Topical Encyclopedia
In biblical literature, the concept of "solid" often conveys ideas of strength, stability, and reliability. These attributes are frequently associated with God, His Word, and the faith of believers. The term "solid" itself may not appear frequently in the text, but the underlying principles are woven throughout Scripture.
God as the Solid RockOne of the most prominent metaphors for solidity in the Bible is God as the "Rock." This imagery emphasizes His unchanging nature and dependable strength. In
Deuteronomy 32:4, Moses declares, "He is the Rock, His work is perfect; all His ways are just. A God of faithfulness without injustice, righteous and upright is He." Here, God is portrayed as the ultimate foundation, a solid and unmovable presence in the lives of His people.
Similarly, in
Psalm 18:2, David proclaims, "The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer. My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold." This passage highlights the security and protection found in God, who is depicted as a solid refuge amidst life's uncertainties.
The Word of God as Solid FoundationThe Word of God is also described as a solid foundation upon which believers can build their lives. In
Matthew 7:24-25, Jesus uses the parable of the wise and foolish builders to illustrate this point: "Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain fell, the torrents raged, and the winds blew and beat against that house, yet it did not fall, because its foundation was on the rock."
This teaching underscores the importance of not only hearing but also acting upon God's Word, which provides a solid and enduring foundation capable of withstanding the trials and storms of life.
Faith as Solid AssuranceThe New Testament further explores the concept of solidity through the lens of faith.
Hebrews 11:1 defines faith as "the assurance of what we hope for and the certainty of what we do not see." This assurance and certainty reflect a solid confidence in God's promises, even when they are not yet visible.
The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, encourages believers to be "rooted and grounded in love" (
Ephesians 3:17). This imagery of being firmly planted suggests a solid and stable faith that is deeply anchored in the love of Christ.
The Church as a Solid CommunityThe early Christian community is depicted as a solid and unified body of believers. In
Acts 2:42, the early church is described as being devoted to "the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer." This devotion created a solid community that supported and encouraged one another in their faith journey.
Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, speaks of the church as being "built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone" (
Ephesians 2:20). This metaphor of a building with a solid foundation emphasizes the unity and strength of the church, grounded in the teachings of Christ and His apostles.
ConclusionThroughout Scripture, the concept of solidity is intricately connected to the character of God, the truth of His Word, the assurance of faith, and the unity of the church. These elements provide believers with a firm foundation upon which to build their lives, offering stability and strength in a world that is often uncertain and shifting.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
a.) Having the constituent parts so compact, or so firmly adhering, as to resist the impression or penetration of other bodies; having a fixed form; hard; firm; compact; -- opposed to fluid and liquid or to plastic, like clay, or to incompact, like sand.
2. (a.) Not hollow; full of matter; as, a solid globe or cone, as distinguished from a hollow one; not spongy; dense; hence, sometimes, heavy.
3. (a.) Having all the geometrical dimensions; cubic; as, a solid foot contains 1,728 solid inches.
4. (a.) Firm; compact; strong; stable; unyielding; as, a solid pier; a solid pile; a solid wall.
5. (a.) Applied to a compound word whose parts are closely united and form an unbroken word; -- opposed to hyphened.
6. (a.) Fig.: Worthy of credit, trust, or esteem; substantial, as opposed to frivolous or fallacious; weighty; firm; strong; valid; just; genuine.
7. (a.) Sound; not weakly; as, a solid constitution of body.
8. (a.) of a fleshy, uniform, undivided substance, as a bulb or root; not spongy or hollow within, as a stem.
9. (a.) Impenetrable; resisting or excluding any other material particle or atom from any given portion of space; -- applied to the supposed ultimate particles of matter.
10. (a.) Not having the lines separated by leads; not open.
11. (a.) United; without division; unanimous; as, the delegation is solid for a candidate.
12. (n.) A substance that is held in a fixed form by cohesion among its particles; a substance not fluid.
13. (n.) A magnitude which has length, breadth, and thickness; a part of space bounded on all sides.
Greek
4733. stereoma -- asolid body, a support, strength, firmness... a
solid body, a support, strength, firmness. Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter
Transliteration: stereoma Phonetic Spelling: (ster-eh'-o-mah) Short Definition
...4731. stereos -- hard, firm
... hard, firm. Part of Speech: Adjective Transliteration: stereos Phonetic Spelling:
(ster-eh-os') Short Definition:solid, firm, steadfast Definition:solid, firm...
949. bebaios -- firm, secure
... 949 (an adjective, derived from , "to walk where it issolid") -- properly,solid
(sure) enough to walk on; hence, , ; (figuratively) , giving (security, surety...
4732. stereoo -- to make firm, strengthen
... Cognate: 4732 -- make stable (solid, immoveable). See 4731 (). Word Origin from
stereos Definition to make firm, strengthen NASB Word Usage strengthened (3)....
4291. proistemi -- early
... 4291 (" to take the lead") underlines the effectiveness of influencing peopl, ie
one built on asolid "track-record." This happens by setting the example of by...
950. bebaioo -- to confirm, secure
... guarantee. Cognate: 950 -- properly, to walk where it issolid (reliable,
guaranteed); hence, make (fully reliable). See 949 ()....
