The term "turbid" is not directly found in the text of the Bible; however, the concept of turbidity, which refers to a state of cloudiness or muddiness, can be metaphorically related to various biblical themes and passages. In Scripture, the imagery of water is frequently used to convey spiritual truths, and the condition of water often symbolizes the state of the human soul or the spiritual environment.

Symbolism of Turbid Waters

In biblical literature, clear and pure water often represents life, purity, and divine blessing. Conversely, turbid or muddy waters can symbolize confusion, moral impurity, or divine judgment. The prophet Isaiah uses the imagery of troubled waters to describe the wicked: "But the wicked are like the tossing sea, which cannot rest, whose waves cast up mire and mud" (Isaiah 57:20). Here, the restless and muddy waters illustrate the inner turmoil and lack of peace experienced by those who live in opposition to God's ways.

Moral and Spiritual Implications

The concept of turbidity can also be applied to the moral and spiritual clarity of individuals and communities. In the book of James, believers are encouraged to seek wisdom from God, which is described as "pure, then peaceable, gentle, accommodating, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and sincere" (James 3:17). This wisdom stands in contrast to the confusion and disorder that arise from earthly, unspiritual influences, akin to the muddiness of turbid waters.

Purification and Restoration

The Bible frequently addresses the need for purification and restoration, both physically and spiritually. In the Old Testament, the ritual washings and the use of clean water symbolize the cleansing from sin and impurity. Ezekiel prophesies about a time of spiritual renewal for Israel, saying, "I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols" (Ezekiel 36:25). This promise of cleansing can be seen as a divine intervention to transform the turbid state of the human heart into one of clarity and righteousness.

Christ as the Source of Living Water

In the New Testament, Jesus Christ is presented as the source of living water, offering spiritual refreshment and eternal life. In His conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well, Jesus declares, "Whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a fount of water springing up to eternal life" (John 4:14). This living water stands in stark contrast to the turbid waters of sin and spiritual death, offering believers a path to purity and eternal communion with God.

Conclusion

While the Bible does not explicitly use the term "turbid," the concept is woven throughout Scripture in the form of metaphors and imagery related to water. Turbid waters serve as a powerful symbol of spiritual confusion and impurity, while the promise of clear, living water through Christ offers hope for purification and eternal life.1. (a.) Having the lees or sediment disturbed; roiled; muddy; thick; not clear; -- used of liquids of any kind; as, turbid water; turbid wine.

2. (a.) Disturbed; confused; disordered.

5182. turbazo -- to disturb, to trouble.
... trouble. From turbe (Latin turba, a crowd; akin to thorubos); to make "turbid",
ie Disturb -- trouble. see GREEK thorubos. (thorubaze) -- 1 Occurrence. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5182.htm - 6k1804. dalach -- to make turbid
... 1803b, 1804. dalach. 1805 . to make turbid. Transliteration: dalach Phonetic
Spelling: (daw-lakh') Short Definition: muddy. Word Origin a prim. ...
/hebrew/1804.htm - 5k

7883. Shichor -- a stream on the border of Egypt
... Shihor, Sihor. Or Shichowr {shee-khore'}; or Shichor {shee-khore'}; probably from
shachar; dark, ie Turbid; Shichor, a stream of Egypt -- Shihor, Sihor. ...
/hebrew/7883.htm - 6k

6937. qadar -- to be dark
... root Definition to be dark NASB Word Usage become dark (1), dark (1), darken (2),
grew black (1), grow dark (2), mourn (3), mourning (6), sit (1), turbid (1). ...
/hebrew/6937.htm - 6k

Letter xiv. To Gregory his Friend.
... flows leisurely, and swells into a lake almost, and is too still to be a river,
the former is the most rapid stream I know, and somewhat turbid, too, from the ...
/.../basil/basil letters and select works/letter xiv to gregory his.htm

Christ's Need of us and Ours
... He deliberately sets Himself, at a time when popular enthusiasm ran highest and
was most turbid and difficult to manage, at the gathering of the nation for the ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture d/christs need of us and.htm

