In biblical literature, the term "crag" refers to a steep or rugged cliff or rock face, often used metaphorically to describe a place of refuge or strength. The imagery of a crag is frequently employed in the Bible to convey God's protection and the security found in Him.

Biblical References:

1. 1 Samuel 14:4 · In the account of Jonathan's daring attack on the Philistine outpost, the narrative describes the terrain: "On each side of the pass that Jonathan intended to cross to reach the Philistine outpost was a cliff; one was called Bozez and the other Seneh" . Here, the crags serve as natural fortifications, illustrating the challenging and strategic nature of the landscape.

2. Psalm 18:2 · The psalmist declares, "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" . The metaphor of God as a rock or crag emphasizes His unchanging nature and the safety He provides to those who trust in Him.

3. Isaiah 2:21 · In a prophetic context, Isaiah speaks of a time when people will "flee to caverns in the rocks and to the overhanging crags from the terror of the LORD and from the splendor of His majesty, when He rises to shake the earth" . This passage uses the imagery of crags as places of hiding during divine judgment, highlighting the awe and fear associated with God's power.

Theological Significance:

The use of crags in Scripture often symbolizes God's protection and the refuge He offers to His people. In a world filled with uncertainty and danger, the crag represents a place of safety and stability. This imagery reassures believers of God's steadfastness and His ability to shelter them from spiritual and physical threats.

Cultural and Historical Context:

In the ancient Near East, crags and rocky terrains were common geographical features. They provided natural defense mechanisms against enemies and were often used as places of refuge during times of war or persecution. The biblical authors, familiar with these landscapes, used the imagery of crags to communicate spiritual truths about God's protective nature.

Application for Believers:

For contemporary believers, the metaphor of God as a crag serves as a reminder of His reliability and strength. In times of trouble or uncertainty, Christians are encouraged to seek refuge in God, trusting in His ability to protect and sustain them. The crag, as a symbol of divine security, invites believers to deepen their faith and reliance on God's unwavering presence.1. (n.) A steep, rugged rock; a rough, broken cliff, or point of a rock, on a ledge.

2. (n.) A partially compacted bed of gravel mixed with shells, of the Tertiary age.

3. (n.) The neck or throat

4. (n.) The neck piece or scrag of mutton.

CRAG

krag (shen (1 Samuel 7:12; 1 Samuel 14:4 Job 39:28 the King James Version and the English Revised Version)): In a mountainous country composed of sedimentary rocks, like the cretaceous rocks of Palestine, cliffs are formed on a slope where hard strata are underlaid by softer strata. The soft strata wear away more rapidly, undermining the hard strata above them, which for a time project, but finally break off by vertical joint planes, the fragments rolling down to form the talus slope at the foot of the cliff. As the breaking off of the undermined hard strata proceeds irregularly, there are left projecting crags, sometimes at the top of the cliff, and sometimes lower down. Two such crags (shen ha-cela`, "sharp rock," the Revised Version (British and American) "rocky crag"), which were given particular names, Bozez and Seneh, marked the scene of the exploit of Jonathan described in 1 Samuel 14. Conder failed to identify the crags, and it has been proposed to alter the text rather extensively to make it read: "wall of rock" instead of "crag" (Encyclopedia Biblica, under the word "Michmash"). Such rocks form safe resting-places for birds of prey, as it is said of the eagle in Job 39:28 English Revised Version: "She dwelleth on the rock and hath her lodging there, Upon the crag of the rock, and the stronghold." Alfred Ely Day

2911. kremnos -- a steep bank
... a steep bank. Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine Transliteration: kremnos Phonetic
Spelling: (krame-nos') Short Definition: a crag, precipice Definition: a crag ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2911.htm - 6k5553. sela -- a crag, cliff
... 5552, 5553. sela. 5554 . a crag, cliff. Transliteration: sela Phonetic
Spelling: (seh'-lah) Short Definition: rock. Word Origin ...
/hebrew/5553.htm - 6k

8127. shen -- tooth, ivory
... Word Origin from shanan Definition tooth, ivory NASB Word Usage crag (2), ivory
(10), sharp (2), teeth (30), three-pronged* (1), tooth (9). ...
/hebrew/8127.htm - 6k

6790. Tsin -- a desert area which included Kadesh-barnea
... Zin. From an unused root meaning to prick; a crag; Tsin, a part of the Desert --
Zin. 6789, 6790. Tsin. 6791 . Strong's Numbers.
/hebrew/6790.htm - 6k

5573. Senneh -- a cliff in Isr.
... NASB Word Usage Seneh (1). Seneh. The same s cnah; thorn; Seneh, a crag in Palestine --
Seneh. see HEBREW cnah. 5572, 5573. Senneh. 5574 . Strong's Numbers
/hebrew/5573.htm - 6k

8129. Shen -- "tooth," a place near Mizpah
... 1). Shen. The same as shen; crag; Shen, a place in Palestine -- Shen. see
HEBREW shen. 8128, 8129. Shen. 8130 . Strong's Numbers.
/hebrew/8129.htm - 6k

