Topical Bible: Slope

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Topical Encyclopedia

In biblical literature, the concept of a "slope" is often used metaphorically to describe spiritual or moral decline, as well as the physical characteristics of the land in the ancient Near East. The term itself may not frequently appear in English translations of the Bible, but the imagery of slopes, hills, and valleys is prevalent throughout the Scriptures.

Geographical Context

The topography of the biblical lands is characterized by a variety of slopes, from the gentle inclines of the Judean hills to the steep descents into the Jordan Valley. These geographical features played a significant role in the daily lives of the people, influencing agriculture, travel, and military strategy. For instance, the Israelites often had to navigate these slopes during their journeys, as seen in the account of their entrance into the Promised Land.

Spiritual and Moral Implications

The imagery of a slope is sometimes used to illustrate the ease with which one can descend into sin or moral compromise. This metaphorical use underscores the biblical teaching that spiritual vigilance is necessary to maintain one's faith and righteousness. The concept of a "slippery slope" is echoed in various passages that warn against the dangers of gradual moral decline.

Biblical References

While the specific term "slope" may not be directly cited in the Berean Standard Bible, the concept is implicit in several passages. For example, in Psalm 73:18, the psalmist reflects on the precarious position of the wicked: "Surely You set them on slick ground; You cast them down to ruin." This verse highlights the instability and danger associated with a life of sin, akin to standing on a slippery slope.

In the New Testament, the idea of a slope can be related to the teachings of Jesus regarding the narrow and wide paths. In Matthew 7:13-14, Jesus warns, "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." The broad road can be likened to a gentle slope leading to destruction, emphasizing the ease of falling away from righteousness.

Practical Applications

The metaphor of a slope serves as a cautionary reminder for believers to remain steadfast in their faith. It encourages Christians to be aware of the subtle temptations and compromises that can lead to spiritual decline. By staying grounded in Scripture and maintaining a close relationship with God, believers can avoid the dangers of the "slippery slope" and continue on the path of righteousness.

In summary, while the term "slope" may not be explicitly mentioned in the Bible, its metaphorical implications are woven throughout the biblical narrative, offering valuable lessons on the importance of spiritual vigilance and the consequences of moral decline.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary

1. (n.) An oblique direction; a line or direction including from a horizontal line or direction; also, sometimes, an inclination, as of one line or surface to another.

2. (v. i.) Any ground whose surface forms an angle with the plane of the horizon.

3. (a.) Sloping.

4. (adv.) In a sloping manner.

5. (v. t.) To form with a slope; to give an oblique or slanting direction to; to direct obliquely; to incline; to slant; as, to slope the ground in a garden; to slope a piece of cloth in cutting a garment.

6. (v. i.) To take an oblique direction; to be at an angle with the plane of the horizon; to incline; as, the ground slopes.

7. (v. i.) To depart; to disappear suddenly.

Greek

2827. klino -- to cause to bend
... A primary verb; to slant or slope, ie Incline or recline (literally or figuratively) --
bow (down), be far spent, lay, turn to flight, wear away. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2827.htm - 6k

2824. klima -- a region
... part, region. From klino; a slope, ie (specially) a "clime" or tract of country --
part, region. see GREEK klino. (klimasi) -- 1 Occurrence. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2824.htm - 6k

Strong's Hebrew

4174. morad -- a descent, slope
... 4173, 4174. morad. 4175 . a descent, slope. Transliteration: morad Phonetic
Spelling: (mo-rawd') Short Definition: descent. Word ...
/hebrew/4174.htm - 6k

794. ashedah -- a foundation, (mountain) slope
... 793, 794. ashedah. 795 . a foundation, (mountain) slope. Transliteration: ashedah
Phonetic Spelling: (ash-ay-daw') Short Definition: slopes. Word Origin fem ...
/hebrew/794.htm - 6k

