Topical Bible: Soil

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Topical Encyclopedia

Definition and Significance:
Soil, in the biblical context, is often used both literally and metaphorically. Literally, it refers to the earth or ground, the medium in which plants grow and from which humans and animals derive sustenance. Metaphorically, soil is used to represent the condition of the human heart and its receptivity to God's word.

Biblical References:

1. Creation and Sustenance:
In Genesis 2:7, the Bible describes the creation of man from the soil: "Then the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being." This highlights the fundamental connection between humans and the earth, emphasizing humanity's dependence on the soil for life and sustenance.

2. Parable of the Sower:
One of the most significant uses of soil in the New Testament is found in the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:3-9, Mark 4:3-8, Luke 8:5-8). In this parable, Jesus describes different types of soil representing the varied responses of human hearts to the word of God. The "good soil" is described as those who hear the word, understand it, and produce a fruitful harvest (Matthew 13:23): "But the seed sown on good soil is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and produces a crop—a hundredfold, sixtyfold, or thirtyfold."

3. Covenant and Land:
The Promised Land, described as a land flowing with milk and honey, is a recurring theme in the Old Testament. The fertility of the soil in this land is a sign of God's blessing and faithfulness to His covenant with Israel. Deuteronomy 8:7-9 states: "For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land, a land with streams and pools of water, with springs flowing in the valleys and hills; a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing."

4. Judgment and Restoration:
The condition of the soil is also used to symbolize judgment and restoration. In times of disobedience, the land becomes barren and unproductive, as seen in Jeremiah 12:4 : "How long will the land mourn and the grass of every field wither? Because of the evil of its residents, the beasts and birds have perished, for they said, 'He will not see what happens to us.'" Conversely, restoration is depicted through the renewal of the land's fertility, as in Isaiah 35:1 : "The wilderness and the land will be glad; the desert will rejoice and blossom like a rose."

5. Human Responsibility:
The Bible also emphasizes human responsibility in caring for the soil. In Genesis 2:15 , God places Adam in the Garden of Eden "to work it and take care of it," indicating the stewardship role humans have over the earth. This stewardship is further underscored in the laws given to Israel, such as the Sabbatical Year, where the land was to rest every seventh year (Leviticus 25:4): "But in the seventh year there shall be a Sabbath of complete rest for the land—a Sabbath to the LORD. You are not to sow your field or prune your vineyard."

Theological Implications:
Soil, as a symbol of the human heart, challenges believers to examine their receptivity to God's word. The parable of the sower calls for self-reflection on the condition of one's heart and the fruitfulness of one's life in response to divine truth. Additionally, the biblical mandate for stewardship of the earth underscores the responsibility to care for God's creation, reflecting His glory and provision.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary

1. (v. t.) To feed, as cattle or horses, in the barn or an enclosure, with fresh grass or green food cut for them, instead of sending them out to pasture; hence (such food having the effect of purging them), to purge by feeding on green food; as, to soil a horse.

2. (n.) The upper stratum of the earth; the mold, or that compound substance which furnishes nutriment to plants, or which is particularly adapted to support and nourish them.

3. (n.) Land; country.

4. (n.) Dung; feces; compost; manure; as, night soil.

5. (v. t.) To enrich with soil or muck; to manure.

6. (n.) A marshy or miry place to which a hunted boar resorts for refuge; hence, a wet place, stream, or tract of water, sought for by other game, as deer.

7. (n.) To make dirty or unclean on the surface; to foul; to dirty; to defile; as, to soil a garment with dust.

8. (n.) To stain or mar, as with infamy or disgrace; to tarnish; to sully.

9. (v. i.) To become soiled; as, light colors soil sooner than dark ones.

10. (n.) That which soils or pollutes; a soiled place; spot; stain.

Greek

5529b. chous -- earth, soil
... chous. 5530 . earth, soil. Transliteration: chous Short Definition: dust. ... of a
derivation of cheo (to pour) Definition earth, soil NASB Word Usage dust (2). ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5529b.htm - 5k

3435. moluno -- to stain, defile
... to stain, defile. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: moluno Phonetic Spelling:
(mol-oo'-no) Short Definition: I soil, stain, pollute, defile Definition: I ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3435.htm - 7k

1093. ge -- the earth, land
... the earth, land. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: ge Phonetic Spelling:
(ghay) Short Definition: the earth, soil, land Definition: the earth, soil ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1093.htm - 7k

