In biblical literature, the term "shatter" is often used metaphorically to describe the destruction or breaking apart of objects, nations, or spiritual strongholds. The imagery of shattering conveys a sense of complete and utter destruction, often as a result of divine judgment or intervention.

Old Testament Usage

The concept of shattering is prevalent in the Old Testament, where it is frequently associated with God's judgment against nations and idols. In Jeremiah 51:20-23 , God speaks through the prophet Jeremiah, declaring, "You are My war club, My weapon for battle—with you I shatter nations, with you I destroy kingdoms. With you I shatter horse and rider, with you I shatter chariot and driver, with you I shatter man and woman, with you I shatter old man and youth, with you I shatter young man and maiden, with you I shatter shepherd and flock, with you I shatter farmer and oxen, with you I shatter governors and officials."

This passage illustrates the comprehensive nature of God's power to shatter, emphasizing His sovereignty over all creation. The repetition of "with you I shatter" underscores the totality of the destruction that God can bring upon those who oppose Him.

In Ezekiel 6:4 , the shattering of idols is depicted as a sign of God's judgment: "Your altars will be demolished and your incense altars will be smashed; and I will cast down your slain before your idols." Here, the shattering of altars and idols symbolizes the futility of false worship and the ultimate triumph of the one true God.

New Testament Usage

While the New Testament does not frequently use the term "shatter," the concept is present in the spiritual realm. In 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 , the Apostle Paul speaks of spiritual warfare, stating, "The weapons of our warfare are not the weapons of the world. Instead, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We tear down arguments and every presumption set up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."

The idea of demolishing or shattering strongholds in this context refers to the breaking down of false ideologies and arguments that stand against the knowledge of God. It highlights the power of divine truth to overcome and destroy the lies and deceptions of the enemy.

Symbolism and Themes

The theme of shattering in the Bible often symbolizes the breaking of human pride, rebellion, and idolatry. It serves as a reminder of God's ultimate authority and the futility of opposing His will. The imagery of shattering also conveys the hope of renewal and restoration, as the breaking down of the old paves the way for the establishment of God's kingdom and righteousness.

In prophetic literature, the shattering of nations and powers often precedes the establishment of God's eternal kingdom, as seen in Daniel 2:44 : "In the days of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will shatter all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself stand forever."

Conclusion

The biblical concept of shattering serves as a powerful metaphor for God's judgment and the ultimate triumph of His purposes. Whether applied to physical objects, nations, or spiritual strongholds, the imagery of shattering underscores the comprehensive and decisive nature of God's intervention in human history.1. (v. t.) To break at once into many pieces; to dash, burst, or part violently into fragments; to rend into splinters; as, an explosion shatters a rock or a bomb; too much steam shatters a boiler; an oak is shattered by lightning.

2. (v. t.) To disorder; to derange; to render unsound; as, to be shattered in intellect; his constitution was shattered; his hopes were shattered.

3. (v. t.) To scatter about.

4. (v. i.) To be broken into fragments; to fall or crumble to pieces by any force applied.

5. (n.) A fragment of anything shattered; -- used chiefly or solely in the phrase into shatters; as, to break a glass into shatters.

2352. thrauo -- to break in pieces
... to break in pieces. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: thrauo Phonetic Spelling:
(throw'-o) Short Definition: I crush, break, shatter Definition: I crush ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2352.htm - 6k

4917. sunthlao -- to crush together
... Transliteration: sunthlao Phonetic Spelling: (soon-thlah'-o) Short Definition: I
break, break in pieces Definition: I break, break in pieces, crush, shatter. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4917.htm - 7k

4937. suntribo -- to break in pieces, crush
... suntribo Phonetic Spelling: (soon-tree'-bo) Short Definition: I break by crushing
Definition: I break by crushing, break in pieces, shatter, crush, bruise. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4937.htm - 7k

5310a. naphats -- to shatter
... 5310, 5310a. naphats. 5310b . to shatter. Transliteration: naphats Short
Definition: shatter. Word Origin a prim. root Definition ...
/hebrew/5310a.htm - 5k

4272. machats -- to smite through, wound severely, shatter
... 4271, 4272. machats. 4273 . to smite through, wound severely, shatter.
Transliteration: machats Phonetic Spelling: (maw-khats') Short Definition: shatter. ...
/hebrew/4272.htm - 6k

2827. chashal -- to shatter
... 2826, 2827. chashal. 2828 . to shatter. Transliteration: chashal Phonetic
Spelling: (khash-al') Short Definition: shatters. Word ...
/hebrew/2827.htm - 6k

7490. rea -- to crush, shatter
... 7489b, 7490. rea. 7491 . to crush, shatter. Transliteration: rea Phonetic
Spelling: (reh-ah') Short Definition: pieces. Word Origin ...
/hebrew/7490.htm - 6k

7567. rashash -- to beat down, shatter
... 7566, 7567. rashash. 7568 . to beat down, shatter. Transliteration: rashash
Phonetic Spelling: (raw-shash') Short Definition: down. Word Origin a prim. ...
/hebrew/7567.htm - 5k

7492. raats -- to shatter
... 7491, 7492. raats. 7493 . to shatter. Transliteration: raats Phonetic Spelling:
(raw-ats') Short Definition: afflicted. Word Origin a prim. ...
/hebrew/7492.htm - 5k

