Flowers: Evanescent
Jump to: Torrey'sLibrarySubtopicsTerms
Topical Encyclopedia
In the Bible, flowers are often used as symbols of beauty, transience, and the fleeting nature of life. The imagery of flowers serves to remind believers of the temporary nature of earthly existence and the eternal nature of God's promises.

One of the most poignant references to the evanescence of flowers is found in the book of Isaiah. Isaiah 40:6-8 states, "A voice says, 'Cry out.' And I asked, 'What should I cry out?' 'All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flowers fall when the breath of the LORD blows on them; indeed, the people are grass. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.'" This passage emphasizes the contrast between the temporary beauty of flowers and the enduring nature of God's word.

Similarly, the Psalms reflect on the fleeting nature of human life using the metaphor of flowers. Psalm 103:15-16 declares, "As for man, his days are like grass—he blooms like a flower of the field; when the wind passes over, it vanishes, and its place remembers it no more." Here, the psalmist underscores the brevity of human life, likening it to a flower that blooms briefly before disappearing.

In the New Testament, the epistle of James echoes this theme. James 1:10-11 warns, "But the rich should exult in their low position, because they will pass away like a flower of the field. For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its flower falls and its beauty is lost. So too, the rich man will fade away in the midst of his pursuits." This passage serves as a reminder of the impermanence of wealth and earthly achievements, urging believers to focus on spiritual riches.

The Sermon on the Mount also includes a reference to flowers, highlighting God's provision and care. In Matthew 6:28-30 , Jesus says, "And why do you worry about clothes? Consider how the lilies of the field grow: They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his glory was adorned like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?" This teaching encourages trust in God's provision, using the beauty and transience of flowers as a lesson in faith.

Throughout Scripture, flowers serve as a powerful metaphor for the transient nature of life and the enduring truth of God's word. They remind believers to focus on eternal values and to trust in God's everlasting promises, even as they appreciate the fleeting beauty of the world around them.
Torrey's Topical Textbook
Psalm 103:16
For the wind passes over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Isaiah 40:8
The grass wither, the flower fades: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

The Heath in the Desert and the Tree by the River
... As well might bees try to suck honey from a vase of wax flowers as we to ... of the fact
that men are contented with the partial and evanescent blessedness that ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture h/the heath in the desert.htm

Literary Expressions
... Essay a flight of folly. Evanescent shades of feeling [evanescent = vanishing like
vapor]. ... The air is touched with a lazy fragrance, as of hidden flowers. ...
/.../kleiser/fifteen thousand useful phrases/section vii literary expressions.htm

Striking Similes
... D. Dainty as flowers. Dance like a wave of the sea. Dark and deep as night. ... Eternal
as the skies. Evanescent as bubbles [evanescent = vanishing like vapor]. ...
/.../kleiser/fifteen thousand useful phrases/section viii striking similes.htm

The Christian's Heaviness and Rejoicing
... also beauties to be seen in our Gethsemanes, and some marvellously sweet flowers
are to ... weight of glory;" but your joys that you now have are evanescent as a ...
/.../spurgeons sermons volume 4 1858/the christians heaviness and rejoicing.htm

Soldier Priests
... bear fruit in old age, but have blossoms, fruit, and flowers"the varying ... it lies
with strange beauty, each separate globule tiny and evanescent, but each ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture j/soldier priests.htm

Eternal Life.
... We must in short pass beyond that finite region where the correspondences depend
on evanescent and material ... When I want to know about flowers I go to flowers. ...
/.../drummond/natural law in the spiritual world/eternal life.htm

Of Faith. The Definition of It. Its Peculiar Properties.
... embrace his truth, inasmuch as they rest satisfied with an evanescent impression;
just ... may for several years not only put forth leaves and flowers, but produce ...
/.../calvin/the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 2 of faith the.htm

Memoir of John Bunyan
... heard at church had casually passed over his mind like evanescent clouds, and ... forth
of that great genius which produced most beautiful flowers and delicious ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/memoir of john bunyan.htm

part ii
My Life in Christ. <. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/calvin/my life in christ/part ii.htm

