Thematic Bible
Thematic Bible
Afflictions » Often severe
I said to him, “My lord, you know [the answer].” And he said to me, “These are the people who come out of the great tribulation (persecution), and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb [because of His atoning sacrifice].
Verse Concepts
Deep calls to deep at the [thundering] sound of Your waterfalls;
All Your breakers and Your waves have rolled over me.
But now [God] has taken away my strength. You [O Lord] have made desolate all my family and associates. You have laid firm hold on me and have shriveled me up, which is a witness against me; and my leanness [and wretched state of body] are further evidence [against me]; [they] testify to my face. [ My adversary Satan] has torn [me] in his wrath and hated and persecuted me; he has gnashed upon me with his teeth; my adversary sharpens his eyes against me. read more.
[The forces of evil] have gaped at me with their mouths; they have struck me upon the cheek insolently; they massed themselves together and conspired unanimously against me. God has delivered me to the ungodly (to the evil one) and cast me [headlong] into the hands of the wicked (Satan's host). I was living at ease, but [Satan] crushed me and broke me apart; yes, he seized me by the neck and dashed me in pieces; then he set me up for his target. [Satan's] arrows whiz around me. He slashes open my vitals and does not spare; he pours out my gall on the ground. [Satan] stabs me, making breach after breach and attacking again and again; he runs at me like a giant and irresistible warrior. I have sewed sackcloth over my skin [as a sign of mourning] and have defiled my horn (my insignia of strength) in the dust. My face is red and swollen with weeping, and on my eyelids is the shadow of death [my eyes are dimmed],
[The forces of evil] have gaped at me with their mouths; they have struck me upon the cheek insolently; they massed themselves together and conspired unanimously against me. God has delivered me to the ungodly (to the evil one) and cast me [headlong] into the hands of the wicked (Satan's host). I was living at ease, but [Satan] crushed me and broke me apart; yes, he seized me by the neck and dashed me in pieces; then he set me up for his target. [Satan's] arrows whiz around me. He slashes open my vitals and does not spare; he pours out my gall on the ground. [Satan] stabs me, making breach after breach and attacking again and again; he runs at me like a giant and irresistible warrior. I have sewed sackcloth over my skin [as a sign of mourning] and have defiled my horn (my insignia of strength) in the dust. My face is red and swollen with weeping, and on my eyelids is the shadow of death [my eyes are dimmed],
You made men (charioteers)
We went through fire and through water,
Yet You brought us out into a [broad] place of abundance [to be refreshed].
“For You cast me into the deep,
Into the [deep] heart of the seas,
And the currents surrounded and engulfed me;
All Your breakers and billowing waves passed over me.
Bow » Figurative
They turned back and acted unfaithfully like their fathers;
They were twisted like a warped bow [that will not respond to the archer’s aim].
I looked, and behold, a white horse [of victory] whose rider carried a bow; and a crown [of victory] was given to him, and he rode forth conquering and to conquer.
Verse Concepts
“But his bow remained firm and steady [in the Strength that does not fail],
For his arms were made strong and agile
By the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob,
(By the name of the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel),
“His arrows surround me.
He pierces my kidneys (vital organs) without mercy;
He pours out my gall on the ground.
‘My glory and honor are fresh in me [being constantly renewed],
And my bow gains [ever] new strength in my hand.’
He has bent His bow
And set me as a target for the arrow.
On that day I will break the bow [of the military power] of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel.”
Verse Concepts
Your bow was made bare;
The rods of chastisement were sworn. Selah (pause, calmly think of that).
You split the earth with rivers [bringing waters to dry places].
Gall » Any bitter or poisonous substance, like bile
“His arrows surround me.
He pierces my kidneys (vital organs) without mercy;
He pours out my gall on the ground.