In the context of the Bible, "decline" often refers to a spiritual or moral deterioration, a turning away from God's commandments, or a decrease in faithfulness and devotion. This concept is illustrated throughout Scripture, where individuals, nations, or even the people of God experience periods of decline due to disobedience, idolatry, or neglect of their covenant relationship with God.

Old Testament Examples

1. Israel's Spiritual Decline: The history of Israel is marked by cycles of faithfulness and decline. After the death of Joshua, the Israelites repeatedly fell into idolatry and disobedience, leading to periods of oppression by surrounding nations. Judges 2:19 states, "But when the judge died, the people returned to ways even more corrupt than those of their fathers, following other gods, serving and worshiping them. They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways."

2. The Kingdom of Judah: The decline of Judah is vividly depicted in the reigns of its kings. Despite moments of reform under kings like Hezekiah and Josiah, the nation ultimately fell into idolatry and injustice, leading to its exile. 2 Chronicles 36:14-16 describes this decline: "Furthermore, all the leaders of the priests and the people became more and more unfaithful, following all the abominations of the nations, and they defiled the house of the LORD, which He had consecrated in Jerusalem."

3. The Prophets' Warnings: Prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel warned of the consequences of spiritual decline. Isaiah 1:4 laments, "Oh, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a brood of evildoers, children of corruption! They have forsaken the LORD; they have despised the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on Him."

New Testament Insights

1. The Church in Ephesus: In Revelation, Jesus addresses the church in Ephesus, commending their deeds but warning of their decline in love. Revelation 2:4-5 states, "But I have this against you: You have abandoned your first love. Therefore, keep in mind how far you have fallen. Repent and perform the deeds you did at first."

2. Warnings Against Apostasy: The New Testament contains numerous warnings against falling away from the faith. Hebrews 3:12 cautions, "See to it, brothers, that none of you has a wicked heart of unbelief that turns away from the living God."

3. The Parable of the Sower: Jesus' parable of the sower illustrates how spiritual decline can occur when the word of God is choked by life's worries, riches, and pleasures. Luke 8:14 explains, "The seeds that fell among the thorns are those who hear, but as they go on their way, they are choked by the worries, riches, and pleasures of this life, and their fruit does not mature."

Theological Implications

The concept of decline in the Bible underscores the importance of vigilance in maintaining one's faith and devotion to God. It serves as a reminder of the human tendency to drift away from God and the need for continual repentance and renewal. The biblical narrative consistently points to God's desire for His people to return to Him, offering forgiveness and restoration to those who repent and seek His face.1. (v. i.) To bend, or lean downward; to take a downward direction; to bend over or hang down, as from weakness, weariness, despondency, etc.; to condescend.

2. (v. i.) To tend or draw towards a close, decay, or extinction; to tend to a less perfect state; to become diminished or impaired; to fail; to sink; to diminish; to lessen; as, the day declines; virtue declines; religion declines; business declines.

3. (v. i.) To turn or bend aside; to deviate; to stray; to withdraw; as, a line that declines from straightness; conduct that declines from sound morals.

4. (v. i.) To turn away; to shun; to refuse; -- the opposite of accept or consent; as, he declined, upon principle.

5. (v. t.) To bend downward; to bring down; to depress; to cause to bend, or fall.

6. (v. t.) To cause to decrease or diminish.

7. (v. t.) To put or turn aside; to turn off or away from; to refuse to undertake or comply with; reject; to shun; to avoid; as, to decline an offer; to decline a contest; he declined any participation with them.

8. (v. t.) To inflect, or rehearse in order the changes of grammatical form of; as, to decline a noun or an adjective.

9. (v. t.) To run through from first to last; to repeat like a schoolboy declining a noun.

10. (n.) A falling off; a tendency to a worse state; diminution or decay; deterioration; also, the period when a thing is tending toward extinction or a less perfect state; as, the decline of life; the decline of strength; the decline of virtue and religion.

11. (v. i.) That period of a disorder or paroxysm when the symptoms begin to abate in violence; as, the decline of a fever.

12. (n.) A gradual sinking and wasting away of the physical faculties; any wasting disease, esp. pulmonary consumption; as, to die of a decline.

DECLINE

de-klin' [(cur], or sur, naTah): In the King James Version this word occurs 9 times in its original sense (now obsolete) of "turn aside." the Revised Version (British and American) substitutes "turn aside" in Exodus 23:2 Deuteronomy 17:11 2 Chronicles 34:2; Job 23:11. In Psalm 102:11; Psalm 109:23, the lengthening shadows of afternoon are said to "decline," and the Revised Version (British and American) introduces the word in the same general sense in Judges 19:8 2 Kings 20:10; Jeremiah 6:4. See AFTERNOON.

3868. paraiteomai -- to beg from, to beg off
... par-ahee-teh'-om-ahee) Short Definition: I make excuse, refuse, reject Definition:
I beg off, make excuse, deprecate, refuse, reject, decline, shun, avoid. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3868.htm - 7k

2827. klino -- to cause to bend
... I rest, recline, make to yield Definition: trans: I rest, recline; I bend, incline;
I cause to give ground, make to yield; intrans: I decline, approach my end. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2827.htm - 6k

1578. ekklino -- to deviate, to turn away (from someone or ...
... From ek and klino; to deviate, ie (absolutely) to shun (literally or figuratively),
or (relatively) to decline (from piety) -- avoid, eschew, go out of the way ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1578.htm - 7k

2583. chanah -- to decline, bend down, encamp
... 2582, 2583. chanah. 2584 . to decline, bend down, encamp. Transliteration:
chanah Phonetic Spelling: (khaw-naw') Short Definition: camped. Word Origin a prim ...
/hebrew/2583.htm - 6k

