The term "overrun" in a biblical context often refers to the act of being overwhelmed or invaded, typically by enemies or adverse circumstances. This concept is prevalent throughout the Bible, where the people of God frequently faced threats from surrounding nations and forces that sought to conquer or subdue them. The notion of being overrun can also extend to spiritual and moral dimensions, where individuals or communities are overwhelmed by sin or false teachings.

Biblical Instances of Being Overrun

1. Military Conquests and Invasions: The history of Israel is marked by numerous instances where the nation was overrun by foreign powers. One notable example is the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem, leading to the exile of the Jewish people. In 2 Kings 25:1-4 , we read about the siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, which ultimately led to the city's fall: "So in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his entire army. They encamped outside the city and built siege works all around it."

2. Prophetic Warnings: The prophets often warned Israel and Judah of impending judgment and being overrun by enemies as a consequence of their disobedience to God. Isaiah 8:7-8 speaks of the Assyrian invasion as a flood that will overflow the land: "Therefore the Lord is about to bring against them the mighty floodwaters of the Euphrates—the king of Assyria with all his pomp. It will overflow its channels and overrun its banks. It will pour into Judah, swirling and sweeping over it, reaching up to the neck; its spreading streams will cover your entire land, O Immanuel!"

3. Spiritual Overrunning: Beyond physical invasions, the Bible also addresses the concept of being spiritually overrun. This can occur when false teachings or sinful practices infiltrate the community of believers. In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul warns against such spiritual overrunning in Galatians 1:6-7 : "I am astonished how quickly you are deserting the One who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—which is not even a gospel. Evidently some people are troubling you and trying to distort the gospel of Christ."

Theological Implications

The theme of being overrun serves as a reminder of the consequences of turning away from God and the importance of remaining faithful to His commandments. It underscores the need for vigilance, both in a physical and spiritual sense, to guard against forces that seek to undermine or destroy the faith and integrity of God's people.

Divine Deliverance

Despite the reality of being overrun, the Bible consistently affirms God's sovereignty and His power to deliver His people. In times of distress, believers are encouraged to trust in God's protection and provision. Psalm 18:17 reflects this assurance: "He rescued me from my powerful enemy and from foes too mighty for me."

The concept of being overrun, therefore, is not only a historical reality but also a spiritual metaphor that calls believers to rely on God's strength and to remain steadfast in their faith amidst challenges.1. (v. t.) To grow or spread over in excess; to invade and occupy; to take possession of; as, the vine overran its trellis; the farm is overrun with witch grass.

2. (p. p.) of Overrun.

3. (v. t.) To exceed in distance or speed of running; to go beyond or pass in running.

4. (v. t.) To go beyond; to extend in part beyond; as, one line overruns another in length.

5. (v. t.) To abuse or oppress, as if by treading upon.

6. (v. t.) To carry over, or back, as type, from one line or page into the next after, or next before.

7. (v. t.) To extend the contents of (a line, column, or page) into the next line, column, or page.

8. (v. i.) To run, pass, spread, or flow over or by something; to be beyond, or in excess.

9. (v. i.) To extend beyond its due or desired length; as, a line, or advertisement, overruns.

5628. sarach -- to go free, be unrestrained, overrun, exceed
... sarach. 5629 . to go free, be unrestrained, overrun, exceed. Transliteration:
sarach Phonetic Spelling: (saw-rakh') Short Definition: lap. Word Origin a prim. ...
/hebrew/5628.htm - 6k

5674. abar -- to pass over, through, or by, pass on
... escape, fail, gender, get over, (make) go (away, beyond, by, forth, his way, in,
on, over, through), have away (more), lay, meddle, overrun, make partition ...
/hebrew/5674.htm - 6k

Your Narratives, My Opponent Says, are Overrun with Barbarisms and ...
... Book I. 59 Your narratives, my opponent says, are overrun with barbarisms
and solecisms? Your narratives, my opponent says, are ...
/.../59 your narratives my opponent.htm

