Dwindle
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The term "dwindle" refers to a gradual reduction in size, strength, or number. In a biblical context, it often describes the diminishing of resources, strength, or spiritual fervor. While the specific word "dwindle" may not frequently appear in the Berean Standard Bible, the concept is evident throughout Scripture, illustrating the consequences of disobedience, lack of faith, or divine judgment.

Biblical Instances and Themes:

1. Spiritual Decline:
The Bible frequently warns against spiritual decline, where individuals or nations turn away from God, resulting in a dwindling of spiritual vitality. In Revelation 2:4-5, the church in Ephesus is admonished for losing its first love: "But I have this against you: You have abandoned your first love. Therefore, keep in mind how far you have fallen. Repent and perform the deeds you did at first." This passage highlights the danger of spiritual dwindling and the need for repentance and renewal.

2. Material and Physical Diminishment:
The Old Testament often describes the dwindling of resources as a consequence of disobedience to God's commandments. In Leviticus 26:20, God warns the Israelites of the consequences of disobedience: "Your strength will be spent in vain, because your land will not yield its produce, and the trees of the land will not bear their fruit." This reflects the principle that turning away from God can lead to a reduction in material blessings.

3. National Decline:
The decline of nations is a recurring theme in the Bible, often linked to moral and spiritual decay. In Isaiah 1:7, the prophet laments the condition of Judah: "Your land is desolate; your cities are burned with fire; foreigners devour your fields before you—a desolation demolished by strangers." This passage illustrates how a nation's strength and prosperity can dwindle due to sin and rebellion against God.

4. Moral and Ethical Deterioration:
The Bible also addresses the dwindling of moral and ethical standards. In Romans 1:21-22, Paul describes the moral decline of humanity: "For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking and darkened in their foolish hearts. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools." This passage underscores the spiritual and moral consequences of turning away from God's truth.

5. Hope and Restoration:
Despite the theme of dwindling, the Bible also offers hope for restoration. In Joel 2:25, God promises to restore what has been lost: "I will repay you for the years eaten by locusts—the swarming locust, the young locust, the destroying locust, and the devouring locust—My great army that I sent against you." This assurance of restoration emphasizes God's mercy and the possibility of renewal for those who return to Him.

Conclusion:
The concept of dwindling in the Bible serves as a warning and a call to remain faithful to God. It highlights the consequences of spiritual, moral, and material decline while also offering hope for restoration through repentance and obedience to God's will.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (v. i.) To diminish; to become less; to shrink; to waste or consume away; to become degenerate; to fall away.

2. (v. t.) To make less; to bring low.

3. (v. t.) To break; to disperse.

4. (n.) The process of dwindling; dwindlement; decline; degeneracy.

Strong's Hebrew
7087a. qapha -- to thicken, condense, congeal
... Word Origin a prim. root Definition to thicken, condense, congeal NASB Word Usage
congealed (1), curdle (1), dwindle (1), stagnant (1). 7087, 7087a. ...
/hebrew/7087a.htm - 5k

2191. zeer -- a little
... little. From an unused root (akin (by permutation) to tsa'ar), meaning to dwindle;
small -- little. see HEBREW tsa'ar. 2190, 2191. zeer. 2192 . ...
/hebrew/2191.htm - 6k

4743. maqaq -- to decay, rot, fester, pine away
... A primitive root; to melt; figuratively, to flow, dwindle, vanish -- consume away,
be corrupt, dissolve, pine away. 4742, 4743. maqaq. 4744 . ...
/hebrew/4743.htm - 6k

Library

The Death of Abraham
... fleeting world that is slipping away from him; nothing sadder than to see how, as
opportunities and capacities for the enjoyment of life dwindle, and dwindle ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture k/the death of abraham.htm

A Fulfilled Aspiration
... their characters; and all the joys that could be bought at the price of the smallest
neglected duty or the smallest perpetrated sin, dwindle and dwindle and ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture the acts/a fulfilled aspiration.htm

The Three Tribunals
... Now, the direct tendency of Christian faith and principle is to dwindle into wholesome
insignificance the multitudinous voice of men's judgments. ...
/.../maclaren/romans corinthians to ii corinthians chap v/the three tribunals.htm

The Inwardness of Prayer
... That is its punishment"spiritual dumbness, or at least aphasia, and starvation.
We do not take our spiritual food, and so we falter, dwindle, and die. ...
/.../forsyth/the soul of prayer/chapter i the inwardness of.htm

