Bible Encyclopedia: Fall

Jump to: ISBE • Easton's • Webster's • Concordance • Thesaurus • Greek • Hebrew • Library • Subtopics • Terms

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

FALL

fol (vb.): The idea of falling is most frequently expressed in Hebrew by naphal, but also by many other words; in Greek by pipto, and its compounds. The uses of the word in Scripture are very varied. There is the literal falling by descent; the falling of the countenance in sorrow, shame, anger, etc. (Genesis 4:5, 6); the falling in battle (Genesis 14:10 Numbers 14:3, etc.); the falling into trouble, etc. (Proverbs 24:16, 17); prostration in supplication and reverence (Genesis 17:3 Numbers 14:5, etc.); falling of the Spirit of Yahweh (Ezekiel 11:5; compare 3:24; 8:1); of apostasy (2 Thessalonians 2:3 Hebrews 6:6 Jude 1:24), etc. the Revised Version (British and American) frequently changes "fall" of the King James Version into other words or phrases, as "stumble" (Leviticus 26:37 Psalm 64:8 2 Peter 1:10, etc.), "fade" (Isaiah 33:4), etc.; in Acts 27, the Revised Version (British and American) reads "be cast ashore on rocky ground" for "have fallen upon rocks" (Acts 27:29), "perish" for "fall" (Acts 27:34), "lighting upon" for "falling into" (Acts 27:41).

W. L. Walker

FALL, THE

fol:

1. Meaning of Genesis 3

2. Genesis 3 in the Old and New Testaments

3. The Fall and the Theory of Evolution

4. The Character of the Fall

The question concerning the origin, the age and the written record of the history of the Fall in Genesis 3 need not be discussed here. For in the first place, science can never reach to the oldest origins and the ultimate destinies of humanity, and historical and critical inquiry will never be able to prove either the veracity or the unveracity of this history. And in the second place, exactly as it now lies before us, this history has already formed for centuries a portion of holy Scripture, an indispensable element in the organism of the revelation of salvation, and as such has been accepted in faith by the Hebrew congregation (Jewish people), by Christ, by the apostles, and by the whole Christian church.

1. Meaning of Genesis 3:

That Genesis 3 gives us an account of the fall of man, of the loss of his primitive innocence and of the misery, particularly death, to which he has since been subjected, cannot reasonably be denied. The opinion of the Ophites, Kant, Schiller, Hegel, etc., that Genesis 3 relates the awakening of man to self-consciousness and personality (see ADAM IN THE OLD TESTAMENT), and therefore does not tell us of a fall, but a marked progression, is disputed by the name which the forbidden tree bears, as indicating to man not merely a tree of knowledge in the ordinary way, but quite specially a tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Genesis 3 is not in the least meant to relate to us how man obtained the idea of his nakedness and sexual passions, and from a state of childlike innocence changed in this respect to manlike maturity (Eerdman's De Beteekenis van het Paradijsverhaal, Theologisch Tijdschrift, 1905, 485-511). For according to Genesis, man was created full-grown, received a wife immediately as helpmeet, and at the same time saw himself allotted the task of multiplying and replenishing the earth. Moreover, the idea that sexual desire is something sinful and deserves punishment was entirely foreign to ancient Israel.

Finally, the interpretation of Wellhausen (Geschichte Israels, 1878, 344) cannot be accepted, that man in Genesis 3 should obtain "die intellektuelle Welterkenntniss, die metaphysische Erkenntniss der Dinge in ihrem Zusammenhange, ihrem Werth oder Unwerth, ihrem Nutzen oder Schaden" ("the intellectual knowledge of the world, the metaphysical knowledge of things in their connection, their worth or unworth, their utility or hurtfulness"). For in the first place, according to Genesis, this was man's peculiar province from the beginning; he received indeed the vocation to subdue the earth, to keep and till the ground, to give the animals their names. And in the second place, the acquiring of this knowledge among the Israelites, who esteemed practical wisdom so highly, is difficult to represent as a fall, or as a punishment deserved for disobedience.

There is no other explanation possible of Genesis 3 than that it is the narration of a fall, which consists in the transgression of an explicit command of God, thus bearing a moral significance, and therefore followed by repentance, shame, fear and punishment. The context of the chapter places this interpretation beyond all doubt, for before his fall man is represented as a creature made after God's image and receiving paradise as a dwelling-place, and after the fall he is sent into a rough world, is condemned to a life of labor and sorrow, and increases more and more in sin until the judgment of the Flood.

2. Genesis 3 in the Old and the New Testaments:

It is indeed remarkable how very seldom the Old Testament refers to this history of the Fall. This is not a sufficient reason for pronouncing it of later origin, for the same peculiarity presents itself at the time when, according to all criticism, it was recorded in literature. Prophets, Psalms, Proverbs never quote it; at the most, allusions may be found to it in Hosea 6:7 and Ecclesiastes 7:29; and even Jesus and His apostles in the New Testament very seldom appeal to Genesis 3 (John 8:44 Romans 5:12 1 Corinthians 15:22 2 Corinthians 11:3 1 Timothy 2:14). But it may be considered that the Prophets, Psalms and Proverbs only mention special facts of the past by way of exception, that the apostles even hardly ever quote the words and deeds of Jesus, and that all lived at a time when revelation itself was still proceeding and did not lie before them as a complete whole. With us it is quite a different matter; we are in a certain sense outside revelation, make it a subject of our study and meditation, try to discover the unity which holds all its parts together, and devote our special interest to Adam as a figure and counterpart of Christ. The creation and fall of man occupy therefore a much broader place in the province of our thoughts than they did among the writers of the books of the Old and New Testaments.

