Topical Encyclopedia
The term "tread" in the Bible often conveys the act of walking or stepping, sometimes with a connotation of dominion, judgment, or destruction. It appears in various contexts throughout the Scriptures, symbolizing both literal and metaphorical actions.
1.
Dominion and Authority: In the context of dominion, "tread" signifies authority and control over enemies or adversaries. For instance, in
Luke 10:19 , Jesus tells His disciples, "Behold, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you." Here, "tread" symbolizes the power and victory believers have over spiritual adversaries through Christ.
2.
Judgment and Wrath: The imagery of treading is also used to depict divine judgment and wrath. In
Isaiah 63:3 , the Lord declares, "I have trodden the winepress alone, and from the nations no one was with Me. I trampled them in My anger and trod them down in My wrath; their blood spattered My garments, and I stained all My clothing." This passage uses the metaphor of treading a winepress to illustrate God's judgment upon the nations, emphasizing His sovereignty and the inevitability of His justice.
3.
Possession and Inheritance: Treading can also relate to the possession of land or inheritance. In
Deuteronomy 11:24 , God promises the Israelites, "Every place where the sole of your foot treads will be yours: Your territory will extend from the wilderness to Lebanon, and from the Euphrates River to the Western Sea." This promise underscores the concept of treading as a means of claiming and possessing the land given by God.
4.
Daily Life and Agriculture: In a more literal sense, "tread" is used in the context of daily life and agricultural practices. For example,
Deuteronomy 25:4 states, "Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain." This law reflects the humane treatment of animals and acknowledges their role in the agricultural process, allowing them to eat while they work.
5.
Spiritual Journey and Conduct: The act of treading can also symbolize one's spiritual journey and conduct. In
Psalm 91:13 , the psalmist declares, "You will tread on the lion and cobra; you will trample the young lion and serpent." This verse conveys the protection and victory granted to those who dwell in the shelter of the Most High, emphasizing the believer's triumph over spiritual dangers.
Throughout the Bible, the concept of treading is rich with meaning, encompassing themes of authority, judgment, inheritance, daily life, and spiritual victory. It serves as a powerful metaphor for the believer's relationship with God and the world, illustrating both divine sovereignty and human responsibility.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
v. i.) To set the foot; to step.
2. (v. i.) To walk or go; especially, to walk with a stately or a cautious step.
3. (v. i.) To copulate; said of birds, esp. the males.
4. (v. t.) To step or walk on.
5. (v. t.) To beat or press with the feet; as, to tread a path; to tread land when too light; a well-trodden path.
6. (v. t.) To go through or accomplish by walking, dancing, or the like.
7. (v. t.) To crush under the foot; to trample in contempt or hatred; to subdue.
8. (v. t.) To copulate with; to feather; to cover; -- said of the male bird.
9. (n.) A step or stepping; pressure with the foot; a footstep; as, a nimble tread; a cautious tread.
10. (n.) Manner or style of stepping; action; gait; as, the horse has a good tread.
11. (n.) Way; track; path.
12. (n.) The act of copulation in birds.
13. (n.) The upper horizontal part of a step, on which the foot is placed.
14. (n.) The top of the banquette, on which soldiers stand to fire over the parapet.
15. (n.) The part of a wheel that bears upon the road or rail.
16. (n.) The part of a rail upon which car wheels bear.
17. (n.) The chalaza of a bird's egg; the treadle.
18. (n.) A bruise or abrasion produced on the foot or ankle of a horse that interferes. See Interfere, 3.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
TREADtred.
See WINE PRESS.
Greek
3961. pateo -- to tread or tread on ... to
tread or
tread on. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: pateo Phonetic Spelling:
(pat-eh'-o) Short Definition: I
tread, trample upon Definition: I
tread ... 2662. katapateo -- to tread down
... to tread down. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: katapateo Phonetic Spelling:
(kat-ap-at-eh'-o) Short Definition: I trample under foot Definition: I trample ...
248. aloao -- to thresh
... thresh, tread out the corn. From the same as halon; to tread out grain -- thresh,
tread out the corn. see GREEK halon. (aloon) -- 1 Occurrence. ...
898. bathmos -- a step, degree
... career, a position. 898 -- properly, a step (tread) in a staircase;
(figuratively) a , , (used only in 1 Tim 3:13). Word Origin ...
4043. peripateo -- to walk
... From peri and pateo; to tread all around, ie Walk at large (especially as proof
of ability); figuratively, to live, deport oneself, follow (as a companion or ...
4742a. stibas -- a bed of leaves or rushes
... Word Origin from steibo (to tread under foot) Definition a bed of leaves or rushes
NASB Word Usage leafy branches (1). 4742, 4742a. stibas. 4742b . ...
949. bebaios -- firm, secure
... 949 (literally, "what can be tread upon") then refers to what is fully dependable,
ie worthy of confidence because on "." This describes what is fully (stable ...
Strong's Hebrew
1869. darak -- to tread, march... 1868, 1869. darak. 1870 . to
tread, march. Transliteration: darak Phonetic
Spelling: (daw-rak') Short Definition:
tread. Word Origin a prim.
... 947. bus -- to tread down, trample
... bus. 948 . to tread down, trample. Transliteration: bus Phonetic Spelling: (boos)
Short Definition: squirming. ... loath, tread down, under foot, be polluted. ...
