Topical Encyclopedia
The term "seashore" in the Bible often refers to the boundary between land and sea, a place of both physical and symbolic significance. In the ancient Near East, the seashore was a place of commerce, travel, and divine encounters. The Hebrew word often translated as "seashore" is "חוף" (chof), and in Greek, it is "παραλία" (paralia).
Biblical References:1.
Genesis 22:17 : In God's promise to Abraham, the seashore is used metaphorically to describe the abundance of his descendants: "I will surely bless you, and I will multiply your descendants like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore." This imagery emphasizes the vastness and innumerability of Abraham's offspring, highlighting God's covenant faithfulness.
2.
Joshua 11:4 : The seashore is mentioned in the context of military campaigns: "They came out with all their troops and a great horde, as numerous as the sand on the seashore, along with many horses and chariots." Here, the seashore symbolizes an overwhelming multitude, underscoring the formidable nature of the enemy forces.
3.
Judges 7:12 : Similarly, the Midianites and Amalekites are described as "numerous as locusts; their camels could not be counted, like the sand on the seashore." This description serves to highlight the miraculous victory God grants to Gideon, despite the overwhelming odds.
4.
1 Samuel 13:5 : The Philistines gather to fight Israel, and their numbers are described as "like the sand on the seashore in multitude." This again emphasizes the daunting challenge faced by the Israelites and sets the stage for divine intervention.
5.
Psalm 139:17-18 : The psalmist reflects on God's thoughts, stating, "How precious to me are Your thoughts, O God, how vast is their sum! If I were to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand." The seashore here symbolizes the infinite wisdom and care of God, offering comfort and assurance to the believer.
Symbolism and Themes:·
Abundance and Immeasurability: The seashore often symbolizes abundance, as seen in the promises to Abraham and the descriptions of vast armies. This imagery conveys the idea of God's blessings being beyond human comprehension or limitation.
·
Divine Power and Protection: In narratives where the seashore is associated with overwhelming enemy forces, it serves to highlight God's power to deliver and protect His people, regardless of the odds.
·
God's Infinite Wisdom: The seashore's sand is used to illustrate the vastness of God's thoughts and plans, encouraging believers to trust in His divine wisdom and providence.
Cultural and Historical Context:In the ancient world, the seashore was a place of trade and interaction with other cultures. Coastal regions were often centers of economic activity and cultural exchange. The Israelites, though primarily an inland people, would have recognized the strategic and economic importance of the seashore.
Theological Implications:The use of the seashore in biblical texts underscores key theological themes such as God's covenant faithfulness, His sovereignty over creation, and His ability to provide and protect. The imagery of the seashore invites believers to reflect on the vastness of God's promises and the assurance of His presence in the face of life's challenges.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
n.) The coast of the sea; the land that lies adjacent to the sea or ocean.
2. (n.) All the ground between the ordinary highwater and low-water marks.
Greek
123. aigialos -- theseashore... the
seashore. Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine Transliteration: aigialos Phonetic
Spelling: (ahee-ghee-al-os') Short Definition: sea-coast, beach Definition: sea
...2281. thalassa -- the sea
... the Red Sea. Word Origin of uncertain origin Definition the sea NASB Word
Usage sea (86),seashore (5). sea. Probably prolonged...
Strong's Hebrew
3220. yam -- sea... Word Origin of uncertain derivation Definition sea NASB Word Usage red* (24), sea
(278), seacoast* (5), seas (27),
seashore (1),
seashore* (9), south (1), west
...2348. choph -- shore, coast
... Word Origin from chaphaph Definition shore, coast NASB Word Usage coast (1), haven
(1), seacoast* (3),seashore* (2). coast of the sea, haven, shore, seaside....
8193. saphah -- lip, speech, edge
... 2), bank (10), binding (2), brim (9), edge (17), empty (2), gossip* (1), language
(6), lip (1), lip service (1), lips (100), mere (1),seashore* (7), shore (1...
