Confines
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The term "confines" refers to boundaries or limits that define a particular area or space. In the biblical context, confines can pertain to geographical, spiritual, or moral boundaries established by God or recognized by His people. The concept of confines is significant in understanding the delineation of territories, the separation between the sacred and the profane, and the moral limits set by divine law.

Geographical Confines

In the Old Testament, the concept of geographical confines is evident in the delineation of the Promised Land. God established specific boundaries for the land He promised to Abraham and his descendants. In Genesis 15:18 , God declares to Abram, "To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates." These confines were meant to define the territory that the Israelites were to inhabit and govern according to God's covenant.

The division of the land among the twelve tribes of Israel further illustrates the importance of geographical confines. In the Book of Joshua, the land is apportioned to each tribe, with specific boundaries outlined for their inheritance (Joshua 13-21). These confines were not only practical for governance and settlement but also served as a reminder of God's promises and the distinct identity of each tribe within the nation of Israel.

Spiritual Confines

Spiritual confines are evident in the separation between the holy and the common, as well as between the clean and the unclean. The Tabernacle and later the Temple in Jerusalem were physical representations of spiritual confines. The Most Holy Place, or Holy of Holies, was the innermost sanctum where God's presence dwelt, and only the high priest could enter once a year on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:2-34). This separation underscored the holiness of God and the need for atonement and purification to approach Him.

The Law of Moses also established spiritual confines through various commandments and ordinances. These laws set boundaries for moral and ethical behavior, distinguishing the Israelites from the surrounding nations. In Leviticus 20:26 , God commands, "You are to be holy to Me because I, the LORD, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be My own." The confines of the law were intended to guide the Israelites in living a life pleasing to God and to maintain their covenant relationship with Him.

Moral Confines

Moral confines are reflected in the ethical teachings of both the Old and New Testaments. The Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17) serve as a foundational moral code, establishing boundaries for behavior in relation to God and fellow humans. These commandments outline confines that promote justice, respect, and love within the community.

In the New Testament, Jesus expands on the moral confines of the law, emphasizing the spirit rather than the letter of the law. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches about the deeper implications of the commandments, urging His followers to exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees (Matthew 5:20). The moral confines set by Jesus call for an internal transformation that aligns one's heart and actions with God's will.

The Apostle Paul also addresses moral confines in his epistles, urging believers to live according to the Spirit and not the flesh (Galatians 5:16-25). He emphasizes the importance of self-control, love, and holiness as boundaries that define the Christian life. In 1 Thessalonians 4:3-4 , Paul writes, "For it is God’s will that you should be holy: You must abstain from sexual immorality; each of you must know how to control his own body in holiness and honor."

In summary, the concept of confines in the Bible encompasses geographical, spiritual, and moral boundaries that are integral to understanding God's covenant with His people, His holiness, and His expectations for righteous living. These confines serve as a framework for the relationship between God and humanity, guiding believers in their journey of faith and obedience.
Greek
3794. ochuroma -- a stronghold, fortress
... Pompey inflicted a crushing defeat upon their navy off the rocky stronghold of
Coracesium on the confines of Cilicia and Pisidia" (, 833).]. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3794.htm - 7k
Strong's Hebrew
5439. sabib -- circuit, round about
... all* (2), altogether* (1), around (114), around about (1), around* (1), circular
courses (1), circumference* (2), completely (1), confines (1), encompassing (1 ...
/hebrew/5439.htm - 6k
Library

In Her Wanderings on that Quest, She Reaches the Confines of ...
... Book V. 25 In her wanderings on that quest, she reaches the confines of
Eleusis as well as? In her wanderings on that quest, she ...
/.../the seven books of arnobius against the heathen/25 in her wanderings on.htm

The Question Whether Christ be Come Taken Up.
... yes, and in Jerusalem Jews, [1220] and all other nations; as, for instance, by this
time, the varied races of the G??tulians, and manifold confines of the Moors ...
/.../tertullian/an answer to the jews/chapter vii the question whether christ.htm

The Agony, and the Consoler
... barrier between them and the flood of barbarians which was already beating with
the first restless waves of an overwhelming tide against the confines of the ...
/.../chapter iii the agony and.htm

Now King Agrippa Sent an Army to Make Themselves Masters of the ...
... when Ebutius the decurion, who was intrusted with the government of the great plain,
heard that I was at Simonias, a village situated in the confines of Galilee ...
/.../josephus/the life of flavius josephus/section 24 now king agrippa.htm

A Description of the Sea-Coast, Out of Pliny and Strabo.
... The tower of Strato; the same is Caesarea. The bounds of Palestine are a hundred
and eighty-nine miles from the confines of Arabia. Then begins Phoenice." ...
/.../lightfoot/from the talmud and hebraica/chapter 10 a description of.htm

We Should not Hastily Impute as Crimes to the Men of Old Time ...
... in the case of Lot, who led forth his daughters from Sodom, and these then conceived
by their own father; and who left behind him within the confines [of the ...
/.../irenaeus/against heresies/chapter xxxi we should not hastily.htm

Our Requests Made Known unto God
... dark and dingy prison was not so carefully guarded, and its rigid bars so firmly
fixed that the Lord was prevented from entering its dismal confines to give ...
/.../anderson/prayer availeth much/chapter 2 our requests made.htm

Cambyses.
... Darius stood, in the vision, on the confines of Europe and Asia, and his wings,
expanded either way, overshadowed the whole known world. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/abbott/darius the great/chapter i cambyses.htm

Appendix ii. Conflation and the So-Called Neutral Text.
... To be sure, he gives four from the first two, and four from the two last, only
that he confines the batches severally to St. Mark and St. Luke. ...
/.../appendix ii conflation and the.htm

