Masses
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Definition and Context:
The term "Masses" is not directly found in the Bible; however, it is often used in Christian contexts to refer to large groups of people or gatherings. In biblical terms, the concept of masses can be related to crowds or multitudes that are frequently mentioned in the Scriptures, particularly in the Gospels, where Jesus often taught and performed miracles among large groups of people.

Biblical References:
1. Crowds Following Jesus: The Gospels frequently mention the masses that followed Jesus, drawn by His teachings and miracles. In Matthew 4:25 , it is recorded, "Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan followed Him." These gatherings were significant as they demonstrated the widespread impact of Jesus' ministry and the diverse backgrounds of those who sought Him.

2. Feeding of the Multitude: One of the most notable events involving a large group is the feeding of the 5,000, which is recorded in all four Gospels. In John 6:10 , Jesus instructs, "Have the people sit down," and then proceeds to miraculously feed the multitude with five loaves and two fish. This event highlights Jesus' compassion and divine provision for the masses.

3. Sermon on the Mount: In Matthew 5:1-2 , it is written, "When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain and sat down. His disciples came to Him, and He began to teach them." The Sermon on the Mount is a key moment where Jesus addresses a large assembly, delivering profound teachings that form the core of Christian ethics.

4. Pentecost: In Acts 2:6 , during the event of Pentecost, "When this sound rang out, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking his own language." This gathering marks the birth of the Church, as the Holy Spirit empowers the apostles to preach to the masses, resulting in the conversion of about three thousand people.

Theological Significance:
The presence of masses in biblical narratives often underscores the universal reach of God's message and the inclusivity of the Gospel. Jesus' interactions with large groups demonstrate His accessibility and willingness to engage with all people, regardless of their social or cultural backgrounds. The gatherings also serve as a backdrop for many of His teachings and miracles, emphasizing the communal aspect of faith and the importance of spreading the Gospel to all nations.

Practical Implications:
For contemporary Christians, the biblical accounts of masses encourage the Church to engage with society at large, reaching out to diverse communities with the message of Christ. It also serves as a reminder of the power of collective worship and the importance of community in the Christian faith. The examples set by Jesus and the apostles in addressing and ministering to large groups provide a model for evangelism and discipleship in today's world.
Strong's Hebrew
7227a. rab -- much, many, great
... heavy (1), increased (2), large (6), larger (4), long (8), long enough (2), many
(207), many things (1), many times (2), many...things (1), masses (1), mighty ...
/hebrew/7227a.htm - 6k
Library

The Masses. August 4.
... The Masses. August 4. ... They affect masses too large, interests too serious,
not to make themselves bitterly felt some day. . . . ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/daily thoughts /the masses august 4.htm

The Classes and the Masses
... CHAPTER IX The Classes and the Masses. "We speak of work done against the
force of gravitation. If the magnitude of a force can be ...
/.../wilson-carmichael/things as they are/chapter ix the classes and.htm

Sometimes the Masses have Been Driven to Atheism by Science. ...
... VIII. Sometimes the masses have been driven to Atheism by science.? Sometimes
the masses have been driven to Atheism by science. ...
/.../lamartine/atheism among the people/viii sometimes the masses have.htm

How a Certain Captive's Chains Fell Off when Masses were Sung for ...
... BOOK IV CHAP. XXII. How a certain captive's chains fell off when Masses were
sung for Him. [679 AD]. IN the aforesaid battle, wherein ...
/.../bede/bedes ecclesiastical history of england/chap xxii how a certain.htm

Of the Mass.
... But it is evident that for a long time this also has been the public and most grievous
complaint of all good men that Masses have been basely profaned and ...
/.../various/the augsburg confession of faith/article xxiv of the mass.htm

Article xxiv (xii): of the Mass.
... For among us masses are celebrated every Lord's Day and on the other festivals,
in which the Sacrament is offered to those who wish to use it, after they have ...
/.../the apology of the augsburg confession/part 29 article xxiv xii .htm

Its Effects.
... (See Galatians 5:19-21.). 3. Reaching the masses. Another effect of a
Spirit-baptized Church would be that the masses would be reached. ...
/.../macneil/the spirit-filled life/chapter xv its effects.htm

How a Pestilence Ceased through the Intercession of King Oswald. ...
... concerning which thou art troubled; for this day we will bring thee to the kingdom
of Heaven; but first thou must needs wait till the Masses are celebrated ...
/.../bede/bedes ecclesiastical history of england/chap xiv how a pestilence.htm

Of the Mass.
... Since such innumerable and unspeakable abuses have arisen in the whole world from
the buying and selling of masses, the Mass should by right be relinquished ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/luther/the smalcald articles/article ii of the mass.htm

Spiritual Diagnosis
... remembrance.". The past has indeed no masses. Men, not masses, have done
all that is great in history, in science, and in religion. ...
/.../berkhof/new evangelism and other papers/spiritual diagnosis.htm

Thesaurus
Masses (20 Occurrences)
...Masses (20 Occurrences). Matthew 5:1 And seeing great masses of people he went up
into the mountain; and when he was seated his disciples came to him. (BBE). ...
/m/masses.htm - 12k

Purposing (21 Occurrences)
... long past? Now I have given effect to my design, so that by you strong towns
might be turned into masses of broken walls. (BBE). Job ...
/p/purposing.htm - 12k

