Abroad
The Biblical Meaning of Abroad
In the Bible, "abroad" does not carry the modern sense of traveling to a foreign country but rather means "outward," "in every direction," or "spread widely." The underlying Hebrew and Greek words convey ideas of going outside, scattering, or diffusing. When Genesis records that God brought Abraham outside and told him to count the stars (Genesis 15:5), the Hebrew word means simply "outside", Abraham stepped out of his tent to see the heavens. This broader, directional meaning underlies every biblical use of the word.
Spread Abroad: The Diffusion of News and Fame
One of the most common uses of "abroad" describes how reports and news traveled. After Jesus healed a leper, the man "went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news" so widely that Jesus could no longer openly enter a town (Mark 1:45). When Zechariah was struck mute and then wrote that his son's name would be John, "fear came on all their neighbors, and all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea" (Luke 1:65). Paul told the Romans that their faith was "proclaimed in all the world" (Romans 1:8), and he commended the Thessalonians because their faith had "gone forth everywhere" (1 Thessalonians 1:8).
Scattered Abroad: Judgment and Providence
Scattering abroad is a major biblical theme with both negative and positive dimensions. At Babel, God scattered the people abroad over the face of all the earth (Genesis 11:8-9). This scattering was an act of judgment against human pride. Yet scattering also served God's redemptive purposes. After the martyrdom of Stephen, the early church was "scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria" (Acts 8:1). What appeared to be a catastrophe for the church became the means by which the gospel reached new territories. Those who were scattered "went about preaching the word" (Acts 8:4), and the persecution intended to destroy the church instead multiplied it.
God's Love Poured Abroad
One of the most theologically significant uses of "abroad" appears in Romans 5:5, where Paul declares that "God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." The KJV renders this as love "shed abroad" in our hearts. The image is of a generous, unrestricted outpouring, God's love is not given in measured drops but poured out lavishly, flooding the believer's inner being. This internal experience of divine love becomes the foundation for Christian hope and endurance in suffering.
The Gathering of Those Scattered Abroad
The Gospel of John records the high priest Caiaphas's unwitting prophecy that Jesus would die "not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad" (John 11:52). This remarkable statement connects the scattering theme to the redemptive work of Christ. Those scattered among the nations, both dispersed Jews and Gentiles estranged from God, would be gathered into one people through Christ's death. The scattering finds its resolution in the gathering.
From Scattering to Sending
The biblical trajectory of "abroad" moves from judgment to mission. What began as scattering in Genesis becomes strategic sending in Acts. Jesus commissioned his disciples to go "to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8), and Paul's missionary journeys carried the gospel across the Mediterranean world. The word "abroad" thus captures one of Scripture's great movements: God takes human sin and turns it into the vehicle for his saving purposes, scattering his people so that his glory might fill the earth.
Biblical Context
"Abroad" appears across both testaments in varied contexts. Key passages include the scattering at Babel (Genesis 11:8-9), Abraham under the stars (Genesis 15:5), the spread of Jesus's fame (Mark 1:45; Luke 1:65), God's love poured out (Romans 5:5), the scattering of the early church (Acts 8:1, 4), the gathering of God's children (John 11:52), and the spread of the gospel (Romans 1:8; 1 Thessalonians 1:8).
Theological Significance
The concept of being scattered or spread abroad reveals God's sovereign ability to transform judgment into mission and disaster into opportunity. The early church's scattering after Stephen's death became the engine of evangelistic growth. Paul's teaching that God's love is 'poured abroad' in believers' hearts through the Spirit demonstrates that the God who scatters also lavishly gives, filling his people with the very love that compels them to go to the nations.
Historical Background
The scattering of peoples described in Genesis 11 and the Jewish diaspora throughout the ancient world created the network of synagogues and Jewish communities that became launching points for early Christian missions. By the first century, Jewish communities existed throughout the Roman Empire, providing Paul and other missionaries with ready audiences and established connections. The Roman road system and the Pax Romana facilitated the 'spreading abroad' of the gospel message across vast distances.