1090. georgeo -- to till
... to till. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: georgeo Phonetic Spelling:
(gheh-or-gheh'-o) Short Definition: I work the soil, cultivate the earth Definition: ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1090.htm - 6k

1092. georgos -- a husbandman, vinedresser
... vinedresser. Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine Transliteration: georgos Phonetic Spelling:
(gheh-ore-gos') Short Definition: a worker of the soil, husbandman, vine ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1092.htm - 7k

4695. spiloo -- to stain, defile
... defile. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: spiloo Phonetic Spelling:
(spee-lo'-o) Short Definition: I defile, spot Definition: I defile, spot, stain, ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4695.htm - 6k

1475. edaphos -- a basis, bottom, ground
... ground. From the base of hedraios; a basis (bottom), ie The soil -- ground. see
GREEK hedraios. (edaphos) -- 1 Occurrence. 1474, 1475. edaphos. 1476 . ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1475.htm - 6k

5476. chamai -- on or to the ground
... on the ground. Adverb perhaps from the base of chasma through the idea of a fissure
in the soil; earthward, ie Prostrate -- on (to) the ground. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5476.htm - 6k

3075. lumainomai -- to outrage, to corrupt
... to ravage, destroy. Middle voice from a probably derivative of luo (meaning filth);
properly, to soil, ie (figuratively) insult (maltreat) -- make havock of. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3075.htm - 6k

5517. choikos -- earthy, made of dust
... earthy. From choos; dusty or dirty (soil-like), ie (by implication) terrene -- earthy.
see GREEK choos. (choikoi) -- 1 Occurrence. (choikos) -- 2 Occurrences. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5517.htm - 7k

Strong's Hebrew

2936. tanaph -- to soil, defile
... to soil, defile. Transliteration: tanaph Phonetic Spelling: (taw-naf') Short Definition:
dirty. ... root Definition to soil, defile NASB Word Usage dirty (1). defile ...
/hebrew/2936.htm - 5k

2981. yebul -- produce (of the soil)
... 2980, 2981. yebul. 2982 . produce (of the soil). Transliteration: yebul
Phonetic Spelling: (yeb-ool') Short Definition: produce. ...
/hebrew/2981.htm - 6k

7704. sadeh -- field, land
... 1), country (14), countryside (1), countryside* (1), field (235), fields (32), ground
(3), ground* (1), land (16), lands (1), mainland (2), soil (2), territory ...
/hebrew/7704.htm - 6k

127. adamah -- ground, land
... adam Definition ground, land NASB Word Usage country (1), dirt (1), dust (3), earth
(32), farming* (1), fields (1), ground (64), land (112), lands (2), soil (7 ...
/hebrew/127.htm - 6k

2643. chaph -- clean
... innocent. From chophaph (in the moral sense of covered from soil); pure -- innocent.
see HEBREW chophaph. 2642, 2643. chaph. 2644 . Strong's Numbers.
/hebrew/2643.htm - 6k

2610. chaneph -- to be polluted or profane
... corrupt, defile, greatly, pollute, profane. A primitive root; to soil, especially
in a moral sense -- corrupt, defile, X greatly, pollute, profane. ...
/hebrew/2610.htm - 6k

5214. nir -- to break up, freshly till
... break up. A root probably identical with that of niyr, through the idea of the gleam
of a fresh furrow; to till the soil -- break up. see HEBREW niyr. ...
/hebrew/5214.htm - 6k

1351. gaal -- to defile
... A primitive root, (rather identified with ga'al, through the idea of freeing, ie
Repudiating); to soil or (figuratively) desecrate -- defile, pollute, stain. ...
/hebrew/1351.htm - 6k

8327. sharash -- to deal with the roots
... take, cause to take root out. A primitive root; to root, ie Strike into the soil,
or (by implication) to pluck from it -- (take, cause to take) root (out). ...
/hebrew/8327.htm - 6k

6083. aphar -- dry earth, dust
... Word Origin from an unused word Definition dry earth, dust NASB Word Usage ashes
(2), debris (2), dirt (1), dry soil (1), dust (91), dusty (1), earth (5 ...
/hebrew/6083.htm - 6k

Library

The Soil and the Seed
... LXXIX THE SOIL AND THE SEED. Matthew xiii.1-9. It takes two things to make a
seed grow. One is a good seed, and the other is a good soil. ...
/.../peabody/mornings in the college chapel/lxxix the soil and the.htm

February the Twelfth the Bulb and the Soil
... FEBRUARY The Twelfth THE BULB AND THE SOIL. ... Some one sent me a bulb which requires
a certain kind of soil, but he also sent me the soil in which to grow it. ...
/.../my daily meditation for the circling year/february the twelfth the bulb.htm

