Topical Bible: The Sea: Called The: Deep

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The term "deep" is often used in the Bible to describe the sea, emphasizing its vastness, mystery, and power. This imagery is prevalent throughout the Scriptures, reflecting both the physical characteristics of the sea and its symbolic significance in the biblical narrative.

Creation and the Primordial Deep

In the creation account, the "deep" is mentioned as part of the primordial chaos that God orders into creation. Genesis 1:2 states, "Now the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters." Here, the "deep" represents the chaotic waters that God brings into order, demonstrating His sovereignty over the natural world.

The Deep as a Symbol of Danger and Judgment

Throughout the Old Testament, the deep is often associated with danger and divine judgment. In the account of the Flood, the deep plays a crucial role in God's judgment upon the earth. Genesis 7:11 describes the event: "On that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened." The deep here is a source of the waters that cover the earth, symbolizing God's power to judge and cleanse.

The deep is also depicted as a place of peril in the Psalms. Psalm 69:14-15 pleads, "Rescue me from the mire and do not let me sink; deliver me from my foes and out of the deep waters. Do not let the floodwaters engulf me or the depths swallow me up; let not the Pit close its mouth over me." The psalmist uses the imagery of the deep to express a cry for deliverance from overwhelming circumstances.

The Deep as a Display of God's Power and Providence

Despite its association with danger, the deep is also a testament to God's power and providence. In Job 38:16 , God challenges Job, saying, "Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea or walked in the recesses of the deep?" This rhetorical question highlights God's intimate knowledge and control over the deep, underscoring His omnipotence.

The deep is also a place where God's providence is evident. Psalm 107:23-24 describes those "who go down to the sea in ships, who do business on great waters. They see the works of the LORD and His wonders in the deep." Here, the deep is a setting for witnessing God's mighty works, illustrating His ongoing involvement in creation.

The Deep in Prophetic and Apocalyptic Literature

In prophetic and apocalyptic literature, the deep often symbolizes chaos and opposition to God's order. Isaiah 51:10 recalls God's deliverance of Israel, "Was it not You who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep, who made a road in the depths of the sea for the redeemed to cross over?" This reference to the Exodus event portrays the deep as a barrier overcome by God's saving power.

In the New Testament, the deep continues to symbolize the forces of chaos and evil. Revelation 13:1 describes a beast rising "out of the sea," representing opposition to God's kingdom. The deep, therefore, serves as a backdrop for the cosmic struggle between good and evil, ultimately highlighting God's ultimate victory.

Conclusion

The biblical portrayal of the sea as the "deep" is rich with meaning, encompassing themes of creation, judgment, power, and redemption. It serves as a powerful symbol of both the natural world's majesty and the spiritual realities of God's interaction with His creation.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Job 41:31
He makes the deep to boil like a pot: he makes the sea like a pot of ointment.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Psalm 107:24
These see the works of the LORD, and his wonders in the deep.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

2 Corinthians 11:25
Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Concerning the Waters.
... deep all on a sudden. In like manner arose also the sea that lies where the sun
rises, the name of which is the Indian Sea: also the northern sea called the ...
/.../john/exposition of the orthodox faith/chapter ix concerning the waters.htm

By the Sea of Galilee - the Final Call of the First Disciples, and ...
... Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for ... He had been called to full
discipleship, and he had obeyed ... right down to the bottom of that sea; He could ...
/.../edersheim/the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter xiii by the sea.htm

Sin: Its Spring-Head, Stream, and Sea
... in the sea, even in the Red sea""while they were passing through the deep they were ...
thee at the sea, even at the Red sea." It was called the Sea of Weeds ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 37 1891/sin its spring-head stream and.htm

Psalm CIV.
... and hidden caves, is all together called by one ... of the earth, which is the deep,
so increased ... 4704] Especially the waters which make the sea, stormy, unfruitful ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/augustine/exposition on the book of psalms/psalm civ.htm

The So-Called Letter to Diognetus
... theirs has not been discovered by the ingenuity or deep thought of ... the earth, the
sea and the things in the sea, fire, air ... 5In sending him, God called men, but ...
/.../richardson/early christian fathers/the so-called letter to diognetus.htm

For this Deep and Disabling Reason Therefore, Its Cynical and ...
... These "healthy" ideals, as they are called, which our politicians and schoolmasters
have ... discreditable for a scavenger to be dirty than for a deep-sea diver to ...
/.../chesterton/whats wrong with the world/chapter 39 for this deep.htm

The Use of the Symbolic Style by Poets and Philosophers.
... And Zaps some have ignorantly taken for fire (from zesin, boiling); for so the sea
is called, as Euphorion, in ... "Briny Zaps moans about the maddened deep.". ...
/.../clement/the stromata or miscellanies/chapter viii the use of the.htm

Jesus Calls Four Fishermen to Follow Him.
... human souls are fish, the world is the sea, the gospel ... It is here called Gennesaret,
from a plain of that name ... said unto Simon, Put out into the deep, and let ...
/.../mcgarvey/the four-fold gospel/xxx jesus calls four fishermen.htm

Sky, Earth, and Sea: a Parable of God
... word which begins the series and is there called 'mercy ... of God's righteousness the
emblem of the 'mighty deep' of His ... while its feet are laved by the sea of the ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture j/sky earth and sea a.htm

By the Sea once More
... Vividly they recalled the scene beside the sea when Jesus ... they had launched out into
the deep, and had ... Then Jesus had called them to leave their fishing boats ...
//christianbookshelf.org/white/the desire of ages/chapter 85 by the sea.htm