Topical Bible: Lines

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Topical Encyclopedia

In biblical literature, the concept of "lines" can be understood both literally and metaphorically, appearing in various contexts throughout the Scriptures. The term is often associated with measurements, boundaries, and divisions, as well as with the idea of inheritance and divine order.

Measurement and Boundaries

Lines are frequently mentioned in the Bible in the context of measurement and the establishment of boundaries. In the ancient world, lines were used to demarcate land, ensuring clarity and order in property ownership. This is evident in passages such as Psalm 16:6, where David declares, "The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me." Here, "lines" symbolize the boundaries of his inheritance, reflecting God's providential care and blessing.

In the construction of the tabernacle and the temple, lines were essential for ensuring precise measurements, as seen in the detailed instructions given to Moses and Solomon. The use of lines in these contexts underscores the importance of order and precision in worship and the dwelling place of God.

Inheritance and Divine Order

The concept of lines also extends to the idea of inheritance and divine order. In the division of the Promised Land among the tribes of Israel, lines were drawn to allocate specific portions to each tribe, as described in the book of Joshua. This allocation was not arbitrary but was directed by God, emphasizing His sovereignty and the fulfillment of His promises to the patriarchs.

Lines, in this sense, represent the divine order and the rightful inheritance of God's people. They serve as a reminder of God's faithfulness and the blessings that come from living within the boundaries He has established.

Metaphorical Use

Metaphorically, lines can represent moral and spiritual boundaries. The Bible often speaks of the "straight and narrow" path, which can be understood as a line that guides believers in righteous living. This imagery is consistent with the biblical theme of walking in God's ways and adhering to His commandments.

In Proverbs 3:5-6, the call to "trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight" can be seen as an exhortation to follow the divine line of guidance and wisdom.

Prophetic and Poetic Imagery

Lines also appear in prophetic and poetic imagery, where they can symbolize judgment or restoration. In Isaiah 28:17, God declares, "I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plumb line." Here, lines are used to convey the standard by which God will judge His people, emphasizing His commitment to justice and righteousness.

In the book of Amos, the prophet speaks of a plumb line used by God to assess the faithfulness of Israel (Amos 7:7-8). This imagery highlights the idea that God's people are measured against His standards, and deviations from His line of righteousness result in judgment.

Conclusion

The concept of lines in the Bible encompasses a range of meanings, from literal measurements and boundaries to metaphorical representations of moral and spiritual guidance. Whether in the context of inheritance, divine order, or prophetic imagery, lines serve as a powerful symbol of God's sovereignty, justice, and the blessings of living within His ordained boundaries.

ATS Bible Dictionary

Lines

The cords used in measuring and settling the bounds of landed property, Psalm 16:6; Isaiah 34:17.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Were used for measuring and dividing land; and hence the word came to denote a portion or inheritance measured out; a possession (Psalm 16:6).

Greek

3847. parabasis -- a going aside, a transgression
... properly, an "overstepping" (); a going "." 3847 ("a stepping the line") in the
NT refers to the (breaking) of God's law which His drawn-lines (boundaries); an ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3847.htm - 7k

5083. tereo -- to watch over, to guard
... upon; and thus differing from phulasso, which is properly to prevent escaping; and
from koustodia, which implies a fortress or full military lines of apparatus ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5083.htm - 10k

Strong's Hebrew

6186a. arak -- to arrange or set in order
... root Definition to arrange or set in order NASB Word Usage arrange (5), arranged
(5), array (1), arrayed (13), battle lines (2), comparable (1), compare (2 ...
/hebrew/6186a.htm - 6k

2256a. chebel -- cord, territory, band
... Origin from chabal Definition cord, territory, band NASB Word Usage allotment (1),
coast (1), cord (2), cords (13), group (2), line (4), lines (2), measurement ...
/hebrew/2256a.htm - 5k

2748. chartom -- an engraver, writer
... magician. From the same as cheret; a horoscopist (as drawing magical lines or circles)
-- magician. see HEBREW cheret. 2747, 2748. chartom. 2749 . ...
/hebrew/2748.htm - 6k

