Bible Question: Is 'earth' only the dust under our feet, or does it imply a proper place? Is 'world' rather implied as universal creation...which infers other life in the universe? |
Bible Answer: The noun 'earth' has at least 7 different meanings (Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary), which are as follows: . . . Main Entry: earth. Pronunciation: 'erth. Function: noun. Etymology: Middle English erthe, from Old English eorthe; akin to Old High German erda earth, Greek era. Date: before 12th century . . . 1 : the fragmental material composing part of the surface of the globe; especially : cultivable soil . . . 2 : the sphere of mortal life as distinguished from spheres of spirit life -- compare HEAVEN, HELL . . . 3 a : areas of land as distinguished from sea and air b : the solid footing formed of soil : GROUND . . . 4 often capitalized : the planet on which we live that is third in order from the sun -- see PLANET table . . . 5 a : the people of the planet Earth b : the mortal human body c : the pursuits, interests, and pleasures of earthly life as distinguished from spiritual concerns . . . 6 : the lair of a burrowing animal . . . 7 : an excessive amount of money -- used with the (real suede, wich costs the earth to clean -- Joanne Winship) . . . - earth·like /-"lIk/ adjective . . . - on earth -- used as an intensive (to find out what on earth he was up to -- Michael Holroyd) . . . The various Greek words translated in the English Bible as world have been previously discussed at this Forum. (Use the Forum's Search function to look it up here.) . . . Re "other life in the universe," where the Bible is silent I choose to remain silent rather than to speculate (Deut 29:29). . . . Some evidence (undocumented) occasionally sufaces to argue that there is intelligent life on earth. But no conclusive proof is available at the date of this writing. |