The term "waterless" in the Bible often symbolizes spiritual desolation, barrenness, and the absence of life-giving sustenance. In the arid landscapes of the biblical world, water was a precious resource, essential for survival and prosperity. Thus, the absence of water, or "waterless" conditions, frequently serves as a metaphor for spiritual drought and divine judgment.

Biblical References:

1. Matthew 12:43 : "When an unclean spirit comes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but does not find it." In this passage, Jesus describes the restless journey of an unclean spirit through "waterless places," symbolizing a barren and inhospitable environment. This imagery underscores the idea that evil spirits find no peace or satisfaction in desolate, God-forsaken realms.

2. Jude 1:12 : "These men are hidden reefs in your love feasts, shamelessly feasting with you but shepherding only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried along by the wind; autumn trees without fruit, twice dead after being uprooted." Here, Jude uses the metaphor of "clouds without water" to describe false teachers. Just as clouds without water fail to deliver the rain needed for life, these individuals promise spiritual nourishment but deliver nothing of substance.

3. Jeremiah 2:13 : "For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living water, and they have dug their own cisterns—broken cisterns that cannot hold water." The prophet Jeremiah contrasts the life-giving "fountain of living water" with the futile efforts of the people to sustain themselves through "broken cisterns." The imagery of waterlessness here highlights the spiritual emptiness resulting from abandoning God.

4. Isaiah 35:6-7 : "Then the lame will leap like a deer, and the mute tongue will shout for joy. For waters will gush forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert. The parched ground will become a pool, the thirsty land springs of water." In this prophetic vision, the transformation of a waterless wilderness into a lush, water-filled landscape symbolizes the restoration and blessing that come from God's intervention.

Theological Implications:

In Scripture, water is often associated with life, cleansing, and the Holy Spirit. The absence of water, therefore, signifies a lack of these divine attributes. Waterless conditions serve as a warning of the consequences of turning away from God and relying on human efforts. They remind believers of the necessity of remaining connected to the source of spiritual life and vitality.

The imagery of waterlessness also points to the hope of redemption and renewal. Just as God can transform a barren desert into a fertile land, He can restore and revitalize the spiritually desolate. This transformation is a recurring theme in the prophetic literature, offering assurance of God's power to bring life and abundance where there was once emptiness and despair.(a.) Destitute of water; dry.504. anudros -- waterless
... waterless. Part of Speech: Adjective Transliteration: anudros Phonetic Spelling:
(an'-oo-dros) Short Definition: without water, dry Definition: without water ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/504.htm - 6k2215. zarab -- to burn, scorch
... 2214, 2215. zarab. 2216 . to burn, scorch. Transliteration: zarab Phonetic
Spelling: (zaw-rab') Short Definition: waterless. Word Origin a prim. ...
/hebrew/2215.htm - 5k

369. ayin -- nothing, nought
... will be nothing (1), there no (6), there none (1), there one (1), undesirable*
(2), unfathomable* (1), unless (1), unsearchable* (3), waterless* (1), without ...
/hebrew/369.htm - 7k

4325. mayim -- waters, water
... root Definition waters, water NASB Word Usage flood (1), loins (1), pool (1), Water
(5), water (373), watering (1), waterless* (1), waters (192). ...
/hebrew/4325.htm - 6k

That He Would not Send Back the Redeemed to the Legislation of ...
... And I will make in the wilderness a way, and in the waterless place streams, to
give drink to my chosen race, and to my people whom I have purchased to declare ...
/.../the demonstration of the apostolic preaching/chapter 89 that he would.htm

Thirst and Satisfaction
... I. The soul that knows its own needs will thirst after God. The Psalmist draws
the picture of himself as a thirsty man in a waterless land. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture j/thirst and satisfaction.htm

Why Christ Speaks
... We have the chart, and as we look upon it we see marked 'waterless country,' 'pathless
rocks,' 'desert and sand,' 'wells and palm-trees.' Well, when we come to ...
/.../expositions of holy scripture st john chaps xv to xxi/why christ speaks.htm