Nevertheless, the Fall is the silent hypothesis of the whole Biblical doctrine of sin and redemption; it does not rest only on a few vague passages, but forms an indispensable element in the revelation of salvation. The whole contemplation of man and humanity, of Nature and history, of ethical and physical evil, of redemption and the way in which to obtain it, is connected in Scripture with a Fall, such as Genesis 3 relates to us. Sin, for example, is common to all men (1 Kings 8:46 Psalm 14:3; Psalm 130:3; 143:2), and to every man from his conception (Genesis 6:5; Genesis 8:21 Job 14:4 Psalm 51:7). It arouses God's anger and deserves all kinds of punishment, not only of an ethical but of a physical nature (Genesis 3:14-19; Genesis 4:14; Genesis 6:7, 13; 11:8 Leviticus 26:14; Deuteronomy 28:15 Psalm 90:7, etc.); the whole of Scripture proceeds from the thought that sin and death are connected in the closest degree, as are also obedience and life. In the new heaven and new earth all suffering ceases with sin (Revelation 21:4). Therefore redemption is possible only in the way of forgiveness (Psalm 32:1 Isaiah 43:25, etc.), and circumcision of the heart (Deuteronomy 10:16; Deuteronomy 30:16 Jeremiah 4:4), and this includes, further, life, joy, peace, salvation. When Paul in Romans 5:12 1 Corinthians 15:22 indicates Adam as the origin of sin and death, and Christ as the source of righteousness and life, he develops no ideas which are contrary to the organism of revelation or which might be neglected without loss; he merely combines and formulates the data which are explicitly or silently contained in it.

3. The Fall and the Theory of Evolution:

Tradition does little toward the confirmation and elucidation of the Biblical narrative of the Fall. The study of mythology is still too little advanced to determine the ideal or historical value which may be contained in the legend of a Golden Age, in many people's obsequious honoring of the serpent, in the equally widespread belief in a tree of life. The Babylonian representation also (a seal on which a man and woman, seated, are figured as plucking fruit from a tree, while a serpent curls up behind the woman as if whispering in her ear), which G. Smith, Lenormant and Friedrich Delitzsch compare with the Paradise narrative, shows no similarity on nearer view (A. Jeremias, Das Altes Testament im Lichte des alten Orients2, Leipzig, 1906, 203). Indirectly, however, a very powerful witness for the fall of man is furnished by the whole empirical condition of the world and humanity. For a world, such as we know it, full of unrighteousness and sorrow, cannot be explained without the acceptance of such a fact. He who holds fast to the witness of Scripture and conscience to sin as sin (as anomia) cannot deduce it from creation, but must accept the conclusion that it began with a transgression of God's command and thus with a deed of the will. Pythagoras, Plato, Kant, Schelling, Baader have all understood and acknowledged this with more or less clearness. He who denies the Fall must explain sin as a necessity which has its origin in the Creation, in the nature of things, and therefore in God Himself; he justifies man but accuses God, misrepresents the character of sin and makes it everlasting and indefeasible. For if there has not been a fall into sin, there is no redemption of sin possible; sin then loses its merely ethical significance, becomes a trait of the nature of man, and is inexterminable.

This comes out, in later years, in the many endeavors to unite the Fall with the doctrine of evolution (compare Tennant, The Origin and Propagation of Sin 2, 1905; A. S. Peake, Christianity: Its Nature and Its Truth, 1908; W. E. Orchard, Modern Theories of Sin, 1909; Francis J. Hall, Evolution and the Fall, 1910). All these endeavors lead to setting on one side the objective standard of sin, which is the law of God, and determining the nature and importance of sin subjectively by the feeling of guilt, which in its turn again depends on the knowledge of and the love for the moral ideal, and itself forms an important factor in moral progress. It is true that the strength of all these endeavors is drawn from theory of the descent of man from the animal. But as to this theory, it is worthy of notice:

(1) that it is up to the present day a hypothesis, and is proved by no single observation, whether direct or indirect;

(2) that the fossils of prehistoric men, found in Germany, Belgium, France and elsewhere have demonstrated the low degree of culture in which these men have lived, but in no sense their dissimilarity with mankind of today (W. Branca, Der Stand unserer Kenntnisse vom fossilen Menschen, Leipzig, 1910);

(3) that the uncivilized and prehistoric man may be as little identified with the first man as the unjustly so-called nature-people and children under age;

(4) that the oldest history of the human race, which has become known through the discoveries at Babylon in the last century, was not that of a state of barbarism, but of high and rich culture (D. Gath Whitley, "What was the Primitive Condition of Man?" Princeton Theol. Review, October, 1906; J. Orr, God's Image in Man, 1906);

(5) that the acceptance of theory of descent as a universal and unlimited rule leads to the denial of the unity of the human race, in a physical and also in an intellectual, moral and religious sense. For it may be possible, even in the school of Darwin, to maintain the unity of the human race so long a time as tradition exercises its influence on the habit of mind; but theory itself undermines its foundation and marks it as an arbitrary opinion. From the standpoint of evolution, there is not only no reason to hold to the "of one blood" of Acts 17:26 the King James Version, but there has never even been a first man; the transition from animal to man was so slow and successive, that the essential distinction fails to be seen. And with the effacing of this boundary, the unity of the moral ideal, of religion, of the laws of thought and of truth, fails also; theory of evolution expels the absolute everywhere and leads necessarily to psychologism, relativism, pragmatism and even to pluralism, which is literally polytheism in a religious sense. The unity of the human race, on the other hand, as it is taught in holy Scripture, is not an indifferent physical question, but an important intellectual, moral and religious one; it is a "postulate" of the whole history of civilization, and expressly or silently accepted by nearly all historians. And conscience bears witness to it, in so far as all men show the work of the moral law written in their hearts, and their thoughts accuse or excuse one another (Romans 2:15); it shows back to the Fall as an "Urthatsache der Geschichte."

