Topical Bible: Water: Collected in Ponds

◄ Water: Collected in Ponds ►

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Topical Encyclopedia

In biblical times, water was a precious resource, essential for survival in the arid landscapes of the Near East. The collection of water in ponds was a common practice, serving both practical and symbolic purposes throughout the Scriptures. Ponds, often man-made, were used for irrigation, livestock, and as a means of sustaining communities during dry seasons.

Practical Uses of Ponds

Ponds were integral to agricultural life in ancient Israel. They provided a reliable water source for crops and livestock, especially in regions where rainfall was scarce. The construction of ponds and cisterns was a testament to the ingenuity and resourcefulness of the people, who sought to harness and preserve water for times of need. In 2 Chronicles 26:10, we read about King Uzziah, who "built towers in the wilderness and dug many cisterns, because he had much livestock in the foothills and in the plain."

Symbolic Significance

Water in ponds also held symbolic meaning in the biblical narrative. It often represented life, sustenance, and divine provision. The presence of water was a sign of God's blessing and favor. In Isaiah 41:18, God promises, "I will open rivers on the barren heights, and fountains in the middle of the valleys; I will turn the desert into a pool of water, and the dry land into flowing springs." This imagery underscores the transformative power of God's provision, turning desolation into abundance.

Ponds in Prophetic Imagery

Prophets frequently used the imagery of water and ponds to convey messages of hope and restoration. In Isaiah 35:7, the prophet envisions a future where "the parched ground will become a pool, the thirsty land springs of water." This vision speaks to the eschatological hope of renewal and the establishment of God's kingdom, where scarcity and suffering are replaced by abundance and joy.

Ponds in Wisdom Literature

The wisdom literature of the Bible also reflects on the significance of water. In Proverbs 5:15, the metaphor of drinking water from one's own cistern is used to counsel faithfulness and contentment: "Drink water from your own cistern, and running water from your own well." This proverb highlights the importance of appreciating and nurturing one's own resources and relationships.

Conclusion

The collection of water in ponds, while a practical necessity, also serves as a rich metaphor throughout the biblical text. It illustrates themes of provision, blessing, and the sustaining power of God. Whether in the context of daily life or prophetic vision, water collected in ponds remains a powerful symbol of life and divine care in the biblical narrative.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Exodus 7:19
And the LORD spoke to Moses, Say to Aaron, Take your rod, and stretch out your hand on the waters of Egypt, on their streams, on their rivers, and on their ponds, and on all their pools of water, that they may become blood; and that there may be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood, and in vessels of stone.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Isaiah 19:10
And they shall be broken in the purposes thereof, all that make sluices and ponds for fish.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Shakers, or the United Society of Believers.
... Yet the little water that is running in small brooks, which can be conveniently
collected into artificial ponds, is improved, by their emptying from one to ...
/.../hayward/the book of religions/shakers or the united society.htm

The Water of Life;
... Wilson, Chandler, Whitfield, and others who collected and published ... of God, which
is full of water; it yieldeth ... It is not so with ponds, pools, and cisterns ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/the water of life.htm

Upon the Gathering Together of the Waters.
... they to bring forward in opposition ponds and accumulations ... not mean any chance massing
of water, but the ... one, wherein the element is shewn collected together. ...
/.../basil/basil letters and select works/homily iv upon the gathering.htm

Egypt and Greece.
... Ponds and lakes, growing every day more and more ... The others he collected together,
and then shut them ... purpose of ascertaining precisely the rise of the water. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/abbott/xerxes/chapter ii egypt and greece.htm

The Arabic Gospel of the Infancy of the Saviour (Nt Apocrypha)
... the Lord Jesus stretched out His handkerchief, and collected the water ... was with the
boys at a stream of water, and they had again made little fish-ponds. ...
/.../the arabic gospel of the infancy of the saviour/the arabic gospel of the.htm

La Brea
... black pitch, we hurried on over the water-furrows, and ... out of lonely glens, as they
collected the fruit ... a huge Caddis, like those in English ponds and streams ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/at last/chapter viii la brea.htm

The Nile and Egypt
... are lost, while others have been collected and embellished ... with this resource, the
level of the water falls daily ... of stagnant pools and muddy ponds, which fast ...
/.../chapter i the nile and egypt.htm

the Legendary History of Egypt
... torrents of boiling water, intersected by ponds and marshes ... times, and EB Tylob,
has collected numerous examples ... NUIT AND RECEIVING THE BREAD AND WATER OF THE ...
/.../chapter iii -the legendary history of.htm

The Eighteenth Theban Dynasty --(Continued)
... the spoil taken from them formed a considerable adjunct to the treasure collected
in Syria ... Thou hast crossed the water of the great curve of Naharaim* in thy ...
/.../chapter ithe eighteenth theban dynastycontinued.htm

The Political Constitution of Egypt
... feast carefully recorded at his side, from the first moment when water is brought ...
I have collected a certain number of tales resembling that of Mourtadi in the ...
/.../chapter ithe political constitution of.htm