Sowing Ourselves in Life's Soil.
... Each One of Us Sowing Ourselves in Life's Soil. ... It is men, saved men. We are to
sow our saved selves, our lives, in the soil of men's lives. ...
/.../gordon/quiet talks with world winners/sowing ourselves in lifes soil.htm

Chap. xxviii. How the Same St. Cuthbert, Living the Life of an ...
... Cuthbert, living the life of an Anchorite, by his prayers obtained a spring in a
dry soil, and had a crop from seed sown by the labour of his hands out of ...
/.../bede/bedes ecclesiastical history of england/chap xxviii how the same.htm

How Constantine Commanded the Materials of the Idol Temple, and ...
... Book III. Chapter XXVII."How Constantine commanded the Materials of the Idol
Temple, and the Soil itself, to be removed at a Distance. ...
/.../the life of constantine/chapter xxvii how constantine commanded the.htm

The Heath in the Desert and the Tree by the River
... sides. The fierce 'sunbeams like swords' slay every green thing. The salt
particles in the soil glitter in the light. No living ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture h/the heath in the desert.htm

On the End of Man
... We see that the soil is made for the plants and trees to grow in; because if there
was no need of things growing, it would be better to have a nice clean solid ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/kinkead/baltimore catechism no 4/lesson 1 on the end.htm

The Summer Fields
... When he sees that the sun begins to shine forth, he clips and cuts his trees, and
digs up his ground, and turns over the soil with toil and care. ...
/.../bevan/three friends of god/chapter xxiii the summer fields.htm

The Sower Cont.
... St. Paul sowed upon just such soil in Galatia. There his hearers spoke of such
blessedness that they would have plucked out their eyes for him. ...
/.../chadwick/the gospel of st mark/chapter 4 3-9 14-20 the sower 2.htm

Good Works.
... In a garden where the conditions are all equal, and there is the same soil,
the same fertilizer, etc., different fruit-trees are planted. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kuyper/the work of the holy spirit/xv good works.htm

Thesaurus

Soil (59 Occurrences)
... for them, instead of sending them out to pasture; hence (such food having the effect
of purging them), to purge by feeding on green food; as, to soil a horse. ...
/s/soil.htm - 23k

Earth (10501 Occurrences)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary. (1.) In the sense of soil or ground, the translation
of the word adamah'. In Genesis 9:20 "husbandman" is ...
/e/earth.htm - 26k

Land (19790 Occurrences)
... 4. (n.) Ground, in respect to its nature or quality; soil; as, wet land; good
or bad land. ... The soil is deep, rich loam, of amazing fertility. ...
/l/land.htm - 21k

Plough (11 Occurrences)
... 2. (n.) A well-known implement, drawn by horses, mules, oxen, or other power, for
turning up the soil to prepare it for bearing crops; also used to furrow or ...
/p/plough.htm - 11k

Fell (331 Occurrences)
... Matthew 13:5 Others fell on rocky ground, where they didn't have much soil, and
immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of earth. ...
/f/fell.htm - 36k

Plow (11 Occurrences)
... shoulder. These plows literally scratch the soil, as the Hebrew word implies. ...
continually? Does he keep turning the soil and breaking the clods? ...
/p/plow.htm - 15k

Rocky (14 Occurrences)
... Matthew 13:5 Others fell on rocky ground, where they didn't have much soil, and
immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of earth. ...
/r/rocky.htm - 10k

Depth (22 Occurrences)
... Matthew 13:5 Others fell on rocky ground, where they didn't have much soil, and
immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of earth. ...
/d/depth.htm - 13k

Bay (8 Occurrences)
... The Hebrew word so rendered is ereh, which simply means "native born", ie, a tree
not transplanted, but growing on its native soil, and therefore luxuriantly. ...
/b/bay.htm - 12k

Clay (50 Occurrences)
... CLAY. kla (chomer, chacaph, TiT, meleT, `abhi, ma`abheh, abhTiT; pelos, "wet clay,"
"mud"): True clay, which is a highly aluminous soil, is found in certain ...
/c/clay.htm - 25k

Resources

What is the key to applying the Bible to my life? | GotQuestions.org

What is a spiritual harvest and how can I achieve one? | GotQuestions.org

What is the meaning of the Parable of the Growing Seed (Mark 4:26-29)? | GotQuestions.org

Soil: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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

Concordance

Soil (59 Occurrences)