Introduction. Origin of the Treatise.
... Which is quite in accordance with nature; for vipers and asps and basilisks
themselves generally do affect arid and waterless places. ...
/.../tertullian/on baptism/chapter i introduction origin of the.htm

The Nations of the North-East
... CHAPTER IV THE NATIONS OF THE NORTH-EAST. Canaan is but the southern continuation
of Syria, which shades off, as it were, into the waterless wilderness. ...
/.../sayce/early israel and the surrounding nations/chapter iv the nations of.htm

The Early Training of a Race.
... This wild, treeless region is divided by rocky ranges running from east to west.
Parallel to these are deep, hot and for the most part waterless valleys. ...
/.../kent/the making of a nation/study xi the early training.htm

Christ the Water of Life.
... necessity that the second rock or stream should follow them as there was of the
first; for they were yet a long way from Canaan, with a waterless desert before ...
/.../iii christ the water of life.htm

Epistle xiii. --To Hierax, a Bishop in Egypt.
... The river, too, which flows by the city, has sometimes appeared drier than the
waterless desert, and more parched than that wilderness in which Israel was so ...
/.../dionysius/the works of dionysius/epistle xiii to hierax a bishop.htm

July 7, 1894
... find its nourishment; and the vast fields of Holy Scripture, which have so often
opened to yield us richest treasures, now seem but an arid and waterless waste ...
//christianbookshelf.org/therese/story of a soul/xviii july 7 1894.htm

'That which was Lost'
... So, all unwitting, meaning no mischief, they wander further and further from the
right road, and find themselves at last in a waterless desert. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture e/that which was lost.htm

Waterless (7 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (a.) Destitute of water; dry. Multi-Version
Concordance Waterless (7 Occurrences). Matthew 12:43 But the ...
/w/waterless.htm - 8k

Territory (140 Occurrences)
... frontiers of great strength; on the North alone it has no "scientific frontier."
On the South lay the Negeb, and beyond that the almost waterless wilderness, a ...
/t/territory.htm - 56k

Trachonitis (1 Occurrence)
... forms. The average elevation of these districts above the surrounding
country is about 30 ft. Es-Safa is quite waterless. There ...
/t/trachonitis.htm - 13k

Passeth (100 Occurrences)
... Matthew 12:43 But the unclean spirit, when he is gone out of the man, passeth through
waterless places, seeking rest, and findeth it not. (ASV). ...
/p/passeth.htm - 36k

Wanderings (7 Occurrences)
... Near the center of the plateau is the small fort of Nakhl ("the palms"), where water
is found; but, as a whole, the Tih is waterless, having very few springs ...
/w/wanderings.htm - 40k

Unclean (393 Occurrences)
... Matthew 12:43 But the unclean spirit, when he is gone out of the man, passes
through waterless places, seeking rest, and doesn't find it. ...
/u/unclean.htm - 39k

Jeshimon (6 Occurrences)
... herd their flocks, and the more fertile borders of the sea with their oases (`Ain
Feshkhah, `Ain Jidy, etc.), is a broad strip of utterly waterless land, the ...
/j/jeshimon.htm - 11k

Jebus (5 Occurrences)
... Trodden hard, or fastness, or "the waterless hill", the name of the Canaanitish
city which stood on Mount Zion (Joshua 15:8; 18:16, 28). ...
/j/jebus.htm - 13k

Lycaonia (2 Occurrences)
... Lycaonia consists of a level plain, waterless and treeless, rising at its southern
fringe for some distance into the foothills of Taurus, and broken on its ...
/l/lycaonia.htm - 10k

Water-pipe (1 Occurrence)
Water-pipe. Waterless, Water-pipe. Water-plants . Multi-Version Concordance ...
(BBE). Waterless, Water-pipe. Water-plants . Reference Bible.
/w/water-pipe.htm - 6k

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