Vanishing
Jump to: Webster'sConcordanceThesaurusGreekHebrewLibrarySubtopicsTerms
Topical Encyclopedia
The concept of "vanishing" in the Bible often relates to the transient nature of life, the fleeting nature of worldly pursuits, and the sudden disappearance of individuals or events as part of divine intervention or judgment. This theme is woven throughout Scripture, emphasizing the contrast between the temporal and the eternal.

Transience of Life

The Bible frequently uses imagery of vanishing to describe the brevity and uncertainty of human life. In James 4:14 , it is written, "You do not even know what will happen tomorrow! What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." This verse underscores the ephemeral nature of human existence, likening life to a mist that quickly dissipates. Similarly, Psalm 144:4 states, "Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow," reinforcing the idea that life is fleeting and should be lived with an awareness of its temporary nature.

Worldly Pursuits

The vanishing of worldly pursuits and material wealth is another theme found in Scripture. Proverbs 23:5 warns, "When you glance at wealth, it disappears, for it makes wings for itself and flies like an eagle to the sky." This proverb highlights the instability and impermanence of riches, urging believers to focus on eternal treasures rather than temporary gains. The New Testament echoes this sentiment in 1 John 2:17 : "The world is passing away, along with its desires; but whoever does the will of God remains forever."

Divine Intervention and Judgment

Instances of vanishing in the Bible also occur through divine intervention or judgment. In the account of Lot's wife, Genesis 19:26 recounts, "But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt." Her sudden transformation serves as a warning against disobedience and attachment to sinful ways. Similarly, in Acts 8:39 , after Philip baptizes the Ethiopian eunuch, "the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing." This miraculous vanishing illustrates God's sovereign power and the mysterious ways He accomplishes His purposes.

Eternal Perspective

The theme of vanishing ultimately points believers toward an eternal perspective. In 2 Corinthians 4:18 , Paul writes, "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." This verse encourages Christians to focus on the eternal realities of God's kingdom rather than the fleeting nature of earthly life.

In summary, the concept of vanishing in the Bible serves as a powerful reminder of life's transience, the futility of worldly pursuits, and the importance of living with an eternal perspective. Through various passages, Scripture calls believers to trust in God's eternal promises and to live in obedience to His will, knowing that what is unseen and eternal far outweighs the temporary and visible.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Vanish.

2. (a. & n.) from Vanish.

Greek
854. aphanismos -- a vanishing
... a vanishing. Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine Transliteration: aphanismos Phonetic
Spelling: (af-an-is-mos') Short Definition: disappearing, disappearance ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/854.htm - 6k
Strong's Hebrew
2475. chaloph -- a passing away, vanishing
... 2474, 2475. chaloph. 2476 . a passing away, vanishing. Transliteration: chaloph
Phonetic Spelling: (khal-ofe') Short Definition: unfortunate. ...
/hebrew/2475.htm - 6k

5769. olam -- long duration, antiquity, futurity
... Or lolam {o-lawm'}; from alam; properly, concealed, ie The vanishing point; generally,
time out of mind (past or future), ie (practically) eternity ...
/hebrew/5769.htm - 7k

Library

The vision of God.
... He layeth his hands in the print of the wounds,. Heaven and earth are vanishing
round him: ... he cries". Heaven and earth are vanishing round him"he cries: ...
/.../winkworth/christian singers of germany/the vision of god.htm

The Name of God
... Is it not above and beyond all our reason"that the seemingly weakest thing in the
world, the most soft and yielding, the most frail and vanishing, should be ...
/.../kingsley/discipline and other sermons/sermon vii the name of god.htm

The Shadow of Disappointment.
... They carry the dreams of youth in among the realities of the world, and
its vanishing visions leave them naked and discouraged. ...
/.../chapin/the crown of thorns/the shadow of disappointment.htm

"And we all do Fade as a Leaf, and Our Iniquities, Like the Wind ...
... Outward accommodation in a world is as fading a thing as the flower is, as smoke
is, it is so vanishing that it bides but a puff of his breath to blow it to ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/sermon xvii and we all.htm

Striking Similes
... A vanishing loveliness as tender as the flush of the rose leaf and as ethereal
as the light of a solitary star. A voice as low as the sea. ...
/.../kleiser/fifteen thousand useful phrases/section viii striking similes.htm

The Soul of Prayer
... tread the fragrance from the alyssum in the seams, to brood upon the horizons of
the far, long wolds, with their thread of road rising and vanishing into busy ...
//christianbookshelf.org/forsyth/the soul of prayer/title page.htm

Preliminary
... the Book is translated literature, and that if we could get back to the original
narratives in the original languages, we would find our perplexities vanishing ...
/.../mcconnell/understanding the scriptures/chapter i preliminary.htm

Out of the Deep of Death.
... When this world is vanishing from our eyes, and we are going we know not whither,
leaving behind us all we know, and love, and understand; then the thought of ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/out of the deep/vi out of the deep.htm

Synopsis. --Account to be Made of the Law of Atrophy through ...
... does not fall in when the pillar is removed, so neither is the central Christian
truth of the incarnation imperilled by any weakening or vanishing of belief in ...
/.../whiton/miracles and supernatural religion/vii synopsis account to be made.htm

When God Takes Away Our Children from Us, it is a Very Affecting ...
... but can no longer refresh me, let me look to the Fountain of living Waters[d]. From
these setting, Stars, or rather these bright but vanishing Meteors, which ...
/.../1 when god takes away.htm