Beasts Similarly Subject to the Law of Mutation.
... made body, it was not yet due to modesty (to forecover), he surrounds himself meantime
with fig-leaves: subsequently, on being driven from the confines of his ...
/.../tertullian/on the pallium/chapter iii beasts similarly subject to.htm

Thesaurus
Confines (3 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Confines (3 Occurrences). ... Job 11:10 If he passes by, or
confines, or convenes a court, then who can oppose him? (WEB NIV). ...
/c/confines.htm - 7k

Free (454 Occurrences)
... 21. (adv.) Without charge; as, children admitted free. 22. (v.) To make free; to
set at liberty; to rid of that which confines, limits, embarrasses, oppresses ...
/f/free.htm - 38k

Borderer
... (n.) One who dwells on a border, or at the extreme part or confines of a country,
region, or tract of land; one who dwells near to a place or region. Int. ...
/b/borderer.htm - 6k

Suburb (5 Occurrences)
... 1. (n.) An outlying part of a city or town; a smaller place immediately adjacent
to a city; in the plural, the region which is on the confines of any city or ...
/s/suburb.htm - 8k

Confinement (6 Occurrences)

/c/confinement.htm - 8k

Confirm (39 Occurrences)

/c/confirm.htm - 20k

Ziklag (13 Occurrences)
... identifies it with Khirbet Zuheilikah, ruins found on three hills half a mile apart,
some seventeen miles north-west of Beersheba, on the confines of Philistia ...
/z/ziklag.htm - 13k

Kenizzite (4 Occurrences)
... are not mentioned among the original inhabitants of Canaan (Exodus 3:8; Joshua
3:10), and probably they inhabited some part of Arabia, in the confines of Syria ...
/k/kenizzite.htm - 8k

Nahaliel (1 Occurrence)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary Possession, or valley of God, one of the encampments of
the Israelites in the wilderness (Numbers 21:19), on the confines of Moab. ...
/n/nahaliel.htm - 7k

Laodicea (6 Occurrences)
... The city of this name mentioned in Scripture lay on the confines of Phrygia and
Lydia, about 40 miles east of Ephesus (Revelation 3:14), on the banks of the ...
/l/laodicea.htm - 11k

Resources
What does the Bible say about anal sex? What is sodomy according to the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

Is it a sin to have a sexual fetish? | GotQuestions.org

What does the Bible say about oral sex? | GotQuestions.org

Confines: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

Bible ConcordanceBible DictionaryBible EncyclopediaTopical BibleBible Thesuarus
Concordance
Confines (3 Occurrences)

Genesis 23:17
So the field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field, the cave which was in it, and all the trees that were in the field, that were in all of its borders, were deeded
(See NAS)

Job 11:10
If he passes by, or confines, or convenes a court, then who can oppose him?
(WEB NIV)

Job 26:10
He has described a boundary on the surface of the waters, and to the confines of light and darkness.
(WEB JPS ASV DBY)

Subtopics

Confines

Related Terms

Joshua (211 Occurrences)

Confirming (10 Occurrences)

Confirmation (3 Occurrences)

Verify (1 Occurrence)

Numenius

Seal (47 Occurrences)

Sustain (28 Occurrences)

Protection (19 Occurrences)

Menahem (8 Occurrences)

Purim (5 Occurrences)

Mor'decai (51 Occurrences)

Jew (34 Occurrences)

Apocryphal

Bishop (4 Occurrences)

General (9 Occurrences)

Amen (74 Occurrences)

Mordecai (52 Occurrences)

Vouch (1 Occurrence)

Nethinim (16 Occurrences)

Unimpeachable (1 Occurrence)

Uphold (30 Occurrences)

Unblamable (3 Occurrences)

Unreproveable (2 Occurrences)

Urge (34 Occurrences)

Overspreading (1 Occurrence)

Josi'ah (50 Occurrences)

Justify (19 Occurrences)

Lamenting (8 Occurrences)

Lamentation (45 Occurrences)

Legalizing (1 Occurrence)

Guiltless (29 Occurrences)

Gezer (14 Occurrences)

Wizards (10 Occurrences)

Invaded (20 Occurrences)

Imprisonment (15 Occurrences)

Imposed (16 Occurrences)

Final (16 Occurrences)

Firm (111 Occurrences)

Fellow-workman (5 Occurrences)

Fastings (6 Occurrences)

Testimonies (40 Occurrences)

Transfer (6 Occurrences)

Tottering (5 Occurrences)

Talkest (3 Occurrences)

Transactions (1 Occurrence)

Redeeming (5 Occurrences)

Renewed (17 Occurrences)

Reaffirm (3 Occurrences)

Requirements (26 Occurrences)

Repenteth (13 Occurrences)

Restored (77 Occurrences)

Eupolemus

Exchanging (6 Occurrences)

Experiment (3 Occurrences)

Establish (133 Occurrences)

Enjoined (20 Occurrences)

Divined (6 Occurrences)

Decreed (33 Occurrences)

Desolator (1 Occurrence)

Discrepancies

Method (2 Occurrences)

Mediums (10 Occurrences)

Men'ahem (8 Occurrences)

Ministrant (15 Occurrences)

Mede (3 Occurrences)

Mode (5 Occurrences)

Platform (9 Occurrences)

Pul (3 Occurrences)

Promises (35 Occurrences)

Pertaineth (18 Occurrences)

Plucked (46 Occurrences)

Pledged (19 Occurrences)

Bounteous (1 Occurrence)

Blameless (81 Occurrences)

Changing (31 Occurrences)

Consummation (2 Occurrences)

Confines (3 Occurrences)

Circumcised (58 Occurrences)

Confinement to Bed
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