4. The Character of the Fall:

What the condition and history of the human race could hardly lead us to imagine, holy Scripture relates to us as a tragic fact in its first pages. The first man was created by God after His own image, not therefore in brutish unconsciousness or childlike naivete, but in a state of bodily and spiritual maturity, with understanding and reason, with knowledge and speech, with knowledge especially of God and His law. Then was given to him moreover a command not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. This command was not contained in the moral law as such; it was not a natural but a positive commandment; it rested entirely and only on God's will and must be obeyed exclusively for this reason. It placed before man the choice, whether he would be faithful and obedient to God's word and would leave to Him alone the decision as to what is good or evil, or whether he would reserve to himself the right arbitrarily to decide what is good or evil. Thus the question was: Shall theonomy or autonomy be the way to happiness? On this account also the tree was called the tree of knowledge of good and evil. It did not bear this name in the sense that man might obtain from it the empirical knowledge of good and evil, for by his transgression he in truth lost the empirical knowledge of good. But the tree was so named, because man, by eating of it and so transgressing God's commandment, arrogated to himself "die Fahigkeit zur selbstandigen Wahl der Mittel, durch die man sein Gluck schaffen will": "the capacity of independent choice of the means by which he would attain his happiness" (Koberle, Sunde und Gnade im relig. Leben des Volkes Israel bis auf Christenrum, 1905, 64). Theonomy, as obedience to God from free love, includes as such the idea and the possibility of autonomy, therefore that of antinomy also.

But it is the free act and therefore the guilt of man that has changed the possibility into reality. For the mind, there remains here an insoluble problem, as much in the question, why God allowed this Fall to take place, as in the other, how man, created in the likeness of God, could and did fall. There is a great deal of truth in the often-expressed thought, that we can give no account of the origin of sin, because it is not logical, and does not result as a conclusion drawn from two premises. But facts are brutal. What seems logically impossible often exists in reality. The laws of moral life are different from those of thought and from those also of mechanical nature. The narrative in Genesis 3, in any case, is psychologically faithful in the highest degree. For the same way as it appears there in the first man, it repeatedly takes place among ourselves (James 1:14, 15). Furthermore we ought to allow God to justify Himself. The course of revelation discovers to faith how, through all the ages, He holds sin in its entire development in His own almighty hands, and works through grace for a consummation in which, in the dispensation of the fullness of times, He will gather together in one all things in Christ (Ephesians 1:10). (J. Orr, Sin as a Problem of Today, London, 1910.)

Herman Bavinck

Greek

4098. pipto -- to fall
... to fall. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: pipto Phonetic Spelling: (pip'-to)
Short Definition: I fall, fall under Definition: I fall, fall under (as under ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4098.htm - 8k

4363. prospipto -- to fall upon, fall prostrate before
... to fall upon, fall prostrate before. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: prospipto
Phonetic Spelling: (pros-pip'-to) Short Definition: I fall down before ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4363.htm - 7k

634. apopipto -- to fall off
... to fall off. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: apopipto Phonetic Spelling:
(ap-op-ip'-to) Short Definition: I fall away from, fall off Definition: I fall ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/634.htm - 6k

3895. parapipto -- to fall in, into or away, to fail
... to fall in, into or away, to fail. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: parapipto
Phonetic Spelling: (par-ap-ip'-to) Short Definition: I fall away Definition ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3895.htm - 7k

2667. katapipto -- to fall down
... to fall down. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: katapipto Phonetic Spelling:
(kat-ap-ip'-to) Short Definition: I fall down Definition: I fall down, fall ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2667.htm - 6k

4045. peripipto -- to fall around
... to fall around. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: peripipto Phonetic Spelling:
(per-ee-pip'-to) Short Definition: I fall into the midst of Definition: I ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4045.htm - 7k

1706. empipto -- to fall into
... to fall into. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: empipto Phonetic Spelling:
(em-pip'-to) Short Definition: I fall in, am cast in Definition: I fall in, am ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1706.htm - 6k

4431. ptosis -- a fall
... a fall. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: ptosis Phonetic Spelling:
(pto'-sis) Short Definition: a falling, a fall Definition: a falling, a fall ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4431.htm - 6k

2837. koimao from NG2749 -- sleep, fall asleep, die
... sleep, fall asleep, die. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: koimao from NG2749
Phonetic Spelling: (koy-mah'-o) Short Definition: I fall asleep, am asleep ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2837.htm - 7k

1968. epipipto -- to fall upon
... to fall upon. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: epipipto Phonetic Spelling:
(ep-ee-pip'-to) Short Definition: I fall upon, press upon Definition: I fall upon ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1968.htm - 6k

Strong's Hebrew

5307. naphal -- to fall, lie
... 5306, 5307. naphal. 5308 . to fall, lie. Transliteration: naphal Phonetic
Spelling: (naw-fal') Short Definition: fall. Word Origin a prim. ...
/hebrew/5307.htm - 7k