2826. chashal -- to shatter
... to shatter. Transliteration: chashal Phonetic Spelling: (khaw-shal') Short Definition:
stragglers. ... root Definition to shatter NASB Word Usage stragglers (1). ...
/hebrew/2826.htm - 5k

5310. naphats -- to shatter
... 5309, 5310. naphats. 5310a . to shatter. Transliteration: naphats Phonetic
Spelling: (naw-fats') Short Definition: sunder. be beaten ...
/hebrew/5310.htm - 5k

7665. shabar -- to break, break in pieces
... crushed (2), demolished (1), destroy (2), fractured (1), hurt (2), injured (1),
pieces (1), placed (1), point of birth (1), quench (1), shatter (2), shattered ...
/hebrew/7665.htm - 6k

2865. chathath -- to be shattered or dismayed
... to be shattered or dismayed NASB Word Usage been shattered (3), break (1), cracked
(1), dismay (1), dismayed (26), frighten (1), shatter (1), shattered (9 ...
/hebrew/2865.htm - 6k

Paul in Rome
... all things, be they seemingly friendly or hostile, and will realise our dreams,
if in accordance with His will, even through events which seem to shatter them. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture the acts/paul in rome.htm

'All Things are Yours'
... this conviction of faith. The grim facts of the world, seen from their
lowest level, seem to shatter it to atoms. Talk about 'the ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture f/all things are yours.htm

The First Disciples
... these testimonies from John understood them to be Messianic (John 1:30-34), though
their later consternation, when the cross seemed to shatter their hopes ...
/.../rhees/the life of jesus of nazareth/viii the first disciples.htm

Peace in Believing.
... unless thou hast peace in God, and with God, all else is unworthy of the name;"a
spurious thing, which the first breath of adversity will shatter, and the ...
/.../macduff/the faithful promiser/19th day peace in believing.htm

Ninth Tractate. Detached Considerations.
... 2. . . . For in any one science the reduction of the total of knowledge into its
separate propositions does not shatter its unity, chipping it into unrelated ...
/.../plotinus/the six enneads/ninth tractate detached considerations.htm

All Kinds of Death a violence to Nature, Arising from Sin --Sin an ...
... That is still a violence to ships: although far away from the Capharean rocks, assailed
by no storms, without a billow to shatter them, with favouring gale, in ...
/.../tertullian/a treatise on the soul/chapter lii all kinds of death.htm

Letter Xlviii to Magister Walter De Chaumont.
... What if (which God forbid!) a sudden death should seize and shatter at a stroke
all those gifts of yours, as it were with the rush of a burning and raging wind ...
/.../letter xlviii to magister walter.htm

The Revelation of St. John the Divine
... definite orthodox Christian theology.[2] If, on the other hand, they affirm that
both the books were written by John the Presbyter, they will shatter the old ...
/.../pullan/the books of the new testament/chapter xxv the revelation of.htm

Two Households
... household, with this living truth lodged in their hearts, were the bearers and the
witnesses and the organs of the power which was going to shatter all that ...
/.../maclaren/romans corinthians to ii corinthians chap v/two households.htm

Paul at Philippi
... at the words of my text, and seeing here how unobtrusively there stole into the
progressive part of the world the power which was to shatter and remould all ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture the acts/paul at philippi.htm

Shatter (26 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Shatter (26 Occurrences). ... (DBY). Exodus 34:13 but ye shall
demolish their altars, shatter their statues, and hew down their Asherahs. ...
/s/shatter.htm - 14k

Statues (7 Occurrences)
... 23:24 Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their
deeds; but thou shalt utterly destroy them, and utterly shatter their statues. ...
/s/statues.htm - 8k

Asherahs (23 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Asherahs (23 Occurrences). Exodus 34:13 but ye shall demolish
their altars, shatter their statues, and hew down their Asherahs. (DBY). ...
/a/asherahs.htm - 13k

Asherah (40 Occurrences)
... Asherah (40 Occurrences). Exodus 34:13 but ye shall demolish their altars, shatter
their statues, and hew down their Asherahs. (Root in DBY NIV). ...
/a/asherah.htm - 24k

Maiden (40 Occurrences)
... Jeremiah 51:22 And with thee will I shatter man and woman, and with thee will I
shatter the old man and the youth, and with thee will I shatter the young man ...
/m/maiden.htm - 24k

Shattered (42 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (imp. & pp) of Shatter. Multi-Version Concordance
Shattered (42 Occurrences). Mark 5:4 because he had been ...
/s/shattered.htm - 18k

Dash (30 Occurrences)
... used with against. 2. (vt) To break, as by throwing or by collision; to
shatter; to crust; to frustrate; to ruin. 3. (vt) To put ...
/d/dash.htm - 19k

Demolish (16 Occurrences)
... pillars. (WEB NIV). Exodus 34:13 but ye shall demolish their altars, shatter
their statues, and hew down their Asherahs. (DBY). Numbers ...
/d/demolish.htm - 11k

Discuss (8 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (vt) To break to pieces; to shatter. 2. (vt)
To break up; to disperse; to scatter; to dissipate; to ...
/d/discuss.htm - 9k

Broken (559 Occurrences)
... graze," but gives no hint of the meaning "to break"; `alah = "to arise," "depart"
(Jeremiah 37:11); sunthlao = "to dash together," "shatter" (Matthew 21:44 ...
/b/broken.htm - 39k

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