1915. hadak -- to cast or tread down
... 1914, 1915. hadak. 1916 . to cast or tread down. Transliteration: hadak Phonetic
Spelling: (haw-dak') Short Definition: down. Word Origin a prim. ... tread down ...
6072. asas -- to press, crush, tread down
... 6071, 6072. asas. 6073 . to press, crush, tread down. Transliteration: asas
Phonetic Spelling: (aw-sas') Short Definition: down. Word Origin a prim. ... tread down ...
1759. dush -- to tread down
... 1758, 1759. dush. 1760 . to tread down. Transliteration: dush Phonetic
Spelling: (doosh) Short Definition: down. Word ... 1). tread down. ...
1758. dush -- to tread, thresh
... to tread, thresh. Transliteration: dush or dish Phonetic Spelling: (doosh) Short
Definition: threshing. ... break, tear, thresh, tread out down, at grass Jer. ...
7511. raphas -- to stamp, tread
... raphas or raphas. 7512 . to stamp, tread. Transliteration: raphas or raphas Phonetic
Spelling: (raw-fas') Short Definition: foul. Word Origin a prim. ...
7512. rephas -- to tread, trample
... 7511, 7512. rephas. 7513 . to tread, trample. Transliteration: rephas
Phonetic Spelling: (ref-as') Short Definition: down. Word ...
5431. saan -- to tread, tramp
... 5430, 5431. saan. 5432 . to tread, tramp. Transliteration: saan Phonetic
Spelling: (saw-an') Short Definition: warrior. Word Origin ...
7429. ramas -- to trample
... oppressors (1), trample (2), trample my down (1), trample down (1), trampled (7),
trampled them down (1), tramples down (1), trampling (1), tread (1), tread ...
Library
My God, Without Ceasing, I Will Tread the Threshold of Thy House
... Hymn IV. My God, without ceasing, I will tread the threshold of Thy house.
1. My God, without ceasing, I will tread the threshold ...
Living Broad Lives in Narrow Alleys.
... And this makes ruts in their thinking. Their souls seem to grow small by
the very smallness and sameness of the daily tread. That ...
Another Part of My Smoke' which You Frequently Laugh at is My ...
... and blow it out so as to appear to be breathing forth flame: so you also, like a
second Salmoneus, brighten the whole path on which you tread, and reproach us ...
The Meaning
... But the court, which is without the temple, leave out, and do not measure it, for
it is given up to the Gentiles, and the holy city shall they tread under foot ...
The King and his Armies.
... His "vesture dipped in blood" is symbolic of his coming to tread "the wine-press
of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God" (19:15), when he shall "smite the ...
John Chapter xiii. 10-Jun
... a man has all of him washed, not all save his feet, but every whit; and yet, while
thereafter living in this human state, he cannot fail to tread on the ground ...
The Disciples' Return.
... lofty mountain-peaks long after his descent. They tread the old footway with
elastic step! As Gethsemane, and Kedron, and the Temple ...
Moreover, --To Touch Briefly Some of the More Recondite Topics ...
... to men the power which was taken from them, as also Himself saith to His disciples
in the Gospel, "Behold I have given you power to tread upon serpents and ...
Exhortations to those who are Called
... 18). They tread every day on the brink of the bottomless pit; and what
if death should cast them in! O pity unconverted sinners. ...
1897
... would be a short one. I feel we must tread the same road to Heaven"the
road of suffering and love. When I myself have reached ...
Thesaurus
Tread (60 Occurrences)... the males. 4. (vt) To step or walk on. 5. (vt) To beat or press with the feet; as,
to
tread a path; to
tread land when too light; a well-trodden path.
...Trample (34 Occurrences)
... 1. (vt) To tread under foot; to tread down; to prostrate by treading; as, to trample
grass or flowers. ... 3. (vi) To tread with force and rapidity; to stamp. ...
Treads (19 Occurrences)
... Deuteronomy 11:24 Every place whereon the sole of your foot shall tread shall be
yours: from the wilderness, and Lebanon, from the river, the river Euphrates ...
Treader (5 Occurrences)
... away, and joy out of the plentiful field; and in the vineyards there shall be no
singing, neither shall there be shouting: the treaders shall tread out no wine ...
Vintage (14 Occurrences)
... away, and joy out of the plentiful field; and in the vineyards there shall be no
singing, neither shall there be shouting: the treaders shall tread out no wine ...
Presses (12 Occurrences)
... Job 24:11 They make oil within the walls of these men. They tread wine presses,
and suffer thirst. ... Nobody will tread out wine in the presses. ...
Sole (13 Occurrences)
... Deuteronomy 2:5 don't contend with them; for I will not give you of their land,
no, not so much as for the sole of the foot to tread on; because I have given ...
Mire (21 Occurrences)
... send him against a profane nation, and against the people who anger me will I give
him a command to take the spoil and to take the prey, and to tread them down ...
Valiantly (9 Occurrences)
... (WEB JPS ASV). Psalms 60:12 Through God we shall do valiantly, for it is he who
will tread down our adversaries. ... For it is he who will tread down our enemies. ...
Underfoot (14 Occurrences)
... Luke 10:19 "I have given you power to tread serpents and scorpions underfoot, and
to trample on all the power of the Enemy; and in no case shall anything do ...
Resources
What is the “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” sermon? | GotQuestions.orgShould Christians use the preferred pronouns of transgender individuals when referring to them? | GotQuestions.orgWhat is a threshing floor? | GotQuestions.orgTread: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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