5308. nephal -- to fall
... 5307, 5308. nephal. 5309 . to fall. Transliteration: nephal Phonetic Spelling:
(nef-al') Short Definition: down. ... fall down, have occasion. ...
/hebrew/5308.htm - 6k

1933a. hava -- to fall
... hava. 1933b . to fall. Transliteration: hava Short Definition: fall. Word Origin
a prim. root Definition to fall NASB Word Usage fall (1). 1933, 1933a. ...
/hebrew/1933a.htm - 5k

1961. hayah -- to fall out, come to pass, become, be
... hayah. 1962 . to fall out, come to pass, become, be. Transliteration: hayah Phonetic
Spelling: (haw-yaw) Short Definition: come. Word Origin a prim. ...
/hebrew/1961.htm - 8k

5327c. natsah -- to fall in ruins
... 5327b, 5327c. natsah. 5328 . to fall in ruins. Transliteration: natsah
Short Definition: waste. Word Origin a prim. root Definition ...
/hebrew/5327c.htm - 5k

7750. sut -- to swerve, fall away
... to swerve, fall away. Transliteration: sut Phonetic Spelling: (soot) Short Definition:
lapse. ... root Definition to swerve, fall away NASB Word Usage lapse (1). ...
/hebrew/7750.htm - 6k

7290a. radam -- to be in or fall into heavy sleep
... 7290, 7290a. radam. 7290b . to be in or fall into heavy sleep.
Transliteration: radam Short Definition: sleep. Word Origin a prim. ...
/hebrew/7290a.htm - 5k

1855. deqaq -- to be shattered, fall to pieces
... 1854, 1855. deqaq. 1856 . to be shattered, fall to pieces. Transliteration:
deqaq Phonetic Spelling: (dek-ak') Short Definition: crushed. ...
/hebrew/1855.htm - 6k

1204. baath -- to fall upon, startle, terrify
... 1203, 1204. baath. 1205 . to fall upon, startle, terrify. Transliteration:
baath Phonetic Spelling: (baw-ath') Short Definition: terrify. Word Origin a prim ...
/hebrew/1204.htm - 6k

7290. radam -- to be in or fall into heavy sleep
... 7289, 7290. radam. 7290a . to be in or fall into heavy sleep. Transliteration:
radam Phonetic Spelling: (raw-dam') Short Definition: asleep. ...
/hebrew/7290.htm - 5k

Library

The Fall of Babylon.
... EXPOSITION OF THE APOCALYPSE. The Fall of Babylon. "And after this, I saw
another angel descending from heaven, having great power ...
/.../bliss/a brief commentary on the apocalypse/the fall of babylon.htm

Of the Fall of Adam
... FIFTH PART OF THE FALL OF ADAM. Adam was able to continue in goodness and to
refrain from sinning, and this in reality and in reference ...
/.../arminius/the works of james arminius vol 2/of the fall of adam.htm

The Fall of Solomon
... THE FIRST BOOK OF KINGS THE FALL OF SOLOMON. ... So we seem to have in him a case of
a fall which knew no recovery, an eclipse which did not pass. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture f/the fall of solomon.htm

The Fall of Judah
... THE SECOND BOOK OF CHRONICLES THE FALL OF JUDAH. ... The tragedy of its fall has
importance quite disproportioned to its apparent magnitude. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture g/the fall of judah.htm

The Fall of Antichrist,
... THE FALL OF ANTICHRIST,. Or the meaning of the Seven Phials,
as far as we are yet permitted to understand it. ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/mede/a key to the apocalypse/the fall of antichrist .htm

The Water-Fall
... Book First CXX THE WATER-FALL. With what deep murmurs, through Time's silent stealth,
Dost thy transparent, cool, and watery wealth. Here flowing fall,. ...
/.../palgrave/the treasury of sacred song/cxx the water-fall.htm

Lorimer -- the Fall of Satan
... LORIMER " THE FALL OF SATAN. THE FALL OF SATAN BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE. George C. Lorimer
was born at Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1838. ... 1838"1904. THE FALL OF SATAN[1]. ...
/.../kleiser/the worlds great sermons volume 8/lorimer the fall of.htm

On the Fall
... ON THE FALL. (Sexagesima Sunday.) ... This morning we read the history of Adam's fall
in the first Lesson. Now does this story seem strange to you, my friends? ...
/.../kingsley/the good news of god/sermon xxxvi on the fall.htm

The Angel Announcing the Fall of Babylon.
... EXPOSITION OF THE APOCALYPSE. The Angel announcing the Fall of Babylon.
"And ... This announces the fall of a corrupt hierarchy. Babylon ...
/.../bliss/a brief commentary on the apocalypse/the angel announcing the fall.htm

Man's Misery by the Fall
... 4. The fall 4. Man's Misery By The Fall. Q-19: WHAT IS THE MISERY OF THAT
ESTATE WHEREINTO MAN FELL? A: All mankind by their fall ...
//christianbookshelf.org/watson/a body of divinity/4 mans misery by the.htm

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Fall of man

An expression probably borrowed from the Apocryphal Book of Wisdom, to express the fact of the revolt of our first parents from God, and the consequent sin and misery in which they and all their posterity were involved.

The history of the Fall is recorded in Genesis 2 and Genesis 3. That history is to be literally interpreted. It records facts which underlie the whole system of revealed truth. It is referred to by our Lord and his apostles not only as being true, but as furnishing the ground of all God's subsequent dispensations and dealings with the children of men. The record of Adam's temptation and fall must be taken as a true historical account, if we are to understand the Bible at all as a revelation of God's purpose of mercy.

