Topical Bible: The Sea: (Roaring) Hostile Armies

◄ The Sea: (Roaring) Hostile Armies ►

Jump to: Torrey's • Library • Subtopics • Terms

Topical Encyclopedia

In biblical literature, the sea often symbolizes chaos, danger, and the unknown. It is a powerful and evocative image that conveys the tumultuous and unpredictable nature of life and the world. One of the more profound symbolic interpretations of the sea is its representation of hostile armies and nations, particularly those that threaten the people of God.

Biblical Imagery and Symbolism

The sea's roaring is frequently used in Scripture to depict the tumult and clamor of nations in uproar. In Isaiah 17:12-13, the prophet writes, "Oh, the raging of many nations—they rage like the raging sea! Oh, the uproar of the peoples—they roar like the roaring of great waters. Although the peoples roar like the roar of surging waters, when He rebukes them, they flee far away, driven before the wind like chaff on the hills, like tumbleweed before a gale." Here, the sea's tumult is likened to the chaos and noise of hostile nations, emphasizing their power and threat but also their ultimate subjection to God's sovereign will.

Similarly, in Jeremiah 6:23, the advancing armies are described with maritime imagery: "They grasp the bow and spear; they are cruel and merciless. Their voice roars like the sea, and they ride upon horses, lined up like men in formation against you, O Daughter of Zion." The roaring sea here underscores the ferocity and overwhelming nature of the invading forces.

Divine Sovereignty Over the Sea

Despite the sea's representation of chaos and hostility, the Bible consistently affirms God's sovereignty over it. In Psalm 65:7, the psalmist declares, "You stilled the roaring of the seas, the pounding of their waves, and the tumult of the nations." This verse highlights God's power to calm both the literal seas and the metaphorical seas of nations in turmoil. The imagery serves as a reminder of God's ultimate control over all creation, including the forces that threaten His people.

The narrative of Jesus calming the storm in the Gospels further illustrates this theme. In Mark 4:39, Jesus rebukes the wind and says to the sea, "Peace, be still!" The wind ceases, and there is a great calm. This miracle not only demonstrates Jesus' authority over the natural world but also serves as a metaphor for His power to bring peace amidst the chaos of human conflict and strife.

Eschatological Implications

In eschatological contexts, the sea's imagery is often associated with the final defeat of evil and the establishment of God's kingdom. Revelation 21:1 states, "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and earth had passed away, and the sea was no more." The absence of the sea in the new creation symbolizes the end of chaos, evil, and the threat of hostile forces. It signifies the ultimate peace and order that God will establish.

Conclusion

The sea, with its roaring and tumult, serves as a powerful biblical metaphor for hostile armies and nations. It captures the fear and uncertainty that such forces bring, yet it also points to the assurance of God's sovereignty and the promise of His ultimate victory over chaos and evil. Through this imagery, believers are reminded of God's control over all circumstances and His faithfulness to protect and deliver His people.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Isaiah 5:30
And in that day they shall roar against them like the roaring of the sea: and if one look to the land, behold darkness and sorrow, and the light is darkened in the heavens thereof.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Jeremiah 6:23
They shall lay hold on bow and spear; they are cruel, and have no mercy; their voice roars like the sea; and they ride on horses, set in array as men for war against you, O daughter of Zion.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

The Seven Trumpets.
... became dismembered, and three independent and hostile Caliphates, and ... position"one
foot resting on the sea, and one ... the whole world, as the loud roaring of a ...
/.../bliss/a brief commentary on the apocalypse/the seven trumpets.htm

From the Close of the General Conference of 1812 to the Death of ...
... and in some places upon the sea-board, God ... upon the stormy sky, and calms the roaring
seas," appeared ... contending elements, and to bid the hostile forces cease ...
/.../chapter 2 from the close.htm

Six Cities
... portion of the waters of the Dead Sea would be ... it must have been constantly exposed
to hostile attacks. ... with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion."[49 ...
/.../macduff/the cities of refuge or the name of jesus/ii six cities.htm

St. Gregory the Great.
... yoke of Christ, and taught the sea-kings humanity ... Constantine onwards, had enrolled
in her armies and taken ... cases the Popes discerned the hostile power located ...
/.../allies/the formation of christendom volume vi/chapter v st gregory the.htm

The Close of the Theban Empire
... the flower of Egypt, were as lions roaring on the ... the Libyans and over the peoples
of the sea, and the ... mother country and in the midst of hostile people, and ...
/.../chapter iiithe close of the.htm

The Eighteenth Theban Dynasty --(Continued)
... Very-Green may be reached by thy roaring,"I grant ... of these adversaries without openly
declaring himself hostile to his ... are in the midst of the sea." This was ...
/.../chapter ithe eighteenth theban dynastycontinued.htm

Syria at the Beginning of the Egyptian Conquest
... by the fleets, or traversed by the armies of Egypt, as ... when summoned to Kharu by
a hostile confederacy; it ... and for some distance skirted the sea-shore, passing ...
/.../chapter iisyria at the beginning.htm

The Holy War,
... The roaring of the drum"their alarming outcries, Hell-fire! ... it may seem strange that
the armies, both within ... Yea, how by hostile ways, she did oppose Her Lord ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/the holy war.htm

The Power of Assyria at Its Zenith; Esarhaddon and Assur-Bani-Pal
... keeping to the shores of the Black Sea.* This heterogeneous ... the fear alone of the
Assyrian armies would no ... groaned and lamented like a lion roaring, and could ...
/.../chapter iithe power of assyria 2.htm

The Rise of the Assyrian Empire
... between this and the invasion of the People of the Sea, which took ... in common with
the general catastrophe occasioned by the movement of the Asiatic armies. ...
/.../chapter iithe rise of the.htm