In biblical times, the concept of a "stage" as understood in modern theatrical terms did not exist. However, the idea of a platform or elevated area for public speaking or performance can be found in various forms throughout Scripture. The term "stage" in the Bible is more closely related to platforms used for proclamation, teaching, or significant public events.

Biblical References and Context

1. Ezra's Platform: One of the most notable instances of a stage-like structure in the Bible is found in the book of Nehemiah. Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform built for the occasion as he read the Law to the people of Israel. Nehemiah 8:4 states, "Ezra the scribe stood on a high wooden platform built for the occasion." This platform served as a stage from which the Word of God was proclaimed, emphasizing the importance of the Law and the need for the people to hear and understand it.

2. Solomon's Bronze Platform: Another example is found in 2 Chronicles 6:13, where King Solomon stood on a bronze platform to address the assembly of Israel during the dedication of the Temple. The verse states, "Now Solomon had made a bronze platform and set it in the midst of the court; it was five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high. He stood on it, knelt down in the presence of the whole assembly of Israel, spread out his hands toward heaven." This platform functioned as a stage for Solomon to lead the people in prayer and dedication, highlighting the solemnity and significance of the event.

3. Public Speaking and Proclamation: While not explicitly described as stages, various instances in the New Testament depict Jesus and the apostles speaking to large crowds, often from elevated positions or natural amphitheaters. For example, Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount from a mountainside (Matthew 5:1-2), which served as a natural stage for His teachings. Similarly, Paul often spoke in synagogues and public forums, utilizing available spaces to address audiences (Acts 17:22).

Symbolic and Spiritual Significance

The use of platforms or elevated areas in the Bible often symbolizes authority, proclamation, and the dissemination of divine truth. These stages were not for entertainment but for the serious business of teaching, worship, and the communication of God's Word. They provided a focal point for the community to gather, listen, and respond to spiritual leadership.

Cultural and Historical Considerations

In ancient Near Eastern cultures, platforms and stages were commonly used for public addresses, religious ceremonies, and royal proclamations. The biblical use of such structures reflects this cultural practice, adapted for the purposes of worship and the communication of God's covenant with His people.

Application for Today

While the physical structures may differ, the principle of using platforms to proclaim God's Word continues in modern Christian practice. Pulpits, stages, and other elevated areas in churches serve a similar function, providing a space for pastors and leaders to teach, preach, and lead congregations in worship. The focus remains on the authority of Scripture and the centrality of Christ's message to the church and the world.1. (n.) A floor or story of a house.

2. (n.) An elevated platform on which an orator may speak, a play be performed, an exhibition be presented, or the like.

3. (n.) A floor elevated for the convenience of mechanical work, or the like; a scaffold; a staging.

4. (n.) A platform, often floating, serving as a kind of wharf.

5. (n.) The floor for scenic performances; hence, the theater; the playhouse; hence, also, the profession of representing dramatic compositions; the drama, as acted or exhibited.

6. (n.) A place where anything is publicly exhibited; the scene of any noted action or career; the spot where any remarkable affair occurs.

7. (n.) The platform of a microscope, upon which an object is placed to be viewed.

8. (n.) A place of rest on a regularly traveled road; a stage house; a station; a place appointed for a relay of horses.

9. (n.) A degree of advancement in a journey; one of several portions into which a road or course is marked off; the distance between two places of rest on a road; as, a stage of ten miles.

10. (n.) A degree of advancement in any pursuit, or of progress toward an end or result.

11. (n.) A large vehicle running from station to station for the accommodation of the public; a stagecoach; an omnibus.

12. (n.) One of several marked phases or periods in the development and growth of many animals and plants; as, the larval stage; pupa stage; zoea stage.

13. (v. t.) To exhibit upon a stage, or as upon a stage; to display publicly.

