Topical Bible: Vast

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Topical Encyclopedia

The term "vast" is often used to describe something immense, extensive, or of great magnitude. In the context of the Bible, the concept of vastness can be applied to various aspects of God's creation, His attributes, and His works. The Bible frequently uses imagery and language that convey the vastness of God's power, wisdom, and love, as well as the expansiveness of His creation.

Creation and Nature

The vastness of God's creation is a recurring theme in Scripture. The heavens and the earth are depicted as immense and awe-inspiring, reflecting the glory and majesty of the Creator. Psalm 19:1 states, "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands." This verse highlights the vastness of the universe as a testament to God's creative power.

In Genesis 1, the account of creation emphasizes the breadth and depth of God's work. The creation of the heavens, the earth, the seas, and all living creatures showcases the vastness of God's creative ability. The sheer scale of the universe, with its countless stars and galaxies, points to the infinite nature of God's handiwork.

God's Attributes

The vastness of God's attributes is another significant theme in the Bible. God's wisdom, knowledge, and understanding are described as immeasurable and beyond human comprehension. In Isaiah 40:28 , it is written, "Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary; His understanding is beyond searching out."

Similarly, the vastness of God's love and mercy is emphasized throughout Scripture. Ephesians 3:18-19 speaks of the desire for believers to "grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge." This passage underscores the boundless nature of God's love for humanity.

God's Works and Plans

The vastness of God's works and plans is evident in His dealings with humanity and the unfolding of His divine purposes. The Bible recounts numerous instances where God's plans are revealed to be far-reaching and comprehensive. In Romans 11:33 , the apostle Paul exclaims, "Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable His judgments, and untraceable His ways!"

The vastness of God's redemptive plan is particularly highlighted in the narrative of salvation history. From the calling of Abraham to the establishment of Israel, and ultimately to the coming of Jesus Christ, God's plan of salvation spans generations and encompasses all nations. The Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20 further illustrates the vast scope of God's mission, as Jesus commands His disciples to "go and make disciples of all nations."

Human Response

In light of the vastness of God and His works, the appropriate human response is one of awe, reverence, and worship. The psalmist captures this sentiment in Psalm 8:3-4 , "When I behold Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place—what is man that You are mindful of him, or the son of man that You care for him?"

The vastness of God and His creation calls believers to a posture of humility and trust, recognizing their own limitations and the greatness of the One who holds all things together. As finite beings, humans are invited to marvel at the infinite and to place their faith in the God whose vastness is matched by His faithfulness and love.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary

1. (superl.) Waste; desert; desolate; lonely.

2. (superl.) of the vast ocean; vast mountains; the vast empire of Russia.

3. (superl.) Very great in numbers, quantity, or amount; as, a vast army; a vast sum of money.

4. (superl.) Very great in importance; as, a subject of vast concern.

5. (n.) A waste region; boundless space; immensity.

Greek

5082. telikoutos -- such as this, of persons so old, of things so ...
... large, important. 5082 (a strengthened form of , "so great") -- vast
(very great) -- , reaching (). Word Origin from a comp. of ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5082.htm - 7k

5118. tosoutos -- so great, so much, pl. so many
... From tosos (so much; apparently from ho and hos) and houtos (including its variations);
so vast as this, ie Such (in quantity, amount, number of space) -- as ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5118.htm - 8k

Strong's Hebrew

6105a. atsom -- to be vast, mighty, numerous
... 6105, 6105a. atsom. 6105b . to be vast, mighty, numerous. Transliteration:
atsom Short Definition: numerous. Word Origin a prim. ...
/hebrew/6105a.htm - 5k

6105. atsam -- to be vast, mighty, numerous
... 6104, 6105. atsam. 6105a . to be vast, mighty, numerous. Transliteration:
atsam Phonetic Spelling: (aw-tsam') Short Definition: bones. ...
/hebrew/6105.htm - 5k

1419. gadol -- great
... and great (1), more* (1), much (1), nobles (1), old (1), older (8), oldest (3),
prominent (1), rich (1), screamed* (1), severe (1), spacious (1), vast (1), very ...
/hebrew/1419.htm - 6k

7342. rachab -- wide, broad
... broad NASB Word Usage arrogant (2), broad (7), broader (1), extensive (1), large*
(2), liberty (1), proud (1), spacious (1), spacious* (1), vast (1), wide (3). ...
/hebrew/7342.htm - 6k

3524. kabbir -- great, mighty, much
... From kabar; vast, whether in extent (figuratively, of power, mighty; of time, aged),
or in number, many -- + feeble, mighty, most, much, strong, valiant. ...
/hebrew/3524.htm - 6k

