Topical Bible: The Sea: Great Rivers often Called

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In biblical literature, the term "sea" is frequently used to describe large bodies of water, including great rivers. This usage reflects the ancient Near Eastern understanding of geography and hydrology, where expansive rivers were often perceived as seas due to their vastness and significance.

1. The Euphrates River

The Euphrates River, one of the most significant rivers in the biblical narrative, is sometimes referred to in terms that evoke the imagery of a sea. This river, which flows through modern-day Turkey, Syria, and Iraq, is a critical geographical feature in the Bible. It is mentioned in Genesis 2:14 as one of the four rivers flowing from the Garden of Eden: "The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates." The Euphrates is also a boundary marker for the land promised to Abraham's descendants (Genesis 15:18).

2. The Nile River

The Nile River, another prominent river in the biblical text, is sometimes described with language that likens it to a sea. In Isaiah 19:5, the prophet speaks of the drying up of the Nile, using imagery that suggests a significant body of water: "The waters of the river will dry up, and the riverbed will be parched and empty." The Nile's importance to Egypt and its frequent mention in the context of God's judgments against Egypt (Exodus 7:17-18) underscore its significance as a "sea" in the biblical worldview.

3. The Jordan River

The Jordan River, while not as large as the Euphrates or the Nile, holds a central place in the biblical narrative. It is the river that the Israelites crossed to enter the Promised Land (Joshua 3:17). The Jordan is sometimes described in terms that elevate its status to that of a sea, particularly in the context of miraculous events. In 2 Kings 2:8, Elijah parts the waters of the Jordan, reminiscent of the parting of the Red Sea: "Then Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up, and struck the waters, which parted to the right and to the left, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground."

4. Symbolic and Prophetic Usage

The use of "sea" to describe great rivers also carries symbolic and prophetic significance. In Revelation 16:12, the drying up of the Euphrates is depicted as a preparatory act for the kings of the East: "And the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East." This imagery draws on the historical and eschatological importance of these great rivers, emphasizing their role in God's divine plan.

5. Cultural and Historical Context

Understanding the biblical use of "sea" for great rivers requires an appreciation of the cultural and historical context of the ancient Near East. In a region where large bodies of water were rare, rivers like the Euphrates, Nile, and Jordan were lifelines for the civilizations that flourished around them. Their depiction as seas reflects their centrality to life, commerce, and the unfolding of biblical history.

In summary, the biblical use of "sea" to describe great rivers underscores their importance and the profound impact they had on the people and events recorded in Scripture. This linguistic choice highlights the grandeur and significance of these waterways in the divine narrative.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Isaiah 11:15
And the LORD shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his mighty wind shall he shake his hand over the river, and shall smite it in the seven streams, and make men go over with dry sandals.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Jeremiah 51:36
Therefore thus said the LORD; Behold, I will plead your cause, and take vengeance for you; and I will dry up her sea, and make her springs dry.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Decay of Charles the Great's Empire (Ad 814-887)
... English history are called Danes, with whom the great Alfred had ... they were
called"which could sail up rivers; and so ... way to places so far off the sea as Mentz ...
/.../chapter v decay of charles.htm

Upon the Gathering Together of the Waters.
... as may be seen in islands and on the sea coast; even ... in certain places, in the
neighbourhood of rivers, to compare little things with great, almost the ...
/.../basil/basil letters and select works/homily iv upon the gathering.htm

Of the Situation of Britain and Ireland, and of their Ancient
... The distance from here across the sea to Gessoriacum, the ... sorts; it is remarkable
also for rivers abounding in ... There is also a great abundance of snails, of ...
/.../bede/bedes ecclesiastical history of england/chap i of the situation.htm

Israel at the Red Sea
... the hollow of his hands; while the rivers are turned ... I have often thought what a
consistent religion the Roman ... you are here, just when that great sea of death ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 2 1856/israel at the red sea.htm

Concerning the Waters.
... a tendency to descend, and flows with great readiness. ... There are also very many other
mighty rivers of which ... For the sea water is filtered and strained through ...
/.../john/exposition of the orthodox faith/chapter ix concerning the waters.htm

Betar
... The tradition is, that R. Eliezer the Great saith, That there were two rivers in
the valley of ... "For if you say (say they) that it was near the sea, was it ...
/.../lightfoot/from the talmud and hebraica/chapter 52 betar.htm

How Bishop Wilfrid Converted the Province of the South Saxons to ...
... the bishop, when he came into the province, and found so great misery from ... taught
them to get their food by fishing; for their sea and rivers abounded in ...
/.../bede/bedes ecclesiastical history of england/chap xiii how bishop wilfrid.htm

The Meaning of the Seventh Seal, that Is, of the Seven Trumpets.
... the third part of the sea, of the rivers, of the ... second angel sounded, and as it
were, a great mountain burning with fire, was cast into the sea, and a ...
/.../mede/a key to the apocalypse/the meaning of the seventh.htm

The Creation of Moving Creatures.
... in winter, filled as it is from all directions by large rivers. ... Master, I marvel
how the fishes live in the sea. ... Why, as men do a-land; the great ones eat up ...
/.../basil/basil letters and select works/homily vii the creation of.htm

The Story of Noah and the Ark
... The streams filled, and the rivers rose higher and higher ... all that were in it floated
over the great sea that covered ... So as often as we see the beautiful rainbow ...
/.../marshall/the wonder book of bible stories/the story of noah and.htm