'Afar' in the Bible

“The Lord will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, as the eagle swoops down, a nation whose language you shall not understand,

In Jerusalem he made engines of war invented by skillful men to be on the towers and on the corners for the purpose of shooting arrows and great stones. Hence his fame spread afar, for he was marvelously helped until he was strong.

and on that day they offered great sacrifices and rejoiced because God had given them great joy, even the women and children rejoiced, so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard from afar.

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

“All men have seen it;Man beholds from afar.

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

“From there he spies out food;His eyes see it from afar.

Why do You stand afar off, O Lord?Why do You hide Yourself in times of trouble?

My loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague;And my kinsmen stand afar off.

For though the Lord is exalted,Yet He regards the lowly,But the haughty He knows from afar.

You know when I sit down and when I rise up;You understand my thought from afar.

She is like merchant ships;She brings her food from afar.

Now what will you do in the day of punishment,And in the devastation which will come from afar?To whom will you flee for help?And where will you leave your wealth?

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

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

“Behold, these will come from afar;And lo, these will come from the north and from the west,And these from the land of Sinim.”

“Lift up your eyes round about and see;They all gather together, they come to you.Your sons will come from afar,And your daughters will be carried in the arms.

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

“Behold, I am bringing a nation against you from afar, O house of Israel,” declares the Lord.“It is an enduring nation,It is an ancient nation,A nation whose language you do not know,Nor can you understand what they say.

‘Fear not, O Jacob My servant,’ declares the Lord,‘And do not be dismayed, O Israel;For behold, I will save you from afarAnd your offspring from the land of their captivity.And Jacob will return and will be quiet and at ease,And no one will make him afraid.

The Lord appeared to him from afar, saying,“I have loved you with an everlasting love;Therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness.

Hear the word of the Lord, O nations,And declare in the coastlands afar off,And say, “He who scattered Israel will gather himAnd keep him as a shepherd keeps his flock.”

“But as for you, O Jacob My servant, do not fear,Nor be dismayed, O Israel!For, see, I am going to save you from afar,And your descendants from the land of their captivity;And Jacob will return and be undisturbedAnd secure, with no one making him tremble.

You who have escaped the sword,Depart! Do not stay!Remember the Lord from afar,And let Jerusalem come to your mind.

“Furthermore, they have even sent for men who come from afar, to whom a messenger was sent; and lo, they came—for whom you bathed, painted your eyes and decorated yourselves with ornaments;

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