Colonization.
... who went out as missionaries did all they could to hinder these horrors, but in
vain; and when at last the poor delicate Indians began to dwindle away and die ...
//christianbookshelf.org/yonge/the chosen people/lesson xxxiii colonization.htm

Heathens and Heretics Alike in their Vilification of the Flesh and ...
... of trouble; and after all this record of its degradation, dropping into its original
earth and the appellation of a corpse, and destined to dwindle away even ...
/.../on the resurrection of the flesh/chapter iv heathens and heretics alike.htm

Joy and Peace in Believing
... Fill the contending parties with a fuller spiritual life, and the ground of their
differences will begin to dwindle, and look very contemptible. ...
/.../romans corinthians to ii corinthians chap v/joy and peace in believing.htm

Looking at the Unseen
... pressure of the 'exceeding weight of glory' pour into our minds, we should carry
with us a standard which would bring down the greatness, dwindle the duration ...
/.../maclaren/romans corinthians to ii corinthians chap v/looking at the unseen.htm

Caleb --A Green Old Age
... sufferers long years of pains and tears, but in the calendar of faith 'weeping endures
for a night, joy cometh in the morning.' The weary days dwindle into a ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture f/caleba green old age.htm

Unfailing Stabs and Fainting Men
... taught us, what the prophet did not know, that even in the apparently serene spaces
there are collisions and catastrophes, and that stars may dwindle and dim ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture h/unfailing stabs and fainting men.htm

Thesaurus
Dwindle (10 Occurrences)
... 3. (vt) To break; to disperse. 4. (n.) The process of dwindling; dwindlement; decline;
degeneracy. Multi-Version Concordance Dwindle (10 Occurrences). ...
/d/dwindle.htm - 9k

Obeyed (83 Occurrences)
... (KJV WBS NAS NIV). 2 Samuel 22:45 The sons of the stranger dwindle away before
me; as soon as they hear of me, they obey me. (See RSV). ...
/o/obeyed.htm - 32k

Waste (668 Occurrences)
... 8. (vi) To be diminished; to lose bulk, substance, strength, value, or the
like, gradually; to be consumed; to dwindle; to grow less. ...
/w/waste.htm - 37k

Dwindles (1 Occurrence)

/d/dwindles.htm - 6k

Helper (58 Occurrences)
... thy excellency! And thine enemies shall dwindle away before thee; and thou
shalt tread upon their high places. (See NIV). Joshua ...
/h/helper.htm - 23k

Scribes (85 Occurrences)
... in which to glory nor a spade with which to dig." Hillel used to say: "He who employs
the crown (of the Law) for external purposes shall dwindle." That the ...
/s/scribes.htm - 49k

Dwelt (307 Occurrences)

/d/dwelt.htm - 36k

Resources
How should a Christian respond to a bad economy? | GotQuestions.org

Dwindle: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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Concordance
Dwindle (10 Occurrences)

Deuteronomy 33:29
Happy art thou, O Israel: Who is like unto thee, a people saved by Jehovah, The shield of thy help, And the sword of thy excellency! And thine enemies shall submit themselves unto thee; And thou shalt tread upon their high places.
(See JPS)

2 Samuel 22:45
The foreigners shall submit themselves unto me: As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me.
(See JPS)

Psalms 18:44
As soon as they hear of me they shall obey me; The foreigners shall submit themselves unto me.
(See JPS)

Psalms 66:3
Say unto God, How terrible are thy works! Through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee.
(See JPS)

Psalms 81:15
The haters of Jehovah should submit themselves unto him: But their time should endure for ever.
(See JPS)

Psalms 107:39
Again, they are diminished and bowed down Through oppression, trouble, and sorrow.
(See JPS)

Proverbs 13:11
Wealth gained dishonestly dwindles away, but he who gathers by hand makes it grow.
(Root in WEB NAS RSV NIV)

Isaiah 19:6
And the rivers will have an evil smell; the stream of Egypt will become small and dry: all the water-plants will come to nothing.
(See NIV)

Jeremiah 30:19
And out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of them that make merry: and I will multiply them, and they shall not be few; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small.
(See JPS)

Zechariah 14:6
It will happen in that day, that there will not be light, cold, or frost.
(See NAS)

Subtopics

Dwindle

Related Terms

Dwindle (10 Occurrences)

Dye (1 Occurrence)

Gathers (27 Occurrences)

Dishonestly (5 Occurrences)

Gained (66 Occurrences)

Grow (139 Occurrences)

Dwelt
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