Topical Encyclopedia
Definition and Context:Traversing, in a biblical context, refers to the act of journeying or moving across a particular area or region. This concept is frequently encountered in the Bible, as the narratives often involve individuals or groups traveling from one place to another, whether for purposes of migration, pilgrimage, conquest, or divine mission.
Biblical Instances:1.
Abraham's Journey: Abraham's life is marked by significant traversing, as he obeys God's call to leave his homeland.
Genesis 12:1-4 recounts God's command to Abraham: "Go forth from your country and from your kindred and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you." Abraham's journey from Ur to Canaan is a foundational narrative of faith and obedience.
2.
The Exodus: The Israelites' exodus from Egypt is one of the most significant examples of traversing in the Bible. Under Moses' leadership, the Israelites journey through the wilderness for forty years before reaching the Promised Land.
Exodus 13:18 states, "So God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. And the Israelites left the land of Egypt arrayed for battle."
3.
Jesus' Ministry: Jesus' earthly ministry involved extensive traversing throughout the regions of Galilee, Judea, and beyond. His travels were integral to His mission of teaching, healing, and proclaiming the Kingdom of God.
Matthew 9:35 notes, "Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness."
4.
Paul's Missionary Journeys: The Apostle Paul is renowned for his missionary journeys, which involved traversing the Roman Empire to spread the Gospel.
Acts 13-28 details these journeys, highlighting Paul's commitment to evangelism and church planting.
Acts 16:6-10 describes one such journey: "Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia."
Theological Significance:Traversing in the Bible often symbolizes obedience to God's call, the pursuit of divine promises, and the spread of the Gospel. It reflects the transient nature of earthly life and the believer's journey towards a heavenly homeland.
Hebrews 11:13-16 speaks to this, describing the patriarchs as "strangers and exiles on the earth," seeking a better country, a heavenly one.
Practical Application:For believers, traversing can be understood as a metaphor for the Christian walk, characterized by faith, perseverance, and reliance on God's guidance. It encourages Christians to remain steadfast in their spiritual journey, trusting in God's promises and direction, much like the biblical figures who traversed the lands before them.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
p. pr. & vb. n.) of Traverse.
2. (a.) Adjustable laterally; having a lateral motion, or a swinging motion; adapted for giving lateral motion.
Strong's Hebrew
4944. mashshaq -- a running, rushing... running to and fro. From shaqaq; a
traversing, ie Rapid motion -- running to and
fro. see HEBREW shaqaq. 4943, 4944. mashshaq. 4945 . Strong's Numbers.
935. bo -- to come in, come, go in, go
... sunset* (5), support* (1), surely comes (1), take (2), take place (1), takes (1),
taking (1), threatened* (1), took (1), took place (1),traversing (1), visit...
Library
Not Then in the Sense ofTraversing Space...
... BOOK I. Chapter 12. Not then in the sense oftraversing space? 12. Not then
in the sense oftraversing space, but because He appeared...
The Procession of Sorrow
... Grant me only thus much of likeness: we have here a Prince with his bride, bearing
his banner, and wearing his royal robes,traversing the streets of his own...
On Easter
... the ocean. Armed with raystraversing the liquid elements, in this [2108]
brief night he stretches out the day in a circle. The...
Creation's Groans and the Saints' Sighs
... Climbing the lofty Alps, or wandering through the charming valley, skimming the
blue sea, ortraversing the verdant forest, we have felt that this world...
An Account of the General Conference of 1796
... The hardships to which they were exposed intraversing the wilderness, their scanty
fare, and the excessive labors they were obliged to perform, brought on...
Letter vii.
... the sun, in its own course, having contracted its five-fold motion in ten hours,
retrogressively again retraced it in the other ten hours, bytraversing a sort...
Judas Iscariot
... In the Vision of Hell the poet Dante, aftertraversing the circles of the universe
of woe, in which each separate kind of wickedness receives its peculiar...
The Boy and the Sunday School
... the best, a loyal friend of his true friends; impulsive, erratic, impressionable
to an alarming degree." Furthermore, the boy is maturing,traversing the path...
Prayer and Labor for the Gathering of the Great Harvest.
... He wastraversing the cities and villages of His country, "teaching in their synagogues
and preaching the Gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and...
The Woman Taken in Adultery.
... If, on the other hand, He bid them let the woman go, then He could be
branded before the people astraversing the law of Moses....
Thesaurus
Traversing (2 Occurrences)...Traversing (2 Occurrences).
... see your way in the valley, know what you have done:
you are a swift dromedary
traversing her ways; (WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS).
...Traverse (5 Occurrences)
Trawl-nets (4 Occurrences)
Trawl-nets.Traversing, Trawl-nets. Tray . Multi-Version Concordance
Trawl-nets (4 Occurrences)....Traversing, Trawl-nets. Tray . Reference Bible.
Tracks (6 Occurrences)
... after the Baalim'? See thy way in the Valley, know what thou hast done; thou
art a swift young cameltraversing her ways; (See RSV)....
Round (664 Occurrences)
... 20. (n.) A course ending where it began; a circuit; a beat; especially, one frequently
or regularly traversed; also, the act oftraversing a circuit; as, a...
Dromedary (3 Occurrences)
... Baals? see your way in the valley, know what you have done: you are a swift
dromedarytraversing her ways; (WEB KJV ASV DBY WBS YLT)....
Dionysus
... In later Greek legend he is represented as coming from India, astraversing Asia
in a triumphal march, accompanied by woodland beings, with pointed ears, snub...
By (30426 Occurrences)
... 1. (pref.) In the neighborhood of; near or next to; not far from; close to; along
with; as, come and sit by me. 2. (pref.) On; along; intraversing. Compare 5....
Baals (18 Occurrences)
... Baals? see your way in the valley, know what you have done: you are a swift
dromedarytraversing her ways; (WEB BBE DBY NAS NIV)....
Baalim (18 Occurrences)
... Baalim? see thy way in the valley, know what thou hast done: thou art a
swift dromedarytraversing her ways; (KJV JPS ASV WBS YLT)....
Resources
What is the significance of Shittim in the Bible? | GotQuestions.orgTraversing: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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