Resources
What is the prophecy of St. Malachy? | GotQuestions.org

How does the geologic timescale fit with the view of a young earth? | GotQuestions.org

What was/is the importance of the gates of Jerusalem? | GotQuestions.org

Flowers: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

Bible ConcordanceBible DictionaryBible EncyclopediaTopical BibleBible Thesuarus
Subtopics

Flowers

Flowers of the Grass

Flowers: Appear in Spring

Flowers: Beautiful

Flowers: Cultivated in Gardens

Flowers: Evanescent

Flowers: Garlands of, Used in Worship of Idols

Flowers: Glory of Man

Flowers: Kingdom of Israel

Flowers: Representations of, on The: Golden Candlestick

Flowers: Representations of, on The: Sea of Brass

Flowers: Representations of, on The: Wood Work of the Temple

Flowers: Rich Men

Flowers: Shortness of Man's Life

Flowers: Sweet

Flowers: The Graces of Christ

Flowers: The Lily

Flowers: The Lily of the Valley

Flowers: The Rose

Flowers: The Rose of Sharon

Flowers: Wild in Fields

Related Terms

Flower (33 Occurrences)

Buds (20 Occurrences)

Fig-tree (33 Occurrences)

Figtree

Bloom (9 Occurrences)

Knobs (9 Occurrences)

Knops (8 Occurrences)

Blossoms (16 Occurrences)

Lily (9 Occurrences)

Fig (45 Occurrences)

Bud (23 Occurrences)

Openings (27 Occurrences)

Ornamented (14 Occurrences)

Flourish (26 Occurrences)

Floral (2 Occurrences)

Myrtle (7 Occurrences)

Bowls (47 Occurrences)

Bulbs (6 Occurrences)

Cups (28 Occurrences)

Carvings (6 Occurrences)

Carved (36 Occurrences)

Capitals (21 Occurrences)

Calyxes (6 Occurrences)

Saffron (1 Occurrence)

Drop (32 Occurrences)

Flowerlike (2 Occurrences)

Dries (10 Occurrences)

Palm-trees (23 Occurrences)

Shaft (13 Occurrences)

Hammered (22 Occurrences)

Cherubs (52 Occurrences)

Branch (60 Occurrences)

Tree (245 Occurrences)

Palm (49 Occurrences)

Lights (71 Occurrences)

Winged (69 Occurrences)

Blossom (23 Occurrences)

Designs (118 Occurrences)

Candlestick (34 Occurrences)

Lampstand (38 Occurrences)

Beaten (73 Occurrences)

Pillar (72 Occurrences)

Support (135 Occurrences)

Design (84 Occurrences)

Metal (69 Occurrences)

Vegetable (3 Occurrences)

Nisan (2 Occurrences)

Lamp-stand (17 Occurrences)

Lilies (15 Occurrences)

Garden (68 Occurrences)

Foliage (14 Occurrences)

Flowering (6 Occurrences)

Flax (11 Occurrences)

Thread (32 Occurrences)

Tops (37 Occurrences)

Tongs (6 Occurrences)

Resemble (15 Occurrences)

Radiant (14 Occurrences)

Damask (1 Occurrence)

Mandrakes (4 Occurrences)

Plated (29 Occurrences)

Blind (91 Occurrences)

Camphire (2 Occurrences)

Crocus (1 Occurrence)

Candlesticks (11 Occurrences)

Almond-blossoms (4 Occurrences)

Almonds (6 Occurrences)

Shaped (10 Occurrences)

Mankind (80 Occurrences)

Lieth (135 Occurrences)

Hyacinth (1 Occurrence)

Almond (7 Occurrences)

Overlaid (50 Occurrences)

Crown (94 Occurrences)

Lamps (45 Occurrences)

Itself (203 Occurrences)

Base (127 Occurrences)

Botany

Floweth (16 Occurrences)

Flowers: Cultivated in Gardens
Top of Page
Top of Page