Library
There is a Presumption in Favor of the Bible
... When we stood by theseashore and watched the setting sun crimsoning the placid
waters on a quiet eve, we had no hesitation in ascribing the picture to the...
Mother of Mercy
... Andante religioso. 1. Mother of mercy, day by day, My love of thee grows more and
more; Thy gifts are strewn upon my way Like sands upon the greatseashore....
A Man Reaps More than He Sows.
... only son at God's bidding, and as the fruit of that act of obedience God gave him
seed as numerous as the stars of the heaven and as the sands upon theseashore...
Elijah and the Widow's Son.
... Climbing the wooded hills of Galilee, he started to go down the other side to the
town of Zarephath, by theseashore, where he would be out of King Ahab's...
The Source of Power in Prayer.
... Sir Isaac Newton said, "I do not know what I may appear to the world; but to myself
I seem to have been only like a boy playing on theseashore and diverting...
Dread of Ridicule.
... How was he to bring the sea up to it? Was he with his three sons to put
their shoulders to it, and push it down to theseashore?...
What Lasts
... it shall cease because the perfect will absorb into itself the imperfect, as the
inrushing tide will obliterate the little pools in the rocks on theseashore....
The Country of Gennesaret.
... fruits.". The length of this most fruitful soil, lying along theseashore,
was but thirty furlongs, and the breadth twenty. "And...
Ascalon. Gerar. The Story of the Eighty Witches.
... Azotus) "is new Ascalon distant two parsae, or leagues" (that is, eight miles);
"which Ezra, the priest, of blessed memory, built at theseashore...now that is...
To the Rev. A. Brandram
... then retracing my steps to Corunna I shall visit Ferrol, whence I shall perhaps
shape my course for Oviedo in the Asturias, either along theseashore or by the...
Thesaurus
Seashore (20 Occurrences)...Seashore (20 Occurrences).
... Exodus 14:30 Thus Yahweh saved Israel that day out of
the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the
seashore.
...Shore (45 Occurrences)
... (2) saphah, literally, "lip"; compare Arabic shafat, "lip"; of the sand upon the
seashore, a figure of multitude (Genesis 22:17 Exodus 14:30 Joshua 11:4 Judges...
Sand (40 Occurrences)
... This is subject to solution and redeposition as a cement between the sand grains,
binding them together to form the porous sandstone of theseashore, which is...
Sea-shore (11 Occurrences)
Sea-shore.Seashore, Sea-shore. Seaside .... 2 Chronicles 8:17 Then went Solomon
to Ezion-geber, and to Eloth, on theseashore in the land of Edom. (See JPS)....
Coast (70 Occurrences)
... 3. (n.) Theseashore, or land near it.... (KJV). 2 Chronicles 8:17 Then went Solomon
to Ezion Geber, and to Eloth, on theseashore in the land of Edom. (See NIV)....
Numerous (88 Occurrences)
... Genesis 22:17 that I will bless you greatly, and I will multiply your seed greatly
like the stars of the heavens, and like the sand which is on theseashore....
Chariots (118 Occurrences)
... Joshua 11:4 They went out, they and all their armies with them, many people, even
as the sand that is on theseashore in multitude, with very many horses and...
Lebanon (66 Occurrences)
... When we let the eye range from the snowy summits of the mountain over all that lies
between them and the orange groves of Sidon on theseashore, we understand...
6000 (1 Occurrence)
... themselves together to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand
horsemen, and people as the sand which is on theseashore in multitude...
Zarephath (4 Occurrences)
... was not "far from Sidon and Tyre, for it lay between them." Eusebius, Onomasticon
(sv "Sarefta"), places it on the public road, ie the road along theseashore....
Resources
Why is God going to release Satan after the 1,000 years? | GotQuestions.orgWho was Gideon in the Bible? | GotQuestions.orgHow old was Abraham when he died? | GotQuestions.orgSeashore: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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