Bucket: General Scriptures Concerning
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In biblical times, the concept of a bucket, while not explicitly mentioned in the same form as modern understanding, can be related to various vessels used for drawing and carrying water. These vessels were essential for daily life, particularly in an agrarian society where water was a critical resource. The use of buckets or similar containers is implied in several passages throughout the Scriptures, reflecting the importance of water in both practical and symbolic contexts.

Drawing Water:

The act of drawing water is a recurring theme in the Bible, often involving vessels akin to buckets. In Genesis 24:14, when Abraham's servant seeks a wife for Isaac, he prays for a sign involving a woman drawing water: "Now may it be that the young woman to whom I say, ‘Please let down your jar that I may drink,’ and she replies, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels also’—let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac." This passage highlights the use of a jar, a vessel similar in function to a bucket, for drawing water from a well.

Symbolism of Water:

Water holds significant symbolic meaning in the Bible, often representing life, purification, and divine provision. In Isaiah 12:3, the prophet declares, "With joy you will draw water from the springs of salvation." Here, the act of drawing water symbolizes receiving the blessings and salvation from God, suggesting a spiritual parallel to the physical act of using a bucket or vessel.

Provision and Sustenance:

Buckets or similar containers were vital for collecting and storing water, a necessity for survival in the arid regions of the biblical world. In John 4:7-15, Jesus encounters a Samaritan woman at Jacob's well and speaks of "living water." The woman, puzzled by Jesus' offer, notes, "Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water?" (John 4:11). This interaction underscores the practical need for a vessel to draw water, while also pointing to the deeper spiritual sustenance that Jesus offers.

Labor and Service:

The task of drawing water, often performed by women, was a daily chore that required strength and diligence. In Exodus 2:16, Moses encounters the daughters of the priest of Midian, who come to draw water: "Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came and drew water and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock." This passage illustrates the labor involved in using vessels to provide for both people and livestock.

Divine Provision:

In Numbers 24:7, Balaam prophesies about Israel, saying, "Water will flow from his buckets, and his seed will have abundant water." This imagery of overflowing buckets signifies God's abundant provision and blessing upon His people, emphasizing the divine source of sustenance and prosperity.

While the specific term "bucket" may not appear frequently in the biblical text, the concept is woven throughout the Scriptures in the form of jars, vessels, and other containers used for drawing and carrying water. These references highlight the essential role of such tools in daily life and their symbolic significance in conveying spiritual truths.
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Numbers 24:7
He shall pour the water out of his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters, and his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted.
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Isaiah 40:15
Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he takes up the isles as a very little thing.
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Library

Testimonies.
... witnessed to our souls concerning the Sacred Scriptures; (6) enabled us ... Hebrews
6:11) and in this most general sense faith ... value, as a drop to a bucket and as ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kuyper/the work of the holy spirit/xli testimonies.htm

"And Hereby we do Know that we Know Him, if we Keep his ...
... of men could reach no more, though his bucket was as ... and darkness of men's minds,
and the general curse of ... If we search the scriptures, we shall find that they ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/sermon xxviii and hereby we.htm

Of the Nature of Regeneration, and Particularly of the Change it ...
... by an attentive consideration of such Scriptures as those ... Wicked men therefore, in
general, are described as those ... nations as the drop of a bucket, and counts ...
/.../doddridge/practical discourses on regeneration/discourse ii of the nature.htm

The Life of Mr. Robert Blair.
... him on a new search of the scriptures, in which he ... a long cord to let down the bucket,
and draw ... Anno 1646, the general assembly, sitting at Edinburgh ordered Mr ...
/.../howie/biographia scoticana scots worthies/the life of mr robert 6.htm

The Waterpots at Cana
... It is not always so; but, as a general rule, a ... If you are to search the Scriptures
for blessing, search ... of wine without our bringing a single bucket of water ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 26 1880/the waterpots at cana.htm

The Founder of Christianity.
... of the soul with God, and the Scriptures of the ... tell us with childlike simplicity,
and yet with more general and lasting ... Who can empty the ocean into a bucket? ...
/.../schaff/history of the christian church volume i/section 15 the founder of.htm

The Great Assize
... Time would fail me to refer you to all the Scriptures. ... Not only may this be affirmed
from a general sense of ... they shrink into the drop of a bucket as compared ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 18 1872/the great assize.htm

On the Holy Spirit.
... nations are as a drop of a bucket [1239] ," as ... appears that it was far from attaining
general acceptance ... accept, out of reverence for the Scriptures which have ...
/.../gregory/gregory of nyssa dogmatic treatises etc/on the holy spirit.htm

A Treatise of the Fear of God;
... are less than the drop of a bucket, and than ... fear the Lord, so it is said concerning
the written ... words of God, revealed in the holy Scriptures, shall determine ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/a treatise of the fear.htm

An Exposition on the First Ten Chapters of Genesis, and Part of ...
... of long and earnest study of the holy scriptures. ... to the church what she should believe
concerning this matter ... Isaiah 6:8). To these general expressions might ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/an exposition on the first.htm

Resources
What are some idioms in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

Bucket: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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