Hail (42 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary. 1. (n.) Small roundish masses of ice precipitated from
the clouds, where they are formed by the condensation of vapor. ...
/h/hail.htm - 25k

Grapes (74 Occurrences)
... 2 Samuel 6:19 And he gave to every man and woman among all the people, among all
the masses of Israel, a cake of bread and a measure of wine and a cake of dry ...
/g/grapes.htm - 31k

Walls (152 Occurrences)
... long past? Now I have given effect to my design, so that by you strong towns
might be turned into masses of broken walls. (BBE). 2 ...
/w/walls.htm - 38k

Geology
... Relatively small masses of Tertiary strata (not shown on the map) are found on the
coast at the mouths of the principal streams of Lebanon, showing that while ...
/g/geology.htm - 16k

Thorn (30 Occurrences)
... Before kindling one of these latter the fellahin gather enormous piles of this
plant-carried on their heads in masses much larger than the bearers-around the ...
/t/thorn.htm - 35k

Redeemer (42 Occurrences)
... The object of redemption is not humanity, or mankind, or the masses. ... Vast masses
of them seem to be here as the outworking of impulses almost blind. ...
/r/redeemer.htm - 45k

Mass (65 Occurrences)
... 10. (vt) To form or collect into a mass; to form into a collective body; to bring
together into masses; to assemble. Multi-Version Concordance ...
/m/mass.htm - 27k

Redemption (46 Occurrences)
... The object of redemption is not humanity, or mankind, or the masses. ... Vast masses
of them seem to be here as the outworking of impulses almost blind. ...
/r/redemption.htm - 48k

Resources
Is religion opium for the masses? | GotQuestions.org

Is the theory of Pangea possible? Does the Bible say that there was once a Pangea / Pangaea? | GotQuestions.org

What is sola scriptura? | GotQuestions.org

Masses: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

Bible ConcordanceBible DictionaryBible EncyclopediaTopical BibleBible Thesuarus
Concordance
Masses (20 Occurrences)

Matthew 5:1
And seeing great masses of people he went up into the mountain; and when he was seated his disciples came to him.
(BBE)

Genesis 41:47
Now in the seven good years the earth gave fruit in masses.
(BBE)

Exodus 8:14
And they put them together in masses, and a bad smell went up from the land.
(BBE)

Exodus 23:2
"You shall not follow a crowd to do evil; neither shall you testify in court to side with a multitude to pervert justice;
(See NAS)

Numbers 11:31
Then the Lord sent a wind, driving little birds from the sea, so that they came down on the tents, and all round the tent-circle, about a day's journey on this side and on that, in masses about two cubits high over the face of the earth.
(BBE)

2 Samuel 6:19
And he gave to every man and woman among all the people, among all the masses of Israel, a cake of bread and a measure of wine and a cake of dry grapes. Then all the people went away, every man to his house.
(BBE)

1 Kings 7:10
And the base was of great masses of highly priced stone, some ten cubits and some eight cubits square.
(BBE)

2 Kings 10:8
And a man came and said to him, They have come with the heads of the king's sons. And he said, Put them down in two masses at the doorway of the town till the morning.
(BBE)

2 Kings 19:25
Has it not come to your ears how I did it long before, purposing it in times long past? Now I have given effect to my design, so that by you strong towns might be turned into masses of broken walls.
(BBE)

1 Chronicles 12:40
And those who were near, as far as Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, came with food on asses and camels and mules and oxen, with meal for food and cakes of figs and masses of grapes, and wine and oil and oxen and sheep in great numbers, for there was joy in Israel.
(BBE)

2 Chronicles 31:6
And the children of Israel and Judah, who were living in the towns of Judah came with the tenth part of their oxen and sheep, and a tenth of all the holy things which were to be given to the Lord their God, and put them in great masses.
(BBE)

2 Chronicles 31:7
The first store of things was put down in the third month, and in the seventh month the masses were complete.
(BBE)

Job 15:28
And he has made his resting-place in the towns which have been pulled down, in houses where no man had a right to be, whose fate was to become masses of broken walls.
(BBE)

Job 38:38
When the earth becomes hard as metal, and is joined together in masses?
(BBE)

Isaiah 5:13
For this cause my people are taken away as prisoners into strange countries for need of knowledge: and their rulers are wasted for need of food, and their loud-voiced feasters are dry for need of water.
(See NIV)

Isaiah 5:14
For this cause the underworld has made wide its throat, opening its mouth without limit: and her glory, and the noise of her masses, and her loud-voiced feasters, will go down into it.
(BBE NIV)

Isaiah 37:26
Has it not come to your ears how I did it long before, purposing it in times long past? Now I have given effect to my design, so that by you strong towns might be turned into masses of broken walls.
(BBE)

Hosea 12:11
In Gilead there is evil. They are quite without value; in Gilgal they make offerings of oxen; truly their altars are like masses of stones in the hollows of a ploughed field.
(BBE)

Joel 3:14
Masses on masses in the valley of decision! for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.
(BBE)

Nahum 3:3
Horsemen driving forward, and the shining sword and the bright spear: and a great number of wounded, and masses of dead bodies; they are falling over the bodies of the dead:
(BBE)

Subtopics

Masses

Related Terms

Massing (6 Occurrences)

Masses (20 Occurrences)

Masseiah
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