'Afar' in the Bible

Now all the people witnessed the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the smoking mountain; and as they looked, the people were afraid, and they trembled [and moved backward] and stood at a [safe] distance.

So the people stood at a [safe] distance, but Moses approached the thick cloud where God was.

“The Lord will bring a nation against you from far away, from the end of the earth, [as swift] as the eagle swoops down [to attack], a nation whose language you will not understand,

‘I would have said, “I will cut them to pieces [scattering them far away],I will remove the memory of them from men,”

Then David crossed over to the other side and stood on the top of the mountain at a distance, with a large area between them.

Fifty men of the sons of the prophets also went and stood opposite them [to watch] at a distance; and the two of them stood by the Jordan.

So she set out and came to the man of God at Mount Carmel.When the man of God saw her at a distance, he said to Gehazi his servant, “Look, there is the Shunammite woman.

Also on that day they offered great sacrifices and rejoiced because God had given them great joy; the women and children also rejoiced, so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard from far away.

When they looked from a distance and did not recognize him [because of his disfigurement], they raised their voices and wept; and each one tore his robe [in grief] and they threw dust over their heads toward the sky [in sorrow].

“He breaks open (mine) shafts far away from where people live,[In places] forgotten by the [human] foot;They dangle [in the mines] and hang away from men.

“I will bring my knowledge from afar,And will ascribe righteousness to my Maker.

“All men have seen God’s work;Man looks at it from a distance.

“As often as the trumpet sounds he says, ‘Aha!’And he smells the battle from far away,And senses the thunder of the captains and the war cry.

“From there he spies out the prey;His eyes see it from far away.

Why do You stand far away, O Lord?Why do You hide [Yourself, veiling Your eyes] in times of trouble?

My loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague;And my neighbors stand far away.

You know when I sit down and when I rise up [my entire life, everything I do];You understand my thought from afar.

He will lift up a flag to [call] the distant nations [to bring His judgment on Judah],And will whistle for them from the ends of the earth;And indeed, they will come with great speed swiftly.

And in that day they will roar against them (Judah) like the roaring of the sea.And if one looks to the land, in fact, there is darkness and distress;Even the light will be darkened by its clouds.

Now what will you do in the day of [God’s] punishment,And in the storm of devastation which will come from far away?To whom will you flee for help?And where will you leave your wealth [for safekeeping]?

Now look, the name of the Lord comes from far away,Burning with His anger, and heavy with smoke;His lips are full of indignation,And His tongue is like a consuming fire.

Your eyes will see the King in His beauty;They will see a far-distant land.

“I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’And to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’Bring My sons from far wayAnd My daughters from the ends of the earth,

Listen to Me, O islands and coastlands,And pay attention, you peoples from far away.The Lord has called Me from the womb;From the body of My mother He has named Me.

“In fact, these will come from far away;And, lo, these shall come from the north and from the west,And these from the land of Aswan (southern Egypt).”

“Lift up your eyes around you and see;They all gather together, they come to you.Your sons will come from far away,And your daughters will be looked after at their side.

“The islands and coastlands will confidently wait for Me;And the ships of Tarshish will come first,To bring your sons from far away,Their silver and gold with them,For the name of the Lord your God,For the Holy One of Israel because He has glorified you.

I will set up a [miraculous] sign among them, and from them I will send survivors to the nations: Tarshish, Pul (Put), Lud, Meshech, Tubal and Javan, to the distant islands and coastlands that have not heard of My fame nor seen My glory. And they will declare and proclaim My glory among the nations.

“Behold, I am bringing a nation against you from far away, O house of Israel,” says the Lord.“It is a mighty and enduring nation,It is an ancient nation,A nation whose language you do not know,Whose words you do not comprehend.

‘Will the snow of [Mount] Lebanon melt and vanish from its rocks [which tower above Israel]?Will the cold, rushing waters of foreign lands [that flow down from the distant land] be dried up?

“Am I a God who is at hand,” says the Lord,“And not a God far away?”

“But as for you, do not fear, O My servant Jacob,Nor be dismayed, O Israel!For behold, I will save you from [your captivity in] a distant land,And your descendants from the land of their exile;And Jacob will return and be quiet and secure,And no one will make him afraid.

You who have escaped the sword,Go away! Do not stay!Remember the Lord from far away,And let [desolate] Jerusalem come into your mind.

“Furthermore, you have even sent a messenger for men to come from far away; and behold, they came—those for whom you bathed, painted your eyes, and decorated yourself with ornaments;

And He will judge between many peoplesAnd render decisions for strong and distant nations.Then they shall hammer their swords into plowsharesAnd their spears into pruning hooks [so that the implements of war may become the tools of agriculture];Nation shall not lift up sword against nation,Nor shall they ever again train for war.

“Their horses are swifter than leopardsAnd keener than [hungry] wolves in the evening,Their horsemen come galloping,Their horsemen come from far away;They fly like an eagle swooping down to devour.

And He came and preached the good news of peace to you [Gentiles] who were far away, and peace to those [Jews] who were near.