Felling, in the context of the Bible, refers to the act of cutting down trees, a practice that holds both literal and symbolic significance throughout the Scriptures. The process of felling trees is mentioned in various passages, often highlighting themes of judgment, destruction, and renewal.

Literal Felling of Trees

The literal act of felling trees is depicted in several biblical narratives, often associated with construction and the preparation of land. In the Old Testament, the Israelites were instructed to use timber for building purposes. For instance, King Solomon's construction of the Temple involved the felling of cedars from Lebanon, as described in 1 Kings 5:6: "So give orders that cedars of Lebanon be cut for me. My servants will work with yours, and I will pay you for your servants according to whatever you say. For you know that there is no one among us who knows how to cut timber like the Sidonians."

The felling of trees was also a part of military strategy. In Deuteronomy 20:19-20, the Israelites were given specific instructions regarding the trees during a siege: "When you lay siege to a city and fight against it, do not destroy its trees by putting an ax to them, because you can eat their fruit. Do not cut them down. Are the trees of the field human, that they should be besieged by you? However, you may cut down trees that you know do not produce food, so that you may build siege works against the city that is waging war with you, until it falls."

Symbolic Felling

Symbolically, the felling of trees is often used to represent divine judgment and the downfall of nations or individuals. The prophets frequently employed this imagery to convey messages of impending judgment. In Isaiah 10:33-34, the Lord's judgment against Assyria is depicted as the felling of a forest: "Behold, the Lord, the LORD of Hosts, will lop off the branches with terrifying power. The tall trees will be cut down, the lofty ones will be felled. He will clear the forest thickets with an ax, and Lebanon will fall before the Mighty One."

Similarly, in Jeremiah 46:22-23, the destruction of Egypt is likened to the cutting down of a forest: "Her noise will proceed like that of a serpent, for they will march with an army and come against her with axes, like woodcutters. They will cut down her forest, declares the LORD, though it is dense, for they are more numerous than locusts; they cannot be counted."

Renewal and Restoration

While felling often signifies judgment, it can also imply the potential for renewal and restoration. The cutting down of old growth can make way for new life, a theme echoed in the prophetic literature. In Isaiah 6:13, the imagery of a felled tree is used to convey hope: "And though a tenth remains in the land, it will again be laid waste. But as the terebinth and oak leave stumps when they are cut down, so the holy seed will be a stump in the land."

The act of felling, therefore, serves as a powerful metaphor in the biblical narrative, illustrating both the severity of God's judgment and the promise of new beginnings.(p. pr. & vb. n.) of Fell.7995. shalleketh -- felling (of a tree)
... felling (of a tree). Transliteration: shalleketh Phonetic Spelling: (shal-leh'-keth)
Short Definition: felled. ... From shalak; a felling (of trees) -- when cast. ...
/hebrew/7995.htm - 6k

5307. naphal -- to fall, lie
... 55), fallen away (1), fallen down (4), falling (3), falling down (2), falls (22),
falls away (1), fell (98), fell down (8), felled (1), felling (1), give birth ...
/hebrew/5307.htm - 7k

May one Lose the Blessing?
... The story tells us that as one of the students "was felling a beam, the axe-head
fell into the water; and he cried and said, Alas, my master! ...
/.../macneil/the spirit-filled life/chapter xviii may one lose.htm

Elucidations.
... [4945] It is quoted as if it read, Lay the axe to the root, and is "interpreted,
popularly, as of felling a tree, an incumbrance or a nuisance....Hence it ...
/.../treatises attributed to cyprian on questionable authority /elucidations.htm

Some Helps to Mourning
... Every sin is a stroke at the soul. So many sins, so many wounds! Every blow
given to the tree helps forward the felling of the tree. ...
/.../the beatitudes an exposition of matthew 51-12/10 some helps to mourning.htm

The Holy Family in Bethlehem after the Departure of the Kings.
... of blackmail. I saw, too, that a path leading towards the Crib was blocked
by the authorities by felling a tree across it. This ...
/.../emmerich/the life of the blessed virgin mary/xiv the holy family in.htm

The Call of Elisha
... A man may be in the active service of God while engaged in the ordinary, everyday
duties"while felling trees, clearing the ground, or following the plow. ...
/.../white/the story of prophets and kings/chapter 17 the call of.htm

The Owner and his Slaves
... them and you change them. Girdle the tree and it will die, and save you
the trouble of felling it. But not only does Christianity ...
/.../expositions of holy scripture ephesians peter/the owner and his slaves.htm

Fences and Serpents
... stung. If he is working in a quarry there may be a fall of rock. If he is
a woodman the tree he is felling may crush him. What then? ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture g/fences and serpents.htm

The Sucker from the Felled Oak
... The hopeless fall of Assyria is magnificently pictured in the close of chapter x.,
as the felling of the cedars of Lebanon by the axe swung by Jehovah's own ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture h/the sucker from the felled.htm

Impossibility of Fixing the Horoscope; Failure of an Attempt to do ...
... with proportionate delay). And the following proof may be observed in the case
of those felling timber at a distance. For a sufficiently ...
/.../the refutation of all heresies/chapter iv impossibility of fixing the.htm

John's Doubts of Jesus, and Jesus' Praise of John
... This gentle Healer is not the theocratic judge of his warning prophecies. He is
tending and nurturing, rather than felling, the barren trees. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture b/johns doubts of jesus and.htm

Felling (2 Occurrences)
... (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Fell. Multi-Version Concordance Felling (2 Occurrences). ... 2 Kings
6:5 But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water. ...
/f/felling.htm - 7k

Axe (19 Occurrences)
... Authorized Version of Deuteronomy 19:5; 20:19; 1 Kings 6:7, as the translation of
a Hebrew word which means "chopping." It was used for felling trees (Isaiah 10 ...
/a/axe.htm - 18k

Feller (1 Occurrence)
... 1. (n.) One who, or that which, fells, knocks or cuts down; a machine for felling
trees. 2. (n.) An appliance to a sewing machine for felling a seam. ...
/f/feller.htm - 6k

Beam (17 Occurrences)
... of wood. The last term is used in 2 Kings 6:2, 5 ("as one was felling a
beam") of trees which were being cut into logs. A related ...
/b/beam.htm - 17k

Felloes (1 Occurrence)

/f/felloes.htm - 6k

Fellies (1 Occurrence)

/f/fellies.htm - 6k

Borrowed (5 Occurrences)
... rule. (YLT). 2 Kings 6:5 But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell
into the water. Then he cried, and said, "Alas, my master! ...
/b/borrowed.htm - 8k

Cutting (178 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary. 1. (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Cut. 2. (n.) The act or process
of making an incision, or of severing, felling, shaping, etc. ...
/c/cutting.htm - 46k

Axe-head (1 Occurrence)
... Axe-head (1 Occurrence). 2 Kings 6:5 But as one was felling a beam, the axe-head
fell into the water; and he cried, and said, Alas, my master! ...
/a/axe-head.htm - 6k

Axhead (1 Occurrence)
... Axhead (1 Occurrence). 2 Kings 6:5 But as one was felling a beam, the axe head
fell into the water. Then he cried, and said, "Alas, my master! ...
/a/axhead.htm - 10k

What is the significance of Assyria in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

Felling: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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