The effects of this first sin upon our first parents themselves were (1) "shame, a sense of degradation and pollution; (2) dread of the displeasure of God, or a sense of guilt, and the consequent desire to hide from his presence. These effects were unavoidable. They prove the loss not only of innocence but of original righteousness, and, with it, of the favour and fellowship of God. The state therefore to which Adam was reduced by his disobedience, so far as his subjective condition is concerned, was analogous to that of the fallen angels. He was entirely and absolutely ruined" (Hodge's Theology).

But the unbelief and disobedience of our first parents brought not only on themselves this misery and ruin, it entailed also the same sad consequences on all their descendants.

(1.) The guilt, i.e., liability to punishment, of that sin comes by imputation upon all men, because all were represented by Adam in the covenant of works (q.v.). (see IMPUTATION.)

(2.) Hence, also, all his descendants inherit a corrupt nature. In all by nature there is an inherent and prevailing tendency to sin. This universal depravity is taught by universal experience. All men sin as soon as they are capable of moral actions. The testimony of the Scriptures to the same effect is most abundant (Romans 1; 2; 3:1-19, etc.).

(3.) This innate depravity is total: we are by nature "dead in trespasses and sins," and must be "born again" before we can enter into the kingdom (John 3:7, etc.).

(4.) Resulting from this "corruption of our whole nature" is our absolute moral inability to change our nature or to obey the law of God.

Commenting on John 9:3, Ryle well remarks: "A deep and instructive principle lies in these words. They surely throw some light on that great question, the origin of evil. God has thought fit to allow evil to exist in order that he may have a platform for showing his mercy, grace, and compassion. If man had never fallen there would have been no opportunity of showing divine mercy. But by permitting evil, mysterious as it seems, God's works of grace, mercy, and wisdom in saving sinners have been wonderfully manifested to all his creatures. The redeeming of the church of elect sinners is the means of `showing to principalities and powers the manifold wisdom of God' (Ephesians 3:10). Without the Fall we should have known nothing of the Cross and the Gospel."

On the monuments of Egypt are found representations of a deity in human form, piercing with a spear the head of a serpent. This is regarded as an illustration of the wide dissemination of the tradition of the Fall. The story of the "golden age," which gives place to the "iron age", the age of purity and innocence, which is followed by a time when man becomes a prey to sin and misery, as represented in the mythology of Greece and Rome, has also been regarded as a tradition of the Fall.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary

1. (v. t.) To Descend, either suddenly or gradually; particularly, to descend by the force of gravity; to drop; to sink; as, the apple falls; the tide falls; the mercury falls in the barometer.

2. (v. t.) To cease to be erect; to take suddenly a recumbent posture; to become prostrate; to drop; as, a child totters and falls; a tree falls; a worshiper falls on his knees.

3. (v. t.) To find a final outlet; to discharge its waters; to empty; -- with into; as, the river Rhone falls into the Mediterranean.

4. (v. t.) To become prostrate and dead; to die; especially, to die by violence, as in battle.

5. (v. t.) To cease to be active or strong; to die away; to lose strength; to subside; to become less intense; as, the wind falls.

6. (v. t.) To issue forth into life; to be brought forth; -- said of the young of certain animals.

7. (v. t.) To decline in power, glory, wealth, or importance; to become insignificant; to lose rank or position; to decline in weight, value, price etc.; to become less; as, the falls; stocks fell two points.

8. (v. t.) To be overthrown or captured; to be destroyed.

9. (v. t.) To descend in character or reputation; to become degraded; to sink into vice, error, or sin; to depart from the faith; to apostatize; to sin.

10. (v. t.) To become ensnared or embarrassed; to be entrapped; to be worse off than before; as to fall into error; to fall into difficulties.

11. (v. t.) To assume a look of shame or disappointment; to become or appear dejected; -- said of the countenance.

12. (v. t.) To sink; to languish; to become feeble or faint; as, our spirits rise and fall with our fortunes.

13. (v. t.) To pass somewhat suddenly, and passively, into a new state of body or mind; to become; as, to fall asleep; to fall into a passion; to fall in love; to fall into temptation.

14. (v. t.) To happen; to come to pass; to light; to befall; to issue; to terminate.

15. (v. t.) To come; to occur; to arrive.

16. (v. t.) To begin with haste, ardor, or vehemence; to rush or hurry; as, they fell to blows.

17. (v. t.) To pass or be transferred by chance, lot, distribution, inheritance, or otherwise; as, the estate fell to his brother; the kingdom fell into the hands of his rivals.

18. (v. t.) To belong or appertain.

19. (v. t.) To be dropped or uttered carelessly; as, an unguarded expression fell from his lips; not a murmur fell from him.

20. (v. t.) To let fall; to drop.

21. (v. t.) To sink; to depress; as, to fall the voice.

22. (v. t.) To diminish; to lessen or lower.

23. (v. t.) To bring forth; as, to fall lambs.

24. (v. t.) To fell; to cut down; as, to fall a tree.

25. (n.) The act of falling; a dropping or descending be the force of gravity; descent; as, a fall from a horse, or from the yard of ship.

26. (n.) The act of dropping or tumbling from an erect posture; as, he was walking on ice, and had a fall.

27. (n.) Death; destruction; overthrow; ruin.