5186. natah -- to stretch out, spread out, extend, incline, bend
... bend NASB Word Usage afternoon* (1), bend down (1), bent (1), bent down (1), bow
(1), bowed (3), came to stumbling (1), cast down (1), decline (1), defraud (1 ...
/hebrew/5186.htm - 7k

5493. sur -- to turn aside
... behead, bring, call back, decline, depart, eschew, get you, go aside,.
Or suwr (Hosea 9:12) {soor}; a primitive root; to turn off ...
/hebrew/5493.htm - 7k

7847. satah -- to turn aside
... decline, go aside, turn. A primitive root; to deviate from duty -- decline, go
aside, turn. 7846, 7847. satah. 7848 . Strong's Numbers.
/hebrew/7847.htm - 6k

The Decline of Enthusiasm
... XXXVII THE DECLINE OF ENTHUSIASM. Revelation ii.1-7. I do not propose to consider
the character or intention of this mystical Book of Revelation. ...
/.../peabody/mornings in the college chapel/xxxvii the decline of enthusiasm.htm

Whether to Decline from Evil and to do Good are Parts of Justice?
... OF THE QUASI-INTEGRAL PARTS OF JUSTICE (FOUR ARTICLES) Whether to decline
from evil and to do good are parts of justice? Objection ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether to decline from evil.htm

The Decline of Man from the Above Condition, Owing to his ...
... Against the Heathen. Section 3. The decline of man from the above condition,
owing to his absorption in material things. Thus then ...
/.../athanasius/select works and letters or athanasius/section 3 the decline of.htm

The Puritan Beginnings of the Church in virginia ---Its Decline ...
... A HISTORY OF AMERICAN CHRISTIANITY. CHAPTER V. THE PURITAN BEGINNINGS OF
THE CHURCH IN VIRGINIA"-ITS DECLINE ALMOST TO EXTINCTION. ...
/.../bacon/a history of american christianity/chapter v the puritan beginnings.htm

How those are to be Admonished who Decline the Office of Preaching ...
... How those are to be admonished who decline the office of preaching out of too great
humility, and those who seize on it with precipitate haste. ...
/.../leo/writings of leo the great/chapter xxv how those are.htm

The Words of Abbot Serapion on the Decline of Thoughts that are ...
... Chapter XI. The words of Abbot Serapion on the decline of thoughts that are
exposed to others, and also on the danger of self-confidence. ...
/.../cassian/the works of john cassian /chapter xi the words of.htm

Whether it is Reasonable in the Platonists to Determine that the ...
... Chapter 16."Whether It is Reasonable in the Platonists to Determine that the Celestial
Gods Decline Contact with Earthly Things and Intercourse with Men, Who ...
/.../augustine/city of god/chapter 16 whether it is reasonable.htm

Who May be Said to Keep the Ways of the Lord; what it is to ...
... and Paulus. (27.) Who May Be Said to Keep the Ways of the Lord; What It
is to Decline and Depart from the Ways of the Lord. Then ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/augustine/anti-pelagian writings/27 who may be said.htm

On the Assurance of Salvation
... QUERIES. " Is it possible for any believer, without a special revelation, to be
certain or assured that he will not decline or fall away from the faith, 2 ...
/.../arminius/the works of james arminius vol 2/on the assurance of salvation.htm

Articles I and ii i. Faith, that Is, Justifying Faith, is not ...
... to the elect. II. It is possible for believers finally to decline and fall
away from faith and salvation. ANSWER. The connection ...
/.../arminius/the works of james arminius vol 1/articles i & ii i.htm

Decline (10 Occurrences)
... 7. (vt) To put or turn aside; to turn off or away from; to refuse to undertake or
comply with; reject; to shun; to avoid; as, to decline an offer; to decline a ...
/d/decline.htm - 12k

Wane (2 Occurrences)
... 1. (vi) To be diminished; to decline; to decrease; -- contrasted with wax,
applied to moon phases. 2. (vi) To decline; to fail; to sink. ...
/w/wane.htm - 7k

Decay (18 Occurrences)
... 1. (vi) To pass gradually from a sound, prosperous, or perfect state, to one of
imperfection, adversity, or dissolution; to waste away; to decline; to fail; to ...
/d/decay.htm - 13k

Pass (1172 Occurrences)
... (vi) To decline to take an optional action when it is one's turn, as to decline
to bid, or to bet, or to play a card; in euchre, to decline to make the trump. ...
/p/pass.htm - 44k

Sink (16 Occurrences)
... 1. (vi) To fall by, or as by, the force of gravity; to descend lower and lower;
to decline gradually; to subside; as, a stone sinks in water; waves rise and ...
/s/sink.htm - 12k

Renounce (12 Occurrences)
... 1. (vt) To declare against; to reject or decline formally; to refuse to own or
acknowledge as belonging to one; to disclaim; as, to renounce a title to land or ...
/r/renounce.htm - 10k

Refuse (103 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (vt) To deny, as a request, demand, invitation,
or command; to decline to do or grant. 2. (vt) To throw ...
/r/refuse.htm - 36k

Ebb (1 Occurrence)
... ebb. 3. (n.) The state or time of passing away; a falling from a better
to a worse state; low state or condition; decline; decay. 4 ...
/e/ebb.htm - 7k

Daphne
... The decline of Daphne dates from the days of Christian ascendancy in the reign of
Julian. ... See ANTIOCH; Gibbon, Decline and Fall, chapter xxiii. W. Ewing. ...
/d/daphne.htm - 8k

Declined (11 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (imp. & pp) of Decline. 2. (a.) Declinate.
Multi-Version Concordance Declined (11 Occurrences). Acts ...
/d/declined.htm - 9k

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