7298. rahat -- a trough
... From an unused root apparently meaning to hollow out; a channel or watering-box;
by resemblance a ringlet of hair (as forming parallel lines) -- gallery, gutter ...
/hebrew/7298.htm - 5k

Library

Lines on "Kallihirua in the Ship"
... Lines on "Kallihirua in the Ship". Kalli was a twin. His father, whose grave
has been mentioned, had been dead for some years, but ...
/.../murray/kalli the esquimaux christian /lines on kallihirua in the.htm

Alphabetical Index of the First-Lines of the Translations.
... HEAVEN. ALPHABETICAL INDEX OF THE FIRST-LINES OF THE TRANSLATIONS.
[68]A day for solemn trial 29 [69]Advance, advance, ye hosts ...
/.../morris/favourite welsh hymns/alphabetical index of the first-lines.htm

Index of First Lines
... INDEX OF FIRST LINES. PAGE [8]INTRODUCTION, 9 MORNING" [9]Now, God of Light,
the morn appears, 25 [10]Up, up my soul! with gladness ...
//christianbookshelf.org/brownlie/hymns from the east/index of first lines.htm

Index of First Lines
... INDEX OF FIRST LINES. PAGE [1]Introduction 9 [2]Biographical and Historical 27
HYMNS Infinite God" [3]Our highest thoughts of God are vain 55 ...
/.../brownlie/hymns of the apostolic church/index of first lines.htm

Index of First Lines
... INDEX OF FIRST LINES. PAGE [1]Introduction xi HYMNS [2]My God, shall sin
its power maintain 3 Christmas" [3]Hark! upon the morning ...
/.../brownlie/hymns from the morningland/index of first lines.htm

Index of First Lines.
... INDEX OF FIRST LINES. PAGE A Lamb bears all its guilt away 49 A rest here have
I never 316 After clouds we see the sun 261 Ah! faithful ...
/.../gerhardt/paul gerhardts spiritual songs/index of first lines.htm

Index of First Lines
... INDEX OF FIRST LINES. PAGE [56]Behold the Bridegroom cometh, 54 [57]Behold
the Bridegroom! Hark the cry, 89 [58]Bethlehem rejoices ...
/.../brownlie/hymns of the greek church/index of first lines .htm

Index of First Lines
... Hymns of the Holy Eastern Church INDEX OF FIRST LINES. PAGE [39]A stream
of mercy springs, 114 [40]Ah! woe is me, because of sin, 90 ...
/.../brownlie/hymns of the holy eastern church/index of first lines.htm

Index of First Lines.
... INDEX OF FIRST LINES. Hymn. According to Thy gracious word, 139 Acquaint
thee, O spirit, acquaint thee with God, 199 Affliction's ...
/.../various/book of hymns for public and private devotion/index of first lines.htm

Index to First Lines
... VII. CAROLS INDEX TO FIRST LINES. Hymns whose first lines are marked with an asterisk
are copyright, and must not be reproduced without permission. ...
/.../index to first lines.htm

Thesaurus

Lines (42 Occurrences)
...Lines (42 Occurrences). ... Exodus 28:17 And on it you are to put four lines of jewels;
the first line is to be a cornelian, a chrysolite, and an emerald; (BBE). ...
/l/lines.htm - 19k

Fishing-lines (1 Occurrence)
Fishing-lines. Fishing-boats, Fishing-lines. Fishing-net .
Multi-Version Concordance Fishing-lines (1 Occurrence). Isaiah ...
/f/fishing-lines.htm - 6k

Acrostic (2 Occurrences)
... 1. (n.) A composition, usually in verse, in which the first or the last letters
of the lines, or certain other letters, taken in order, form a name, word ...
/a/acrostic.htm - 15k

Crowns (27 Occurrences)
... 1 Kings 7:18 And he made ornaments of apples; and two lines of apples all round
over the network, covering the crowns of the pillars, the two crowns in the ...
/c/crowns.htm - 14k

Apples (11 Occurrences)
... 1 Kings 7:18 And he made ornaments of apples; and two lines of apples all round
over the network, covering the crowns of the pillars, the two crowns in the ...
/a/apples.htm - 11k

Angle (19 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (n.) The enclosed space near the point where two lines
meet; a corner; a nook. 2. (n.) The figure made by. two lines which meet. ...
/a/angle.htm - 14k

