The concept of obliteration in the Bible often pertains to the complete destruction or removal of something, whether it be physical, spiritual, or moral. This term can be associated with divine judgment, the eradication of sin, or the removal of obstacles to God's purposes.

Divine Judgment and Destruction

In the Old Testament, obliteration is frequently linked to God's judgment against nations or peoples who have turned away from His commandments. For instance, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah serves as a vivid example of divine obliteration due to rampant sinfulness. Genesis 19:24-25 states, "Then the LORD rained down sulfur and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the LORD out of the heavens. Thus He overthrew those cities and the entire plain, destroying all the inhabitants of the cities and everything that grew on the ground."

Similarly, the Amalekites were marked for obliteration due to their opposition to Israel. In 1 Samuel 15:3 , God commands Saul, "Now go and attack the Amalekites and devote to destruction all that belongs to them. Do not spare them, but put to death men and women, children and infants, oxen and sheep, camels and donkeys."

Eradication of Sin

The concept of obliteration is also significant in the context of sin and its removal. The sacrificial system in the Old Testament, culminating in the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ, is seen as God's means of obliterating sin. Isaiah 43:25 highlights God's promise to erase transgressions: "I, yes I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake and remembers your sins no more."

In the New Testament, the obliteration of sin is fulfilled through Christ's atoning work. Colossians 2:14 describes how Christ "canceled the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. He set it aside, nailing it to the cross."

Removal of Obstacles

Obliteration can also refer to the removal of obstacles that hinder God's plans or the believer's spiritual growth. In the prophetic literature, mountains and other barriers are often depicted as being leveled or removed to prepare the way for the Lord. Isaiah 40:4 proclaims, "Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill made low; the uneven ground will become smooth, and the rugged land a plain."

Moral and Spiritual Cleansing

The obliteration of moral and spiritual impurities is a recurring theme in Scripture. Believers are called to obliterate sinful behaviors and attitudes from their lives. Ephesians 4:22-24 exhorts, "You were taught with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be renewed in the spirit of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness."

In summary, the biblical concept of obliteration encompasses divine judgment, the eradication of sin, the removal of obstacles, and the call to moral and spiritual cleansing. It underscores God's sovereignty and His desire for holiness among His people.1. (v. t.) To blot out; to cause to disappear; to efface; to render undecipherable, as a writing.

2. (v. t.) To wear out; to remove or destroy utterly by any means; to render imperceptible; as. to obliterate ideas; to obliterate the monuments of antiquity.

3. (a.) Scarcely distinct; -- applied to the markings of insects.

1813. exaleipho -- to wipe out, erase, obliterate
... to wipe out, erase, obliterate. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: exaleipho
Phonetic Spelling: (ex-al-i'-fo) Short Definition: I wipe away, obliterate ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1813.htm - 7k

1375. diogmos -- persecution
... See 1377 (). 1375 (" persecution") literally refers to those seeking to -- like
a trying to conquer (obliterate) someone as their "catch.". ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1375.htm - 7k

6. abad -- to perish
... 2), dying (2), fail (1), fails (1), give up as lost (1), lacking (1), lost (12),
make vanish (1), makes to perish (1), no (2), obliterate (1), perish (61 ...
/hebrew/6.htm - 6k

Receive, My Children, the Rule of Faith, which is Called the ...
... The Creed no man writes so as it may be able to be read: but for rehearsal of it,
lest haply forgetfulness obliterate what care hath delivered, let your memory ...
/.../augustine/on the creeds/section 1 receive my children.htm

Extracts No. Ix.
... too; for as it has tended in some degree to revive my almost extinguished faith
in divine revelation, so it has in the same ratio served to obliterate, in some ...
/.../ballou/a series of letters in defence of divine revelation/extracts no ix.htm

Letter iv. You Reply to the Conclusion of My Letter: "What have we ...
... in historical documents, would, taken as a general rule, render all collation and
cross-examination of written records ineffective, and obliterate the main ...
/.../coleridge/confessions of an inquiring spirit etc/letter iv you reply to.htm

Unbelief.
... But the sight of the tomb and its mournful accompaniments obliterate for a moment
the recollection of better thoughts and a nobler avowal. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/macduff/memories of bethany/xiv unbelief.htm

Holy Scripture in the New Testament, Even in Its Very First Verse ...
... They may, then, obliterate the testimony of the devils which proclaimed Jesus the
son of David; but whatever unworthiness there be in this testimony, that of ...
/.../tertullian/ on the flesh of christ/chapter xxii holy scripture in the.htm

The Waldenses
... their persecutors. It was the policy of Rome to obliterate every trace of
dissent from her doctrines or decrees. Everything heretical ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/white/the great controversy/chapter 4 the waldenses.htm

The Waldenses.
... their persecutors. It was the policy of Rome to obliterate every trace of
dissent from her doctrines or decrees. Everything heretical ...
/.../white/the great controversy between christ and satan /4 the waldenses.htm

The Introduction.
... These Druids were expelled by king Cratilinth, about the year 277, who took special
care to obliterate every memorial of them; and from this period we may date ...
/.../howie/biographia scoticana scots worthies/the introduction.htm

Submission and Peace
... of the text does not exclude the narrower reference, which is often taken to be
the only thought in the Psalmist's mind, nor does it obliterate the distinction ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture j/submission and peace.htm

What Lasts
... passed over for my present purpose, it shall cease because the perfect will absorb
into itself the imperfect, as the inrushing tide will obliterate the little ...
/.../maclaren/romans corinthians to ii corinthians chap v/what lasts.htm

Obliterate (1 Occurrence)
... to obliterate ideas; to obliterate the monuments of antiquity. 3. (a.) Scarcely
distinct; -- applied to the markings of insects. ...Obliterate (1 Occurrence). ...
/o/obliterate.htm - 7k

Blot (23 Occurrences)
... 4. (vt) To obliterate, as writing with ink; to cancel; to efface; -- generally
with out; as, to blot out a word or a sentence. Often ...
/b/blot.htm - 16k

Oblivion (1 Occurrence)

/o/oblivion.htm - 6k

Obliging (2 Occurrences)

/o/obliging.htm - 7k

Wipe (24 Occurrences)
... towel. 3. (vt) To remove by rubbing; to rub off; to obliterate; -- usually
followed by away, off or out. Also used figuratively. ...
/w/wipe.htm - 14k

Raze (1 Occurrence)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (vt) To destroy; to demolish; to erase; to efface; to
obliterate; as, to raze a building. Multi-Version Concordance ...
/r/raze.htm - 6k

Erase (1 Occurrence)
... 2. (vt) Fig.: To obliterate; to expunge; to blot out; -- used of ideas in the
mind or memory. Multi-Version Concordance Erase (1 Occurrence). ...
/e/erase.htm - 7k

Cancel (4 Occurrences)
... 3. (vi) To cross and deface, as the lines of a writing, or as a word or figure;
to mark out by a cross line; to blot out or obliterate. ...
/c/cancel.htm - 8k

Crime (45 Occurrences)
... human were to be put to death (Exodus 22:19 Leviticus 18:23; Leviticus 20:15, 16
Deuteronomy 27:21), in order, as the Talmud says, to obliterate all memory of ...
/c/crime.htm - 51k

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