793. eshed -- a foundation, bottom, lower part
... 792, 793. eshed. 794 . a foundation, bottom, lower part. Transliteration:
eshed Phonetic Spelling: (eh'-shed) Short Definition: slope. ...
/hebrew/793.htm - 5k

8219. shephelah -- lowland
... low country, low plain, vale. From shaphel; Lowland, ie (with the article) the maritime
slope of Palestine -- low country, (low) plain, vale(-ley). ...
/hebrew/8219.htm - 6k

4608. maaleh -- an ascent
... Word Origin from alah Definition an ascent NASB Word Usage ascent (9),
platform (1), slope (1), stairway (4), upper section (1). ...
/hebrew/4608.htm - 6k

3802. katheph -- shoulder, shoulder blade, side
... shoulder, shoulder blade, side NASB Word Usage backs (1), flank (1), hands (1),
next (1), shoulder (19), shoulders (7), side (26), sides (3), slope (4), slopes ...
/hebrew/3802.htm - 6k

Library

The Treasure Cave
... But presently, up from the southern slope, rose the sound he had heard some minutes
before"a long, quavering note, ending in a high eery wail. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/miller/the yoke/chapter xx the treasure cave.htm

The Great Confession - the Great Commission - the Great ...
... We next pass through olive-groves and up a gentle slope. ... And from Dan olive-groves
and oak-glades slope up to Banias, or C??sarea Philippi. ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter xxxvii the great confession.htm

Dawn in the Hills
... Both were walking slowly and the old man seemed to be examining the farther slope,
as if meditating a halt. Julian got upon his feet and watched. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/miller/the city of delight/chapter vi dawn in the.htm

The Shepherd of Pella
... can run when spurred by desperation, and the other, lamely but doggedly, as an old
determined man, rushed down the rough side of the slope, leaped into the ...
/.../miller/the city of delight/chapter iii the shepherd of.htm

The Collar of Gold
... All day long the children came staggering up from the Nile, laden with dripping
hides, or returned in a free and ragged line down the green slope of the field ...
//christianbookshelf.org/miller/the yoke/chapter ix the collar of.htm

The Adulterous Woman.
... constructed of branches as was the custom at this feast, possibly to the loved home
of Lazarus and his sisters which was situated on the farther slope of the ...
/.../johnson/the new testament commentary vol iii john/the adulterous woman.htm

The Last Talk Together.
... The Holy Spirit The Last Talk Together. A little group of men were climbing
the winding path that led up Olivet's slope. The Master ...
/.../gordon/quiet talks with world winners/the last talk together.htm

Palm Branches.
... The Temple and the more northern portions are hid by the slope of Olivet on the
right; what is seen is only Mount Zion, covered with houses to its base ...
//christianbookshelf.org/macduff/memories of bethany/xviii palm branches.htm

Six Cities
... Land, with its orchards of olive, fig, and pomegranate, and its flocks of
singing-birds, which have made the inhabitants give to the graceful slope on which ...
/.../macduff/the cities of refuge or the name of jesus/ii six cities.htm

The Valley of Achor
... that juts across it, and there is barely room for the broken ledge yielding slippery
footing between the beetling crag above and the steep slope beneath that ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture a/the valley of achor.htm

Thesaurus

Slope (29 Occurrences)
... 5. (vt) To form with a slope; to give an oblique or slanting direction to; to direct
obliquely; to incline; to slant; as, to slope the ground in a garden; to ...
/s/slope.htm - 16k

Nain (1 Occurrence)
... It is identified with the village called Nein, standing on the north-western slope
of Jebel ed-Duhy (=the "hill Moreh" = "Little hermon"), about 4 miles from ...
/n/nain.htm - 8k

Incline (38 Occurrences)
... 4. (vt) To cause to deviate from a line, position, or direction; to give a leaning,
bend, or slope to; as, incline the column or post to the east; incline your ...
/i/incline.htm - 18k

Rushing (61 Occurrences)
... And they came out, and went into the pigs; and the herd went rushing down a sharp
slope into the sea and came to their end in the water. (BBE). ...
/r/rushing.htm - 24k

