SPECIAL TOPIC: THE WATERS/SEA

1. Old Testament Imagery
   1. There are many different allusions to YHWH's interacting with "water."
      1. victory over chaotic water (cf. Gen. 1:2; Ps. 74:14; Isa. 27:1; Jer. 5:22)
         Special Topic: Creation and Flood Accounts in the ANE
         Special Topic: Leviathan
      2. separation (creation of water not specifically mentioned in Genesis 1) of the waters in Genesis
         1. above and below (Gen. 1:6-7)
         2. salt from fresh (Gen. 1:9-10)
      3. water as judgment
         1. the Flood (i.e. Genesis 6-9; Ps. 29:10)
         2. blood (i.e. Exod. 7:17-20; see Special Topic: Blood)
         3. hail (i.e. Exod. 9:18,23)
         4. no rain (in Deut. 11:17; 28:20-26; 1 Kgs. 8:35; 17:1; Isa. 50:2; Jer. 14)
         5. a test of women's marital faithfulness (Numbers 5)
         6. sound of invading nations sent by YHWH in judgment (Isa. 5:30; 17:12-13; 23:11; Jer. 6:23; 51:42; also note Luke 21:25)
      4. water as covenant blessing (i.e. Lev. 26:4; Deut. 11:14-15; 28:12; Isa. 11:9; 43:16; 51:10)
      5. water as a symbol of cleansing
         1. priests (i.e. Exod. 29:4; 30:18-21; Num. 19:7; Jer. 27:19)
         2. worshipers (i.e. Num. 19:8)
         3. baptism (Eph. 5:26; Titus 3:5; 1 Pet. 3:21; see Special Topic: Baptism)
      6. the splitting of the Red Sea (i.e. Exodus 14-15; Ps. 77:16-19; Isa. 51:9-10)
         Notice the different words used for water in the Song of Moses in Exodus 15
         1. "the sea," Exod. 15:1,4,10,19 ‒ BDB 410
         2. "the deep" (lit. floods), Exod. 15:5 ‒ BDB 1062, cf. Exod. 15:8; Gen. 1:2
         3. "the depth," Exod. 15:5 ‒ BDB 846
         4. "waters," Exod. 5:8,10; 19:6
         5. "the waters" (lit. floods), Exod. 15:8 ‒ BDB 633, KB 683, Qal ACTIVE PARTICIPLE
         6. "the deeps," Exod. 15:8 ‒ BDB 1062, cf. Exod. 15:5
         7. "the heart of the sea," Exod. 15:8 ‒ BDB 523 CONSTRUCT BDB 410
         8. "mighty waters," Exod. 15:10, ADJECTIVE, BDB 523, and NOUN for "sea," BDB 410
      7. special provision of water (i.e. the Exodus, cf. Exodus 17; Numbers 20)
      8. the conquest of Canaan, the splitting of the Jordan (cf. Joshua 3)
      9. the splitting of the Jordan by Elijah (cf. 2 Kgs. 2:7-9) and by Elisha (cf. 2 Kgs. 2:13-14)
      10. water as imagery for
          1. problems (cf. Ps. 18:16; 32:6; 144:7)
          2. enemies (cf. Isa. 17 12-14; Jer. 6:23)
          3. evil people (cf. Isa. 57:20)
          4. defeat of
             
             (1)  Tyre ‒ Ezek. 26:17-21

             (2)  Neo-Babylon ‒ Jer. 51:41-58; Hab. 3:1-15
      11. storms sent by YHWH for His purposes
          1. Jonah ‒ Ps. 107:23-32
          2. Psalm 18:7-15
   2. Theories about this phrase
      1. It refers to the laver in the temple used by priests (cf. 1 Kgs. 7:23; 2 Chr. 4:2-6).
      2. It is related to the concept of the crystal sea as part of his vision of God found in Exod. 24:9-10.
      3. It is part of the portable throne chariot of YHWH in Ezek. 1:22,26; 10:1
   
   
2. New Testament (from Revelation)
   1. Because the sea is mentioned in Rev. 4:6 as a way of speaking of the holiness of God which separates Him from sinful mankind, some have seen its exclusion as the restoration of perfect fellowship between God and humanity (i.e. Rev. 21:1).
   2. Because the first beast in Rev. 13:1 comes out of the sea and there is an allusion to the sea as referring to evil people in Isa. 57:20 (as did the 4 beasts of Dan. 7:3).
   3. Because Rev. 17:15 is a quote from Isa. 17:12-13 where the waters stand for people, many assert that it refers to the wicked nations, like Psalm 2.
   4. Because in Rev. 20:13 the sea seemed to be one of the three holding places of the dead, it is a way of saying that all of the dead have been assigned to one of two eternal destinies (see Special Topic: Eternal Punishment).

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