The term "rolling thing" appears in the Bible in the book of Isaiah, specifically in Isaiah 17:13. The Berean Standard Bible translates this passage as follows: "The nations rage like the raging of many waters. But He will rebuke them, and they will flee far away, chased like chaff on the mountains before the wind, like a rolling thing before a whirlwind."

In this context, the "rolling thing" is used metaphorically to describe the fate of nations that rise against God and His people. The imagery suggests something that is easily moved and driven by external forces, much like chaff or tumbleweed, which is blown about by the wind. This metaphor emphasizes the powerlessness and instability of those who oppose God's will, highlighting their inevitable downfall and dispersion.

The "rolling thing" serves as a vivid illustration of divine judgment. It underscores the transient nature of human power and the futility of resisting God's sovereign plans. The whirlwind, often a symbol of God's powerful intervention, acts as the force that scatters the nations, demonstrating His ultimate authority over the affairs of the world.

In the broader biblical narrative, this imagery aligns with the recurring theme of God's supremacy over the nations. Throughout Scripture, God is depicted as the one who establishes and deposes kingdoms according to His purposes. The "rolling thing" thus becomes a symbol of the temporary and fleeting nature of earthly powers when they are not aligned with divine will.

The use of natural elements like wind and whirlwind in this passage also reflects the biblical motif of God using creation to accomplish His purposes. Just as the wind can scatter chaff or move a rolling thing, so too can God use the forces of nature to execute His judgments and bring about His desired outcomes.

In summary, the "rolling thing" in Isaiah 17:13 serves as a powerful metaphor for the instability and inevitable defeat of nations that oppose God. It highlights the transient nature of human power and the ultimate authority of God over all creation.Rolling Thing

ROLLING THING

rol'-ing: Isaiah 17:13, the King James Version "like a rolling thing before the whirlwind," a noncommittal translation of galgal, "revolving thing," "wheel" (Ecclesiastes 12:6). the Revised Version (British and American) "like the whirling dust before the storm" is probably right.

See CHAFF; DUST; STUBBLE.

1534. galgal -- a wheel, whirl, whirlwind
... heaven, rolling thing, wheel. By reduplication from galal; a wheel; by analogy,
a whirlwind; also dust (as whirled) -- heaven, rolling thing, wheel. ...
/hebrew/1534.htm - 6k

Psalm LXXXIV.
... For what is so uncertain as a rolling thing? It is not unfitly that money
itself is stamped round, because it remains not still. ...
/.../augustine/exposition on the book of psalms/psalm lxxxiv.htm

On the Negative Spirit
... or Buddha has in his mind an image of perfect health, a thing of clear ... The anchorite
rolling on the stones in a frenzy of submission is a healthier person ...
//christianbookshelf.org/chesterton/heretics/ii on the negative spirit.htm

We Hear Much of the Human Error which Accepts what is Sham and ...
... old and iterant phrases to be a mere pattern of dead words, a thing like a ... perpetually
represent wives as striking terror into their husbands by rolling on the ...
/.../chesterton/whats wrong with the world/chapter 20 we hear much.htm

A Bright Gleam of Light.
... in a blazing hot sun, blinded by dust, struck by loosened rocks above rolling down,
but ... And the one thing that concerns God is the character as revealed in the ...
/.../gordon/quiet talks about jesus/a bright gleam of light.htm

Three Afternoons Off the Track
... But her question had set the ball rolling again. ... The first thing they do when a baby
is born is to swing it head downwards, holding its feet, and advise it not ...
/.../wilson-carmichael/things as they are/chapter ii three afternoons off.htm

How Herod Slew Hyrcanus and Then Hasted Away to Caesar, and ...
... do what he had already done, that is, go on in serving him, by rolling up the ... them
in their journey; and that he should be in no want of any thing he should ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 6 how herod slew.htm

The Slave's Girdle
... It is a very easy thing to say, 'Oh, I am a poor, weak, sinful creature!' It ... down,
and brought to one uniform level; and from the hilltop the rolling land is a ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture ephesians peter/the slaves girdle.htm

'That which was Lost'
... immoral teachings, which are very common to-day, omit from the thing that they ... us,
not the following inclination like a silly sheep; not the rolling away, in ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture e/that which was lost.htm

The Transfiguration
... When we see a glorious sunset; when we hear the rolling of the thunder-storm; we
do ... would have written it (if it be reverent to speak of such a thing) himself. ...
/.../kingsley/town and country sermons/sermon iii the transfiguration.htm

Christ's Summary of his Work
... And the strange thing is that we admit the claim, and have become so ... forth syllables
of the name, and 'fragments of that mighty voice came rolling down the wind ...
/.../christs summary of his work.htm

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