Topical Bible: Night: Frequently: Accompanied by Heavy Dew

◄ Night: Frequently: Accompanied by Heavy Dew ►

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In the biblical context, the night is often depicted as a time of rest and reflection, but it is also a period when the natural world undergoes significant changes. One of the notable phenomena associated with the night in the Bible is the presence of heavy dew. Dew is a symbol of divine blessing and sustenance, often mentioned in conjunction with God's provision and care for His creation.

Dew as a Symbol of Blessing

Dew is frequently used in the Scriptures as a metaphor for God's blessings. In Deuteronomy 33:28, the land of Israel is described as being blessed with dew: "So Israel dwells securely; the fountain of Jacob lives untroubled in a land of grain and new wine, where even the heavens drip with dew." Here, dew represents the abundance and fertility that God provides to His people.

Dew in the Context of Night

The occurrence of dew is naturally linked to the night, as it forms when the temperature drops and moisture condenses on the ground and vegetation. This nightly phenomenon is mentioned in several biblical passages, highlighting its regularity and significance. In Judges 6:37-40, Gideon uses dew as a sign from God to confirm His will: "Behold, I will place a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If dew is only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that You will deliver Israel by my hand, as You have said." The heavy dew on the fleece, while the ground remained dry, served as a divine confirmation for Gideon.

Dew as a Source of Sustenance

In the arid climate of the Near East, dew is an essential source of moisture, especially during the dry seasons. It sustains plant life and, by extension, the people who depend on agriculture for their livelihood. Isaiah 18:4-5 speaks of God's quiet and gentle care, likening it to the dew: "For this is what the LORD has told me: 'I will quietly look on from My dwelling place, like shimmering heat in the sunshine, like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.'"

Dew in Prophetic Imagery

Prophets also use the imagery of dew to convey messages of hope and renewal. Hosea 14:5 states, "I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like the lily and take root like the cedars of Lebanon." Here, dew symbolizes God's promise of restoration and growth for His people, indicating a time of spiritual revival and prosperity.

Dew in Wisdom Literature

The wisdom literature of the Bible also reflects on the transient nature of life, using dew as a metaphor. Proverbs 19:12 compares the favor of a king to the refreshing quality of dew: "A king’s rage is like the roar of a lion, but his favor is like dew on the grass." This comparison underscores the refreshing and life-giving aspects of dew, paralleling the benevolence of a just ruler.

In summary, the presence of heavy dew during the night in biblical texts serves as a powerful symbol of God's provision, blessing, and the natural order He established. It is a reminder of the divine care that sustains life, even in the quiet and stillness of the night.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Numbers 11:9
And when the dew fell on the camp in the night, the manna fell on it.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Judges 6:38,40
And it was so: for he rose up early on the morrow, and thrust the fleece together, and wringed the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Job 29:19
My root was spread out by the waters, and the dew lay all night on my branch.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Songs 5:2
I sleep, but my heart wakes: it is the voice of my beloved that knocks, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

All the Day Long
... words." Let them be often quoted, frequently weighed, and ... This is accompanied by
a child-like trust in him ... the day has to last through the night because sleep ...
//christianbookshelf.org/spurgeon/sermons on proverbs/all the day long.htm

Treatise v. An Address to Demetrianus.
... to recur with wordy commemoration to frequently repeated vengeance ... and urgently,
day and night, for your ... and such like evils which accompanied the persecutions ...
/.../cyprian/the treatises of cyprian/treatise v an address to.htm

Letter cviii. To Eustochium.
... comprehended it not." [2736] She would frequently exclaim: "I ... she went down to Portus
accompanied by her ... the shepherds keeping watch by night were privileged ...
/.../jerome/the principal works of st jerome/letter cviii to eustochium.htm

The Hebrews and the Philistines --Damascus
... and invited him to come by night and lie in ... Law were enclosed in the Ark is frequently
expressed in ... treats only of the events which accompanied the destruction ...
/.../chapter iiithe hebrews and the.htm

Two Essential Things
... these need to be brought very frequently before the ... They cannot forget that black
night: they dare not ... let your repentance toward God be accompanied with faith ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 35 1889/two essential things.htm

And ii.
... from His glorious habitation in heaven, accompanied by the ... course of the world, is
so frequently concealed"and ... a woman that travaileth, etc., the night of my ...
/.../hengstenberg/christology of the old testament/chap i and ii.htm

The Eighteenth Theban Dynasty
... They seem to have frequently chosen a woman as ... chapel relate how, on that fateful
night, Amon descended ... yellow metal, probably gold.* He was accompanied by his ...
/.../chapter iiithe eighteenth theban dynasty.htm

The Reaction against Egypt
... events, such as we find to have accompanied the sovereigns ... homes safe and sound;
but as frequently they would ... through the twelve hours of the night, its trials ...
/.../chapter iithe reaction against egypt.htm

The Tabernacle of the Most High
... Judaism in all our hearts, that we frequently go back ... two o'clock in the afternoon,
Mr. SPURGEON, accompanied by Sir ... you have a large and a heavy burden, which ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 5 1859/the tabernacle of the most.htm

Paul's Departure and Crown;
... three years, I ceased not to warn every one night and day ... be in the midst of many
people as a dew from the ... make them such a bitter thing, and so heavy a burden ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/pauls departure and crown.htm