Topical Bible: Enclosing
Topical Encyclopedia
In biblical terms, "enclosing" often refers to the act of surrounding, protecting, or setting apart something or someone. This concept can be seen in various contexts throughout the Scriptures, both in physical and metaphorical senses.
Physical Enclosures
1. The Ark of Noah: One of the earliest examples of enclosing in the Bible is the construction of Noah's Ark. God commanded Noah to build an ark to enclose his family and pairs of every living creature to protect them from the floodwaters. Genesis 6:14-16 describes the instructions given by God: "Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood; make rooms in the ark and coat it with pitch inside and out."
2. The Tabernacle and the Temple: The Tabernacle, and later the Temple, served as enclosed spaces where the Israelites could worship God. These structures were meticulously designed with specific dimensions and materials, symbolizing God's holiness and the separation of sacred space from the profane. Exodus 26 details the construction of the Tabernacle, emphasizing the importance of its enclosed nature.
3. Walls of Jerusalem: The city of Jerusalem was enclosed by walls, which served as protection against enemies and as a symbol of God's provision and security for His people. Nehemiah 4:6-7 recounts the rebuilding of these walls: "So we rebuilt the wall until all of it was joined together up to half its height, for the people had a mind to work."
Metaphorical Enclosures
1. God's Protection: The concept of God enclosing His people is a recurring theme in the Psalms. Psalm 125:2 states, "As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds His people, both now and forevermore." This imagery conveys the idea of divine protection and care.
2. Spiritual Enclosure: Believers are often described as being enclosed or hidden in Christ. Colossians 3:3 says, "For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God." This enclosure signifies the security and identity found in a relationship with Jesus.
3. Boundaries of Holiness: The Law given to Israel set boundaries that enclosed the people within a covenant relationship with God. These laws were meant to set them apart from other nations, as seen in Leviticus 20:26 : "You are to be holy to Me because I, the LORD, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be My own."
Symbolism and Significance
Enclosing in the Bible often symbolizes protection, sanctity, and divine order. It reflects God's desire to set apart His people for Himself, providing them with security and identity. Whether through physical structures like the Ark and the Temple or through spiritual truths like being hidden in Christ, the concept of enclosing underscores the relationship between God and His people, marked by care, holiness, and covenant.
Greek
4843. sumperilambano -- to enclose, embrace
... embrace. From sun and a compound of peri and lambano; to take by enclosing altogether,
ie Earnestly throw the arms about one -- embrace. see GREEK sun. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4843.htm - 6k
Strong's Hebrew
4524. mesab -- that which surrounds or is round
... Plural masculine mcibbiym {mes-ib-beem'}; or feminine mcibbowth {mes-ib-bohth'};
from cabab; a divan (as enclosing the room); abstractly (adverbial) around ...
/hebrew/4524.htm - 6k
4526. misgereth -- border, rim, fastness
... border, close place, hole. From cagar; something enclosing, ie A margin (of a region,
of a panel); concretely, a stronghold -- border, close place, hole. ...
/hebrew/4526.htm - 6k
Library
The Secondary Division or Teen Age Boys' Crusade
... 3. Write to each chosen representative before the first called meeting, enclosing
credential card to be signed by the superintendent of the school, the pastor ...
/.../alexander/the boy and the sunday school/xiv the secondary division or.htm
The Draw-Net.
... surface by corks or bladders. Thus when spread it stands erect like a
wall in the water, enclosing a large space. As soon as it ...
//christianbookshelf.org/arnot/the parables of our lord/vii the draw-net.htm
Our God of the Impossible
... A few days later I received a letter from a band of ladies in Mount Forest, Ontario,
enclosing twenty-three dollars and some odd cents, and saying: "Please ...
/.../goforth/how i know god answers prayer/viii our god of the.htm
Ninth Letter
... LETTERS NINTH LETTER. Enclosing a letter to a corresponding sister, whom he regards
with respect tinged with fear. * His old theme concisely put. ...
/.../lawrence/the practice of the presence of god/ninth letter.htm
Knox and Queen Mary, 1561
... a monument of idolatry. A fragment of it is standing yet, enclosing tombs
of the wild Logans of Restalrig. The Assembly passed an ...
/.../lang/john knox and the reformation/chapter xiv knox and queen.htm
Christ, as to his Divine Nature, as the Word of God, Became Flesh ...
... He had no reason for enclosing Himself within one, if He was to bear forth nothing
from it. Not without reason, however, did He descend into a womb. ...
/.../tertullian/ on the flesh of christ/chapter xix christ as to his.htm
'The Lord Thee Keeps'
... Our text falls into two parts, the enclosing circle of the repeated statement of
the disciples' isolation in an alien world, and the enclosed jewel of the all ...
/.../expositions of holy scripture st john chaps xv to xxi/the lord thee keeps.htm
Blessedness and Praise
... It is not by accident that they stand where they do, the first and last verses of
the whole collection, enclosing all, as it were, within a golden ring, and ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture j/blessedness and praise.htm
Phial the Second, on the Sea of the Bestial World.
... Or, the antichristian sea is the circumference of the pontifical jurisdiction or
dominion, enclosing and enfolding Christian nations, as the sea does the earth ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/mede/a key to the apocalypse/phial the second on the.htm
A Threefold Thought of Sin and Forgiveness
... exists, a departure from God who is with us in the deepest recesses of our being,
unless we drag ourselves away from the support of His enclosing arm, and from ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture j/a threefold thought of sin.htm
Thesaurus
Enclosing (3 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Enclosing (3 Occurrences). 1 Kings 7:24 And under
the brim of it round about there were colocynths, encompassing ...
/e/enclosing.htm - 7k
Encompassing (6 Occurrences)
... 1 Kings 7:24 And under the brim of it round about there were colocynths, encompassing
it, ten in a cubit enclosing the sea round about; two rows of colocynths ...
/e/encompassing.htm - 8k
Net (91 Occurrences)
... It was of circular form, "like the top of a tent.". (3.) The bag-net (Gr. diktyon),
used for enclosing fish in deep water (Luke 5:4-9). ...
/n/net.htm - 36k
Enclosed (16 Occurrences)
... Ezekiel 1:27 And I saw as the colour of electrum, as the appearance of fire round
about enclosing it, from the appearance of his loins and upward; and from the ...
/e/enclosed.htm - 10k
Dwellings (54 Occurrences)
... The larger houses were built in a quadrangle enclosing a court-yard (Luke 5:19;
2 Samuel 17:18; Nehemiah 8:16) surrounded by galleries, which formed the guest ...
/d/dwellings.htm - 25k
Mamre (10 Occurrences)
... This is an enclosure some 214 ft. long and 162 ft. wide. The enclosing walls
are made of extremely fine and massive masonry and are 6 ft. ...
/m/mamre.htm - 16k
Border (233 Occurrences)
... occurs in Genesis 49:13; qatseh = "an extremity" "brim," "brink," "edge" (Exodus
16:35; Exodus 19:12 Joshua 4:19); micgereth = something enclosing, ie "a margin ...
/b/border.htm - 40k
Borders (104 Occurrences)
... occurs in Genesis 49:13; qatseh = "an extremity" "brim," "brink," "edge" (Exodus
16:35; Exodus 19:12 Joshua 4:19); micgereth = something enclosing, ie "a margin ...
/b/borders.htm - 40k
Resources
Enclosing: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com
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