In biblical times, ditches were often used for practical purposes such as irrigation, drainage, and defense. They are mentioned in various contexts throughout the Scriptures, serving both literal and metaphorical roles.

Literal Uses:

1. Agricultural and Water Management: Ditches were essential for agriculture in the arid regions of the Near East. They were used to channel water from rivers and streams to fields, ensuring crops received adequate irrigation. This practice is implied in the agricultural parables and teachings of the Bible, where the importance of water for sustaining life and growth is a recurring theme.

2. Defense and Protection: In ancient warfare, ditches were often dug around cities and fortifications as a defensive measure. These trenches could slow down or deter enemy forces, providing an additional layer of protection for the inhabitants. While the Bible does not explicitly describe the construction of ditches for defense, the strategic importance of such features can be inferred from the numerous accounts of sieges and battles.

Metaphorical Uses:

1. Symbol of Danger and Judgment: Ditches are sometimes used metaphorically to represent danger or divine judgment. In the teachings of Jesus, the blind leading the blind is a well-known metaphor: "Leave them; they are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit" (Matthew 15:14). Here, the "pit" or ditch symbolizes the peril of spiritual ignorance and the consequences of following false leaders.

2. Moral and Spiritual Lessons: The imagery of ditches is also employed to convey moral and spiritual lessons. In Proverbs, the adulterous woman is described as a deep pit: "For the lips of an adulteress drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil. But in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a double-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to Sheol" (Proverbs 5:3-5). This passage warns of the dangers of succumbing to temptation and the destructive path it leads to.

3. Divine Deliverance: The Bible also speaks of God's power to deliver His people from the metaphorical ditches of life. In Psalm 40:2, David praises God for rescuing him: "He lifted me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay; He set my feet upon a rock, and made my footsteps firm" . This imagery highlights God's ability to save and establish His people on solid ground, away from the dangers and instability represented by ditches.

Cultural and Historical Context:

Understanding the role of ditches in biblical times requires an appreciation of the cultural and historical context. The arid climate of the Near East made water management a critical aspect of daily life, and the construction of ditches was a common practice. Additionally, the frequent conflicts and need for city defenses made ditches a strategic necessity.

In summary, ditches in the Bible serve as both practical elements of ancient life and powerful symbols in spiritual teachings. They remind believers of the importance of vigilance, the dangers of spiritual blindness, and the hope of divine rescue from life's perils.(n.) Plural of Ditch.

"Make this Valley Full of Ditches. " 2 Kings, iii. , 16
... XVII. "MAKE THIS VALLEY FULL OF DITCHES." 2 KINGS, iii., 16. What for?
To receive that without which they must perish. We read in ...
//christianbookshelf.org/champness/broken bread/xvii make this valley full.htm

The Conquest of Babylon.
... Return of the boatmen."Extent of Babylon."Parks, gardens, palaces, etc."The walls
of Babylon."Marvelous accounts."The ditches."Streets and gates ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/abbott/cyrus the great/chapter viii the conquest of.htm

The Siege and Taking of Gamala.
... 2. As this city was naturally hard to be taken, so had Josephus, by building a wall
about it, made it still stronger, as also by ditches and mines under ground ...
/.../chapter 1 the siege and.htm

The High Woods
... But in the ditches grew a pea with large yellow flower-spikes, which reminded us
that we were not in England; and beyond the ditches rose on either side, not ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/at last/chapter vii the high woods.htm

Sowing and Reaping
... They dug ditches and carefully covered them over with leaves. ... Into these ditches
and on these spikes man and beast would fall or step to their death. ...
/.../moody/sowing and reaping/chapter i sowing and reaping.htm

Personal Notes: Relics Nearby that the Three Kings had Given to ...
... I remember that in an eastern land, between Theokeno's and Seir's countries, there
were trees full of silkworms, with little ditches of water round each tree ...
/.../the life of the blessed virgin mary/xv personal notes relics nearby.htm

Egypt.
... They made dykes and ditches to guide the floodings into their fields and meadows;
they cultivated the soil till it was one beautiful garden; they wove their ...
//christianbookshelf.org/yonge/the chosen people/lesson iii egypt.htm

Nineveh.
... of the clay of the country, dried in the sun and cemented with bitumen, guarded
at the base by a plinth fifty feet in height, and with immense ditches round it ...
//christianbookshelf.org/yonge/the chosen people/lesson ix nineveh.htm

The one Thing to Aim At.
... Is it surprising that the ditches are so full of men and candlesticks mixed
up and mired up together? Yet it is always heart-breaking. ...
/.../gordon/quiet talks on johns gospel/the one thing to aim.htm

Manifold Struggles
... from their own conventionality, every recognition that the river of the grace of
God might be deeper and broader than their straight-dug ditches, every cordial ...
/.../chapter xxii manifold struggles.htm

Ditches (2 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Ditches (2 Occurrences). 2 Kings 3:16 And he said, Thus
saith the LORD, Make this valley full of ditches. (KJV DBY WBS YLT NIV). ...
/d/ditches.htm - 7k

Ditch (9 Occurrences)
... 3. (vt) To dig a ditch or ditches in; to drain by a ditch or ditches; as,
to ditch moist land. ... 6. (vi) To dig a ditch or ditches. Int. ...
/d/ditch.htm - 10k

Stone (290 Occurrences)
... But Chemosh (gave) it back (9) in my days. I built Baal-Meon (Joshua 13:17) and
made therein the ditches (or wells); I built (10) Kirjathaim (Numbers 32:37). ...
/s/stone.htm - 54k

Moabite (13 Occurrences)
... But Chemosh (gave) it back (9) in my days. I built Baal-Meon (Joshua 13:17) and
made therein the ditches (or wells); I built (10) Kirjathaim (Numbers 32:37). ...
/m/moabite.htm - 23k

Locust (25 Occurrences)
... At their approach the people are in anguish; all faces lose their colour' (Joel
2:6). No walls can stop them; no ditches arrest them; fires kindled in their ...
/l/locust.htm - 34k

Divers (36 Occurrences)

/d/divers.htm - 20k

Trench (8 Occurrences)
... the ditch; to entrench. 3. (vt) To cut furrows or ditches in; as, to trench
land for the purpose of draining it. 4. (vt) To dig ...
/t/trench.htm - 10k

Ridge (3 Occurrences)
... 3. (n.) A raised line or strip, as of ground thrown up by a plow or left between
furrows or ditches, or as on the surface of metal, cloth, or bone, etc. ...
/r/ridge.htm - 8k

Blushed (5 Occurrences)
... Jeremiah 14:3 And their honourable ones have sent their little ones to the water,
They have come unto ditches, They have not found water, They have turned back ...
/b/blushed.htm - 8k

Honourable (72 Occurrences)
... Jeremiah 14:3 And their honourable ones have sent their little ones to the water,
They have come unto ditches, They have not found water, They have turned back ...
/h/honourable.htm - 28k

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