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WATER

Definition:

Something that comes up/out from within (also see “The Sea, Pit, and Valley“).

Scripture:

  • Firstly, waters are said to be “beneath the earth.”

Deuteronomy 4:18 (KJV) The likeness of any thing that creepeth on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the waters beneath the earth:

  • Water is said to bubble or boil over.

Genesis 49:4 (ASV) Boiling over [lit. ebullition, bubbling, boiling over] as water, thou shalt not have the pre-eminence…

  • Waters, floods, and rivers are all said to “come up/out” from within or underneath.

Isaiah 8:6-8 (KJV) Forasmuch as this people refuseth the waters of Shiloah that go softly, and rejoice in Rezin and Remaliah’s son; 7 Now therefore, behold, the Lord bringeth up upon them the waters of the river, strong and many, even the king of Assyria, and all his glory: and he shall come up over all his channels [lit. channel, valley, ravine – see Valley refers to under earth], and go over all his banks: 8 And he shall pass through Judah; he shall overflow [lit. to gush] and go over, he shall reach even to the neck; and the stretching out of his wings shall fill the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel.

Jeremiah 46:7-8 (KJV) Who is this that cometh up as a flood, whose waters are moved as the rivers? 8 Egypt riseth up like a flood, and his waters are moved like the rivers; and he saith, I will go up, and will cover the earth; I will destroy the city and the inhabitants thereof.

Jeremiah 47:2 (KJV) Thus saith the LORD; Behold, waters rise up out of the north, and shall be anoverflowing flood, and shall overflow the land, and all that is therein; the city, and them that dwell therein: then the men shall cry, and all the inhabitants of the land shall howl.

Ezekiel 26:19 (KJV) For thus saith the Lord GOD; When I shall make thee a desolate city, like the cities that are not inhabited; when I shall bring up the deep upon thee, and great waters shall cover thee;

Isaiah 30:28 (KJV) And his breath, as an overflowing stream, shall reach to the midst of the neck…

Isaiah 28:2 (KJV) Behold, the Lord hath a mighty and strong one, which as a tempest of hail and a destroying storm, as a flood of mighty waters overflowing, shall cast down to the earth with the hand.

Ezekiel 26:3 (KJV) Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Tyrus, and will cause many nations to come up against thee, as the sea causeth his waves to come up.

Ezekiel 26:3 (KJV) Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Tyrus, and will cause many nations to come up against thee, as the sea causeth his waves to come up.

Jeremiah 46:7 (NKJV) “Who is this coming up like a flood, Whose waters move like the rivers?

  • Springs are said to come out from the deep.

Deuteronomy 8:7 (KJV) For the LORD thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, offountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills;

  • Water is said to be something poured out (as from within).

Psalms 22:14 (NKJV) I am poured out like water, And all My bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; It has melted within Me.

Deuteronomy 12:16 (KJV) Only ye shall not eat the blood; ye shall pour it upon the earth as water.

Psalms 77:17 (KJV) The clouds poured out water: the skies sent out a sound: thine arrows also went abroad.

Psalms 79:3 (KJV) Their blood have they shed [lit. poured] like water round about Jerusalem; and there was none to bury them.

  • Water is said to break forth.

1 Chronicles 14:11 (KJV) So they came up to Baalperazim; and David smote them there. Then David said, God hath broken in upon mine enemies by mine hand like the breaking forth of waters: therefore they called the name of that place Baalperazim.

Proverbs 17:14 (KJV) The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out [lit. to cleave, to burst forth] water: therefore leave off contention, before it be meddled with.

  • The Lord set limits to tell the waves of the sea it must stop and cannot go further, when it burst forth and came out of the womb (from under the earth).

Job 38:8-11 (NKJV) “Or who shut in the sea with doors, When it burst forth and issued from the womb; 9 When I made the clouds its garment, And thick darkness its swaddling band; 10 When I fixed My limit for it, And set bars and doors; 11 When I said, ‘This far you may come, but no farther, And here your proud waves must stop!’
Verse 16) “Have you entered the springs of the sea? Or have you walked in search of the depths?

  • The waves of the sea are said to be lifted up to heaven by the wind (see Wind/Whirlwind).

Psalms 107:25-26 (KJV) For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof. 26 They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble.

Words

  • Words can also be called water, coming out from within or out of a basin. This goes for the word of God and even the words of men. This makes perfect sense because words come out from what is in our heart, our inner man (our inner basin, see “Vessel”). 
  • Lamentations describes Israel crying out to the Lord as their heart being poured out like water. 

Lamentations 2:18-19 (KJV) Their heart cried unto the Lord… Arise, cry out in the night: in the beginning of the watches pour out thine heart like water before the face of the Lord…

  • The word of God is also called water. 

Ephesians 5:26 (KJV) That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

  • Particularly, the word of God is called water from a basin to wash our feet. Water from a basin would refer to words coming out from inside the heart of Jesus.
  • Jesus washing His disciple’s feet with water from a basin, symbolizes how our Lord and our teacher teaches our minds. Our feet depict our mind in this context, where the gospel goes (Eph 6:15, Rom 10:15). If we do not allow the Lord to cleanse our mind by teaching us, we have no partaking with Him. The water from this basin represents the word of God, from Jesus’s heart to us (see “Vessel”).

John 13:5 (NKJV) After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.
Verse 8) …”If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.”
Verse 13) You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am.

  • James refers to our words as a fountain, putting forth either bitter or sweet water. Again, if water represents something coming out from within, it is fitting to call our words a fountain of water, which come out from our inner man to express what’s in our mind. Particularly, bitter water (seemingly wrong words) or fresh water (seemingly good words).

James 3:10-12 (NKJV) Out of the same mouth proceed blessing [fresh water] and cursing [salt water]. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? 12 Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh.

The Holy Spirit

  • The Holy Spirit is frequently called water (or fountain, river, spring, well), which is fitting because He lives within us, but comes up from within to manifest on the outside. 
  • Notice that when the Holy Spirit is referred to as water, particularly a fountain or a river, He is active and flowing out.

John 4:14 (NKJV) but whoever drinks of the water [Spirit] that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up [as water does] into everlasting life.”

John 7:38 (KJV) He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow [as water does]rivers of living water.

Song of Solomon 4:15-16 (KJV) A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon [the Spirit in us]. 16 Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out [as water does].

  • The Holy Spirit is also referred to as a river of water “issuing out” when He comes out of His temple (us).

Ezekiel 47:1-5 (KJV) Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold 
Verse 5) waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over.

  • Even the Holy Spirit inside of Jesus seems to come out of Him and rain down for us to receive at salvation. This may be depicted by the water from the rock that Israel drank — water proceeding out from Jesus for us to drink. Notice, this is not water from under the earth, or from being poured out from an earthen vessel because Jesus does not have an earthen body right now, but a heavenly one. Therefore, water from out of a rock makes more sense for His heavenly body (see Rock/Cliff). This is a possible interpretation.

1 Corinthians 10:4 (KJV) And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.

Psalms 78:15-16 (KJV) He clave the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink as out of the great depths. 16 He brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers.

The Holy Spirit And The Waters Of The Underworld

  • You’ll notice that throughout this glossary definition, the contents of the underworld are called waters, rivers, fountains (Job 38:16), or a well (see Pit/Ditch/Well). These are said to overflow from under the earth.
  • You will also notice that the Holy Spirit is described the exact same way (John 4:14, 7:38). He is described as waters, rivers, fountains, and even a well under our earthen vessel, which springs up from underneath.
  • See “the Sea” for more on these parallel symbols.
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