Topical Encyclopedia
In the biblical context, the concept of "spaces" can be understood in various dimensions, including physical, spiritual, and metaphorical. The Bible often uses spatial language to convey theological truths, divine actions, and human experiences.
Creation and Physical SpacesThe Bible begins with the creation narrative, where God establishes the heavens and the earth, delineating physical spaces.
Genesis 1:1-2 states, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters." Here, God creates distinct spaces: the heavens, the earth, and the waters, each with its own purpose and order.
The division of spaces continues with the creation of the firmament, separating the waters above from the waters below (
Genesis 1:6-8). This act of separation and organization reflects God's sovereignty and intentionality in creating a world with structure and boundaries.
Sacred SpacesThroughout the Bible, certain spaces are designated as sacred, set apart for worship and divine encounters. The Tabernacle, and later the Temple, serve as central places where God's presence dwells among His people.
Exodus 25:8 records God's instruction: "And they are to make a sanctuary for Me, so that I may dwell among them." These sacred spaces are meticulously designed according to divine specifications, emphasizing holiness and reverence.
The Holy of Holies within the Temple represents the most sacred space, where only the high priest could enter once a year on the Day of Atonement (
Leviticus 16:2-34). This space symbolizes the intimate yet restricted access to God's presence, highlighting the need for atonement and purity.
Spiritual and Metaphorical SpacesThe Bible also uses spatial language metaphorically to describe spiritual realities and human experiences.
Psalm 18:19 declares, "He brought me out into a spacious place; He rescued me because He delighted in me." Here, a "spacious place" symbolizes deliverance, freedom, and divine favor, contrasting with the confinement of distress and adversity.
In the New Testament, Jesus speaks of spiritual spaces in terms of abiding and dwelling.
John 15:4 records Jesus' words: "Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. Just as no branch can bear fruit by itself unless it remains in the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me." This imagery of abiding suggests a spiritual space of communion and dependence on Christ.
Boundaries and LimitsThe Bible acknowledges the importance of boundaries in maintaining order and righteousness.
Proverbs 22:28 advises, "Do not move an ancient boundary stone set up by your ancestors." Boundaries, whether physical or moral, are seen as divinely ordained markers that preserve justice and community integrity.
In the spiritual realm, boundaries are also significant.
Ephesians 4:27 warns, "and do not give the devil a foothold." This admonition underscores the need to guard spiritual spaces from influences that could lead to sin or spiritual compromise.
Eschatological SpacesThe Bible concludes with a vision of new spaces in the eschatological future.
Revelation 21:1-2 describes, "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." This new creation represents the ultimate fulfillment of God's redemptive plan, where sacred and physical spaces are perfectly united in His eternal kingdom.
In summary, the concept of spaces in the Bible encompasses a rich tapestry of meanings, from the physical creation to spiritual realities, each reflecting God's order, presence, and purpose in the world.
Strong's Hebrew
4054. migrash -- a common, common land, open land... Word Origin from garash Definition a common, common land, open land NASB Word Usage
open space (1), open
spaces (2), pasture (2), pasture lands (109).
...Library
Creatures that are Able to Dart their Thoughts into allSpaces Can...
... THE FIFTH CENTURY 3 Creatures that are able to dart their thoughts into
allspaces can brook no limit or restraint. Creatures that...
We Measure Longer Events by Shorter in Time.
... Thus we measure thespaces of stanzas by thespaces of the verses, and thespaces
of the verses by thespaces of the feet, and thespaces of the feet by the...
Does not My Soul Most Truly Confess unto Thee...
... Thus measure we thespaces of stanzas, by thespaces of the verses, and thespaces
of the verses, by thespaces of the feet, and thespaces of the feet, by the...
The "Great Archon" of Basilides.
... the Sonship took place, and the Holy Spirit itself also remained after the mode
mentioned, the firmament was placed between the super-mundane (spaces) and the...
Deceased was Now that My Evil and Abominable Youth...
... I then being thus gross-hearted, nor clear even to myself, whatsoever was not extended
over certainspaces, nor diffused, nor condensed, nor swelled out, or...
He Regarded not God Indeed under the Form of a Human Body, but as...
... 2. I therefore being thus gross-hearted, nor clear even to myself, whatsoever was
not stretched over certainspaces, nor diffused, nor crowded together, nor...
That we Ought not to Seek to Comprehend the Infinite Ages of Time...
... For if they imagine infinitespaces of time before the world, during which God could
not have been idle, in like manner they may conceive outside the world...
The Schoolboy of Madaura
... the dwarf-pines. Then, as the descent continues, the land becomes thinner
andspaces bare of vegetation appear oftener. At last, upon...
His Followers Object to Me, (And
... of the angels, the lapse of human souls, his prevarications about the resurrection,
his ideas about the world, or rather Epicurus's middle-spaces, [3012] on...
Epicurus; Adopts the Democritic Atomism; Denial of Divine...
... For that the Deity reposed in the intermundanespaces, (as they) are thus styled
by him; for outside the world he determined that there is a certain habitation...
Thesaurus
Spaces (15 Occurrences)...Spaces (15 Occurrences).
... (BBE). 1 Kings 4:26 And Solomon had four thousand
boxed-off
spaces for horses for his carriages, and twelve thousand horsemen. (BBE).
...Champion (7 Occurrences)
... It means literally "the man of the twospaces," "spaces," or "space between," and
is perhaps to be explained by the fact that there was a brook flowing through...
Scale (38 Occurrences)
... 20. (n.) A mathematical instrument, consisting of a slip of wood, ivory, or metal,
with one or more sets ofspaces graduated and numbered on its surface, for...
Spacious (10 Occurrences)
Space (98 Occurrences)
... 10. (n.) To walk; to rove; to roam. 11. (n.) To arrange or adjust thespaces in
or between; as, to space words, lines, or letters. Multi-Version Concordance...
Quick-moving (2 Occurrences)
... Habakkuk 1:6 For see, I am sending the Chaldaeans, that bitter and quick-moving
nation; who go through the widespaces of the earth to get for themselves living...
Network (19 Occurrences)
... organizations; a fabric of threads, cords, or wires crossing at certain intervals,
and knotted or secured at the crossings, thus leavingspaces or meshes...
Ornamented (14 Occurrences)
... 1 Kings 7:36 In thespaces of the flat sides and on the frames of them, he made
designs of winged ones, lions, and palm-trees, with ornamented edges all round....
Living-places (17 Occurrences)
... Habakkuk 1:6 For see, I am sending the Chaldaeans, that bitter and quick-moving
nation; who go through the widespaces of the earth to get for themselves living...
Lurks (3 Occurrences)
... (WEB NAS RSV). Proverbs 7:12 Now she is in the street, now in the openspaces,
waiting at every turning of the road. (See NAS NIV)....
Resources
Who were the scribes that often argued with Jesus? | GotQuestions.orgWhat does the Bible say about having a phobia? | GotQuestions.orgWhat is the Egyptian Book of the Dead? | GotQuestions.orgBible Concordance •
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