Topical Bible: Highways: Generally Broad

◄ Highways: Generally Broad ►

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Topical Encyclopedia

In biblical times, highways were significant routes that facilitated travel, trade, and communication across regions. These roads were often broad and well-maintained, serving as vital arteries for the movement of people and goods. The concept of highways in the Bible carries both literal and metaphorical meanings, reflecting physical pathways as well as spiritual journeys.

Old Testament References

Highways in the Old Testament are frequently mentioned in the context of travel and the movement of armies. For instance, in the book of Numbers, the Israelites requested passage through Edom along the King's Highway, a major trade route (Numbers 20:17). This highlights the importance of highways in connecting different territories and peoples.

Isaiah speaks of the preparation of a highway for the Lord, symbolizing the removal of obstacles and the creation of a clear path for God's purposes: "A voice of one calling: 'Prepare the way for the LORD in the wilderness; make a straight highway for our God in the desert'" (Isaiah 40:3). This passage underscores the spiritual significance of highways as pathways for divine intervention and redemption.

New Testament References

In the New Testament, highways are mentioned in parables and teachings of Jesus. In the Parable of the Wedding Banquet, the king sends his servants to the highways to invite everyone they find to the feast, illustrating the inclusive nature of God's kingdom (Matthew 22:9). This use of highways symbolizes the outreach of the gospel to all people, regardless of their background or status.

Symbolism and Spiritual Implications

Highways in the Bible often symbolize the journey of faith and the path of righteousness. Proverbs 16:17 states, "The highway of the upright leads away from evil; he who guards his way protects his life" . Here, the highway represents a moral and ethical path that leads to life and blessing, contrasting with the way of wickedness.

The broad nature of highways can also serve as a metaphor for choices and consequences. Jesus warns about the broad road that leads to destruction, contrasting it with the narrow path that leads to life: "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it" (Matthew 7:13). This teaching emphasizes the importance of discernment and commitment in the Christian walk.

Cultural and Historical Context

In ancient Near Eastern cultures, highways were crucial for the administration of empires and the spread of culture and ideas. The Roman Empire, known for its extensive network of roads, facilitated the spread of Christianity by enabling missionaries like Paul to travel widely and establish churches.

Conclusion

Highways in the Bible serve as powerful symbols of both physical and spiritual journeys. They represent the choices individuals make and the paths they follow, whether towards righteousness and life or towards destruction. The biblical portrayal of highways encourages believers to prepare the way for the Lord, to walk in the path of the upright, and to invite others to join in the journey of faith.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Judges 20:32,45
And the children of Benjamin said, They are smitten down before us, as at the first. But the children of Israel said, Let us flee, and draw them from the city to the highways.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Matthew 7:13
Enter you in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leads to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

A Nation's Struggle for a Home and Freedom.
... the Canaanites pushed their outposts along the broad valleys that ... of Esdraelon ran
the main highways that connected ... Generally these city states were independent ...
/.../kent/the making of a nation/study xii a nations struggle.htm

November was Now Drawing to a Close, and St. ...
... alone know,"and come out into the highways and byways ... it is a rejected suitor who
generally starts the ... is!"a cluster of towers and broad battlements, with ...
/.../corelli/the master-christian/xxvi november was now drawing.htm

The Authority and Utility of the Scriptures
... No; highways, beaten paths, that the multitude of men walk ... gate, but walk not in
the broad way where ... wisdom that they call learning, and generally people think ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/lecture iii the authority and.htm

The Census and the Journey of the Holy Family
... to Samaria and running into the highways which go ... into the cave, but this was generally
blocked up ... light wickerwork door into a moderately broad passage opening ...
/.../emmerich/the life of the blessed virgin mary/x the census and the.htm

From the Close of the General Conference of 1812 to the Death of ...
... and bloodshed were still visible along the highways and fields ... But these censures
generally fell harmless at his feet ... from his chair, seize his broad-brimmed hat ...
/.../chapter 2 from the close.htm

The Rise of the Assyrian Empire
... cornice at the top consists of a deep moulding, surmounted by a broad flat band ... to
the rich, and the material upon which they are found is generally some costly ...
/.../chapter iithe rise of the.htm

The Strait Gate;
... many here, he intends those chiefly that go on in the broad way of ... To enlarge, therefore,
upon the truth; and, First, more generally; Second, more particularly ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/the strait gate.htm

Ancient Chaldaea
... It is generally admitted that ... A broad canal, which takes its origin in the direction
of Hit at the beginning of the alluvial plain, bears with it the overflow ...
/.../chapter iancient chaldaea.htm

Syria at the Beginning of the Egyptian Conquest
... that in the texts it denotes the whole of Syria, and, more generally, all the ... brick
prison, and a cluster of miserable houses, bounded by a broad wady, usually ...
/.../chapter iisyria at the beginning.htm

Tiglath-Pileser iii. And the Organisation of the Assyrian Empire ...
... 2 Kings 13:25, The term "saviour" in 2 Kings 13:5 is generally taken as referring
to Joash: Winckler, however, prefers to apply it to the King of Assyria. ...
/.../chapter iitiglath-pileser iii and the.htm