Score (2 Occurrences)
... 10. (vt) To mark with lines, scratches, or ... 12. (vt) To mark or signify by lines or
notches; to keep record or account of; to set down; to record; to charge. ...
/s/score.htm - 8k

Lead (192 Occurrences)
... 4. (n.) A thin strip of type metal, used to separate lines of type in printing. ... 8.
(vt) To place leads between the lines of; as, to lead a page; leaded matter. ...
/l/lead.htm - 42k

Logia
... and published in 1897, afterward referred to as A, is a leaf from a papyrus book
measuring in its present state 5 3/4 X 3 3/4 inches and having 42 lines on the ...
/l/logia.htm - 19k

Lamentations (6 Occurrences)
... accents). In Lamentations 1 and 2 the acrostic letters begin three such
double lines; in Lamentations 4, however, two double lines. ...
/l/lamentations.htm - 20k

Resources

Why should I believe in Christ's resurrection? | GotQuestions.org

What is antithetical parallelism in Hebrew poetry? | GotQuestions.org

Is there any truth to the chemtrail conspiracy? | GotQuestions.org

Lines: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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Concordance

Lines (42 Occurrences)

Genesis 10:32
These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations. Of these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood.
(See NIV)

Genesis 14:8
The king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, and the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (the same is Zoar) went out; and they set the battle in array against them in the valley of Siddim;
(See NIV)

Exodus 28:17
And on it you are to put four lines of jewels; the first line is to be a cornelian, a chrysolite, and an emerald;
(BBE)

Exodus 39:10
And on it they put four lines of stones: in the first line was a carnelian, a chrysolite, and an emerald;
(BBE)

Leviticus 24:6
And put them in two lines, six in a line, on the holy table before the Lord.
(BBE)

Leviticus 24:7
And on the lines of cakes put clean sweet-smelling spices, for a sign on the bread, an offering made by fire to the Lord.
(BBE)

1 Samuel 17:20
And David got up early in the morning, and, giving the sheep into the care of a keeper, took the things and went as Jesse had said; and he came to the lines where the carts were, when the army was going out to the fight giving their war-cry.
(BBE)

1 Samuel 17:21
Israel and the Philistines put the battle in array, army against army.
(See NIV)

1 Samuel 17:22
David left his baggage in the hand of the keeper of the baggage, and ran to the army, and came and greeted his brothers.
(See NIV)

1 Samuel 17:23
And while he was talking to them, the fighter, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, came out from the Philistines' lines and said the same words, in David's hearing.
(BBE NIV)

2 Samuel 8:2
He struck Moab, and measured them with the line, making them to lie down on the ground; and he measured two lines to put to death, and one full line to keep alive. The Moabites became servants to David, and brought tribute.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV)

2 Samuel 10:9
Now when Joab saw that their forces were in position against him in front and at his back, he took the best of the men of Israel and put them in line against the Aramaeans;
(See NIV)

2 Samuel 10:17
It was told David; and he gathered all Israel together, and passed over the Jordan, and came to Helam. The Syrians set themselves in array against David, and fought with him.
(See NIV)

2 Samuel 23:16
And the three mighty ones cleave through the camp of the Philistines, and draw water out of the well of Beth-Lehem, which 'is' by the gate, and take 'it' up, and bring in unto David; and he was not willing to drink it, and poureth it out to Jehovah,
(See NIV)

1 Kings 6:36
And the inner space was walled with three lines of squared stones and a line of cedar-wood boards.
(BBE)

1 Kings 7:2
And he made the house of the Woods of Lebanon, which was a hundred cubits long and fifty cubits wide and thirty cubits high, resting on four lines of cedar-wood pillars with cedar-wood supports on the pillars.
(BBE)

1 Kings 7:4
There were three lines of window-frames, window facing window in every line.
(BBE)

1 Kings 7:5
And all the doors and windows had square frames, with the windows facing one another in three lines.
(BBE)

1 Kings 7:12
The great outer square all round was walled with three lines of squared stones and a line of cedar-wood boards, round about the open square inside the house of the Lord and the covered room of the king's house.
(BBE)

