'Open' in the Bible

Then God said, “Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens.”

In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the same day all the fountains of the great deep burst open, and the floodgates of the sky were opened.

Thus you shall live with us, and the land shall be open before you; live and trade in it and acquire property in it.”

He shall then sprinkle seven times the one who is to be cleansed from the leprosy and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the live bird go free over the open field.

However, he shall let the live bird go free outside the city into the open field. So he shall make atonement for the house, and it will be clean.”

The reason is so that the sons of Israel may bring their sacrifices which they were sacrificing in the open field, that they may bring them in to the Lord, at the doorway of the tent of meeting to the priest, and sacrifice them as sacrifices of peace offerings to the Lord.

The houses of the villages, however, which have no surrounding wall shall be considered as open fields; they have redemption rights and revert in the jubilee.

How is the land in which they live, is it good or bad? And how are the cities in which they live, are they like open camps or with fortifications?

As he finished speaking all these words, the ground that was under them split open;

Every open vessel, which has no covering tied down on it, shall be unclean.

Also, anyone who in the open field touches one who has been slain with a sword or who has died naturally, or a human bone or a grave, shall be unclean for seven days.

Then you shall gather all its booty into the middle of its open square and burn the city and all its booty with fire as a whole burnt offering to the Lord your God; and it shall be a ruin forever. It shall never be rebuilt.

but you shall freely open your hand to him, and shall generously lend him sufficient for his need in whatever he lacks.

For the poor will never cease to be in the land; therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall freely open your hand to your brother, to your needy and poor in your land.’

“If a slain person is found lying in the open country in the land which the Lord your God gives you to possess, and it is not known who has struck him,

The Lord will open for you His good storehouse, the heavens, to give rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hand; and you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow.

Then Joshua said, “Open the mouth of the cave and bring these five kings out to me from the cave.”

They waited until they became anxious; but behold, he did not open the doors of the roof chamber. Therefore they took the key and opened them, and behold, their master had fallen to the floor dead.

They turned aside there in order to enter and lodge in Gibeah. When they entered, they sat down in the open square of the city, for no one took them into his house to spend the night.

And he lifted up his eyes and saw the traveler in the open square of the city; and the old man said, “Where are you going, and where do you come from?”

The old man said, “Peace to you. Only let me take care of all your needs; however, do not spend the night in the open square.”

Uriah said to David, “The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in temporary shelters, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are camping in the open field. Shall I then go to my house to eat and to drink and to lie with my wife? By your life and the life of your soul, I will not do this thing.”

then David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from the men of Jabesh-gilead, who had stolen them from the open square of Beth-shan, where the Philistines had hanged them on the day the Philistines struck down Saul in Gilboa.

There was cedar on the house within, carved in the shape of gourds and open flowers; all was cedar, there was no stone seen.

Then he carved all the walls of the house round about with carved engravings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, inner and outer sanctuaries.

So he made two doors of olive wood, and he carved on them carvings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold; and he spread the gold on the cherubim and on the palm trees.

He carved on it cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers; and he overlaid them with gold evenly applied on the engraved work.

that Your eyes may be open toward this house night and day, toward the place of which You have said, ‘My name shall be there,’ to listen to the prayer which Your servant shall pray toward this place.

that Your eyes may be open to the supplication of Your servant and to the supplication of Your people Israel, to listen to them whenever they call to You.

Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” And the Lord opened the servant’s eyes and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

When they had come into Samaria, Elisha said, “O Lord, open the eyes of these men, that they may see.” So the Lord opened their eyes and they saw; and behold, they were in the midst of Samaria.

Then take the flask of oil and pour it on his head and say, ‘Thus says the Lord, “I have anointed you king over Israel.”’ Then open the door and flee and do not wait.”

He said, “Open the window toward the east,” and he opened it. Then Elisha said, “Shoot!” And he shot. And he said, “The Lord’s arrow of victory, even the arrow of victory over Aram; for you will defeat the Arameans at Aphek until you have destroyed them.”

Then Menahem struck Tiphsah and all who were in it and its borders from Tirzah, because they did not open to him; therefore he struck it and ripped up all its women who were with child.

Incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear; open Your eyes, O Lord, and see; and listen to the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God.

that Your eye may be open toward this house day and night, toward the place of which You have said that You would put Your name there, to listen to the prayer which Your servant shall pray toward this place.

“Now, O my God, I pray, let Your eyes be open and Your ears attentive to the prayer offered in this place.

Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to the prayer offered in this place.

Since the days of our fathers to this day we have been in great guilt, and on account of our iniquities we, our kings and our priests have been given into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity and to plunder and to open shame, as it is this day.

So all the men of Judah and Benjamin assembled at Jerusalem within the three days. It was the ninth month on the twentieth of the month, and all the people sat in the open square before the house of God, trembling because of this matter and the heavy rain.

But there are many people; it is the rainy season and we are not able to stand in the open. Nor can the task be done in one or two days, for we have transgressed greatly in this matter.

let Your ear now be attentive and Your eyes open to hear the prayer of Your servant which I am praying before You now, day and night, on behalf of the sons of Israel Your servants, confessing the sins of the sons of Israel which we have sinned against You; I and my father’s house have sinned.

Then Sanballat sent his servant to me in the same manner a fifth time with an open letter in his hand.

It came about that just as it grew dark at the gates of Jerusalem before the sabbath, I commanded that the doors should be shut and that they should not open them until after the sabbath. Then I stationed some of my servants at the gates so that no load would enter on the sabbath day.

