The term "horrible" in the context of the Bible often conveys a sense of dread, fear, or something that is profoundly disturbing or repulsive. It is used to describe events, actions, or visions that evoke a strong emotional response due to their terrifying or abominable nature. The concept of "horrible" is often associated with divine judgment, sin, and the consequences of turning away from God.

Biblical Usage and Context

1. Divine Judgment: The Bible frequently uses the term "horrible" to describe the fearsome nature of God's judgment against sin and rebellion. In Jeremiah 5:30-31 , the prophet declares, "A horrible and shocking thing has happened in the land: The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule by their own authority. My people love it so, but what will you do in the end?" Here, the "horrible" refers to the corruption and deceit among the spiritual leaders of Israel, which leads to divine judgment.

2. Visions and Prophecies: In prophetic literature, "horrible" is often used to describe visions that reveal the severity of God's wrath. For example, in Ezekiel 7:5-6 , the prophet warns, "This is what the Lord GOD says: Disaster! An unheard-of disaster is coming. The end has come! The end has come; it has roused itself against you. Behold, it has come!" The impending disaster is portrayed as something dreadful and inevitable, emphasizing the seriousness of God's impending judgment.

3. Moral and Spiritual Corruption: The term is also used to describe the moral and spiritual decay of a society that has turned away from God. In Jeremiah 23:14 , the prophet laments, "And among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horrible thing: They commit adultery and walk in lies; they strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that no one turns back from his wickedness. They are all like Sodom to Me, and the people of Jerusalem like Gomorrah." The "horrible thing" here is the pervasive sin and the failure of the prophets to lead the people in righteousness.

4. Fear and Awe of God: The concept of "horrible" can also be linked to the fear and awe that God's presence and power inspire. In Psalm 66:3 , the psalmist proclaims, "Say to God, 'How awesome are Your deeds! So great is Your power that Your enemies cower before You.'" While the term "awesome" is used here, the underlying idea is that God's mighty acts can be both awe-inspiring and terrifying to those who oppose Him.

Theological Implications

The use of "horrible" in the Bible underscores the seriousness of sin and the reality of divine judgment. It serves as a warning to God's people to remain faithful and obedient, highlighting the consequences of turning away from His commandments. The term also reflects the holiness and righteousness of God, who cannot tolerate sin and will ultimately bring justice to the world.

In a broader theological context, the concept of "horrible" reminds believers of the need for repentance and the hope of redemption through Jesus Christ. While the Bible presents vivid images of judgment and wrath, it also offers the promise of forgiveness and restoration for those who turn to God in faith.(a.) Exciting, or tending to excite, horror or fear; dreadful; terrible; shocking; hideous; as, a horrible sight; a horrible story; a horrible murder.HORRIBLE

hor'-i-b'-l (sha`arur, sha`aruri): In Jeremiah 5:30 sha`arur, "vile," "horrible," is translated "horrible," "a wonderful and horrible thing" the Revised Version margin "astonishment and horror"; also Jeremiah 23:14; in 18:13; Hosea 6:10 it is sha`aruri; in Psalm 11:6 we have zil`aphah, "heat," the Revised Version (British and American) "burning wind"; in Psalm 40:2 sha'on, "noise," "tumult," "He brought me up. out of a horrible pit," the Revised Version margin "a pit of tumult" (or destruction). Horribly is the translation of sa`ar, "to shudder," "to be whirled away," in Jeremiah 2:12, and of sa`ar, "fear," "trembling," in Ezekiel 32:10; in Ezekiel 27:35 the Revised Version (British and American) has "horribly afraid" (sa`ar) for "sore afraid." "Horrible" occurs frequently in Apocrypha (2 Esdras 11:45; 15:28, 34; The Wisdom of Solomon 3:19, "For horrible (chalepos) is the end of the unrighteous generation" the Revised Version (British and American) "grievous" etc.).

W. L. Walker

8186a. shaarurah -- a horror, horrible thing
... 8186, 8186a. shaarurah. 8186b . a horror, horrible thing. Transliteration:
shaarurah Short Definition: thing. Word Origin from the ...
/hebrew/8186a.htm - 5k

8186. sha'aruwrah -- a horror, horrible thing
... sha'aruwrah. 8186a . a horror, horrible thing. Transliteration: sha'aruwrah Phonetic
Spelling: (shah-ar-oo-raw') Short Definition: thing. horrible thing ...
/hebrew/8186.htm - 5k

8186b. shaaruriyyah -- a horror, horrible thing
... 8186a, 8186b. shaaruriyyah. 8187 . a horror, horrible thing.
Transliteration: shaaruriyyah Short Definition: thing. Word Origin ...
/hebrew/8186b.htm - 5k

2152. zalaphah -- raging heat
... horrible, horror, terrible. Or ziliaphaph {zil-aw-faw'}; from za'aph; a glow (of
wind or anger); also a famine (as consuming) -- horrible, horror, terrible. ...
/hebrew/2152.htm - 6k

