To cause to sway backward and forward, as a body resting on a support beneath; as,
to rock a cradle or chair; to cause to vibrate; to cause toreel or totter....
Drunkard (15 Occurrences)
... drunkard. (DBY YLT NIV). Psalms 107:27 Theyreel to and fro, and move as
a drunkard, And all their wisdom is swallowed up. (YLT)....
Confused (13 Occurrences)
... (WEB). Isaiah 28:7 And even thesereel with wine, and stagger with strong drink;
the priest and the prophetreel with strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine...
Err (41 Occurrences)
... (KJV BBE DBY WBS YLT). Isaiah 28:7 They alsoreel with wine, and stagger with
strong drink. The priest and the prophetreel with strong drink....
Resources
Should Christians participate in religious festivals of other religions? | GotQuestions.orgShould churches be seeker-friendly? | GotQuestions.orgWhat does the Bible say about vanity? | GotQuestions.orgReel: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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