28. (n.) Downfall; degradation; loss of greatness or office; termination of greatness, power, or dominion; ruin; overthrow; as, the fall of the Roman empire.

29. (n.) The surrender of a besieged fortress or town ; as, the fall of Sebastopol.

30. (n.) Diminution or decrease in price or value; depreciation; as, the fall of prices; the fall of rents.

31. (n.) A sinking of tone; cadence; as, the fall of the voice at the close of a sentence.

32. (n.) Declivity; the descent of land or a hill; a slope.

33. (n.) Descent of water; a cascade; a cataract; a rush of water down a precipice or steep; -- usually in the plural, sometimes in the singular; as, the falls of Niagara.

34. (n.) The discharge of a river or current of water into the ocean, or into a lake or pond; as, the fall of the Po into the Gulf of Venice.

35. (n.) Extent of descent; the distance which anything falls; as, the water of a stream has a fall of five feet.

36. (n.) The season when leaves fall from trees; autumn.

37. (n.) That which falls; a falling; as, a fall of rain; a heavy fall of snow.

38. (n.) The act of felling or cutting down.

39. (n.) Lapse or declension from innocence or goodness. Specifically: The first apostasy; the act of our first parents in eating the forbidden fruit; also, the apostasy of the rebellious angels.

40. (n.) Formerly, a kind of ruff or band for the neck; a falling band; a faule.

41. (n.) That part (as one of the ropes) of a tackle to which the power is applied in hoisting.

Thesaurus

Fall (522 Occurrences)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary Fall of man. ... The history of the Fall is recorded in Genesis
2 and Genesis 3. That history is to be literally interpreted. ...
/f/fall.htm - 62k

Fall-trap (3 Occurrences)
Fall-trap. Falls, Fall-trap. False . Multi-Version Concordance
Fall-trap (3 Occurrences). Romans 11:9 And David says ...
/f/fall-trap.htm - 7k

Collapse (9 Occurrences)
... 2. (vi) To fall together suddenly, as the sides of a hollow vessel; to close by
falling or shrinking together; to have the sides or parts of (a thing) fall in ...
/c/collapse.htm - 9k

Shower (22 Occurrences)
... 3. (n.) A fall or rain or hail of short duration; sometimes, but rarely, a like
fall of snow. ... 8. (vi) To rain in showers; to fall, as in a shower or showers. ...
/s/shower.htm - 15k

Crumble (1 Occurrence)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (vt) To break into small pieces; to cause
to fall in pieces. 2. (vi) To fall into small pieces; to ...
/c/crumble.htm - 7k

Sink (16 Occurrences)
... 1. (vi) To fall by, or as by, the force of gravity; to descend lower and lower;
to decline gradually; to subside; as, a stone sinks in water; waves rise and ...
/s/sink.htm - 12k

Swell (9 Occurrences)
... of Jealousy described in Numbers 5:11-31 (P), the effect on the unfaithful wife
ot the drinking of the holy water was to cause the thigh to fall away (Revised ...
/s/swell.htm - 13k

Powder (14 Occurrences)
... Powder (14 Occurrences). Matthew 21:44 And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall
be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. ...
/p/powder.htm - 12k

Blush (16 Occurrences)
... nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore they shall
fall among those who fall; at the time that I visit them they shall be cast ...
/b/blush.htm - 11k

Beat (85 Occurrences)
... 14. (vi) To come or act with violence; to dash or fall with force; to strike anything,
as, rain, wind, and waves do. 15. (vi) To be in agitation or doubt. 16. ...
/b/beat.htm - 35k

Bible Concordance

Fall (522 Occurrences)

Matthew 4:9 He said to him, "I will give you all of these things, if you will fall down and worship me."
(WEB KJV ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV)

Matthew 7:25 The rain came down, the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat on that house; and it didn't fall, for it was founded on the rock.
(WEB WEY DBY NAS RSV NIV)

Matthew 7:27 The rain came down, the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat on that house; and it fell-and great was its fall."
(WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV)

Matthew 10:29 "Aren't two sparrows sold for an assarion coin? Not one of them falls on the ground apart from your Father's will,
(Root in WEB KJV WEY ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Matthew 11:6 and blessed is every one who does not stumble and fall because of my claims."
(WEY WBS NIV)

Matthew 12:11 He said to them, "What man is there among you, who has one sheep, and if this one falls into a pit on the Sabbath day, won't he grab on to it, and lift it out?
(Root in WEB KJV WEY ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Matthew 15:14 Leave them alone. They are blind guides of the blind. If the blind guide the blind, both will fall into a pit."
(WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Matthew 15:27 But she said, "Yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters' table."
(WEB KJV WEY ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Matthew 17:6 And the disciples having heard, did fall upon their face, and were exceedingly afraid,
(YLT)

Matthew 17:15 "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is epileptic, and suffers grievously; for he often falls into the fire, and often into the water.
(Root in WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Matthew 18:6 But whoever shall occasion the fall of one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for him to have a millstone hung round his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.
(WEY)

Matthew 18:8 If your hand or your foot is causing you to fall into sin, cut it off and away with it. It is better for you to enter into Life crippled in hand or foot than to remain in possession of two sound hands or feet but be thrown into the fire of the Ages.
(WEY)

Matthew 18:9 And if your eye is causing you to fall into sin, tear it out and away with it; it is better for you to enter into Life with only one eye, than to remain in possession of two eyes but be thrown into the Gehenna of fire.
(WEY)