Library

It is a Vast and Endless Task to Examine Each Kind Separately...
... Book III. 42 It is a vast and endless task to examine each kind separately?
It is a vast and endless task to examine each kind ...
/.../arnobius/the seven books of arnobius against the heathen/42 it is a vast.htm

Away in Paris, a Vast Concourse of People were Assembled Round an ...
... XXXII. Away in Paris, a vast concourse of people were assembled round an
open grave in? Away in Paris, a vast concourse of people ...
//christianbookshelf.org/corelli/the master-christian/xxxii away in paris a.htm

Fragment vi. Since God is Vast, and the Architect of the World...
... Fragment VI. Since God is vast, and the Architect of the world? Since
[4810] God is vast, and the Architect of the world, and ...
/.../fragments from the lost writings of irenaeus/fragment vi since god is.htm

Of what Vast Importance Right Principles are we May See by This
... THE FOURTH CENTURY 16 Of what vast importance right principles are we may
see by this. Of what vast importance right principles are ...
/.../traherne/centuries of meditations/16 of what vast importance.htm

The Vast Difference in Morals Between the Christians and their ...
... Chapter XXXIV."The Vast Difference in Morals Between the Christians and
Their Accusers. But though such is our character (Oh! ...
/.../athenagoras/a plea for the christians/chapter xxxiv the vast difference in.htm

That the Romans Added a Vast Number of Gods to those Introduced by ...
... Book III. Chapter 12."That the Romans Added a Vast Number of Gods to Those Introduced
by Numa, and that Their Numbers Helped Them Not at All. ...
/.../augustine/city of god/chapter 12 that the romans added.htm

Did we Bring it About, that Ten Thousand Years Ago a Vast Number ...
... Book I. 5 Did we bring it about, that ten thousand years ago a vast number
of men? Did we bring it about, that ten thousand years ...
/.../arnobius/the seven books of arnobius against the heathen/5 did we bring it.htm

The Saviour's Last Command.
... decayed magnificence; some to search out the sources of the Nile and the course
of the Niger; some to possess the best of the soil; and a vast multitude have ...
/.../dibble/thoughts on missions/chapter iv the saviours last.htm

You Press Me to Give My Opinions About the Nature of Things. If ...
... But Oh! how vast was the wealth contained in that trireme which had come full of
all the wares of Egypt and the East to enrich the poverty of the city of Rome. ...
/.../29 you press me to.htm

These are his Own Words, He Cannot Deny Them. Now I do not Want to ...
... Do you not know that I possess the whole of Origen's works and have read a vast
number of them? 16. These are his own words, he cannot deny them. ...
/.../16 these are his own.htm

Thesaurus

Vast (54 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (superl.) Waste; desert; desolate; lonely. 2. (superl.)
of the vast ocean; vast mountains; the vast empire of Russia. ...
/v/vast.htm - 22k

Lake (45 Occurrences)
... (WEY NIV). Mark 3:7 Accordingly Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the Lake,
and a vast crowd of people from Galilee followed Him; (WEY NIV). ...
/l/lake.htm - 24k

Vastly (1 Occurrence)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (adv.) To a vast extent or degree; very greatly;
immensely. Multi-Version Concordance Vastly (1 Occurrence). ...
/v/vastly.htm - 6k

Nineveh (23 Occurrences)
... A little more than forty years ago the French consul at Mosul began to search
the vast mounds that lay along the opposite bank of the river. ...
/n/nineveh.htm - 52k

Gog (12 Occurrences)
... They are represented as a vast mixed horde from the far-off parts of the North,
the limits of the horizon, completely armed and equipped for war. ...
/g/gog.htm - 14k

Phenicia (1 Occurrence)
... and Tigris forwarding their goods by way of Tyre to the Nile, to Arabia, and to
the west; and, on the other hand, the productions of the vast regions bordering ...
/p/phenicia.htm - 12k

Board (47 Occurrences)
... Matthew 9:1 Accordingly He went on board, and crossing over came to His own town.
(WEY DBY). Matthew 13:2 when a vast multitude of people crowded round Him. ...
/b/board.htm - 23k

Chaldea (8 Occurrences)
... The country so named is a vast plain formed by the deposits of the Euphrates and
the Tigris, extending to about 400 miles along the course of these rivers, and ...
/c/chaldea.htm - 25k

Abyss (11 Occurrences)
... 1. (n.) A bottomless or unfathomed depth, gulf, or chasm; specifically, hell, or
the bottomless pit. 2. (n.) Infinite time; a vast intellectual or moral depth. ...
/a/abyss.htm - 13k

Shore (45 Occurrences)
... (WEY NAS). Mark 4:1 Once more He began to teach by the side of the Lake, and
a vast multitude of people came together to listen to Him. ...
/s/shore.htm - 22k

Resources

Why did God create such a vast universe and other planets if there is only life on Earth? | GotQuestions.org