Matthew 13:5
Others fell on rocky ground, where they didn't have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of earth.
(WEB WEY NAS RSV NIV)

Matthew 13:8
Others fell on good soil, and yielded fruit: some one hundred times as much, some sixty, and some thirty.
(WEB NAS RSV NIV)

Matthew 13:23
What was sown on the good ground, this is he who hears the word, and understands it, who most certainly bears fruit, and brings forth, some one hundred times as much, some sixty, and some thirty."
(See NAS RSV NIV)

Mark 4:5
Others fell on the rocky ground, where it had little soil, and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of soil.
(WEB WEY NAS RSV NIV)

Mark 4:8
Others fell into the good ground, and yielded fruit, growing up and increasing. Some brought forth thirty times, some sixty times, and some one hundred times as much."
(See NAS RSV NIV)

Mark 4:20
Those which were sown on the good ground are those who hear the word, and accept it, and bear fruit, some thirty times, some sixty times, and some one hundred times."
(See NAS RSV NIV)

Mark 4:26
He said, "The Kingdom of God is as if a man should cast seed on the earth,
(See NAS)

Mark 4:28
For the earth bears fruit: first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.
(See NAS NIV)

Mark 4:31
It's like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, though it is less than all the seeds that are on the earth,
(See NAS)

Luke 6:49
But he who has heard and not practised is like a man who has built a house upon the soft soil without a foundation, against which the torrent bursts, and immediately it collapses, and terrible is the wreck and ruin of that house."
(WEY)

Luke 8:6
Other seed fell on the rock, and as soon as it grew, it withered away, because it had no moisture.
(See NAS)

Luke 8:8
Other fell into the good ground, and grew, and brought forth fruit one hundred times." As he said these things, he called out, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"
(See NAS RSV NIV)

Luke 8:13
Those on the rock are they who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; but these have no root, who believe for a while, then fall away in time of temptation.
(See NAS)

Luke 8:15
That in the good ground, these are such as in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, hold it tightly, and bring forth fruit with patience.
(See NAS RSV NIV)

Luke 13:7
He said to the vine dresser,'Behold, these three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and found none. Cut it down. Why does it waste the soil?'
(WEB NIV)

Luke 13:19
It is like a mustard seed which a man drops into the soil in his garden, and it grows and becomes a tree in whose branches the birds roost."
(WEY)

Luke 14:35
It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile. It is thrown out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear."
(WEB NAS NIV)

Colossians 3:8
But now you must rid yourselves of every kind of sin--angry and passionate outbreaks, ill-will, evil speaking, foul-mouthed abuse--so that these may never soil your lips.
(WEY)

James 5:7
Be patient therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient over it, until it receives the early and late rain.
(See NAS)

Genesis 4:2
Again she gave birth, to Cain's brother Abel. Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
(See NIV)

Genesis 4:3
As time passed, it happened that Cain brought an offering to Yahweh from the fruit of the ground.
(See NIV)

Genesis 9:20
Noah began to be a farmer, and planted a vineyard.
(See RSV NIV)

Genesis 47:20
And Joseph bought all the soil of Egypt for Pharaoh; for the Egyptians sold every man his field, because the famine prevailed over them; and the land became Pharaoh's.
(DBY)

Exodus 23:19
The first of the first fruits of your ground you shall bring into the house of Yahweh your God. "You shall not boil a young goat in its mother's milk.
(See NAS NIV)

Exodus 34:26
"You shall bring the first of the first fruits of your ground to the house of Yahweh your God. "You shall not boil a young goat in its mother's milk."
(See NAS NIV)

Leviticus 26:19
I will break the pride of your power, and I will make your sky like iron, and your soil like brass;
(WEB)

Leviticus 26:20
and your strength will be spent in vain; for your land won't yield its increase, neither will the trees of the land yield their fruit.
(See NIV)

Leviticus 27:30
"'All the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is Yahweh's. It is holy to Yahweh.
(See NIV)

Deuteronomy 26:2
that you shall take of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you shall bring in from your land that Yahweh your God gives you; and you shall put it in a basket, and shall go to the place which Yahweh your God shall choose, to cause his name to dwell there.
(See NIV)

Deuteronomy 26:10
Now, behold, I have brought the first of the fruit of the ground, which you, Yahweh, have given me." You shall set it down before Yahweh your God, and worship before Yahweh your God.
(See NIV)

1 Kings 7:46
In the circuit of the Jordan hath the king cast them, in the thick soil of the ground, between Succoth and Zarthan.
(YLT)