7588. shaon -- a roar (of waters, etc.), din, crash, uproar
... 3), uproar (4). horrible, noise, pomp, rushing, tumultuous. From sha'ah;
uproar (as of rushing); by implication, destruction -- X ...
/hebrew/7588.htm - 6k

6178. aruts -- dreadful
... cliffs. Passive participle of arats; feared, ie (concretely) a horrible place or
chasm -- cliffs. see HEBREW arats. 6177, 6178. aruts. 6179 . Strong's Numbers
/hebrew/6178.htm - 6k

A Horrible Proposition
... Chapter 7. Severe Weather; Ireland; Wesley's Protest against Lawlessness cWesley
and Faith-healing A Horrible Proposition. They filled ...
/.../wesley/the journal of john wesley/a horrible proposition.htm

Brought up from the Horrible Pit
... Brought Up from the Horrible Pit. ... He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out
of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 28 1882/brought up from the horrible.htm

He Compels to the Perpetration of Horrible Turpitudes.
... Concerning the Nature of Good, Against the Manich??ans. Chapter 47. "He Compels to
the Perpetration of Horrible Turpitudes. O abominable monster! ...
/.../chapter 47 name compels to.htm

Christ's Resurrection Song.
... cry. He brought me up also Out of an horrible pit, Out of the miry clay;
And set my feet upon a rock, Established my goings. And ...
/.../gaebelein/the lord of glory/christs resurrection song.htm

'de Profundis'
... very strong passions and feelings, dragging him down into the deep, and great light
and understanding to show him the dark secrets of that horrible pit when he ...
/.../kingsley/the good news of god/sermon viii de profundis.htm

On Predestination to Salvation, and on Damnation Considered in the ...
... and in this very assertion are propounded two contrary volitions of God concerning
one and the same thing.8. It is a horrible affirmation, that "God has ...
/.../the works of james arminius vol 2/on predestination to salvation and.htm

The Heathen Perverted Judgment in the Trial of Christians
... Let our infanticides and the dressers (of our horrible repasts) be brought
out,"ay, and the very dogs which minister to our (incestuous) nuptials; [485] then ...
/.../tertullian/ad nationes/chapter ii name heathen perverted.htm

Of the Mass.
... That the Mass in the Papacy must be the greatest and most horrible abomination,
as it directly and powerfully conflicts with this chief article, and yet above ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/luther/the smalcald articles/article ii of the mass.htm

Chapter twenty-two
... The rags, the crowding, the vileness, the broken furniture, the horrible animal
existence forced upon creatures made in God's image were so skilfully shown in ...
//christianbookshelf.org/sheldon/in his steps/chapter twenty-two.htm

The Meteor Shower (Preached at the Chapel Royal, St. James's, Nov. ...
... Tell us not that the world is governed by universal law; the news is not comfortable,
but simply horrible, unless you can tell us, or allow others to tell us ...
/.../kingsley/the water of life and other sermons/sermon xvi the meteor shower.htm

Horrible (12 Occurrences)
... (a.) Exciting, or tending to excite, horror or fear; dreadful; terrible; shocking;
hideous; as, a horrible sight; a horrible story; a horrible murder. ...HORRIBLE. ...
/h/horrible.htm - 11k

Mistress (20 Occurrences)
... 1 Kings 15:13 and also Maachah his mother -- he turneth her aside from being mistress,
in that she made a horrible thing for a shrine, and Asa cutteth down her ...
/m/mistress.htm - 14k

Horrid (2 Occurrences)
... 1 Kings 15:13 and also Maachah his mother -- he turneth her aside from being mistress,
in that she made a horrible thing for a shrine, and Asa cutteth down her ...
/h/horrid.htm - 7k

Cutteth (37 Occurrences)
... 1 Kings 15:13 and also Maachah his mother -- he turneth her aside from being mistress,
in that she made a horrible thing for a shrine, and Asa cutteth down her ...
/c/cutteth.htm - 18k

Shrine (34 Occurrences)
... 1 Kings 15:13 and also Maachah his mother -- he turneth her aside from being mistress,
in that she made a horrible thing for a shrine, and Asa cutteth down her ...
/s/shrine.htm - 18k

Burneth (67 Occurrences)
... 1 Kings 15:13 and also Maachah his mother -- he turneth her aside from being mistress,
in that she made a horrible thing for a shrine, and Asa cutteth down her ...
/b/burneth.htm - 28k

Beateth (7 Occurrences)
... 15:16 And also Maachah, mother of Asa the king -- he hath removed her from 'being'
mistress, in that she hath made for a shrine a horrible thing, and Asa ...
/b/beateth.htm - 8k

Appalling (2 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Appalling (2 Occurrences). Jeremiah 5:30 An appalling
and horrible thing is committed in the land: (DBY JPS NAS RSV). ...
/a/appalling.htm - 7k

Abiram (9 Occurrences)
... the death of the builder's eldest and youngest sons is not spoken of as the penalty
involved in the curse, but as an existing horrible custom, mentioned in ...
/a/abiram.htm - 12k

Nero
... time, broke out again, not only throughout Judea, where the mischief originated,
but through the city of Rome also, whither all things horrible and disgraceful ...
/n/nero.htm - 41k

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