1 Kings 7:18
And he made ornaments of apples; and two lines of apples all round over the network, covering the crowns of the pillars, the two crowns in the same way.
(BBE)

1 Kings 7:20
And there were crowns on the two pillars near the round part by the network, and there were two hundred apples in lines round every crown.
(BBE)

1 Kings 7:24
And under the edge of it, circling it all round for ten cubits, were two lines of flower buds, made together with it from liquid metal.
(BBE)

1 Kings 7:42
And the four hundred apples for the network, two lines of apples for every network, covering the two cups of the crowns on the pillars;
(BBE)

2 Kings 11:8
Will make a circle round the king, every man being armed; and whoever comes inside your lines is to be put to death; keep with the king, when he goes out and when he comes in.
(BBE)

2 Kings 11:15
Then Jehoiada the priest gave orders to those who were placed in authority over the army, saying, Take her outside the lines, and let anyone who goes after her be put to death with the sword, for he said, Let her not be put to death in the house of the Lord.
(BBE)

1 Chronicles 11:18
And the three break through the camp of the Philistines, and draw water from the well of Beth-Lehem, that 'is' at the gate, and bear and bring in unto David, and David hath not been willing to drink it, and poureth it out to Jehovah,
(See NIV)

1 Chronicles 19:10
Now when Joab saw that their forces were in position against him in front and at his back, he took all the best men of Israel, and put them in line against the Aramaeans;
(See NIV)

1 Chronicles 19:17
It was told David; and he gathered all Israel together, and passed over the Jordan, and came on them, and set the battle in array against them. So when David had put the battle in array against the Syrians, they fought with him.
(See NIV)

2 Chronicles 4:3
And under it was a design of flowers all round it, ten to a cubit, circling the water-vessel in two lines; they were made from liquid metal at the same time as the water-vessel.
(BBE)

2 Chronicles 4:13
And the four hundred apples for the network, two lines of apples for the network covering the two cups of the crowns on the pillars.
(BBE)

2 Chronicles 14:10
Then Asa went out to meet him, and they set the battle in array in the valley of Zephathah at Mareshah.
(See RSV)

2 Chronicles 23:14
Then Jehoiada the priest gave orders to the captains of hundreds who had authority over the army, saying, Take her outside the lines, and let anyone who goes after her be put to death with the sword. For the priest said, Let her not be put to death in the house of the Lord.
(BBE)

Ezra 6:4
With three lines of great stones and one line of new wood supports; and let the necessary money be given out of the king's store-house;
(BBE)

Nehemiah 12:31
Then I made the rulers of Judah come up on the wall, and I put in position two great bands of them who gave praise, walking in ordered lines; one went to the right on the wall, in the direction of the doorway where the waste was put;
(BBE)

Job 24:11
Between the lines of olive-trees they make oil; though they have no drink, they are crushing out the grapes.
(BBE)

Job 30:12
The lines of his men of war put themselves in order, and make high their ways of destruction against me:
(BBE)

Job 41:15
His back is made of lines of plates, joined tight together, one against the other, like a stamp.
(BBE)

Psalms 16:6
The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places. Yes, I have a good inheritance.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Isaiah 28:25
When the face of the earth has been levelled, does he not put in the different sorts of seed, and the grain in lines, and the barley in its place, and the spelt at the edge?
(BBE)

Jeremiah 50:9
For, behold, I will stir up and cause to come up against Babylon a company of great nations from the north country; and they shall set themselves in array against her; from there she shall be taken: their arrows shall be as of an expert mighty man; none shall return in vain.
(See NAS)

Jeremiah 50:14
Set yourselves in array against Babylon all around, all you who bend the bow; shoot at her, spare no arrows: for she has sinned against Yahweh.
(See NAS)

Joel 2:7
They are running like strong men, they go over the wall like men of war; every man goes straight on his way, their lines are not broken.
(BBE)

Subtopics

Lines

Related Terms

Lines (42 Occurrences)

Lingered (5 Occurrences)

Lag (1 Occurrence)

Gerizim (4 Occurrences)

Greed (19 Occurrences)

Inflameth (1 Occurrence)

Enrogel (4 Occurrences)

En-rogel (4 Occurrences)

Exploit (4 Occurrences)