1093. ge -- the earth, land
... Contracted from a primary word; soil; by extension a region, or thesolid part or
the whole of the terrene globe (including the occupants in each application...
1651. elegcho -- to expose, convict, reprove
... be guilty. 1651 -- properly, to withsolid, compelling , especially to expose
(prove wrong, connect). Word Origin a prim. verb Definition...
1632. ekcheo -- to pour out, fig. to bestow
... of Speech: Verb Transliteration: ekcheo Phonetic Spelling: ( ek-kheh'-o,) Short
Definition: I pour out, shed Definition: I pour out (liquid orsolid); I shed...
4073. petra -- a (large mass of) rock
... stone or boulder" (). 4073 () is a "solid or native rock, rising up through
the earth" (Souter) -- a (a ), such as a . 4073 () is "a...
Strong's Hebrew
8210. shaphak -- to pour out, pour... A primitive root; to spill forth (blood, a libation, liquid metal; or even a
solid,
ie To mound up); also (figuratively) to expend (life, soul, complaint, money
...2236. zaraq -- be here and there, scatter, sprinkle, strew
... be here and there, scatter, sprinkle, strew A primitive root; to sprinkle (fluid
orsolid particles) -- be here and there, scatter, sprinkle, strew....
Library
Hollow Laughter,Solid Joy
... THE PROVERBS HOLLOW LAUGHTER,SOLID JOY. 'Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful;
and the end of that mirth is heaviness.'"Proverbs 14:13....
TheSolid Rock. LM
... 321 TheSolid Rock. LM. The Sure Foundation. My... name. Cho."On Christ, the
Solid Rock, I stand, All other ground is sinking sand....
Now to Call Such Scripture Skill Divine Knowledge, is Just as...
... Address 95: Now to call such scripture skill divine knowledge, is just
assolid and judicious? Now to call such scripture skill...
Arguments from the Novelty of Fate and Generation; that Golden Age...
... Chapter XV."Arguments from the Novelty of Fate and Generation; That Golden
Age, Early Men;Solid Arguments Against the Mathematicians....
Humility is the Root of Charity, and Meekness the Fruit of Both. ....
... There is nosolid and pure ground of love to others, except the rubbish of
self-love be first cast out of the soul; and when that superfluity of naughtiness...
John Chapter xvi. 12, 13 (Continued).
... as those of greater capacity, who perceived it as a matter of understanding; to
the former, therefore, as a milk-draught, to the latter assolid food: not that...
Geological Contemporaneity and Persistent Types of Life.
... the pleasure of gain, and the pain of loss, the trader makes up his mind to face
facts and to learn the exact quantity and quality of hissolid and reliable...
The Jordan Memorial Stone
... It was not a piece of parchment or paper upon which was written an account
of the crossing. It was common,solid, enduring stone....
The Description of Jerusalem.
... 3. Now the towers that were upon it were twenty cubits in breadth, and twenty cubits
in height; they were square andsolid, as was the wall itself, wherein the...
Looking to the Hills
... see, and lift up my eyes above these lownesses about me, to the loftinesses that
sense cannot behold, but which I know to be lying serene andsolid beyond the...
Thesaurus
Solid (13 Occurrences)... 2. (a.) Not hollow; full of matter; as, a
solid globe or cone, as distinguished
from a hollow one; not spongy; dense; hence, sometimes, heavy.
...Cosmological
... But it is an exaggeration of all this to speak, as is sometimes done, as if the
Hebrews were children who thought of the sky as asolid vault (Genesis 1:6-8...
Liquid (15 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (a.) Flowing freely like water; fluid; not
solid. 2. (a.) Being in such a state that the component...
World (2829 Occurrences)
... But it is an exaggeration of all this to speak, as is sometimes done, as if the
Hebrews were children who thought of the sky as asolid vault (Genesis 1:6-8...
Inscription (18 Occurrences)
... 2. (n.) That which is inscribed; something written or engraved; especially, a word
or words written or engraved on asolid substance for preservation or public...
Firm (111 Occurrences)
... 1. (superl.) Fixed; hence, closely compressed; compact; substantial; hard;solid; --
applied to the matter of bodies; as, firm flesh; firm muscles, firm wood....
Revolution (6 Occurrences)
... axis, in such a manner that a moving point generates a curve, a moving line a surface
(called a surface of revolution), and a moving surface asolid (called a...
Rib (5 Occurrences)
... 12. (n.)Solid coal on the side of a gallery;solid ore in a vein. 13. (n.)
An elongated pillar of ore or coal left as a support. 14....
Melt (33 Occurrences)
... 1. (n.) See Milt. 2. (v.) To reduce from asolid to a liquid state, as by heat;
to liquefy; as, to melt wax, tallow, or lead; to melt ice or snow....
Pyramid
... 1. (n.) Asolid body standing on a triangular, square, or polygonal base, and
terminating in a point at the top; especially, a structure or edifice of this...
Resources
What are the biblical principles for solid decision-making? | GotQuestions.orgIs Hillsong a biblically solid church? | GotQuestions.orgWhat are some popular illustrations of the Holy Trinity? | GotQuestions.orgSolid: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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