Topical Encyclopedia
Definition and Usage:The term "tottering" refers to a state of instability or unsteadiness, often used to describe physical weakness or a precarious situation. In the biblical context, it can be applied metaphorically to describe spiritual or moral instability, as well as literal physical weakness or the instability of nations and kingdoms.
Biblical References:While the specific term "tottering" may not appear frequently in the Berean Standard Bible, the concept is present in various passages that describe instability or weakness. For example, in
Psalm 62:3 , the psalmist uses imagery that conveys a sense of tottering: "How long will you threaten a man? Will all of you throw him down like a leaning wall or a tottering fence?" This verse illustrates the vulnerability and instability of a person under attack, likening them to a structure on the verge of collapse.
In
Isaiah 24:20 , the prophet Isaiah describes the earth's instability due to sin: "The earth staggers like a drunkard and sways like a hut. Its transgression weighs it down, and it falls, never to rise again." Here, the earth is depicted as tottering under the weight of iniquity, emphasizing the consequences of sin and the resulting divine judgment.
Theological Implications:The imagery of tottering in the Bible often serves as a warning against spiritual complacency and moral decay. It highlights the fragility of human strength and the need for reliance on God. In a spiritual sense, believers are cautioned against becoming like a "tottering fence," easily swayed by external pressures or internal weaknesses. Instead, they are encouraged to find stability and strength in their faith and trust in God.
The concept also underscores the transient nature of earthly powers and kingdoms. In prophetic literature, the tottering of nations symbolizes the inevitable downfall of those who oppose God's will. This serves as a reminder of God's sovereignty and the ultimate triumph of His kingdom.
Practical Application:For believers, the notion of tottering can be a call to self-examination and spiritual vigilance. It encourages individuals to assess areas of weakness in their faith and to seek God's strength to stand firm. In times of personal or communal instability, Christians are reminded to anchor themselves in the unchanging truth of God's Word and His promises.
Furthermore, the imagery of tottering can inspire believers to support and uphold one another, fostering a community that strengthens the weak and provides stability in times of trial. By doing so, the church can reflect the steadfastness of Christ, who is the cornerstone and foundation of the faith.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
(
p. pr. & vb. n.) of Totter.
Strong's Hebrew
6375. piq --tottering, staggering... piq or piq. 6376 .
tottering, staggering. Transliteration: piq or piq Phonetic
Spelling: (peek) Short Definition: knocking.
... a
tottering, smite together.
...5781. uq -- perhaps to totter, causetottering
... 5780, 5781. uq. 5782 . perhaps to totter, causetottering. Transliteration:
uq Phonetic Spelling: (ook) Short Definition: down. Word Origin a prim....
6330. puqah --tottering, staggering
... 6329, 6330. puqah. 6331 .tottering, staggering. Transliteration: puqah
Phonetic Spelling: (poo-kaw') Short Definition: grief. Word...
3782. kashal -- to stumble, stagger, totter
... 1), fall (4), fall down (1), feeble (3), feeble* (1), overthrown (1), stumble (26),
stumble badly (1), stumbled (12), stumbles (2),tottering (1), weak (1)....
1760. dachah -- to push, thrust
... Word Origin a prim. root Definition to push, thrust NASB Word Usage away (1), driving
(1), pushed me violently (1), thrust down (2),tottering (1), trip (1)....
3783. kishshalon -- a stumbling
... Word Origin from kashal Definition a stumbling NASB Word Usage stumbling (1). fall.
From kashal; properly, atottering, ie Ruin -- fall. see HEBREW kashal....
Library
Again on Matt. xiv. 25:00:00 of the Lord Walking on the Waves of...
... testament. Sermon XXVI. Again on Matt. xiv. 25: Of the Lord walking on the
waves of the sea, and of Petertottering. [LXXVI. Ben.] Again...
A Voice from the Hartley Colliery
... If we be sixty, we presumptuously reckon upon another twenty years of life; and
the man of eighty,tottering upon his staff, remembering that some few have...
Life a Tale
... they stand now,"whose names occupied the signs and the records which theirs now
fill,"have passed away, or, here and there, cometottering along, bent and...
The Secret of Its Greatness
... and so magnificent with carvings and paintings, that even their poor ruins"the great
columns shattered or fallen, the enormous wallstottering and broken...
Bear up the Hands that Hang Down, by Faith and Prayer...
... Chapter IX Bear up the hands that hang down, by faith and prayer? Bear up the hands
that hang down, by faith and prayer; support thetottering knees....
Making Haste to be Rich.
... when reverses came, were subjected to trials for alleged fraudulent practices, resorted
to in extremity as a means of sustaining theirtottering credit and...
Early Battles
... One of the number, a soldier of the corps to-day, sends his grateful tribute to
Lieutenant Kate's persistence in holding up histottering steps until they grew...
The Mothering Heart
... 'Never nobody mothered me like her,' declared a grey-headed man saved from great
depths, whosetottering steps she taught to walk the way to Heaven steadily....
Sin is Spiritual Slavery
... Has the old debauchee, justtottering into hell, as much power of active resistance
against the sin which has now ruined him, as the youth has who is just...
The Mendicant Orders
... The Dominican legend depicts Innocent as converted to the recognition of the Order
by a dream, in which he saw the Lateran Churchtottering and upheld by the...
Thesaurus
Tottering (5 Occurrences)...Tottering (5 Occurrences).
... (See NAS). Psalms 62:3 How long will you assault a man,
would all of you throw him down, Like a leaning wall, like a
tottering fence?
...Leaning (11 Occurrences)
... Psalms 62:3 How long will you assault a man, would all of you throw him down, Like
a leaning wall, like atottering fence? (WEB JPS ASV NAS RSV NIV)....
Imagine (24 Occurrences)
... Psalms 62:3 How long will ye imagine mischief against a man? ye shall be slain all
of you: as a bowing wall shall ye be, and as atottering fence. (KJV WBS)....
Feeble-minded (2 Occurrences)
... In Septuagint it is used as the equivalent of koshel, thetottering or feeble-kneed
in Isaiah 35:3; Isaiah 54:6; oligopsuchia occurs in Septuagint twice...
Feebleminded (1 Occurrence)
... In Septuagint it is used as the equivalent of koshel, thetottering or feeble-kneed
in Isaiah 35:3; Isaiah 54:6; oligopsuchia occurs in Septuagint twice...
Testaments
... centuries preceding Christ, The Egyptian empire, the oldest and in many respects
the most perfectly developed civilization of antiquity, wastottering to its...
Treacherous (34 Occurrences)
... (ASV DBY YLT). Proverbs 25:19 A bad tooth, and atottering foot, 'Is' the
confidence of the treacherous in a day of adversity. (YLT)....
Totters (3 Occurrences)
Tottereth (2 Occurrences)
Trembling (72 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Tremble. 2. (a.) Shaking;tottering;
quivering. Multi-Version Concordance Trembling (72 Occurrences)....
Resources
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