The Inch-Worm and the Mountain
... But as she passed crag after crag the animals below ceased making fun of her
and began to shout encouragement. At last she reached the top. ...
/.../fifty-two story talks to boys and girls/the inch-worm and the mountain.htm

Assurance of Salvation.
... "The wild goat on the crag does not say, 'Have Ia right here?' No, he must be somewhere:
and there is a crag which exactly suits him; and he springs upon it. ...
/.../moody/the way to god and how to find it/chapter vii assurance of salvation.htm

Grundtvig's Hymns
... but when I write as my intuition dictates, it works well; ideas and images come
to me without effort, and I fly lightly as the gazelle from crag to crag ...
/.../aaberg/hymns and hymnwriters of denmark/chapter fifteen grundtvigs hymns.htm

Christ's First and Last Subject
... As the river rushes downward with increasing fury, leaping from crag to crag in
ponderous cataracts of power, so is the sinner in his sin; onward and downward ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 6 1860/christs first and last subject.htm

Andromeda
... Under a crag of the stone, where a ledge sloped down to the water; There they set
Andromeden, most beautiful, shaped like a goddess, Lifting her long white ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/andromeda and other poems/andromeda.htm

Climbing the Mountain
... My bones ache, my knees bend, hot sweat drenches my garments, my head is giddy,
and I drag my bleeding feet with anguish from crag to crag." Oh! ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 7 1861/climbing the mountain.htm

Geological Contemporaneity and Persistent Types of Life.
... George's Channel with what may then remain of the Suffolk Crag. Reasoning in the
same way, he will at once decide the Suffolk Crag and the St. ...
/.../x geological contemporaneity and persistent.htm

The Blood of Sprinkling
... quite another atmosphere. He has not come to a barren crag, but to an inhabited
city, Jerusalem above, the metropolis of God. He has ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 32 1886/the blood of sprinkling.htm

Book V Here She Made an End and was for Turning the Course of Her ...
... In the land where the Parthian, as he turns in flight, shoots his arrows into the
pursuer's breast, from the rocks of the crag of Ach??menia, the Tigris and ...
/.../boethius/the consolation of philosophy/book v here she made.htm

The Preacher as a Man of the Word.
... the forked lightning, which rives the giant of the forest, and overturns the tower
which has defied ten thousand assailants, and, loosening the crag, sends it ...
/.../stalker/the preacher and his models/lecture iv the preacher as.htm

Crag (5 Occurrences)
... Tertiary age. 3. (n.) The neck or throat. 4. (n.) The neck piece or scrag of
mutton. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. CRAG. krag (shen ...
/c/crag.htm - 9k

Rocky (14 Occurrences)
... 1 Samuel 14:4 Between the passes, by which Jonathan sought to go over to the
Philistines' garrison, there was a rocky crag on the one side, and a rocky crag...
/r/rocky.htm - 10k

Outpost (7 Occurrences)
... 1 Samuel 14:4 Between the passes, by which Jonathan sought to go over to the
Philistines' garrison, there was a rocky crag on the one side, and a rocky crag...
/o/outpost.htm - 9k

Garrison (15 Occurrences)
... 1 Samuel 14:4 Between the passes, by which Jonathan sought to go over to the
Philistines' garrison, there was a rocky crag on the one side, and a rocky crag...
/g/garrison.htm - 13k

Bozez (1 Occurrence)
... 1 Samuel 14:4 Between the passes, by which Jonathan sought to go over to the
Philistines' garrison, there was a rocky crag on the one side, and a rocky crag...
/b/bozez.htm - 7k

Cliff (11 Occurrences)
... 1 Samuel 14:4 Between the passes, by which Jonathan sought to go over to the
Philistines' garrison, there was a rocky crag on the one side, and a rocky crag...
/c/cliff.htm - 10k

Geba (22 Occurrences)
... It stands to the South of Wady Suweinit, looking toward Michmash-modern
Mukhmas-with Seneh, the crag on the southern lip of the gorge, in front of it. ...
/g/geba.htm - 17k

Seneh (1 Occurrence)
... 1 Samuel 14:4 Between the passes, by which Jonathan sought to go over to the
Philistines' garrison, there was a rocky crag on the one side, and a rocky crag...
/s/seneh.htm - 7k

Philistine (63 Occurrences)
... 1 Samuel 14:4 Between the passes, by which Jonathan sought to go over to the
Philistines' garrison, there was a rocky crag on the one side, and a rocky crag...
/p/philistine.htm - 29k

Intended (38 Occurrences)
... 1 Samuel 14:4 Between the passes, by which Jonathan sought to go over to the
Philistines' garrison, there was a rocky crag on the one side, and a rocky crag...
/i/intended.htm - 17k

Crag: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

Bible Concordance • Bible Dictionary • Bible Encyclopedia • Topical Bible • Bible Thesuarus