Deep
Rom 10:7, "who shall descend into the deep?" A proverb for impossibility: "say not in thine heart, I wish one could bring Christ up from the dead, but it is impossible." Nay, salvation "is nigh thee," only "believe" in the Lord Jesus raised from the dead, "and thou shalt be saved." Greek abyss (Luk 8:31), literally, the bottomless place. Translated in Rev 9:1-2; Rev 9:11; Rev 11:7; Rev 11:17, "bottomless pit." The demons in the Gadarene besought not to be cast into the abyss, i.e.
before their time, the day of final judgment. 2Pe 2:4; they are "delivered into chains of darkness, and reserved unto judgment." They are free to hurt meanwhile, like a chained beast, only to the length of their chain (Jud 1:6). The "darkness of this present world," the "air" (Eph 2:2), is their peculiar element; they look forward with agonizing fear to their final torment in the bottomless pit (Rev 20:10). Language is used as though the abyss were in the lowest depth of our earth.
We do not know whether this is literal, or an accommodation to human conceptions, to express the farthest removal from the heavenly light.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia on Deep
Deep (tehom; abussos, Lu 8:31 the King James Version; Ro 10:7 the King James Version; bathos, Lu 5:4; buthos, 2Co 11:25): The Hebrew word ("water in commotion") is used (1) of the primeval watery waste (Ge 1:2), where some suggest a connection with Babylonian Tiamat in the creation-epic; (2) of the sea (Isa 51:10 and commonly); (3) of the subterranean reservoir of water (Ge 7:11; 8:2; 49:25; De 33:13; Eze 31:4, etc.). In the Revised Version (British and American) the Greek word first noted is rendered, literally, "abyss." ⇒See the definition of deep in the KJV Dictionary See ABYSS; also ASTRONOMY, sec. III, 7. ⇒See also the McClintock and Strong Biblical Cyclopedia.
Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible on Deep
The adj. is used fie. in the sense of ' profound ' without any thought of malevolence, as Ps 92° ' Thy thoughts are very deep ' ; Ec 7"* ' that which is far off, and exceeding deep ' (poy pby ' deep, deep ') ; Is 29"* ' woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord ' (cv'v«,eO) ; Dn 2^ ' He revealeth the deep and secret things ' ; 1 Co 2'° ' the deep things of God ' (Wyclif 8 tr. ; Tind. ' the bottome of Goddes secretes,' so Cranmer, Geneva (1557) ; but Gen. 1560 restored ' the deepe things of God,' and so Bishops' ; Rhem. ' the profoundities of God '). Cf. Bacon, Essays, ' the more deepe and sober sort of Politique persons.' ' Deep ' IS a common subst. in Shake, and others of that day, and is often used figuratively, as Jul. CcBS. IV. iii. 226— * The deep of night Ifi crept upon our talk." But in AV where ' the deep ' is not the sea, it refers to the wast« of waters (the primitive tehvm), or to the bottomless pit. The Heb. words are oinn tikCm, as Gn 1" ' daiKness was upon the face of the deep ' (see COSMOGONY) ; rh\)i zuldh. Is 44", and nSiso mizuldh, Job 41", Ps…
References
- Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
- Easton, M.G. (1893) Easton's Bible Dictionary. 3rd edn. Thomas Nelson. [Public Domain]
- Nave, O.J. (1897) Nave's Topical Bible. Topical Bible Publishing Co.. [Public Domain]
- Hastings, J. (ed.) (1909) A Dictionary of the Bible. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. [Public Domain]
- Smith, W. (ed.) (1884) Smith's Bible Dictionary. London: John Murray. [Public Domain]
- Fausset, A.R. (1878) Fausset's Bible Dictionary. [Public Domain]A Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopaedia