The term "downward" in the Bible often conveys a sense of movement from a higher to a lower position, both in a physical and metaphorical sense. This concept can be seen in various contexts throughout Scripture, illustrating themes of humility, descent, and spiritual decline.

1. Physical Descent: The Bible frequently uses the concept of moving downward to describe physical movement from one location to another. For example, in Genesis 12:10, Abram goes "down to Egypt" due to a famine in the land. This physical descent often signifies a journey into a place of trial or testing, as Egypt frequently represents a place of refuge but also of potential danger and moral compromise.

2. Spiritual Decline: The notion of moving downward is also used metaphorically to describe spiritual decline or moral failure. In the book of Judges, the Israelites repeatedly fall into sin, and their downward spiral is marked by cycles of disobedience, oppression, and deliverance. This pattern illustrates the consequences of turning away from God and the resulting descent into chaos and suffering.

3. Humility and Submission: In a positive sense, moving downward can symbolize humility and submission to God's will. Jesus Christ exemplifies this in Philippians 2:7-8, where He "emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross." This downward movement is a voluntary act of humility and obedience, leading to exaltation by God.

4. Judgment and Consequence: The downward path is often associated with judgment and the consequences of sin. In Isaiah 14:15, the fall of Lucifer is described: "But you will be brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit." This passage highlights the ultimate consequence of pride and rebellion against God, resulting in a descent into judgment and separation from divine presence.

5. Symbolic Imagery: The Bible uses downward imagery to convey various symbolic meanings. For instance, in Psalm 55:23, the psalmist declares, "But You, O God, will bring them down to the pit of destruction; men of bloodshed and deceit will not live out half their days." Here, the downward movement signifies divine retribution against the wicked, emphasizing God's justice and the inevitable downfall of those who oppose Him.

6. Moral and Ethical Lessons: The concept of downward movement serves as a moral and ethical lesson for believers. It warns against the dangers of pride, disobedience, and turning away from God, while also encouraging humility, repentance, and reliance on divine grace. The downward path is a reminder of the need for vigilance in maintaining a faithful and obedient relationship with God.

In summary, the theme of "downward" in the Bible encompasses a range of meanings, from physical descent to spiritual decline, and serves as a powerful metaphor for the consequences of sin and the virtues of humility and submission to God's will.1. (adv.) Alt. of Downwards.

2. (a.) Moving or extending from a higher to a lower place; tending toward the earth or its center, or toward a lower level; declivous.

3. (a.) Descending from a head, origin, or source; as, a downward line of descent.

4. (a.) Tending to a lower condition or state; depressed; dejected; as, downward thoughts.

2678. kataseio -- to shake
... beckon. From kata and seio; to sway downward, ie Make a signal -- beckon. see
GREEK kata. see GREEK seio. (kataseisas) -- 3 Occurrences. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2678.htm - 6k4295. mattah -- downwards
... mattah. 4296 . downwards. Transliteration: mattah Phonetic Spelling: (mat'-taw)
Short Definition: downward. ... beneath, downward, less, very low, underneath. ...
/hebrew/4295.htm - 6k

6202. araph -- to break the neck
... A primitive root (identical with araph through the idea of sloping); properly, to
bend downward; but used only as a denominative from oreph, to break the neck ...
/hebrew/6202.htm - 6k

5921. al -- upon, above, over
... often with prefix, or as conjunction with a particle following); above, over, upon,
or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a ...
/hebrew/5921.htm - 8k

A Downward Step.
... THE VALUE OF A PRAYING MOTHER CHAPTER VII. A DOWNWARD STEP. "I have good
news for you, Bessie," said Mrs. Worthington as Bessie ...
/.../byrum/the value of a praying mother/chapter vii a downward step.htm

Two Ways of Rising
... TWO WAYS OF RISING. The human passions are like water: left unconfined, their tendency
is always downward. ... When they are not, they carry the whole man downward. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/naylor/heart talks/talk fifty-four two ways of.htm

