The term "unusual" in the context of the Bible often refers to events, phenomena, or actions that deviate from the ordinary or expected patterns of life, demonstrating the extraordinary power and sovereignty of God. Throughout Scripture, God uses unusual means to accomplish His purposes, revealing His divine nature and authority.

Unusual Events and Miracles

The Bible is replete with accounts of unusual events and miracles that underscore God's intervention in human history. One of the most notable examples is the parting of the Red Sea, where God delivered the Israelites from the pursuing Egyptian army. In Exodus 14:21-22 , it is written, "Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. So the waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on their right and on their left."

Another example is the sun standing still during the battle at Gibeon, as recorded in Joshua 10:13-14 : "So the sun stood still and the moon stopped until the nation took vengeance upon its enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? So the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. There has been no day like it before or since, when the LORD listened to the voice of a man, because the LORD fought for Israel."

Unusual Means of Provision

God often provided for His people in unusual ways, demonstrating His care and provision. In 1 Kings 17:6 , God commanded ravens to feed the prophet Elijah during a time of drought: "The ravens would bring him bread and meat in the morning and evening, and he would drink from the brook."

Similarly, in the New Testament, Jesus fed the five thousand with just five loaves and two fish, an event recorded in all four Gospels. In Matthew 14:19-21 , it states, "And He directed the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, He spoke a blessing. Then He broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. About five thousand men were fed, in addition to women and children."

Unusual Commands and Instructions

God sometimes issued unusual commands to His people to test their faith and obedience. In Genesis 22:2 , God instructed Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac: "Then God said, 'Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the land of Moriah. Offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.'" This command was a test of Abraham's faith, and God ultimately provided a ram as a substitute sacrifice.

In the New Testament, Jesus gave unusual instructions to His disciples, such as when He told Peter to find a coin in the mouth of a fish to pay the temple tax. Matthew 17:27 records, "But so that we may not offend them, go to the sea, cast a hook, and take the first fish you catch. When you open its mouth, you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for My tax and yours."

Unusual Manifestations of God's Presence

The presence of God was often manifested in unusual ways, signifying His holiness and power. In Exodus 3:2 , God appeared to Moses in a burning bush that was not consumed: "There the Angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire from within a bush. Moses saw that the bush was on fire, but it was not consumed."

In the New Testament, the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles in the form of tongues of fire on the day of Pentecost, as described in Acts 2:3-4 : "They saw tongues like flames of a fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them."

These unusual occurrences throughout the Bible serve to highlight the divine nature of God's interactions with humanity, demonstrating His power, provision, and presence in ways that transcend human understanding.(a.) Not usual; uncommon; rare; as, an unusual season; a person of unusual grace or erudition.824. atopos -- out of place, strange
... atopos Phonetic Spelling: (at'-op-os) Short Definition: improper, unrighteous, perverse
Definition: (lit: out of place, unusual, unbecoming), improper ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/824.htm - 7k2114a. zur -- to be a stranger
... 1), layman (9), outsider (2), satisfied (1), strange (11), strange thing (1), strange
things (1), stranger (7), strangers (22), turned away (1), unusual (1). ...
/hebrew/2114a.htm - 5k

The Same Jesus Here Now.
... An unrecognized Stranger who turns out to be Jesus; an unusual haul of fish gotten
in a very unusual way; a warm fire and tasty breakfast for cold hungry men ...
/.../gordon/quiet talks on johns gospel/the same jesus here now.htm

On the Words of the Gospel, John v. 19, "The Son Can do Nothing of ...
... Marvel at these things, awake; at His unusual works, thou canst wonder, are
they greater than those which thou art accustomed to see? ...
/.../sermons on selected lessons of the new testament/sermon lxxvi on the words.htm

Theological Reconstruction
... It is a true remark of Dilthey that in unusual degree an understanding of the man's
personality and career is necessary to the appreciation of his thought. ...
/.../chapter iii theological reconstruction.htm

Church Abuses.
... The now unusual spectacle of a High Church mob was then not at all unusual.[648]
The enemies of the Church seemed to be effectually silenced. ...
/.../the english church in the eighteenth century/chapter viii church abuses.htm

The Blossoming Desert.
... Mr. Talmage's letters during 1854 and 1855 tell of the great awakening. "This year
(1854), thus far, has been one of unusual blessing, a year 'of the right ...
/.../fagg/forty years in south china/vii the blossoming desert.htm

The Immortal Prayers of the Saints
... Golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints." " Rev.5:8. Christ
frequently chooses some unusual place on earth to reveal Himself to mankind. ...
/.../anderson/prayer availeth much/chapter 13 the immortal prayers.htm

Accidental Causes of Corruption.
... division of the text. Especially are they found in places where there is
something unusual in the structure of the sentence. John 4:35 ...
/.../chapter iv accidental causes of.htm

The Fig-Tree.
... spake of the putting forth of the fig-tree leaves as an indication that "summer
was nigh." It must have been, therefore, a strange and unusual sight which met ...
//christianbookshelf.org/macduff/memories of bethany/xix the fig-tree.htm

How Fruits Grow
... But it so happens that He has dealt with it in a passage of unusual fulness. I need
not recall the whole illustration. It is the parable of the Vine. ...
/.../the greatest thing in the world and other addresses/how fruits grow.htm

Chapter xxix
... The unusual thing, marked as unusual by a double hinneh ("behold," or "lo"), was
that Jacob encountered at once the very well where the sheep of his kinsfolk ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/leupold/exposition of genesis volume 1/chapter xxix.htm

Unusual (4 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (a.) Not usual; uncommon; rare; as, an unusual season;
a person of unusual grace or erudition. ...Unusual (4 Occurrences). ...
/u/unusual.htm - 7k

Extraordinary (11 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (a.) Beyond the common method; unusual, irregular;
as, extraordinary evils; extraordinary remedies. ...
/e/extraordinary.htm - 10k

Imperial (14 Occurrences)
... royal; sovereign; supreme. 3. (a.) of superior or unusual size or excellence;
as, imperial paper; imperial tea, etc. 4. (n.) The ...
/i/imperial.htm - 11k

Singular (2 Occurrences)
... and plural. 6. (a.) Standing by itself; out of the ordinary course; unusual;
uncommon; strange; as, a singular phenomenon. 7. (a ...
/s/singular.htm - 8k

Hail (42 Occurrences)
... 2. In Syria: Hailstorms, while by no means common in Syria and Palestine, are not
unusual and are of great severity. They occasionally take place in Egypt. ...
/h/hail.htm - 25k

Crane (2 Occurrences)
... Any of these words is sufficiently expressive to denote an unusual voice, used in
an unusual manner, so that it appealed to the prophet as suitable for use in ...
/c/crane.htm - 12k

Gift (148 Occurrences)
... That the occasion was one where a miracle would have had unusual evidential value
is evident, and those who see a pure miracle in the account have ample ...
/g/gift.htm - 59k

Philippians (2 Occurrences)
... and deep poverty, that they abounded in their bounty, and that they were rich only
in their liberality (2 Corinthians 8:2). Surely these are unusual encomiums. ...
/p/philippians.htm - 42k

Harvest (109 Occurrences)
... harvest, only a few showers fall, which are welcomed because they increase the yield
of wheat (compare Amos 4:7). Samuel made use of the unusual occurrence of ...
/h/harvest.htm - 44k

Yoke (79 Occurrences)
... 8. (n.) A tie securing two timbers together, not used for part of a regular truss,
but serving a temporary purpose, as to provide against unusual strain. ...
/y/yoke.htm - 40k

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