5271. hupokrinomai -- to answer, reply, to answer on a stage, to ...
... to answer, reply, to answer on a stage, to pretend. Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: hupokrinomai Phonetic Spelling: (hoop-ok-rin'-om-ahee) Short ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5271.htm - 6k

5273. hupokrites -- one who answers, an actor, a hypocrite
... Masculine Transliteration: hupokrites Phonetic Spelling: (hoop-ok-ree-tace') Short
Definition: a hypocrite, dissembler Definition: (lit: a stage-player), a ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5273.htm - 7k

898. bathmos -- a step, degree
... a step, degree. Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine Transliteration: bathmos Phonetic
Spelling: (bath-mos') Short Definition: a step, a stage, a position Definition ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/898.htm - 6k

5047. teleiotes -- completeness, perfection
... Cognate: 5047 (a feminine noun) -- completion (consummation), in its sense, ie built
on what and also supports the stage that must come next. See 5056 (). ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5047.htm - 7k

5046. teleios -- having reached its end, ie complete, by ext. ...
... See 5056 (). [This root () means "reaching the ()." It is well-illustrated with
the old pirate's telescope, unfolding (extending out) one stage at a time to ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5046.htm - 8k

1534. eita -- then, next, therefore (an adv. denoting sequence)
... eita Phonetic Spelling: (i'-tah) Short Definition: then, thereafter, next Definition:
then, thereafter, next (marking a fresh stage); therefore, then ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1534.htm - 6k

5524. choregeo -- to lead a chorus (ie a group of performers), to ...
... 5524 (from , "a person who both funds and directs an epic, ancient chorus," and
2233 , "lead") -- properly, to fund and lead a , bearing necessary to stage . ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5524.htm - 7k

1754. energeo -- to be at work, to work, to do
... 1754 (from 1722 , "gaged ," which intensifies 2041 , "work") -- properly, ergize,
working a situation which brings it from one stage (point) to the next, like ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1754.htm - 8k

5056. telos -- an end, a toll
... [This root () means "reaching the ()." It is well-illustrated with the old pirate's
telescope, unfolding (extending out) one stage at a time to function at full ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5056.htm - 7k

1990. epistemon -- knowing, skilled
... It emphasizes understanding that results from building previous knowledge, which
supports the next stage of understanding (note , "upon"). See 1987 (). ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1990.htm - 6k

Methodism on the Stage
... Chapter 5. Wesley Refused Sacraments at Epworth; Cornwall and the Scilly Isles;
Natural Amphitheater at Gwennap; Wesley in Danger Methodism on the Stage. ...
/.../wesley/the journal of john wesley/methodism on the stage.htm

The Next Stage Occurs in the Creation of Man by the Eternal Word ...
... Chapter IV."The Next Stage Occurs in the Creation of Man by the Eternal Word Spiritual
as Well as Physical Gifts to Man. The Blessings of Man's Free-Will. ...
/.../tertullian/the five books against marcion/chapter iv the next stage occurs.htm

The First Stage in the Leper's Cleansing
... THE BOOK OF LEVITICUS THE FIRST STAGE IN THE LEPER'S CLEANSING. 'And the
Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2. This shall be the law ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture k/the first stage in the.htm

The Stage as it was Once.
... LECTURE II. THE STAGE AS IT WAS ONCE. What the Stage is now, I presume, all know. ...
But when they have come, they have lifted it up one stage higher thenceforth. ...
/.../kingsley/lectures delivered in america in 1874/lecture ii the stage as.htm

First Stage of the Roman Trial. Jesus Before Pilate for the First ...
... Last Week of Our Lord's Ministry, the Fourth Passover, the Crucifixion. CXXIX. First
Stage of the Roman Trial. Jesus Before Pilate for the First Time. ...
/.../mcgarvey/the four-fold gospel/cxxix first stage of the.htm

First Stage of Jewish Trial. Examination by Annas.
... Last Week of Our Lord's Ministry, the Fourth Passover, the Crucifixion. CXXV. First
Stage of Jewish Trial. Examination by Annas. (Friday Before Dawn.) ...
/.../mcgarvey/the four-fold gospel/cxxv first stage of jewish.htm