'The Waters Saw Thee; they were Afraid'
... No doubt many a question and doubt had been muttered by the watch- fires, as the
people looked at the muddy, turbid stream, swirling in flood. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture f/the waters saw thee they.htm

Never! Never! Never! Never! Never!
... Take this salt, and throw it into the turbid waters, and witness if they be not
made sweet, as were the waters of old by the prophet Elisha. ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 8 1863/never never never never never.htm

Christian Morals. Part iii.
... than that times were always bad; and that to be men it sufficeth to be no better
than men in all ages, and so promiscuously to swim down the turbid stream, and ...
//christianbookshelf.org/browne/christian morals/christian morals part iii.htm

Answer to Objections: Conditions Necessary to Prayer
... And again, to prevent his mind from being made turbid by irrelevant thoughts, he
must while at prayer forget for the time everything outside prayer"surely a ...
/.../origen/origen on prayer/chapter v answer to objections .htm

The Civil War --Antecedents and Consequences.
... Neither of the two characteristics of this time, the abounding material prosperity
or the turbid political agitation, was favorable to that fixed attention to ...
/.../a history of american christianity/chapter xix the civil warantecedents.htm

The Notes of a True Catholic. ...
... again to, and remain stationary within, the most secure harbour of their placid
and good mother, and may begin by vomiting up those bitter and turbid floods of ...
/.../vincent/the commonitory of vincent of lerins/chapter xx the notes of.htm

The Phoenix
... No cloud extends its fleecy [2015] covering above the plains, nor does the turbid
moisture of water fall from on high; but there is a fountain in the middle ...
/.../lactantius/of the manner in which the persecutors died/the phoenix.htm

Death Unavoidable.
... Death's dark portal,. Though so dark I must pass through. When death's cold and
turbid waters,. To their bosom me receive,. Who will dissipate the darkness,. ...
/.../morris/favourite welsh hymns/xlviii death unavoidable.htm

Turbid (2 Occurrences)
... 1. (a.) Having the lees or sediment disturbed; roiled; muddy; thick; not clear; --
used of liquids of any kind; as, turbid water; turbid wine. ...
/t/turbid.htm - 7k

Muddy (3 Occurrences)
... 2. (superl.) Turbid with mud; as, muddy water. 3. (superl.) Consisting of mud or
earth; gross; impure. ... 6. (vt) To soil with mud; to dirty; to render turbid. ...
/m/muddy.htm - 7k

Kidron (11 Occurrences)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary = Kedron = Cedron, turbid, the winter torrent which flows
through the Valley of Jehoshaphat, on the eastern side of Jerusalem ...
/k/kidron.htm - 17k

Filth (21 Occurrences)
... "Filthy" is the translation of 'alach, "to be turbid," to become foul or corrupt
in a moral sense (Job 15:16 the King James Version; Psalm 14:3; Psalm 53:3 ...
/f/filth.htm - 17k

Filthiness (16 Occurrences)
... "Filthy" is the translation of 'alach, "to be turbid," to become foul or corrupt
in a moral sense (Job 15:16 the King James Version; Psalm 14:3; Psalm 53:3 ...
/f/filthiness.htm - 16k

Filthy (22 Occurrences)
... "Filthy" is the translation of 'alach, "to be turbid," to become foul or corrupt
in a moral sense (Job 15:16 the King James Version; Psalm 14:3; Psalm 53:3 ...
/f/filthy.htm - 16k

Thick (129 Occurrences)
... 4. (superl.) Not transparent or clear; hence, turbid, muddy, or misty;
as, the water of a river is apt to be thick after a rain. ...
/t/thick.htm - 38k

Turbulent (2 Occurrences)

/t/turbulent.htm - 7k

Turbans (6 Occurrences)

/t/turbans.htm - 8k

Milky (1 Occurrence)
... 1. (a.) Consisting of, or containing, milk. 2. (a.) Like, or somewhat like,
milk; whitish and turbid; as, the water is milky. Milky juice. ...
/m/milky.htm - 6k

Turbid: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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