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Special Topic

SPECIAL TOPIC: WATERS

There are many different allusions to YHWH’s use of water.

  1. victory over chaotic water (cf. Gen. 1:2)
  2. separation (creation of water not specifically mentioned) of the waters in Genesis
    1. above and below (Gen. 1:6-7)
    2. salt from fresh (Gen. 1:9-10)
  3. water as judgment
    1. the Flood (i.e., Genesis 6-9)
    2. blood (i.e., Exod. 7:17-20)
    3. hail (i.e., Exod. 9:18,23)
    4. no rain (in Deut. 11:17; 28:20-26; 1 Kgs. 8:35; 17:1; Jeremiah 14)
    5. for women (Numbers 5)
  4. water as covenant blessing (i.e., Deut. 11:14-15; 28:12)
  5. water as a symbol of cleansing
    1. priests (i.e., Exod. 29:4; 30:18-21; Num. 19:7
    2. worshipers (i.e., Num. 19:8)
    3. baptism (Eph. 5:26; Titus 3:5; 1 Pet. 3:21)
  6. the splitting of the Red Sea (i.e., Exodus 14-15)
    Notice the different words used for water in the Song of Moses in Exodus 15
    1. “the sea,” Exod. 15:1,4,10,19 ‒ BDB 410
    2. “the deep” (lit. floods), Exod. 15:5 ‒ BDB 1062, cf. Exod. 15:8; Gen. 1:2
    3. “the depth,” Exod. 15:5 ‒ BDB 846
    4. “waters,” Exod. 5:8,10; 19:6
    5. “the waters” (lit. floods), Exod. 15:8 ‒ BDB 633, KB 683, Qal ACTIVE PARTICIPLE
    6. “the deeps,” Exod. 15:8 ‒ BDB 1062, cf. Exod. 15:5
    7. “the heart of the sea,” Exod. 15:8 ‒ BDB 523 CONSTRUCT BDB 410
    8. “mighty waters,” Exod. 15:10, ADJECTIVE, BDB 523, and NOUN for “sea,” BDB 410
  7. special provision of water (i.e., the Exodus, Exodus 17; Numbers 20)
  8. the conquest of Canaan, the splitting of the Jordan (i.e., Joshua 3)
  9. the splitting of the Jordan by Elijah (i.e., 2 Kgs. 2:7-9) and by Elisha (i.e., 2 Kgs. 2:13-14)


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