“But would that God might speak,And open His lips against you,

“You also open Your eyes on himAnd bring him into judgment with Yourself.

“His arrows surround me.Without mercy He splits my kidneys open;He pours out my gall on the ground.

“Let me speak that I may get relief;Let me open my lips and answer.

“Behold now, I open my mouth,My tongue in my mouth speaks.

“Their offspring become strong, they grow up in the open field;They leave and do not return to them.

“Who can open the doors of his face?Around his teeth there is terror.

There is nothing reliable in what they say;Their inward part is destruction itself.Their throat is an open grave;They flatter with their tongue.

They open wide their mouth at me,As a ravening and a roaring lion.

The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteousAnd His ears are open to their cry.

But I, like a deaf man, do not hear;And I am like a mute man who does not open his mouth.

“I have become mute, I do not open my mouth,Because it is You who have done it.

O Lord, open my lips,That my mouth may declare Your praise.

You have made the land quake, You have split it open;Heal its breaches, for it totters.

You broke open springs and torrents;You dried up ever-flowing streams.

You have held my eyelids open;I am so troubled that I cannot speak.

I will open my mouth in a parable;I will utter dark sayings of old,

“I, the Lord, am your God,Who brought you up from the land of Egypt;Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.

You give to them, they gather it up;You open Your hand, they are satisfied with good.

Open to me the gates of righteousness;I shall enter through them, I shall give thanks to the Lord.

Open my eyes, that I may beholdWonderful things from Your law.

As when one plows and breaks open the earth,Our bones have been scattered at the mouth of Sheol.

You open Your handAnd satisfy the desire of every living thing.

Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the Lord,How much more the hearts of men!

Do not love sleep, or you will become poor;Open your eyes, and you will be satisfied with food.

Wisdom is too exalted for a fool,He does not open his mouth in the gate.

The sluggard says, “There is a lion in the road!A lion is in the open square!”

Better is open rebukeThan love that is concealed.

Open your mouth for the mute,For the rights of all the unfortunate.

Open your mouth, judge righteously,And defend the rights of the afflicted and needy.

“I was asleep but my heart was awake.A voice! My beloved was knocking:‘Open to me, my sister, my darling,My dove, my perfect one!For my head is drenched with dew,My locks with the damp of the night.’

“I arose to open to my beloved;And my hands dripped with myrrh,And my fingers with liquid myrrh,On the handles of the bolt.

“Then I will set the key of the house of David on his shoulder,When he opens no one will shut,When he shuts no one will open.

“Open the gates, that the righteous nation may enter,The one that remains faithful.

Incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear; open Your eyes, O Lord, and see; and listen to all the words of Sennacherib, who sent them to reproach the living God.

“I will open rivers on the bare heightsAnd springs in the midst of the valleys;I will make the wilderness a pool of waterAnd the dry land fountains of water.

To open blind eyes,To bring out prisoners from the dungeonAnd those who dwell in darkness from the prison.

You have seen many things, but you do not observe them;Your ears are open, but none hears.

Thus says the Lord to Cyrus His anointed,Whom I have taken by the right hand,To subdue nations before himAnd to loose the loins of kings;To open doors before him so that gates will not be shut:

“Drip down, O heavens, from above,And let the clouds pour down righteousness;Let the earth open up and salvation bear fruit,And righteousness spring up with it.I, the Lord, have created it.

“You have not heard, you have not known.Even from long ago your ear has not been open,Because I knew that you would deal very treacherously;And you have been called a rebel from birth.

He was oppressed and He was afflicted,Yet He did not open His mouth;Like a lamb that is led to slaughter,And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers,So He did not open His mouth.

“Against whom do you jest?Against whom do you open wide your mouthAnd stick out your tongue?Are you not children of rebellion,Offspring of deceit,

“Your gates will be open continually;They will not be closed day or night,So that men may bring to you the wealth of the nations,With their kings led in procession.

“Roam to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem,And look now and take note.And seek in her open squares,If you can find a man,If there is one who does justice, who seeks truth,Then I will pardon her.

“Their quiver is like an open grave,All of them are mighty men.

Speak, “Thus says the Lord,‘The corpses of men will fall like dung on the open field,And like the sheaf after the reaper,But no one will gather them.’”

The cities of the Negev have been locked up,And there is no one to open them;All Judah has been carried into exile,Wholly carried into exile.

‘Does the snow of Lebanon forsake the rock of the open country?Or is the cold flowing water from a foreign land ever snatched away?

Then I took the deeds of purchase, both the sealed copy containing the terms and conditions and the open copy;

‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “Take these deeds, this sealed deed of purchase and this open deed, and put them in an earthenware jar, that they may last a long time.”

great in counsel and mighty in deed, whose eyes are open to all the ways of the sons of men, giving to everyone according to his ways and according to the fruit of his deeds;

Come to her from the farthest border;Open up her barns,Pile her up like heapsAnd utterly destroy her,Let nothing be left to her.

“Now you, son of man, listen to what I am speaking to you; do not be rebellious like that rebellious house. Open your mouth and eat what I am giving you.”

But when I speak to you, I will open your mouth and you will say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’ He who hears, let him hear; and he who refuses, let him refuse; for they are a rebellious house.

No eye looked with pity on you to do any of these things for you, to have compassion on you. Rather you were thrown out into the open field, for you were abhorred on the day you were born.