Matthew 21:44 He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but on whoever it will fall, it will scatter him as dust."
(Root in WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV)

Matthew 23:35 that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zachariah son of Barachiah, whom you killed between the sanctuary and the altar.
(See NAS)

Matthew 24:10 Then will many stumble and fall, and they will betray one another and hate one another.
(WEY NAS RSV)

Matthew 24:29 But immediately after the oppression of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken;
(WEB KJV WEY ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Matthew 26:31 Then Jesus said to them, "All of you will be made to stumble because of me tonight, for it is written,'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.'
(See NAS RSV NIV)

Matthew 26:33 But Peter answered him, "Even if all will be made to stumble because of you, I will never be made to stumble."
(See NAS RSV NIV)

Matthew 26:41 Watch and pray, that you don't enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."
(See NIV)

Mark 3:11 and the unclean spirits, when they were seeing him, were falling down before him, and were crying, saying -- 'Thou art the Son of God;'
(Root in YLT NAS)

Mark 4:17 They have no root in themselves, but are short-lived. When oppression or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they stumble.
(See NAS RSV NIV)

Mark 5:22 And there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and seeing him, he falleth at his feet,
(Root in ASV DBY YLT)

Mark 9:42 "And whoever shall occasion the fall of one of these little ones who believe, he would be better off if, with a millstone round his neck, he were lying at the bottom of the sea.
(WEY WBS)

Mark 9:43 And if thy hand causeth thee to fall into sin, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
(WBS)

Mark 9:45 And if thy foot causeth thee to fall into sin, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
(WBS)

Mark 9:47 And if thy eye causeth thee to fall into sin, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes, to be cast into hell-fire.
(WBS)

Mark 13:25 the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken.
(Root in WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Mark 14:27 Then said Jesus to them, "All of you are about to stumble and fall, for it is written, 'I will strike down the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered in all directions.'
(WEY NAS RSV NIV)

Mark 14:29 "All may stumble and fall," said Peter, "yet I never will."
(WEY NAS RSV NIV)

Mark 14:38 Watch and pray, that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."
(See NIV)

Luke 2:34 and Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary, his mother, "Behold, this child is set for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which is spoken against.
(Root in WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Luke 6:39 He spoke a parable to them. "Can the blind guide the blind? Won't they both fall into a pit?
(WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Luke 7:23 And blessed is every one who does not stumble and fall because of my claims."
(WEY NIV)

Luke 8:13 Those on the rock are they who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; but these have no root, who believe for a while, then fall away in time of temptation.
(WEB KJV WEY ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Luke 10:18 He said to them, "I saw Satan having fallen like lightning from heaven.
(Root in WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Luke 11:17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation. A house divided against itself falls.
(Root in WEB KJV ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Luke 13:4 Or those eighteen men who were crushed by the fall of the tower of Siloam, were they worse than all the other men living in Jerusalem?
(BBE)

Luke 14:5 And answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day?
(Root in KJV WEY ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Luke 16:17 But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away, than for one tiny stroke of a pen in the law to fall.
(WEB WEY ASV YLT)

Luke 17:2 It would be well for him if, with a millstone round his neck, he were lying at the bottom of the sea, rather than that he should cause even one of these little ones to fall.
(WEY WBS)

Luke 20:18 Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, but it will crush whomever it falls on to dust."
(Root in WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Luke 21:24 They will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled down by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
(WEB KJV WEY ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Luke 22:40 When he was at the place, he said to them, "Pray that you don't enter into temptation."
(See NIV)

Luke 22:46 and said to them, "Why do you sleep? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation."
(See NIV)

Luke 23:30 Then they will begin to tell the mountains,'Fall on us!' and tell the hills,'Cover us.'
(WEB KJV WEY ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

John 11:10 But if a man goes about in the night, he may have a fall because the light is not in him.
(BBE)

John 12:24 Most certainly I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone. But if it dies, it bears much fruit.
(Root in WEB KJV WEY ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Acts 1:25 to receive the share of this ministration and apostleship, from which Judas, by transgression, did fall, to go on to his proper place;'
(YLT)

Acts 5:15 so that they would even bring out their sick friends into the streets and lay them on light couches or mats, in order that when Peter came by, at least his shadow might fall on one or other of them.
(WEY NAS RSV NIV)

Acts 11:15 And in my beginning to speak, the Holy Spirit did fall upon them, even as also upon us in the beginning,
(YLT)

Acts 13:36 For David, after having been useful to his own generation in accordance with God's purpose, did fall asleep, was gathered to his forefathers, and did undergo decay.
(WEY YLT)

Acts 19:27 There is danger, therefore, not only that this our trade will become of no account, but also that the temple of the great goddess Diana will fall into utter disrepute, and that before long she will be actually deposed from her majestic rank--she who is now worshipped by the whole province of Asia; nay, by the whole world."
(WEY NAS)

Acts 20:9 And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep: and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead.
(Root in KJV BBE WBS)

Acts 27:17 Which when they had taken up, they used helps, undergirding the ship; and, fearing lest they should fall into the quicksands, strake sail, and so were driven.
(KJV WBS YLT)

Acts 27:29 Then fearing lest we should have fallen upon rocks, they cast four anchors out of the stern, and wished for the day.
(Root in KJV WBS YLT)

Acts 27:32 Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the boat, and let it fall off.
(WEB KJV WEY ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

Acts 27:34 Wherefore I pray you to take some meat: for this is for your health: for there shall not an hair fall from the head of any of you.
(KJV WBS YLT)

