The term "ebb" is not directly mentioned in the Bible; however, the concept of ebb and flow, particularly in relation to the sea and tides, can be inferred from various scriptural passages that describe the natural world and God's sovereign control over it. The ebbing of the tide is a natural phenomenon where the sea recedes, revealing the shore, and is often used metaphorically to describe decline or decrease.

Biblical Context and Symbolism

1. Creation and God's Sovereignty: The Bible frequently speaks of God's authority over the natural world, including the seas. In Genesis 1:9-10 , God commands the waters to gather, allowing dry land to appear, demonstrating His control over the ebb and flow of the seas. This divine command establishes the boundaries of the seas, as further emphasized in Job 38:8-11 , where God questions Job, highlighting His power in setting limits for the sea: "when I fixed its boundaries and set in place its bars and doors, and I declared: ‘You may come this far, but no farther; here your proud waves must stop’?"

2. Metaphorical Use: While the literal term "ebb" is absent, the concept is metaphorically present in the ebbing of human strength, fortunes, or spiritual fervor. For instance, Psalm 107:33-34 speaks of God turning "rivers into deserts, flowing springs into thirsty ground," illustrating a divine-induced ebbing of resources as a form of judgment or testing.

3. Spiritual Lessons: The ebb and flow of tides can serve as a metaphor for the spiritual life of believers. Just as the tides are subject to the moon's gravitational pull, so are believers called to be responsive to God's guidance and presence. James 1:6 warns against being "like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind," urging steadfast faith rather than a fluctuating spiritual state.

4. Prophetic Imagery: In prophetic literature, the sea often symbolizes chaos and nations in turmoil. Isaiah 17:12-13 describes the "roar of many peoples" like the "roaring of the seas," suggesting the ebb and flow of political powers and divine intervention in human history.

5. Eschatological Significance: Revelation 21:1 speaks of a new heaven and a new earth, where "the sea was no more." This imagery may symbolize the cessation of chaos and the establishment of eternal peace, where the unpredictable ebb and flow of earthly life is replaced by the constancy of God's eternal kingdom.

Conclusion

While the Bible does not explicitly mention "ebb," the concept is woven into the fabric of biblical teaching through the depiction of God's control over creation, the metaphorical use of natural phenomena to convey spiritual truths, and the prophetic imagery of the sea. These elements collectively underscore the transient nature of earthly life and the enduring sovereignty of God.1. (n.) The European bunting.

2. (n.) The reflux or flowing back of the tide; the return of the tidal wave toward the sea; -- opposed to flood; as, the boats will go out on the 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. (v. i.) To flow back; to return, as the water of a tide toward the ocean; -- opposed to flow.

5. (v. i.) To return or fall back from a better to a worse state; to decline; to decay; to recede.

6. (v. t.) To cause to flow back.

7. (a.) Receding; going out; falling; shallow; low.

Whether Whatever in the Body Belonged to the Truth of Human Nature ...
... is indifferent to this, whereas it remains always as regards what belongs to the
species in it, albeit as regards what is material therein it may ebb and flow. ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether whatever in the body.htm

Whether Whatever was Materially in a Man's Members Will all Rise ...
... inadmissible. On the contrary, The parts of matter are not permanent in the
body but ebb and flow, as stated in De Gener. i. If, therefore ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether whatever was materially in.htm

Youth and Age, and the Command for Both
... to you, and if you grow up to be old men, which it is probable that many of you
will do, you will have to sit and watch the tide of your life ebb, ebb, ebbing ...
/.../expositions of holy scripture st john chaps xv to xxi/youth and age and the.htm

All the Day Long
... Ours must never be a religion that is periodic in its flow, like certain intermittent
springs which flow and ebb, and flow only to ebb again. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/spurgeon/sermons on proverbs/all the day long.htm

None but Jesus --Second Part
... heart. Yea, more; not only may our faith be exercised, but our faith may
come to a very low ebb, and still we may not be condemned. ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 7 1861/none but jesussecond part.htm

Light at Evening Time
... and to conquer. Before long, however, if you read history, you find it
always has happened that there came an ebb-tide. Again the ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 3 1857/light at evening time.htm

A Willing People and an Immutable Leader
... fear about the people. Religion may be at a low ebb, but it never was
at such a low ebb that God's ship was stranded. It may be ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 2 1856/a willing people and an.htm

Satan Considering the Saints
... His prosperity wanted nothing for its consolidation. It had come to its
flood-tide: where was the cause which could make it ebb? ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 11 1865/satan considering the saints.htm

The Nile and Egypt
... The tears of Isis"The rise of the Nile"The Green Nile and the Bed Nile"The opening
of the dykes"-The fall of the Nile"The river at its lowest ebb. ...
/.../chapter i the nile and egypt.htm

Preface
... history of the Church. Yet I wonder if there was ever a time when true
spiritual worship was at a lower ebb. To great sections of ...
//christianbookshelf.org/tozer/the pursuit of god/preface.htm

Ebb (1 Occurrence)
... 2. (n.) The reflux or flowing back of the tide; the return of the tidal wave toward
the sea; -- opposed to flood; as, the boats will go out on the ebb. ...
/e/ebb.htm - 7k

Flow (85 Occurrences)
... 8. (vi) To rise, as the tide; -- opposed to ebb; as, the tide flows twice
in twenty-four hours. ... See Ebb and flow, under Ebb. 16. ...
/f/flow.htm - 32k

Turn (963 Occurrences)
... 20. (vi) To become inclined in the other direction; -- said of scales. 21. (vi)
To change from ebb to flow, or from flow to ebb; -- said of the tide. 22. ...
/t/turn.htm - 41k

Ebal (8 Occurrences)

/e/ebal.htm - 14k

Low (216 Occurrences)
... winter, and six in summer. 10. (superl.) Sunk to the farthest ebb of the
tide; as, low tide. 11. (superl.) Beneath the usual or ...
/l/low.htm - 39k

Flood (70 Occurrences)
... 2. (n.) The flowing in of the tide; the semidiurnal swell or rise of water
in the ocean; -- opposed to ebb; as, young flood; high flood. ...
/f/flood.htm - 31k

Flux (26 Occurrences)
... 2. (n.) The setting in of the tide toward the shore, -- the ebb being called the
reflux. 3. (n.) The state of being liquid through heat; fusion. ...
/f/flux.htm - 16k

Ebbed (1 Occurrence)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (imp. & pp) of Ebb. Multi-Version Concordance Ebbed (1
Occurrence). Psalms 107:5 Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them. ...
/e/ebbed.htm - 6k

Alternate (2 Occurrences)
... 8. (vi) To happen, succeed, or act by turns; to follow reciprocally in place or
time; -- followed by with; as, the flood and ebb tides alternate with each other ...
/a/alternate.htm - 8k

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