Table of Contents.
... The Visigoth and Ostrogoth migrations, 27. Gaul overrun by Teuton invaders, 28.
Arianism ... Burgundian kingdom of Lyons. Spain overrun, 30. The ...
/.../allies/the formation of christendom volume vi/table of contents.htm

Prefatory Notice
... Before his coming thither, the place was overrun with ignorance and profaneness;
but, by the Divine blessing on his wise and faithful cultivation, the fruits ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/baxter/the saints everlasting rest/prefatory notice.htm

The Law of Change, or Mutation, Universal.
... streams by alluvial formation? There was a time when her whole orb, withal,
underwent mutation, overrun by all waters. To this day ...
/.../tertullian/on the pallium/chapter ii the law of change.htm

Canaan
... The "land of the Amorites" had been overrun by the armies of Babylonia at a very
remote period, and had thus come under the influence of Babylonian culture. ...
/.../sayce/early israel and the surrounding nations/chapter ii canaan.htm

The Division Between East and West
... [Sidenote: Beginnings of disunion.] Western dioceses, now peopled by the barbarian
nations who had overrun Europe, still looked up to Rome as their centre and ...
/.../a key to the knowledge of church history/chapter ix the division between.htm

The Return of Xerxes to Persia.
... You have fought your way, against the most desperate resistance, through the Pass
of Thermopylae. You have overrun all Northern Greece. You have burned Athens. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/abbott/xerxes/chapter xii the return of.htm

The Adventures of Saint James of Spain.
... The country had been terribly overrun with wild beasts, and the Knight heard it
proclaimed that the Shah would give a corselet of finest steel, inlaid with gold ...
/.../kingston/the seven champions of christendom/chapter six the adventures of.htm

For Godly Sorrow Worketh Repentance to Salvation, not to be ...
... on the subject of religion. Were it so the church would not be so overrun
with false and unprofitable professors. I have, of late ...
/.../lectures to professing christians/for godly sorrow worketh repentance.htm

Habakkuk-On his Watch-Tower
... We shall not die.". The Chaldeans had, by this time, overrun the whole land. Judah
and Jerusalem had for long been full of all but unpardonable sin. ...
/.../whyte/lord teach us to pray/ix habakkuk-on his watch-tower.htm

Overrun (4 Occurrences)
... 1. (vt) To grow or spread over in excess; to invade and occupy; to take possession
of; as, the vine overran its trellis; the farm is overrun with witch grass. ...
/o/overrun.htm - 8k

Pekah (11 Occurrences)
... 5. Fall of Damascus; Northern and Eastern Palestine Overrun: The messengers sent
from Jerusalem to Nineveh appear to have arrived when the army of Tiglath ...
/p/pekah.htm - 19k

Overrunning (5 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Overrun. Multi-Version
Concordance Overrunning (5 Occurrences). Judges 11:33 And he ...
/o/overrunning.htm - 8k

Overruling (2 Occurrences)

/o/overruling.htm - 7k

Looted (9 Occurrences)
... Amos 3:11 Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: "An adversary will overrun the land;
and he will pull down your strongholds, and your fortresses will be ...
/l/looted.htm - 9k

Fill (126 Occurrences)
... 3. (v.) To furnish an abundant supply to; to furnish with as mush as is desired
or desirable; to occupy the whole of; to swarm in or overrun. ...
/f/fill.htm - 36k

Defenses (8 Occurrences)
... Amos 3:11 Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: "An adversary will overrun the land;
and he will pull down your strongholds, and your fortresses will be ...
/d/defenses.htm - 8k

Bithynia (2 Occurrences)
... On the advent of the Turks its territory was quickly overrun, and Orchan, sultan
in 1326, selected Brousa as his capital, since which time this has been one.of ...
/b/bithynia.htm - 11k

Citadels (15 Occurrences)
... Amos 3:11 Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: "An adversary will overrun the land;
and he will pull down your strongholds, and your fortresses will be ...
/c/citadels.htm - 9k

Colossae (1 Occurrence)
... During the 7th and 8th centuries the place was overrun by the Saracens; in the 12th
century the church was destroyed by the Turks and the city disappeared. ...
/c/colossae.htm - 9k

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