In the context of the Bible, the concept of "missing" can be explored through various themes such as lost individuals, missing items, or the spiritual state of being lost. The Bible provides numerous narratives and teachings that address these themes, often highlighting God's redemptive power and the importance of seeking what is lost.

Lost Individuals

One of the most poignant examples of missing individuals in the Bible is the Parable of the Lost Sheep, found in the Gospel of Luke. Jesus tells this parable to illustrate God's concern for those who have gone astray: "What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the pasture and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it?" (Luke 15:4). This parable emphasizes God's relentless pursuit of those who are spiritually missing, underscoring His desire for their return to the fold.

Similarly, the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32) depicts a son who becomes "missing" from his family by choosing a life of sin and separation. His eventual return and the father's joyous reception highlight the theme of redemption and forgiveness, illustrating the joy in heaven over one sinner who repents.

Missing Items

The Bible also addresses the theme of missing items, often using them as metaphors for spiritual truths. In the Parable of the Lost Coin, a woman loses one of her ten silver coins and diligently searches for it until she finds it. Jesus uses this account to convey the value of each soul: "In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents" (Luke 15:10).

Another example is found in the Old Testament, where the Ark of the Covenant goes missing after being captured by the Philistines (1 Samuel 4-6). The absence of the Ark, which symbolized God's presence among His people, serves as a reminder of the consequences of disobedience and the importance of reverence for the divine.

Spiritual State of Being Lost

The Bible frequently addresses the spiritual state of being lost or missing from God's intended path. In the Book of Isaiah, the prophet calls the people of Israel to return to God, highlighting their waywardness: "All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way" (Isaiah 53:6). This verse underscores humanity's tendency to stray from God's will and the need for divine intervention.

Jesus' mission is often described in terms of seeking and saving the lost. In Luke 19:10, He declares, "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost" . This mission reflects the heart of the Gospel, emphasizing the importance of reconciliation with God through Christ.

Conclusion

The theme of "missing" in the Bible is multifaceted, encompassing lost individuals, missing items, and the spiritual state of being lost. Through parables, historical narratives, and prophetic calls, the Scriptures reveal God's deep concern for the lost and His desire for their restoration. The Bible consistently portrays God as a seeker of the missing, offering hope and redemption to all who return to Him.1. (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Miss.

2. (v. i.) Absent from the place where it was expected to be found; lost; wanting; not present when called or looked for.

266. hamartia -- a sin, failure
... failure. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: hamartia Phonetic Spelling:
(ham-ar-tee'-ah) Short Definition: a sin Definition: prop: missing the mark ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/266.htm - 7k

255. alusiteles -- unprofitable
... derived from 1 "not" and 3089 , "to loose") -- properly, to hold together (cohere),
ie "not profitable because"; (figuratively) missing benefit because not ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/255.htm - 7k

3871. parakalupto -- to cover (by hanging something beside), to ...
... 3871 (from 3844 , " close-beside" and 2572 , "hide") -- properly, hidden close-beside,
out of sight; due to someone "missing the forest because too close to ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3871.htm - 7k

264. hamartano -- to miss the mark, do wrong, sin
... due to . Like 266 , 264 () is regularly used in ancient times of an archer
missing the target (Homer, Aesch., etc). Every decision ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/264.htm - 9k

1818. exapatao -- to seduce wholly, deceive
... 1818 ("deceived into illusion") emphasizes the of deception -- ie missing
true reality because "biting on the that brings the !". ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1818.htm - 7k

5737c. adar -- to be lacking, fail
... 5737b, 5737c. adar. 5738 . to be lacking, fail. Transliteration: adar Short
Definition: missing. Word Origin a prim. root Definition ...
/hebrew/5737c.htm - 5k

6485. paqad -- to attend to, visit, muster, appoint
... root Definition to attend to, visit, muster, appoint NASB Word Usage am indeed
concerned (1), any reason (1), any reason he is missing (1), appoint (12 ...
/hebrew/6485.htm - 7k

"Two Missing" --"Go Ye. "
... A Passion for Winning Men: The Motive-power of Service. (Mark vi:30-34.) "Two
Missing"""Go Ye.". ... He looked again. Yes, two were missing. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/gordon/quiet talks on service/two missinggo ye.htm