What are the Dead Sea Scrolls and why are they important? | GotQuestions.org

What is the idealist interpretation of the book of Revelation? | GotQuestions.org

Vast: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

Bible Concordance • Bible Dictionary • Bible Encyclopedia • Topical Bible • Bible Thesuarus

Concordance

Vast (54 Occurrences)

Matthew 8:30
Now at some distance from them a vast herd of swine were feeding.
(WEY)

Matthew 13:2
when a vast multitude of people crowded round Him. He therefore went on board a boat and sat there, while all the people stood on the shore.
(WEY)

Matthew 15:33
"Where can we," asked the disciples, "get bread enough in this remote place to satisfy so vast a multitude?"
(WEY)

Matthew 19:2
And a vast multitude followed him, and He cured them there.
(WEY)

Mark 3:7
Accordingly Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the Lake, and a vast crowd of people from Galilee followed Him;
(WEY)

Mark 3:8
and from Judaea and Jerusalem and Idumaea and from beyond the Jordan and from the district of Tyre and Sidon there came to Him a vast crowd, hearing of all that He was doing.
(WEY)

Mark 4:1
Once more He began to teach by the side of the Lake, and a vast multitude of people came together to listen to Him. He therefore went on board the boat and sat there, a little way from the land; and all the people were on the shore close to the water.
(WEY)

Mark 5:21
When Jesus had re-crossed in the boat to the other side, a vast multitude came crowding to Him; and He was on the shore of the Lake,
(WEY)

Mark 6:34
So when Jesus landed, He saw a vast multitude; and His heart was moved with pity for them, because they were like sheep which have no shepherd, and He proceeded to teach them many things.
(WEY)

Luke 5:6
This they did, and enclosed a vast number of fish; and their nets began to break.
(WEY)

Luke 14:25
On His journey vast crowds attended Him, towards whom He turned and said,
(WEY)

Luke 16:26
And, besides all this, a vast chasm is immovably fixed between us and you, put there in order that those who desire to cross from this side to you may not be able, nor any be able to cross over from your side to us.'
(WEY)

Luke 23:27
A vast crowd of the people also followed Him, and of women who were beating their breasts and wailing for Him.
(WEY)

John 6:2
A vast multitude followed Him, because they witnessed the miracles on the sick which He was constantly performing.
(WEY)

John 21:25
But there are also many other things which Jesus did--so vast a number indeed that if they were all described in detail, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would have to be written.
(WEY)

Acts 11:21
The power of the Lord was with them, and there were a vast number who believed and turned to the Lord.
(WEY)

Acts 19:26
and you see and hear that, not in Ephesus only but throughout almost the whole province of Asia, this fellow Paul has led away a vast number of people by inducing them to believe that they are not gods at all that are made by men's hands.
(WEY)

Romans 8:29
For those whom He has known beforehand He has also pre-destined to bear the likeness of His Son, that He might be the Eldest in a vast family of brothers;
(WEY)

Romans 15:29
and I know that when I come to you it will be with a vast amount of blessing from Christ.
(WEY)

Colossians 1:27
to whom it was His will to make known how vast a wealth of glory for the Gentile world is implied in this truth--the truth that 'Christ is in you, the hope of glory.'
(WEY)

Hebrews 10:35
Therefore do not cast from you your confident hope, for it will receive a vast reward.
(WEY)

Hebrews 12:1
Therefore, surrounded as we are by such a vast cloud of witnesses, let us fling aside every encumbrance and the sin that so readily entangles our feet. And let us run with patient endurance the race that lies before us,
(WEY)

James 3:5
In the same way the tongue is an insignificant part of the body, but it is immensely boastful. Remember how a mere spark may set a vast forest in flames.
(WEY)

Revelation 8:11
The name of the star is 'Wormwood;' and a third part of the waters were turned into wormwood, and vast numbers of the people died from drinking the water, because it had become bitter.
(WEY)

Revelation 9:2
and he opened the depths of the bottomless pit. And smoke came up out of the pit resembling the smoke of a vast furnace, so that the sun was darkened, and the air also, by reason of the smoke of the pit.
(WEY)

Revelation 9:9
They had breast-plates which seemed to be made of steel; and the noise caused by their wings was like that of a vast number of horses and chariots hurrying into battle.
(WEY)

Revelation 18:19
And they threw dust upon their heads, and cried out, weeping aloud and sorrowing. 'Alas, alas,' they said, 'for this great city, in which, through her vast wealth, the owners of all the ships on the sea have grown rich; because in one short hour she has been laid waste!'
(WEY)

Revelation 21:10
So in the Spirit he carried me to the top of a vast, lofty mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of Heaven from God,
(WEY)

Genesis 2:1
The heavens and the earth were finished, and all their vast array.
(WEB NIV)

