The term "roadside" in biblical contexts often refers to the areas adjacent to roads or paths, which were significant in the daily life and spiritual narratives of the biblical world. Roads in ancient Israel and surrounding regions were vital for travel, trade, and communication, and the roadsides were places where various events and encounters occurred.

Biblical References and Significance

1. Parable of the Sower: One of the most notable mentions of the roadside is found in the Parable of the Sower, as recounted in the Synoptic Gospels. In Matthew 13:4 , Jesus describes how "as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it." The roadside here symbolizes a hardened heart where the word of God is sown but not understood, allowing the evil one to snatch away what was sown. This imagery underscores the spiritual peril of a heart unprepared to receive divine truth.

2. Encounters and Miracles: The roadsides were often the setting for significant encounters and miracles. For instance, in Mark 10:46-52 , Jesus heals Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, by the roadside near Jericho. This event highlights the roadsides as places of divine intervention and mercy, where those marginalized by society could encounter the transformative power of Christ.

3. Acts of Kindness and Hospitality: The roadsides also served as places where acts of kindness and hospitality were extended. In the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37), a man is attacked by robbers and left by the roadside. The Samaritan's compassion and care for the injured man illustrate the biblical call to love one's neighbor, transcending ethnic and social boundaries.

4. Prophetic Symbolism: In the Old Testament, roadsides can carry prophetic symbolism. Jeremiah 31:21 instructs, "Set up road markers for yourself; make guideposts. Consider well the highway, the road by which you traveled." This passage uses the imagery of roads and roadsides to call Israel to remember their path and return to the Lord, emphasizing repentance and spiritual renewal.

5. Cultural and Historical Context: Roads in biblical times were often simple paths or Roman roads, facilitating movement across the region. The roadsides, therefore, were not just physical spaces but also cultural and social meeting points. They were places where travelers could rest, where news was exchanged, and where the marginalized, such as beggars and lepers, often gathered.

Spiritual Lessons

The concept of the roadside in Scripture serves as a metaphor for the spiritual journey. It represents the choices individuals make as they travel through life, the openness of their hearts to divine truth, and the opportunities to demonstrate love and compassion. The roadside is a place of decision, encounter, and transformation, reflecting the broader biblical themes of redemption and grace.(n.) Land adjoining a road or highway; the part of a road or highway that borders the traveled part. Also used adjectively.

A Bible-Riddle
... out at him from behind some bushes, and Samson, being a very strong man, broke its
jaws and killed it, and left its carcass behind some bushes by the roadside. ...
/.../chidley/fifty-two story talks to boys and girls/a bible-riddle.htm

The Angel of Death
... A turf-thatched hovel at the roadside showed a light as they swept by and a
long scream clove the air, but the Arab was not to be halted. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/miller/the yoke/chapter xli the angel of.htm

The Man that Stopped Jesus
... might have supposed that He would be oblivious of externals, and especially of the
individual sorrows of one poor blind beggar sitting by the roadside, it was ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture e/the man that stopped jesus.htm

Field Hymns.
... While Jesus whispers to you,. "came to him during a brief turn of outdoor work by
the roadside and presently grew to twenty-four lines. Soon after, Prof. ...
/.../brown/the story of the hymns and tunes/chapter xii field hymns.htm

Life of Bunyan
... there, and yonder is old Bunyan's self"the brawny tramper dispread on the settle,
retailing to the more clownish residents tap-room wit and roadside news. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/hamilton/life of bunyan/life of bunyan.htm

When travelling lately through the Simplon
... When travelling lately through the Simplon"one of the great Alpine passes leading
from Switzerland into Italy"I observed, close by the roadside, at regular ...
/.../the cities of refuge or the name of jesus/i when travelling lately through.htm

In the Dungeon of Giant Discourager
... He lives on Mount Moriah, and we shall find him at home, no doubt. Oh see, here
is a monument by the roadside! Let us stop and read the inscription. Oh! ...
/.../berry/adventures in the land of canaan/chapter nine in the dungeon.htm

The Great Denial
... Keeping in the shadow of the trees by the roadside, keeping in the shadow of
the houses in the streets, they stole after the moving mass. ...
/.../stalker/the trial and death of jesus christ/chapter iii the great denial.htm

Judged by Fruit
... a cluster of virtues which are like luscious fruit in a beautiful garden, but also
a cluster of evils, which are like poisoned berries upon the roadside bushes ...
/.../howard/standards of life and service/xi judged by fruit.htm

The Prince Returns
... would not have flourished in that dampness, rich as it was in young grass, but,
more than that, there was no shelter for the wounded man who lay by the roadside ...
/.../miller/the city of delight/chapter xii the prince returns.htm

Roadside (9 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Roadside (9 Occurrences). Matthew 13:4 As he sowed, some
seeds fell by the roadside, and the birds came and devoured them. (WEB). ...
/r/roadside.htm - 9k

Road (155 Occurrences)
... Matthew 13:4 As he sowed, some seeds fell by the roadside, and the birds came and
devoured them. (Root in WEB NAS). ... This is what was sown by the roadside. ...
/r/road.htm - 37k

Path (91 Occurrences)
... Path (91 Occurrences). Matthew 13:4 As he sowed, some seeds fell by the roadside,
and the birds came and devoured them. ... This is what was sown by the roadside. ...
/p/path.htm - 33k

Beside (326 Occurrences)
... (See RSV). Matthew 13:4 As he sowed, some seeds fell by the roadside, and the birds
came and devoured them. ... This is what was sown by the roadside. (See NAS). ...
/b/beside.htm - 36k

Roads (34 Occurrences)

/r/roads.htm - 16k

Understand (208 Occurrences)
... been sown in his heart. This is what was sown by the roadside. (WEB KJV
WEY ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV). Matthew 13:51 Jesus saith ...
/u/understand.htm - 36k

Loud (222 Occurrences)
... Matthew 20:30 two blind men sitting by the roadside heard that it was Jesus who
was passing by, and cried aloud, "Sir, Son of David, pity us." (Root in WEY BBE ...
/l/loud.htm - 37k

Gutter (3 Occurrences)
... channel; an eaves trough. 2. (n.) A small channel at the roadside or elsewhere,
to lead off surface water. 3. (n.) Any narrow channel ...
/g/gutter.htm - 8k

Gourd (4 Occurrences)
... This is a creeping, vinelike plant which may frequently be seen trained over the
rough temporary sun-shelters erected in fields or by the roadside in Palestine ...
/g/gourd.htm - 12k

Fell (331 Occurrences)
... Matthew 13:4 As he sowed, some seeds fell by the roadside, and the birds came
and devoured them. (WEB KJV ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV). ...
/f/fell.htm - 36k

What is the story of blind Bartimaeus? | GotQuestions.org

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Roadside: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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