Pitch (25 Occurrences)
... 12. (vi) To fix one's choice; -- with on or upon. 13. (vi) To plunge or fall; esp.,
to fall forward; to decline or slope; as, to pitch from a precipice; the ...
/p/pitch.htm - 18k

Batter (1 Occurrence)
... 7. (n.) A backward slope in the face of a wall or of a bank; receding slope. 8.
(vi) To slope gently backward. 9. (n.) One who wields a bat; a batsman. ...
/b/batter.htm - 7k

Sharp (115 Occurrences)
... And they came out, and went into the pigs; and the herd went rushing down a sharp
slope into the sea and came to their end in the water. (BBE). ...
/s/sharp.htm - 38k

Slopes (15 Occurrences)
... 34:11 and the border shall go down from Shepham to Riblah, on the east side of Ain;
and the border shall go down, and shall strike upon the slope of the sea of ...
/s/slopes.htm - 11k

Saul (371 Occurrences)
... The Philistines once more invaded the land, and gathered their army between Shochoh
and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim, on the southern slope of the valley of Elah. ...
/s/saul.htm - 76k

Endor (3 Occurrences)
... with the modern village of Endur, "a dirty hamlet of some twenty houses, or rather
huts, most of them falling to ruin," on the northern slope of Little Hermon ...
/e/endor.htm - 12k

Resources

In what ways is sin a slippery slope? | GotQuestions.org

What happened on the Mount of Olives? | GotQuestions.org

What happened in the Garden of Gethsemane? | GotQuestions.org

Slope: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

Bible Concordance • Bible Dictionary • Bible Encyclopedia • Topical Bible • Bible Thesuarus

Concordance

Slope (29 Occurrences)

Matthew 8:32
And he said to them, Go. And they came out, and went into the pigs; and the herd went rushing down a sharp slope into the sea and came to their end in the water.
(BBE DBY)

Mark 5:11
Feeding there, on the mountain slope, was a great herd of swine.
(WEY)

Mark 5:13
And he let them do it. And the unclean spirits came out and went into the pigs; and the herd went rushing down a sharp slope into the sea, about two thousand of them; and they came to their death in the sea.
(BBE DBY)

Luke 8:33
And the evil spirits came out of the man and went into the pigs: and the herd went rushing down a sharp slope into the water and came to destruction.
(BBE)

Genesis 48:22
Moreover I have given to you one portion above your brothers, which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow."
(See RSV)

Numbers 21:15
the slope of the valleys that incline toward the dwelling of Ar, leans on the border of Moab."
(WEB JPS ASV BBE NAS RSV NIV)

Numbers 34:11
and the border shall go down from Shepham to Riblah, on the east side of Ain; and the border shall go down, and shall reach unto the side of the sea of Chinnereth eastward;
(See JPS NAS NIV)

Joshua 8:14
Now when the king of Ai saw it, he got up quickly and went out to war against Israel, he and all his people, to the slope going down to the valley; but he had no idea that a secret force was waiting at the back of the town.
(BBE)

Joshua 15:3
From there it goes south of the slope up to Akrabbim, and on to Zin, then south past Kadesh-barnea, and on by Hezron and up to Addar, turning in the direction of Karka:
(BBE)

Joshua 15:7
Then the line goes up to Debir from the valley of Achor, and so to the north, in the direction of Gilgal, which is opposite the slope up to Adummim, on the south side of the river: and the line goes on to the waters of En-shemesh, ending at En-rogel:
(BBE)

Joshua 15:8
The border went up by the valley of the son of Hinnom to the side of the Jebusite southward (the same is Jerusalem); and the border went up to the top of the mountain that lies before the valley of Hinnom westward, which is at the farthest part of the valley of Rephaim northward.
(See NAS NIV)

