Definition and Context: Rubble refers to broken fragments of stone, brick, or other materials, often resulting from destruction or decay. In biblical times, rubble was a common sight in cities that had been conquered or destroyed, serving as a physical reminder of divine judgment or human conflict.

Biblical References:

1. Nehemiah's Rebuilding Efforts: One of the most notable mentions of rubble in the Bible is found in the Book of Nehemiah. After the Babylonian exile, Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the city's walls, which had been reduced to rubble. Nehemiah 4:2 records the mocking of the enemies: "What are these feeble Jews doing? Can they restore it for themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring these burnt stones back to life from the mounds of rubble?" This passage highlights the daunting task faced by Nehemiah and his people, as well as the scorn of their adversaries.

2. Symbol of Destruction and Judgment: Rubble often symbolizes the aftermath of divine judgment. In Isaiah 25:2 , the prophet speaks of God's power to bring down cities: "Indeed, You have made the city a heap of rubble, a fortified city a ruin, the foreigner’s fortress a city no more; it will never be rebuilt." This imagery underscores the totality of God's judgment against nations that oppose His will.

3. Restoration and Hope: Despite its association with destruction, rubble also serves as a backdrop for themes of restoration and hope. The rebuilding of Jerusalem's walls from rubble in Nehemiah's time is a testament to God's faithfulness and the perseverance of His people. It illustrates the belief that God can bring renewal and strength out of chaos and ruin.

4. Prophetic Imagery: In prophetic literature, rubble is used to convey the desolation that will come upon those who defy God. Jeremiah 51:37 prophesies the fall of Babylon: "Babylon will become a heap of rubble, a haunt of jackals, an object of horror and scorn, without inhabitant." This serves as a warning of the inevitable downfall of prideful nations.

Theological Significance: Rubble in the Bible is not merely a physical reality but carries deep theological implications. It represents the consequences of sin and rebellion against God, as well as the hope of redemption and restoration. The transformation of rubble into a rebuilt city, as seen in Nehemiah's account, is a powerful metaphor for spiritual renewal and the redemptive work of God in the lives of His people.

Practical Application: For believers, the concept of rubble can serve as a reminder of the importance of spiritual vigilance and the need to rebuild one's life on the foundation of faith. It encourages Christians to trust in God's ability to restore and renew, even when faced with the brokenness and challenges of life.1. (n.) Water-worn or rough broken stones; broken bricks, etc., used in coarse masonry, or to fill up between the facing courses of walls.

2. (n.) Rough stone as it comes from the quarry; also, a quarryman's term for the upper fragmentary and decomposed portion of a mass of stone; brash.

3. (n.) A mass or stratum of fragments or rock lying under the alluvium, and derived from the neighboring rock.

4. (n.) The whole of the bran of wheat before it is sorted into pollard, bran, etc.

6194. aremah -- a heap
... Word Origin from aram Definition a heap NASB Word Usage heap (2), heap of grain
(1), heaps (5), rubble (1), sacks of grain (1). heap of corn, sheaf. (Jer. ...
/hebrew/6194.htm - 6k

6083. aphar -- dry earth, dust
... Usage ashes (2), debris (2), dirt (1), dry soil (1), dust (91), dusty (1), earth
(5), ground (1), heap (2), loose earth (1), plaster (3), rubbish (1), rubble (1 ...
/hebrew/6083.htm - 6k

By, Through, Unto
... If you see a great wall in some palace, with slabs of polished marble for most of
its length, and here and there stretches of course rubble shoved in, you ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture ephesians peter/by through unto.htm

Choosing the Tens
... Below in the still shadowy passages and interiors, speckled with fallen mortar,
lay chains, rubble of brick and chipped stone; splinters, flinders and odd ends ...
//christianbookshelf.org/miller/the yoke/chapter i choosing the tens.htm

Canaan
... But he leaped lightly down the ledge, crossed the belt of rubble, talus and desert
sand, and entered the now well-marked wagon road between the dark green ...
//christianbookshelf.org/miller/the yoke/chapter xii canaan.htm

The Treasure Cave
... There he permitted the rubble to slide with a mixture of earth, like a natural
displacement, into the talus, of a similar nature, at the base of the cliff. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/miller/the yoke/chapter xx the treasure cave.htm

The Persecutions of the Apostolic Church, and Its Condition at the ...
... He added the sports of the circus, and assisted in person, sometimes driving a curricle,
and occasionally mixing with the rubble in his coachman's dress. ...
/.../killen/the ancient church/chapter xi the persecutions of.htm

The Transformation of Rome from a Pagan into a Christian City.
... 1887. Like the one at Tusculum, it is partly hollowed out of the rocky side
of the mountain, partly built of stone and rubble work. ...
/.../lanciani/pagan and christian rome/chapter i the transformation of.htm

The Return to Capernaum - Concerning the Forgiveness of Sins - the ...
... The roof itself, which had hard beaten earth or rubble underneath it, was paved
with brick, stone, or any other hard substance, and surrounded by a balustrade ...
/.../edersheim/the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter xvi the return to.htm

A Nation's Struggle for a Home and Freedom.
... early Hebrew tradition. Its foundation is a wall of rubble sixteen feet
high and six to eight feet thick, sloping inward. On the ...
/.../kent/the making of a nation/study xii a nations struggle.htm

Under Ban of the Ritual
... white stone. About their bases were quantities of rubble and gray dust
slanting against their sides in slides and drifts. Across ...
//christianbookshelf.org/miller/the yoke/chapter ii under ban of.htm

The First Chaldaean Empire and the Hyksos in Egypt
... The vestiges of a few buildings remain above the mounds of rubble, and as soon as
the pickaxe is applied to any spot, irregular layers of bricks, enamelled ...
/.../chapter ithe first chaldaean empire.htm

Rubble (17 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Rubble (17 Occurrences). ... I will sweep away the birds of
the sky, the fish of the sea, and the heaps of rubble with the wicked. ...
/r/rubble.htm - 12k

Build (242 Occurrences)
... of the rude stone waller. Random rubble masonry, unskillfully laid, was the
prevailing characteristic. Occasionally a piece of carefully ...
/b/build.htm - 45k

Building (249 Occurrences)
... of the rude stone waller. Random rubble masonry, unskillfully laid, was the
prevailing characteristic. Occasionally a piece of carefully ...
/b/building.htm - 47k

Rubbish (5 Occurrences)

/r/rubbish.htm - 8k

Rubies (8 Occurrences)

/r/rubies.htm - 8k

Ruins (84 Occurrences)
... Micah 1:6 Therefore I will make Samaria like a rubble heap of the field, like places
for planting vineyards; and I will pour down its stones into the valley ...
/r/ruins.htm - 31k

Overgrown (5 Occurrences)
... Micah 3:12 Therefore Zion for your sake will be plowed like a field, and Jerusalem
will become heaps of rubble, and the mountain of the temple like the high ...
/o/overgrown.htm - 8k

Plowed (9 Occurrences)
... Micah 3:12 Therefore Zion for your sake will be plowed like a field, and Jerusalem
will become heaps of rubble, and the mountain of the temple like the high ...
/p/plowed.htm - 9k

Pitch (25 Occurrences)
... 7. (vt) To set, face, or pave with rubble or undressed stones, as an embankment
or a roadway. 8. (vt) To fix or set the tone of; as, to pitch a tune. ...
/p/pitch.htm - 18k

Heaps (29 Occurrences)
... Micah 3:12 Therefore Zion for your sake will be plowed like a field, and Jerusalem
will become heaps of rubble, and the mountain of the temple like the high ...
/h/heaps.htm - 15k

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Rubble: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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