Missing the Master's Meaning.
... Money Missing the Master's Meaning. Christian men, generally, seem to have
missed the meaning of Jesus' words. I think it due largely ...
/.../gordon/quiet talks with world winners/missing the masters meaning.htm

August the Twenty-Sixth Missing the Lord
... AUGUST The Twenty-sixth MISSING THE LORD. "Thou knowest not the time of thy
visitation." "Luke 19:37-44. Yes, that has been my sad experience. ...
/.../august the twenty-sixth missing the.htm

March the Seventh Things Missing in Heaven
... MARCH The Seventh THINGS MISSING IN HEAVEN. REVELATION xxi.1-7. What a number of
"conspicuous absences" there are to be in "the home-land!". No more sea! ...
/.../my daily meditation for the circling year/march the seventh things missing.htm

The Missing Stone.
... The Missing Stone. ... After admiring it for a time, he discovered that one stone was
missing. All finished but just one little stone; that was left out. ...
/.../moody/moodys anecdotes and illustrations/the missing stone.htm

The Missing Factor in Current Theories
... II THE MISSING FACTOR IN CURRENT THEORIES. But it is not so much in ignoring
Man that evolutionary philosophy has gone astray; for ...
/.../drummond/the lowell lectures on the ascent of man/ii the missing factor in.htm

A Threefold Thought of Sin and Forgiveness
... of Bathsheba, was not only rebellion against God, but it was, according to this
text, in the second clause, 'a sin,' by which is meant literally missing an aim ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture j/a threefold thought of sin.htm

Species, or Units of Nature.
... The blanket of oblivion, which Mr. Darwin and his friends spread over the difficulty,
is "millions of years." In that length of time the missing species, or ...
/.../species or units of nature.htm

To My Younger Brethren
... 5. Notation for Footnote 4, which is missing in the original, has been supplied.
6. A word that is missing at the beginning of Footnote ...
//christianbookshelf.org/moule/to my younger brethren/title page.htm

{Transcriber's Note: this Book is Commonly Known as "The Baltimore ...
... This e-text collection is substantially based on files generously provided by
http://www.catholic.net/ with some missing material transcribed and added for ...
/.../kinkead/baltimore catechism no 4/transcribers note this book is.htm

Missing (17 Occurrences)
... wanting; not present when called or looked for. Multi-Version Concordance Missing
(17 Occurrences). Numbers 31:49 and they say unto Moses ...
/m/missing.htm - 11k

Perdition (14 Occurrences)
... "To be lost" in the religious sense may mean "to be missing" and "to be ruined,"
The former meaning attaches to it in the teaching of Jesus, who compares the ...
/p/perdition.htm - 14k

Miss (7 Occurrences)
... 11. (vi) To be absent, deficient, or wanting. 12. (n.) The act of missing; failure
to hit, reach, find, obtain, etc. 13. (n.) Loss; want; felt absence. 14. ...
/m/miss.htm - 10k

Fourth (87 Occurrences)
... In 1875 Bensly published the missing fragment with an Introduction and critical
notes. In 1895 Bensly and James published a critical ...
/f/fourth.htm - 43k

Mission (14 Occurrences)

/m/mission.htm - 11k

Esdras
... The present writer suggests that the missing part is Nehemiah 8:13-10, which begins,
"And on the second day were gathered together (assembled) the heads of ...
/e/esdras.htm - 29k

Javan (12 Occurrences)
... See HDB, II, 552b. (2) Place (Ezekiel 27:19); the name is missing in Septuagint.
David Francis Roberts. Multi-Version Concordance Javan (12 Occurrences). ...
/j/javan.htm - 12k

Lost (85 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (vt) Parted with unwillingly or unintentionally;
not to be found; missing; as, a lost book or sheep. ...
/l/lost.htm - 32k

Library
... of the Deluge, however, by Mr. George Smith in 1873 led the proprietors of the Daily
Telegraph to send him to Nineveh in the hope that the missing portions of ...
/l/library.htm - 16k

Wronging (6 Occurrences)
... I will meditate on your precepts. (See NIV). Proverbs 8:36 And whoso is missing
me, is wronging his soul, All hating me have loved death! (YLT). ...
/w/wronging.htm - 8k

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Missing: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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