In biblical literature, the term "cliff" often refers to a steep rock face or precipice, typically found in mountainous or rugged terrain. Cliffs are mentioned in various contexts throughout the Bible, symbolizing both physical and spiritual elements.

Geographical Significance:

Cliffs are prominent in the geography of the ancient Near East, particularly in regions like Judea and Samaria, where the landscape is marked by rocky hills and steep escarpments. These natural formations provided strategic advantages in warfare and served as places of refuge and isolation.

Biblical References:

1. Judges 15:8 · In the narrative of Samson, cliffs play a role in his exploits against the Philistines. After striking them down, Samson retreats to a cleft in the rock of Etam, a location characterized by its cliffs and caves, offering him a temporary sanctuary.

2. 1 Samuel 14:4-5 · The account of Jonathan and his armor-bearer describes their approach to the Philistine garrison, which involved navigating between two cliffs named Bozez and Seneh. These cliffs were significant in the tactical maneuvering of Jonathan's surprise attack.

3. 2 Chronicles 20:16 · The account of Jehoshaphat's battle against the Moabites and Ammonites mentions the ascent of Ziz, a location associated with cliffs. The strategic positioning of the cliffs played a role in the ambush and subsequent victory of Judah.

4. Job 30:6 · In a poetic lament, Job describes the outcasts of society dwelling "in the clefts of the valleys, in caves of the earth and the rocks." This imagery highlights the cliffs as places of desolation and marginalization.

5. Jeremiah 49:16 · The prophet Jeremiah speaks against Edom, whose inhabitants pride themselves on dwelling "in the clefts of the rocks" and making their homes high in the cliffs. This passage underscores the false security that can be associated with such natural fortifications.

Symbolic Meaning:

Cliffs in the Bible often symbolize strength, refuge, and isolation. They can represent the divine protection offered by God, as seen in the metaphorical language of the Psalms. For instance, Psalm 18:2 declares, "The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge."

Conversely, cliffs can also symbolize danger and judgment. The precariousness of standing on a cliff's edge serves as a metaphor for the instability of relying on anything other than God's providence.

Theological Implications:

From a theological perspective, cliffs remind believers of the dual nature of God's creation—both a place of refuge and a potential site of peril. They call to mind the need for reliance on God's strength and wisdom, rather than on human fortifications or pride. The imagery of cliffs in Scripture encourages a deeper trust in God's protection and guidance, recognizing that true security is found not in physical locations but in the steadfastness of the Lord.1. (n.) A high, steep rock; a precipice.

2. (n.) See Clef.

CLEFT; CLIFF; CLIFT

kleft, klif, klift: The first of these words, from cleave, "to split," is a crevice or narrow opening, as "of the ragged rocks" (Isaiah 2:21); "under the clefts of the rocks" (Isaiah 57:5). "Clift" is an obsolete form of cleft, found in the King James Version Exodus 33:22 Isaiah 57:5, but not in the Revised Version (British and American). "Cliff," an abrupt, precipitous, towering rock, is not in the Revised Version (British and American), but is found in the King James Version 2 Chronicles 20:16, the Revised Version (British and American) "ascent," Job 30:6.

CLIFF; CLIFT

See CLEFT.

4074. Petros -- "a stone" or "a boulder," Peter, one of the twelve ...
... 4074 ("small stone") then stands in contrast to 4073 ("cliff, boulder," ). "4074 ()
is an isolated rock and 4073 () is a cliff" (, 3, 100). ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4074.htm - 7k

2630. katakremnizo -- to throw over a precipice
... Word Origin from kata and kremnos Definition to throw over a precipice NASB
Word Usage throw...down the cliff (1). cast down headlong. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2630.htm - 6k

4073. petra -- a (large mass of) rock
... rock. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: petra Phonetic Spelling:
(pet'-ra) Short Definition: rock Definition: a rock, ledge, cliff, cave, stony ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4073.htm - 7k

2911. kremnos -- a steep bank
... a steep bank, cliff. From kremannumi; overhanging, ie A precipice -- steep place.
see GREEK kremannumi. (kremnou) -- 3 Occurrences. 2910, 2911. kremnos. 2912 ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2911.htm - 6k

5553. sela -- a crag, cliff
... 5552, 5553. sela. 5554 . a crag, cliff. Transliteration: sela Phonetic
Spelling: (seh'-lah) Short Definition: rock. Word Origin ...
/hebrew/5553.htm - 6k

6697. tsur -- rock, cliff
... 6696c, 6697. tsur. 6698 . rock, cliff. Transliteration: tsur Phonetic
Spelling: (tsoor) Short Definition: rock. Word Origin from ...
/hebrew/6697.htm - 6k

5573. Senneh -- a cliff in Isr.
... 5572, 5573. Senneh. 5574 . a cliff in Isr. ... Word Origin of uncertain derivation
Definition a cliff in Isr. NASB Word Usage Seneh (1). Seneh. ...
/hebrew/5573.htm - 6k

4608. maaleh -- an ascent
... section (1). ascent, cliff, going up, hill, mounting up,. From alah; an
elevation, ie (concretely) acclivity or platform; abstractly ...
/hebrew/4608.htm - 6k