Deuteronomy 1:19
We traveled from Horeb, and went through all that great and terrible wilderness which you saw, by the way to the hill country of the Amorites, as Yahweh our God commanded us; and we came to Kadesh Barnea.
(See NIV)

Deuteronomy 2:7
For Yahweh your God has blessed you in all the work of your hand; he has known your walking through this great wilderness: these forty years Yahweh your God has been with you; you have lacked nothing.
(See NIV)

Deuteronomy 8:15
who led you through the great and terrible wilderness, in which were fiery serpents and scorpions, and thirsty ground where there was no water; who brought you forth water out of the rock of flint;
(See NIV)

1 Kings 8:65
So Solomon held the feast at that time, and all Israel with him, a great assembly, from the entrance of Hamath to the brook of Egypt, before Yahweh our God, seven days and seven days, even fourteen days.
(See NIV)

1 Kings 20:13
Behold, a prophet came near to Ahab king of Israel, and said, "Thus says Yahweh,'Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, I will deliver it into your hand this day; and you shall know that I am Yahweh.'"
(See NIV)

1 Kings 20:28
A man of God came near and spoke to the king of Israel, and said, "Thus says Yahweh,'Because the Syrians have said, "Yahweh is a god of the hills, but he is not a god of the valleys;" therefore I will deliver all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am Yahweh.'"
(See NIV)

2 Chronicles 7:8
So Solomon held the feast at that time seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great assembly, from the entrance of Hamath to the brook of Egypt.
(See NIV)

2 Chronicles 13:8
Now you think to withstand the kingdom of Yahweh in the hand of the sons of David; and you are a great multitude, and there are with you the golden calves which Jeroboam made you for gods.
(See NIV)

2 Chronicles 14:9
There came out against them Zerah the Ethiopian with an army of a million troops, and three hundred chariots; and he came to Mareshah.
(See NIV)

2 Chronicles 14:11
Asa cried to Yahweh his God, and said, Yahweh, there is none besides you to help, between the mighty and him who has no strength: help us, Yahweh our God; for we rely on you, and in your name are we come against this multitude. Yahweh, you are our God; don't let man prevail against you.
(See NIV)

2 Chronicles 20:2
Then there came some who told Jehoshaphat, saying, There comes a great multitude against you from beyond the sea from Syria; and behold, they are in Hazazon Tamar (the same is En Gedi).
(See NIV)

2 Chronicles 20:12
Our God, will you not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that comes against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are on you.
(See NIV)

2 Chronicles 20:15
and he said, Listen, all Judah, and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you king Jehoshaphat: Thus says Yahweh to you, Don't you be afraid, neither be dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's.
(See NIV)

2 Chronicles 20:24
When Judah came to the place overlooking the wilderness, they looked at the multitude; and behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and there were none who escaped.
(See NIV)

2 Chronicles 32:7
Be strong and of good courage, don't be afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude who is with him; for there is a greater with us than with him:
(See NIV)

Esther 1:4
He displayed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honor of his excellent majesty many days, even one hundred eighty days.
(See NIV)

Esther 1:20
When the king's decree which he shall make is published throughout all his kingdom (for it is great), all the wives will give their husbands honor, both great and small."
(See RSV NIV)

Esther 5:11
Haman recounted to them the glory of his riches, the multitude of his children, all the things in which the king had promoted him, and how he had advanced him above the princes and servants of the king.
(See NIV)

Job 9:4
God who is wise in heart, and mighty in strength: who has hardened himself against him, and prospered?
(See NIV)

Job 38:18
Have you comprehended the earth in its breadth? Declare, if you know it all.
(See NIV)

Psalms 139:17
How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them!
(WEB NAS RSV NIV)

Isaiah 22:18
Twisting you round and round like a ball he will send you out into a wide country: there you will come to your end, and there will be the carriages of your pride, O shame of your lord's house!
(See NAS)

Lamentations 2:13
What shall I testify to you? what shall I liken to you, daughter of Jerusalem? What shall I compare to you, that I may comfort you, virgin daughter of Zion? For your breach is great like the sea: who can heal you?
(See NAS RSV)

Ezekiel 26:19
For thus says the Lord Yahweh: When I shall make you a desolate city, like the cities that are not inhabited; when I shall bring up the deep on you, and the great waters shall cover you;
(See NIV)

Ezekiel 37:10
So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up on their feet, an exceedingly great army.
(See NIV)

Subtopics

Vast

Related Terms

Vat (7 Occurrences)

Yahweh (6653 Occurrences)

Jehovah (20094 Occurrences)

Infinitely (3 Occurrences)

Text (5 Occurrences)

Transitory (2 Occurrences)

Discrepancies

Media (14 Occurrences)

Manuscripts