Joshua 15:10
and the border turned about from Baalah westward to Mount Seir, and passed along to the side of Mount Jearim on the north (the same is Chesalon), and went down to Beth Shemesh, and passed along by Timnah;
(See NAS NIV)

Joshua 15:11
and the border went out to the side of Ekron northward; and the border extended to Shikkeron, and passed along to Mount Baalah, and went out at Jabneel; and the goings out of the border were at the sea.
(See NIV)

Joshua 18:12
Their border on the north quarter was from the Jordan. The border went up to the side of Jericho on the north, and went up through the hill country westward. It ended at the wilderness of Beth Aven.
(See NIV)

Joshua 18:13
The border passed along from there to Luz, to the side of Luz (the same is Bethel), southward. The border went down to Ataroth Addar, by the mountain that lies on the south of Beth Horon the lower.
(See NIV)

Joshua 18:16
The border went down to the farthest part of the mountain that lies before the valley of the son of Hinnom, which is in the valley of Rephaim northward. It went down to the valley of Hinnom, to the side of the Jebusite southward, and went down to En Rogel.
(See NAS NIV)

Joshua 18:18
It passed along to the side over against the Arabah northward, and went down to the Arabah.
(See NIV)

Joshua 18:19
The border passed along to the side of Beth Hoglah northward; and the border ended at the north bay of the Salt Sea, at the south end of the Jordan. This was the south border.
(See NIV)

Judges 1:36
And the limit of the Edomites went from the slope of Akrabbim from Sela and up.
(BBE)

1 Samuel 9:11
As they went up the ascent to the city, they found young maidens going out to draw water, and said to them, "Is the seer here?"
(See NAS)

2 Samuel 13:34
But Absalom went in flight. And the young man who kept the watch, lifting up his eyes, saw that a great band of people was coming down the slope by the way of the Horons; and the watchman came and gave word to the king, saying, I saw men coming down by the way of the Horons, from the hillside.
(BBE)

2 Samuel 15:32
Now when David had come to the top of the slope, where they gave worship to God, Hushai the Archite came to him in great grief with dust on his head:
(BBE)

2 Samuel 16:1
And when David had gone a little way past the top of the slope, Ziba, the servant of Mephibosheth, came to him, with two asses on which were two hundred cakes of bread and a hundred stems of dry grapes and a hundred summer fruits and a skin of wine.
(BBE)

2 Kings 9:27
Now when Ahaziah, king of Judah, saw this, he went in flight by the way of the garden house. And Jehu came after him and said, Put him to death in the same way; and they gave him a death-wound in his carriage, on the slope up to Gur, by Ibleam; and he went in flight to Megiddo, where death came to him.
(BBE)

2 Chronicles 20:16
Go down against them tomorrow: see, they are coming up by the slope of Ziz; at the end of the valley, before the waste land of Jeruel, you will come face to face with them.
(BBE)

Nehemiah 12:37
And by the doorway of the fountain and straight in front of them, they went up by the steps of the town of David, at the slope up of the wall, over the house of David, as far as the water-doorway to the east.
(BBE)

Isaiah 15:5
My heart is crying out for Moab; her people go in flight to Zoar, and to Eglath-shelishiyah: for they go up with weeping by the slope of Luhith; on the way to Horonaim they send up a cry of destruction.
(BBE)

Jeremiah 48:5
For by the slope of Luhith they will go up, weeping all the way; for on the way down to Horonaim the cry of destruction has come to their ears.
(BBE)

Micah 1:4
And the mountains will be turned to water under him, and the deep valleys will be broken open, like wax before the fire, like waters flowing down a slope.
(BBE YLT NIV)

Subtopics

Slope

Related Terms

Hill-slopes (2 Occurrences)

Pisgah (8 Occurrences)

Features (3 Occurrences)

Beth-peor (4 Occurrences)

Bethpeor (4 Occurrences)

Ashdoth

Bashan (54 Occurrences)

Eastward (72 Occurrences)

Gilead (130 Occurrences)