4869. misgab -- a secure height, retreat, stronghold
... From sagab; properly, a cliff (or other lofty or inaccessible place); abstractly,
altitude; figuratively, a refuge -- defence, high fort (tower), refuge, Misgab ...
/hebrew/4869.htm - 6k

8127. shen -- tooth, ivory
... From shanan; a tooth (as sharp); specifically (for shenhabbiym) ivory; figuratively,
a cliff -- crag, X forefront, ivory, X sharp, tooth. see HEBREW shanan. ...
/hebrew/8127.htm - 6k

6159. Oreb -- a Midianite
... Oreb. Or mowreb {o-rabe'}; the same as oreb; Oreb, the name of a Midianite and of
the cliff near the Jordan -- Oreb. see HEBREW oreb. 6158, 6159. Oreb. 6160 ...
/hebrew/6159.htm - 6k

Be for Thou Art'
... is identical, and the difference between them is insignificant; one being a rock
of any shape or size, the other being a perpendicular cliff or elevated ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture j/be for thou art.htm

Athor, the Golden
... A company of half a score of children were ascending in single file, along a slanting
plane of planks, into the hollow in the cliff upon which work had been ...
//christianbookshelf.org/miller/the yoke/chapter vii athor the golden.htm

The Apocalypse of Peter.
... 31. And other men and women were being hurled down from a great cliff and reached
the bottom, and again were driven by those who were set over them to climb up ...
/.../unknown/the apocalypse of peter/the apocalypse of peter.htm

Samson who did to Others as they did to Him
... do, I will not stop until I have had my revenge on you!" So he fought fiercely and
killed many of them; then he went and stayed in a cavern in the cliff of Etam ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/sherman/the childrens bible/samson who did to others.htm

At Gerasa - the Healing of the Demonised.
... perhaps the silvery moon was shedding her pale light on the weird scene, and laying
her halo around the shadows cast upon the sea by the steep cliff down which ...
/.../edersheim/the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter xxv at gerasa -.htm

The Inch-Worm and the Mountain
... They decided that the only thing to do was to try to climb up the face of the cliff.
But the rock, was too steep, and so they tried to jump up. ...
/.../fifty-two story talks to boys and girls/the inch-worm and the mountain.htm

Sappho
... SAPPHO. She lay among the myrtles on the cliff; Above her glared the noon;
beneath, the sea. Upon the white horizon Atho's peak Weltered ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/andromeda and other poems/sappho.htm

"A Kind of Waterspout"
... Just was quite full at five, and God gave us a parting blessing. At noon I preached
on the cliff near Penzance, where no one now gives an uncivil word. ...
/.../wesley/the journal of john wesley/a kind of waterspout.htm

The Alps
... Thou speakest from each rolling cloud. That pours its stormy mirth on high,.
When cliff to cliff is shouting loud,. Responsive to the sky:". ...
//christianbookshelf.org/palgrave/the treasury of sacred song/cccv the alps.htm

The Treasure Cave
... There he permitted the rubble to slide with a mixture of earth, like a natural
displacement, into the talus, of a similar nature, at the base of the cliff. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/miller/the yoke/chapter xx the treasure cave.htm

Cliff (11 Occurrences)
... 2. (n.) See Clef. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. CLEFT; CLIFF; CLIFT. ...CLIFF; CLIFT.
See CLEFT. Multi-Version Concordance Cliff (11 Occurrences). ...
/c/cliff.htm - 10k

Clift
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (n.) A cliff. 2. (n.) A cleft of crack; a narrow
opening. ... Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. CLEFT; CLIFF; CLIFT. ...
/c/clift.htm - 7k

Crag (5 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (n.) A steep, rugged rock; a rough, broken
cliff, or point of a rock, on a ledge. 2. (n.) A partially ...
/c/crag.htm - 9k

Inaccessible (1 Occurrence)
... Inaccessible (1 Occurrence). Job 39:28 On the cliff he dwells, and makes his
home, on the point of the cliff, and the stronghold. (See NAS). ...
/i/inaccessible.htm - 6k

Peniel (4 Occurrences)
... Some have thought it might be a prominent cliff, the contour of which
resembled a human face. Such a cliff on the seashore to the ...
/p/peniel.htm - 9k

Partridge (2 Occurrences)
... This bird, unlike our own partridge, is distinguished by "its ringing call-note,
which in early morning echoes from cliff to cliff amidst the barrenness of the ...
/p/partridge.htm - 13k

Bozez (1 Occurrence)
... the two cliffs that stand one on each side of the gorge of Michmash (1 Samuel
14:4). It catches the sun during most of the day, while the southern cliff is in ...
/b/bozez.htm - 7k

Cleft (15 Occurrences)
... wood. 8. (n.) A disease in horses; a crack on the band of the pastern. Int.
Standard Bible Encyclopedia. CLEFT; CLIFF; CLIFT. kleft ...
/c/cleft.htm - 12k

Seneh (1 Occurrence)
... The acacia; rock-thorn, the southern cliff in the Wady es-Suweinit, a valley south
of Michmash, which Jonathan climbed with his armour-bearer (1 Samuel 14:4, 5 ...
/s/seneh.htm - 7k

Stays (21 Occurrences)
... (WEB KJV ASV WBS). Job 39:28 On the cliff he dwells, and makes his home,
on the point of the cliff, and the stronghold. (See NIV). ...
/s/stays.htm - 12k

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