Thesaurus
Vanishing (3 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Vanishing (3 Occurrences). ... But that which is becoming
old and grows aged is near to vanishing away. (WEB ASV). ...
/v/vanishing.htm - 7k

Vanities (14 Occurrences)

/v/vanities.htm - 12k

Vanish (21 Occurrences)
... (KJV WBS). Hebrews 8:13 In that he says, "A new covenant," he has made the first
old. But that which is becoming old and grows aged is near to vanishing away. ...
/v/vanish.htm - 12k

Vanisheth (2 Occurrences)

/v/vanisheth.htm - 7k

Logos
... This restless, all-consuming and yet all-transforming activity-now darting upward
as a flame, now sinking to an ember and now vanishing as smoke-is for him at ...
/l/logos.htm - 38k

Gomer (7 Occurrences)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary Complete; vanishing. (1.) The daughter of Diblaim,
who (probably in vision only) became the wife of Hosea (1:3). ...
/g/gomer.htm - 11k

Gale (8 Occurrences)
... (WEY). Acts 27:20 Then, when for several days neither sun nor stars were seen and
the terrific gale still harassed us, the last ray of hope was now vanishing. ...
/g/gale.htm - 9k

Grows (46 Occurrences)
... Hebrews 8:13 In that he says, "A new covenant," he has made the first old. But that
which is becoming old and grows aged is near to vanishing away. (WEB DBY). ...
/g/grows.htm - 19k

Growing (31 Occurrences)
... (WEY). Hebrews 8:13 In that he says, "A new covenant," he has made the first old.
But that which is becoming old and grows aged is near to vanishing away. ...
/g/growing.htm - 15k

Resources
How can I overcome the fear of death? How can I stop being scared of dying? | GotQuestions.org

Is there any reason to fear going into a cemetery / graveyard? | GotQuestions.org

How can I be prepared to die? | GotQuestions.org

Vanishing: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

Bible ConcordanceBible DictionaryBible EncyclopediaTopical BibleBible Thesuarus
Concordance
Vanishing (3 Occurrences)

Acts 27:20
Then, when for several days neither sun nor stars were seen and the terrific gale still harassed us, the last ray of hope was now vanishing.
(WEY)

Hebrews 8:13
In that he says, "A new covenant," he has made the first old. But that which is becoming old and grows aged is near to vanishing away.
(WEB ASV)

James 4:14
who do not know the thing of the morrow; for what is your life? for it is a vapour that is appearing for a little, and then is vanishing;
(YLT)

Subtopics

Vanishing

Related Terms

Koheleth (7 Occurrences)

Provoked (70 Occurrences)

Ecclesiastes (1 Occurrence)

Provoking (29 Occurrences)

Provoke (64 Occurrences)

Vanity (100 Occurrences)

Worthless (103 Occurrences)

Idols (186 Occurrences)

Commit (142 Occurrences)

Vanishing (3 Occurrences)

Vile (59 Occurrences)

Nebat (25 Occurrences)

Observe (216 Occurrences)

Observers (5 Occurrences)

Like-affected (1 Occurrence)

Lacks (27 Occurrences)

Loyalty (18 Occurrences)

Walketh (62 Occurrences)

Therein (269 Occurrences)

Tilling (4 Occurrences)

Rouse (25 Occurrences)

Roused (24 Occurrences)

Exasperated (2 Occurrences)

Envious (16 Occurrences)

Pursues (15 Occurrences)

Pursuits (4 Occurrences)

Proclaiming (63 Occurrences)

Baasa (26 Occurrences)

Ba'asha (26 Occurrences)

Confided (17 Occurrences)

Angered (13 Occurrences)

Sirs (9 Occurrences)

Showers (20 Occurrences)

Senseless (22 Occurrences)

Preach (72 Occurrences)

Confident (42 Occurrences)

Dreams (34 Occurrences)

Stirred (64 Occurrences)

Stir (57 Occurrences)

Skies (36 Occurrences)

Jealous (43 Occurrences)

Cling (35 Occurrences)

Zealous (40 Occurrences)

Forfeit (12 Occurrences)

Observing (28 Occurrences)

Baasha (26 Occurrences)

Preacher (27 Occurrences)

Elah (17 Occurrences)

Pursuing (50 Occurrences)

Lacking (53 Occurrences)

Hatest (8 Occurrences)

Abound (36 Occurrences)

Divers (36 Occurrences)

Doest (53 Occurrences)

Distant (56 Occurrences)

Jealousy (54 Occurrences)

Jerobo'am (92 Occurrences)

Understanding (248 Occurrences)

Foreign (65 Occurrences)

Engraved (62 Occurrences)

Graven (61 Occurrences)

Doctrine (52 Occurrences)

Foolish (259 Occurrences)

Move (113 Occurrences)

Vain (141 Occurrences)

Grant (87 Occurrences)

Afar (98 Occurrences)

Aren't (102 Occurrences)

Walked (178 Occurrences)

Forsake (88 Occurrences)

Preaching (116 Occurrences)

Nation (192 Occurrences)

Sinned (156 Occurrences)

Theirs (96 Occurrences)

Foreigner (99 Occurrences)

Wherewith (182 Occurrences)

Jeroboam (96 Occurrences)

Vanisheth
Top of Page
Top of Page