Topical Bible: Water: Daily Allowance of

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Topical Encyclopedia

In biblical times, water was a precious and essential resource, vital for survival in the arid climates of the ancient Near East. The daily allowance of water was a significant concern, especially in regions where water sources were scarce. The Bible provides insights into the importance of water and its allocation for daily use, reflecting both practical and spiritual dimensions.

Old Testament Context

In the Old Testament, water is often mentioned in the context of sustenance and survival. The Israelites' journey through the wilderness highlights the critical need for water. In Exodus 17:1-7, the people grumbled against Moses due to the lack of water, leading to God's provision of water from the rock at Horeb. This event underscores the dependence on divine provision for daily water needs.

The allocation of water was also a matter of justice and community welfare. In Genesis 26:18-22, Isaac's servants dug wells, and disputes arose over water rights, illustrating the importance of equitable distribution. The resolution of these disputes was crucial for maintaining peace and ensuring that each family had access to sufficient water.

New Testament Insights

In the New Testament, water continues to hold significant practical and symbolic meaning. Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4:7-15 highlights the daily need for water and introduces the concept of "living water," which Jesus offers as a metaphor for eternal life. This passage reflects the transition from physical to spiritual sustenance, emphasizing the sufficiency of Christ to meet all needs.

Cultural and Historical Practices

The daily allowance of water in biblical times would have varied based on location, climate, and available resources. In urban areas like Jerusalem, water was often collected in cisterns or brought in from nearby springs. Rural communities relied on wells and natural springs. The daily water needs would have included drinking, cooking, washing, and watering livestock.

Water management was a communal responsibility, and the construction of aqueducts and cisterns was a significant achievement in ancient engineering. These systems ensured a more reliable water supply, especially during dry seasons.

Spiritual Significance

Water in the Bible is not only a physical necessity but also a symbol of spiritual cleansing and renewal. Baptism, as practiced in the New Testament, uses water as a sign of purification and new life in Christ (Matthew 3:11, Acts 2:38). The imagery of water as a source of life and blessing is prevalent throughout Scripture, reinforcing its dual role in both physical and spiritual realms.

Conclusion

The daily allowance of water in biblical times was a matter of survival, community welfare, and spiritual symbolism. The Bible's references to water highlight its essential role in sustaining life and its deeper significance as a symbol of divine provision and spiritual renewal.

Nave's Topical Index

Ezekiel 4:11
You shall drink also water by measure, the sixth part of an hin: from time to time shall you drink.
Nave's Topical Index

Library

Women who Witnessed the Fall of Rome
... friend Agrippa had brought into the city a bountiful supply of pure water, no Roman ...
The daily allowance of three pounds of bread was reduced to one-half, to one ...
/.../brittain/women of early christianity/vii women who witnessed the.htm

Book 8 Footnotes
... Now that which was prepared for me daily was one ... the prophet, there was any such
public allowance to those ... so called; and the city's fresh water, probably, was ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/book 8 footnotes.htm

Life in London
... was to live almost exclusively on brown bread and water. ... twopenny loaf of brown bread,
purchased daily on my ... to go and draw the regular allowance with which to ...
//christianbookshelf.org/taylor/a retrospect/chapter v life in london.htm

Revelation of John.
... [2560] ms. B. here inserts Luke 21:11. [2561] The choenix of corn was a man's daily
allowance. ... [2591] Or, regions sunk in water. [2592] Psalm 18:11. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/unknown/revelation of john/revelation of john.htm

A Rash Vow
... an axe, than it is to 'die daily.' Ah ... trains, in that wonderful country across the
water, being stopped ... some mountain torrent and made no allowance for freshets ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/maclaren/expositions of holy scripture i/a rash vow.htm

1 Cor. xv. 29
... By the water. ... He had said, "we stand in jeopardy," he added, "every hour," then,
"daily," then, "I ... and also, as far as he could, to make some allowance to them ...
/.../homilies on the epistles of paul to the corinthians/homily xl 1 cor xv.htm

"Whereby we Cry, Abba, Father. "
... is a depth of wisdom in the Lord's allowance and manner ... the degrees of the height
of the water Nilus in ... the heart, which makes a man see daily new abominations ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/sermon xxxix whereby we cry.htm

Call to China and Voyage Hence
... He had decided to take a text of Scripture for daily meditation, following the order
in a ... About a week ago we were put on an allowance of water, one gallon ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/fagg/forty years in south china/ii call to china and.htm

Self-Denial
... our bodily health; (although we know not what allowance God may ... want of self-denial,
and taking up his cross daily. ... of God, as the hart after the water-brook. ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 48 self-denial.htm

A Pair of Friends
... That means ordering the daily life under the continual sense ... present life, and I
make all allowance, too, for ... when he floundered through the water and clasped ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture a/a pair of friends.htm