Third Stage of the Roman Trial. Pilate Reluctantly Sentences Him ...
... Last Week of Our Lord's Ministry, the Fourth Passover, the Crucifixion. CXXXI. Third
Stage of the Roman Trial. Pilate Reluctantly Sentences Him to Crucifixion. ...
/.../mcgarvey/the four-fold gospel/cxxxi third stage of the.htm

Second Stage of the Roman Trial. Jesus Before Herod Antipas.
... Last Week of Our Lord's Ministry, the Fourth Passover, the Crucifixion. CXXX. Second
Stage of the Roman Trial. Jesus Before Herod Antipas. (Jerusalem. ...
/.../mcgarvey/the four-fold gospel/cxxx second stage of the.htm

Third Stage of Jewish Trial. Jesus Formally Condemned by the ...
... CXXVIII. Third Stage of Jewish Trial. Jesus Formally Condemned by the Sanhedrin
and Led to Pilate. (Jerusalem. Friday After Dawn.) ...
/.../mcgarvey/the four-fold gospel/cxxviii third stage of jewish.htm

Second Stage of Jewish Trial. Jesus Condemned by Caiaphas and the ...
... Last Week of Our Lord's Ministry, the Fourth Passover, the Crucifixion. CXXVI. Second
Stage of Jewish Trial. Jesus Condemned by Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin. ...
/.../mcgarvey/the four-fold gospel/cxxvi second stage of jewish.htm

Stage (5 Occurrences)
... 8. (n.) A place of rest on a regularly traveled road; a stage house; a station;
a place appointed for a relay of horses. 9. (n.) A ...
/s/stage.htm - 9k

Tower (74 Occurrences)
... 8. The Tower in Its First Stage: In the center of these groups of buildings stood
the great Tower in stages, called by the Babylonians "the Tower of Babel ...
/t/tower.htm - 52k

Run (147 Occurrences)
... contrary. 20. (v.) To go back and forth from place to place; to ply; as,
the stage runs between the hotel and the station. 21. (v ...
/r/run.htm - 43k

Buying (12 Occurrences)
... bi'-ing (karah, laqach, qena', qanah, shabhar; agorazo, oneomai, emporeuomai): I.
IN THE EARLIEST PERIODS AND AMONG NOMADS 1. The Primitive Stage (the "Shop") 2 ...
/b/buying.htm - 23k

Gangrene (1 Occurrence)
... of the soft tissues which has not advanced so far as to produce complete loss of
vitality; but now applied to mortification of the soft parts in any stage. ...
/g/gangrene.htm - 8k

Firstborn (119 Occurrences)
... Clear evidence of the spiritualization and humanizati0n of religion among the
Israelites is furnished in the replacement, at an early stage, of the actual ...
/f/firstborn.htm - 46k

Firstling (8 Occurrences)
... Clear evidence of the spiritualization and humanizati0n of religion among the
Israelites is furnished in the replacement, at an early stage, of the actual ...
/f/firstling.htm - 15k

Totemism
... But these names in themselves "do not prove a totem stage in the development of
Israel" (HPN, 114); philologically, the view has a shaky foundation (see, eg ...
/t/totemism.htm - 11k

Rostrum (1 Occurrence)
... 1. (n.) A stage or elevated platform for public speaking; the platform in the forum
where orations, pleadings, funeral harangues, etc., were delivered; -- so ...
/r/rostrum.htm - 7k

Exit (1 Occurrence)
... 1. (n.) He (or she) goes out, or retires from view; as, exit Macbeth. 2. (n.) The
departure of a player from the stage, when he has performed his part. ...
/e/exit.htm - 7k

How can Christian parents deal with empty-nest syndrome? | GotQuestions.org

Is the musical Godspell biblically accurate? | GotQuestions.org

Who was Søren Kierkegaard? | GotQuestions.org

Stage: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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