Dictionary of Bible Themes  »  5000 Humanity  »  5760 Human attitudes and behaviour  »  5845 emptiness

Scripture stresses the emptiness of human life without God, and notes that Jesus Christ chose to empty himself in order to redeem humanity.

Emptiness and creation

The world created to be filled

Isaiah 45:18; Habakkuk 2:14 See also Genesis 1:2

Emptiness as a symbol of judgment

Jeremiah 4:23

Human life can be empty

Ruth 1:21 See also Ecclesiastes 1:2; Ecclesiastes 3:19; Ecclesiastes 12:8

Human words can be empty

Job 35:13 See also Job 35:16; Isaiah 16:6; Isaiah 36:5 pp 2 Kings 18:20; Isaiah 59:4; Ephesians 5:6; 2 Peter 2:18

Human attempts at fulfilment are empty

Work does not satisfy

Isaiah 55:2 See also Psalm 127:1-2; Ecclesiastes 2:17; Ecclesiastes 6:7; Haggai 1:5-6

Pleasure does not last

Job 20:5 See also Proverbs 21:17; Ecclesiastes 2:1-3,25

Wealth does not satisfy

Ecclesiastes 5:10 See also Ecclesiastes 4:7-8; Luke 12:15; 1 Timothy 6:9-10

Material possessions are unreliable

Luke 12:18-20 See also Job 8:13-15; Job 15:31; Psalm 49:10,12,16-17; Proverbs 11:4; Ecclesiastes 5:15; 1 Timothy 6:7

False religion cannot save

Isaiah 57:13 See also Judges 10:14; Isaiah 44:17-18; Isaiah 45:20; Isaiah 46:7; Jeremiah 11:12; Acts 14:15

Emptiness as the result of sin

Micah 6:13-14 See also Leviticus 26:14-16; Psalm 78:32-33; Hosea 4:10; Haggai 1:7-9

God wants to remove the emptiness of people's lives

1 Peter 1:18 See also Psalm 81:10; John 1:16; John 10:10; Ephesians 4:13; Colossians 2:10

Jesus Christ accepts emptiness in order to redeem humanity

Philippians 2:7 See also 2 Corinthians 8:9

See also

3251  Holy Spirit, filling with
4942  fulness
5341  hunger
5591  treasure
5839  dissatisfaction
5864  futility
6644  eternal life
8366  wisdom, source of
8748  false religion
8778  materialism
8808  riches