Topical Encyclopedia
The term "somber" is often associated with a mood or atmosphere that is dark, gloomy, or serious. In the context of the Bible, somber moments are frequently depicted in narratives that involve mourning, repentance, or divine judgment. These instances serve as reminders of the gravity of sin, the seriousness of God's commands, and the solemnity of certain spiritual truths.
Mourning and LamentationThe Bible contains numerous accounts of somber occasions marked by mourning and lamentation. In the Old Testament, the book of Lamentations is a poignant example, as it reflects on the destruction of Jerusalem and the deep sorrow of the people.
Lamentations 1:1 states, "How lonely lies the city, once so full of people! She who was great among the nations has become like a widow. The princess of the provinces has become a slave." This verse captures the somber tone of the entire book, emphasizing the desolation and grief experienced by the Israelites.
Repentance and ReflectionSomberness is also evident in moments of repentance and reflection. The prophet Joel calls the people to repentance with a somber warning in
Joel 2:12-13 : "Yet even now," declares the LORD, "return to Me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning. So rend your hearts and not your garments, and return to the LORD your God." This passage underscores the seriousness of turning back to God, highlighting the need for genuine contrition and humility.
Divine JudgmentThe Bible frequently portrays somber scenes in the context of divine judgment. The account of Noah and the flood is a prime example, where the somber reality of God's judgment on a sinful world is depicted.
Genesis 6:5-7 describes the gravity of the situation: "Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great upon the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was altogether evil all the time. And the LORD regretted that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him in His heart. So the LORD said, 'I will blot out man, whom I have created, from the face of the earth—every man and beast and crawling creature and bird of the air—for I am grieved that I have made them.'"
Somberness in the New TestamentIn the New Testament, somber moments are often linked to the passion and crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The Gospels recount the somber atmosphere surrounding Jesus' arrest, trial, and crucifixion.
Matthew 26:37-38 describes Jesus' own somber state in the Garden of Gethsemane: "And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee and began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. Then He said to them, 'My soul is consumed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with Me.'"
Somber Reflection in WorshipThe somber tone is also present in certain aspects of worship and liturgy, where believers are called to reflect on their sins and the sacrifice of Christ. The practice of observing Lent, for example, is a period of somber reflection and penitence leading up to Easter. This time is marked by prayer, fasting, and repentance, as believers prepare their hearts to commemorate the death and resurrection of Jesus.
In summary, the concept of somberness in the Bible is intricately linked to themes of mourning, repentance, divine judgment, and the solemn aspects of worship. These moments serve as powerful reminders of the seriousness of sin and the profound nature of God's redemptive work through Jesus Christ.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
a.) Gloomy; bleak; sad.
Greek
4768. stugnazo -- to have a gloomy appearance... Speech: Verb Transliteration: stugnazo Phonetic Spelling: (stoog-nad'-zo) Short
Definition: I am gloomy Definition: I am gloomy, have a
somber countenance, am
...Library
Whether it is Lawful for Religious to Wear Coarser Clothes than...
... clothes. Objection 2: Further, Jerome says (Ep. 52 ad Nepotian.): "Avoid
somber," ie black, "equally with glittering apparel. Fine...
His Unconscious Preparation for his Work
... had persecuted the Church of God. But thesesomber sentiments are only
partially justifiable. God's purposes are very deep, and...
Yea, Though I Walk in the Valley of the Shadow of Death, I Will...
... And within these shadowy valleys andsomber ravines there dwell not infrequently
wild and ferocious animals that will, if aroused, attack and kill the tender...
Felicitous Phrases
... augmenting, furthering, and reenforcing. austere, calm, andsomber. authority,
leadership, and command. avarice, pride, and revenge. awakened, girded, and active...
Close of the Colonial Era --The German Churches --The Beginnings...
... more vividly illustrative of the times and the men than the page in which Samuel
Hopkins recites the story of the sufferings of his ownsomber and ponderous...
In the Course of this Crude Study we Shall have to Touch on what...
... is surely quite clear that this modern notion that woman is a mere "pretty clinging
parasite," "a plaything," etc., arose through thesomber contemplation of...
Whom the Lady Miriam Sent
... one recollection remained"a recollection of another figure on the eminence, and
by the flash of white upthrown arms, and the blowing of asomber cloud of hair...
The Immutability of Christ
... Nay, the whole world hath changed; earth hath doffed its green, and put on itssomber
garment of Autumn, and soon expects to wear its ermine robe of snow....
A Retreat, or a Rout?
... repent and believe, and our hearts may be made as pure as though we had never sinned;
but the stain of it lies ever upon our memory, and itssomber shadow lies...
Blowing the Clouds Away
... So those spiritual clouds that were hanging so low above me and wrapping me in their
somber shadows could not be blown away by my feeble breath....
Thesaurus
Somber (1 Occurrence)... 1. (a.) Gloomy; bleak; sad. Multi-Version Concordance
Somber (1 Occurrence). Matthew
6:16 "Moreover when you fast, don't be like the hypocrites, with sad faces.
...Some (3429 Occurrences)
Mourning (85 Occurrences)
... 3. (n.) Garb, drapery, or emblems indicative of grief, esp. clothing or a badge
ofsomber black. 4. (a.) Grieving; sorrowing; lamenting....
Colors (12 Occurrences)
... yellow. A peasant chooses without hesitation a flaring magenta or yellow
or green zun-nar (girdle), rather than one ofsomber hues....
Solving (1 Occurrence)
Sad (73 Occurrences)
... 1. (superl.) Sated; satisfied; weary; tired. 2. (superl.) Heavy; weighty; ponderous;
close; hard. 3. (superl.) Dull; grave; dark;somber; -- said of colors....
Color (18 Occurrences)
... yellow. A peasant chooses without hesitation a flaring magenta or yellow
or green zun-nar (girdle), rather than one ofsomber hues....
Eve (5 Occurrences)
... But not even in thesomber complaints of 2 Esdras concerning the woe that Adam's
transgression brought upon the race is there any hint of Eve's part in the...
Crafts (2 Occurrences)
... The otherwisesomber effect produced by expansive plain walls was overcome by
sculpturing, either in relief or intaglio, on a coating of stucco, and then...
Retribution (14 Occurrences)
... So too thesomber ruminations of the Preacher upon the contradictions arid anomalies
and mysteries of human life, "under the sun," close in the reflection...
Resources
Did Jesus ever laugh? | GotQuestions.orgWhat is preparationism? | GotQuestions.orgIs there any reason to fear going into a cemetery / graveyard? | GotQuestions.orgSomber: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
Bible Dictionary •
Bible Encyclopedia •
Topical Bible •
Bible Thesuarus