Gravity Upward.
... Man's true gravity is toward a center upward. Sin's gravity is toward a center downward. ...
He is overcome by the moral gravity downward of His sin. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/gordon/quiet talks about jesus/gravity upward.htm

Hippolytus on the Twelve Apostles:
... the Gospel in Pontus, and Galatia, and Cappadocia, and Betania, and Italy, and Asia,
and was afterwards crucified by Nero in Rome with his head downward, as he ...
/.../hippolytus on the twelve apostles .htm

A Treatise against Eutyches and Nestorius
... And what I mean by "movement properly inherent and not accidentally attached" is
seen by the example of a wooden bed which is necessarily borne downward and is ...
/.../boethius/the theological tractates/a treatise against eutyches and.htm

Earnest Expostulation
... infatuation. Sin is always on the downward grade, so that when a man proceeds
a certain length he inevitably goes beyond it. The ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 29 1883/earnest expostulation.htm

Letter iii. True Religion a Work of Grace in the Heart; but it ...
... "And the remnant that is escaped out of the house of Judah shall again take root
downward, and bear fruit upward." Here is first a taking deep root downward ...
/.../letter iii true religion a.htm

Wherein is a Partial Inquiry into the Nature of the World, and a ...
... are betook itself to its own separate place, when the body of heaven compassed all
things round, and those bodies which are heavy and of downward tendency, the ...
/.../gregory/gregory of nyssa dogmatic treatises etc/i wherein is a partial.htm

But was not Either the Father, or the Son...
... The body by its own weight strives towards its own place. Weight makes not downward
only, but to his own place. Fire tends upward, a stone downward. ...
/.../augustine/the confessions of saint augustine/chapter ix but was not.htm

Of the First Covenant Made with Man
... Now the soul is crooked and bends downward towards those base earthly things that
are the abasement of the soul, then it looked upright towards God,"had no ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/lecture xxi of the first.htm

Downward (10 Occurrences)
... 3. (a.) Descending from a head, origin, or source; as, a downward line of
descent. ... Multi-Version Concordance Downward (10 Occurrences). ...
/d/downward.htm - 10k

Descent (22 Occurrences)
... 3. (n.) Progress downward, as in station, virtue, as in station, virtue, and the
like, from a higher to a lower state, from a higher to a lower state, from the ...
/d/descent.htm - 15k

Decline (10 Occurrences)
... 1. (vi) To bend, or lean downward; to take a downward direction; to bend over or
hang down, as from weakness, weariness, despondency, etc.; to condescend. ...
/d/decline.htm - 12k

Stoop (10 Occurrences)
... 4. (vi) To bend the upper part of the body downward and forward; to bend or lean
forward; to incline forward in standing or walking; to assume habitually a ...
/s/stoop.htm - 10k

Stamp (25 Occurrences)
... 1. (vi) To strike beat, or press forcibly with the bottom of the foot, or by thrusting
the foot downward. ... 9. (vi) To strike the foot forcibly downward. 10. ...
/s/stamp.htm - 16k

Upward (74 Occurrences)
... (WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT). 2 Kings 19:30 The remnant that has escaped of the
house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward. ...
/u/upward.htm - 32k

Lapse (9 Occurrences)
... 5. (vi) To pass slowly and smoothly downward, backward, or away; to slip downward,
backward, or away; to glide; -- mostly restricted to figurative uses. ...
/l/lapse.htm - 10k

Gleaming (9 Occurrences)
... metal, as the appearance of fire within it all around, from the appearance of his
waist and upward; and from the appearance of his waist and downward I saw as ...
/g/gleaming.htm - 9k

Glowing (14 Occurrences)
... metal, as the appearance of fire within it all around, from the appearance of his
waist and upward; and from the appearance of his waist and downward I saw as ...
/g/glowing.htm - 11k

Dogma
... but with the one exception of Acts 16:4, in a sense widely different from that which
ecclesiastical usage has given to it from the 2nd century downward. ...
/d/dogma.htm - 10k

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