1 Kings 18:38
Then the fire of Yahweh fell, and consumed the burnt offering, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.
(See NIV)

1 Chronicles 27:26
Over those who did the work of the field for tillage of the ground was Ezri the son of Chelub:
(See NAS RSV)

2 Chronicles 4:17
In the circuit of the Jordan hath the king cast them, in the thick soil of the ground, between Succoth and Zeredathah.
(YLT)

2 Chronicles 26:10
He built towers in the wilderness, and dug out many cisterns, for he had much livestock; in the lowland also, and in the plain: and he had farmers and vineyard keepers in the mountains and in the fruitful fields; for he loved farming.
(See NAS RSV NIV)

Job 5:6
For affliction doesn't come forth from the dust, neither does trouble spring out of the ground;
(See NIV)

Job 8:19
Behold, this is the joy of his way: out of the earth, others shall spring.
(See NIV)

Job 14:8
Though its root grows old in the earth, and its stock dies in the ground,
(See NAS NIV)

Job 14:19
The waters wear the stones. The torrents of it wash away the dust of the earth. So you destroy the hope of man.
(See RSV NIV)

Psalms 37:35
I have seen the wicked in great power, spreading himself like a green tree in its native soil.
(WEB JPS ASV DBY NAS NIV)

Psalms 105:35
ate up every plant in their land; and ate up the fruit of their ground.
(See NIV)

Psalms 137:4
How should we sing a song of Jehovah's upon a foreign soil?
(DBY)

Song of Songs 5:3
I have taken off my robe. Indeed, must I put it on? I have washed my feet. Indeed, must I soil them?
(WEB RSV NIV)

Isaiah 28:24
Does he who plows to sow plow continually? Does he keep turning the soil and breaking the clods?
(WEB NIV)

Isaiah 30:24
And the oxen and the young asses which are used for ploughing, will have salted grain which has been made free from the waste with fork and basket.
(See NIV)

Isaiah 32:13
And for the land of my people, where thorns will come up; even for all the houses of joy in the glad town.
(See RSV)

Isaiah 34:7
And the strong oxen will go down to death together with the smaller cattle.
(See RSV)

Isaiah 34:9
And its streams will be turned into boiling oil, and its dust into burning stone, and all the land will be on fire.
(See RSV)

Jeremiah 23:8
but, As Yahweh lives, who brought up and who led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all the countries where I had driven them. They shall dwell in their own land.
(See NAS)

Jeremiah 42:12
I will grant you mercy, that he may have mercy on you, and cause you to return to your own land.
(See NAS)

Ezekiel 17:5
He took also of the seed of the land, and planted it in a fruitful soil; he placed it beside many waters; he set it as a willow tree.
(WEB JPS ASV NAS RSV NIV)

Ezekiel 17:8
It was planted in a good soil by many waters, that it might bring forth branches, and that it might bear fruit, that it might be a goodly vine.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV WBS NAS RSV NIV)

Ezekiel 26:4
They shall destroy the walls of Tyre, and break down her towers: I will also scrape her dust from her, and make her a bare rock.
(See RSV)

Ezekiel 26:12
They shall make a spoil of your riches, and make a prey of your merchandise; and they shall break down your walls, and destroy your pleasant houses; and they shall lay your stones and your timber and your dust in the midst of the waters.
(See RSV)

Joel 1:11
Be confounded, you farmers! Wail, you vineyard keepers; for the wheat and for the barley; for the harvest of the field has perished.
(See RSV)

Amos 7:17
Therefore thus says Yahweh:'Your wife shall be a prostitute in the city, and your sons and your daughters shall fall by the sword, and your land shall be divided by line; and you yourself shall die in a land that is unclean, and Israel shall surely be led away captive out of his land.'"
(See NAS)

Micah 5:5
He will be our peace when Assyria invades our land, and when he marches through our fortresses, then we will raise against him seven shepherds, and eight leaders of men.
(See RSV)

Zechariah 13:5
but he will say,'I am no prophet, I am a tiller of the ground; for I have been made a bondservant from my youth.'
(See RSV)

Malachi 3:11
I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast its fruit before its time in the field," says Yahweh of Armies.
(See RSV)

Subtopics

Soil

Related Terms

Soil (59 Occurrences)

Cormorant (4 Occurrences)

Soiling (1 Occurrence)

Shabby (1 Occurrence)

Stain (6 Occurrences)

Hoopoe (2 Occurrences)

Hat

Discomfiture (6 Occurrences)

Jude (4 Occurrences)