Acts 28:6 But they expected that he would have swollen or fallen down dead suddenly, but when they watched for a long time and saw nothing bad happen to him, they changed their minds, and said that he was a god.
(Root in WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Romans 2:8 while on the other hand upon the self-willed who disobey the truth and obey unrighteousness will fall anger and fury, affliction and awful distress,
(WEY)

Romans 3:23 for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God;
(WEB ASV NAS RSV NIV)

Romans 8:15 For you didn't receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, " Abba! Father!"
(See RSV)

Romans 9:33 As it is said, See, I am putting in Zion a stone causing a fall, and a rock in the way: but he who has faith in him will not be put to shame.
(BBE RSV NIV)

Romans 11:11 I ask then, did they stumble that they might fall? May it never be! But by their fall salvation has come to the Gentiles, to provoke them to jealousy.
(WEB KJV ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Romans 11:12 Now if their fall is the riches of the world, and their loss the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fullness?
(WEB KJV ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT)

Romans 14:4 Who are you who judge another's servant? To his own lord he stands or falls. Yes, he will be made to stand, for God has power to make him stand.
(Root in WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Romans 14:13 Therefore let's not judge one another any more, but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block in his brother's way, or an occasion for falling.
(Root in WEB KJV ASV DBY WBS)

Romans 14:20 Don't overthrow God's work for food's sake. All things indeed are clean, however it is evil for that man who creates a stumbling block by eating.
(See RSV)

Romans 14:21 The right course is to forego eating meat or drinking wine or doing anything that tends to your brother's fall.
(WEY YLT NIV)

1 Corinthians 8:13 Therefore if what I eat causes my brother to fall, never again to the end of my days will I touch any kind of animal food, for fear I should cause my brother to fall.
(WEY DBY WBS RSV NIV)

1 Corinthians 10:12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands be careful that he doesn't fall.
(WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

1 Corinthians 14:25 And thus the secrets of his heart are revealed. So he will fall down on his face and worship God, declaring that God is among you indeed.
(WEB KJV WEY ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

1 Corinthians 15:6 Then he appeared to over five hundred brothers at once, most of whom remain until now, but some have also fallen asleep.
(Root in WEB KJV WEY ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

1 Corinthians 15:51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all fall asleep, but we shall all be changed,
(DBY)

2 Corinthians 6:3 We endeavour to give people no cause for stumbling in anything, lest the work we are doing should fall into discredit.
(WEY)

2 Corinthians 11:29 Who is feeble and I am not feeble? who is in danger of falling, and I am not angry?
(Root in BBE WBS RSV)

Galatians 6:1 Brethren, if anybody be detected in any misconduct, you who are spiritual should restore such a one in a spirit of meekness. And let each of you keep watch over himself, lest he also fall into temptation.
(WEY)

Philippians 1:19 For I have known that this shall fall out to me for salvation, through your supplication, and the supply of the Spirit of Christ Jesus,
(YLT)

1 Thessalonians 4:13 But we don't want you to be ignorant, brothers, concerning those who have fallen asleep, so that you don't grieve like the rest, who have no hope.
(Root in WEB ASV DBY YLT NIV)

1 Timothy 3:6 not a new convert, lest being puffed up he fall into the same condemnation as the devil.
(WEB KJV ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

1 Timothy 3:7 Moreover he must have good testimony from those who are outside, to avoid falling into reproach and the snare of the devil.
(Root in WEB KJV WEY ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

1 Timothy 4:1 But the Spirit says expressly that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons,
(WEB WEY ASV YLT NAS)

1 Timothy 6:9 But those who are determined to be rich fall into a temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful lusts, such as drown men in ruin and destruction.
(WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Hebrews 3:12 Beware, brothers, lest perhaps there be in any one of you an evil heart of unbelief, in falling away from the living God;
(Root in WEB ASV YLT NAS RSV)

Hebrews 4:11 Let us therefore give diligence to enter into that rest, lest anyone fall after the same example of disobedience.
(WEB KJV ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Hebrews 6:6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.
(KJV DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

Hebrews 10:31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
(WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Hebrews 11:30 by faith the walls of Jericho did fall, having been surrounded for seven days;
(YLT)

James 1:2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you fall into various temptations,
(WEB KJV ASV DBY WBS YLT)

James 3:2 For we often stumble and fall, all of us. If there is any one who never stumbles in speech, that man has reached maturity of character and is able to curb his whole nature.
(WEY)

James 5:12 But above all things, my brothers, don't swear, neither by heaven, nor by the earth, nor by any other oath; but let your "yes" be "yes," and your "no," "no;" so that you don't fall into hypocrisy.
(WEB KJV ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV)

1 Peter 1:24 For, "All flesh is like grass, and all of man's glory like the flower in the grass. The grass withers, and its flower falls;
(Root in WEB KJV ASV DBY WBS NAS RSV NIV)

1 Peter 2:8 And, A stone of falling, a rock of trouble; the word is the cause of their fall, because they go against it, and this was the purpose of God.
(Root in BBE RSV NIV)

2 Peter 1:10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:
(KJV BBE DBY WBS RSV NIV)

2 Peter 3:4 and saying, 'Where is the promise of his presence? for since the fathers did fall asleep, all things so remain from the beginning of the creation;'
(YLT)

2 Peter 3:17 You therefore, beloved, knowing these things beforehand, beware, lest being carried away with the error of the wicked, you fall from your own steadfastness.
(WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

Revelation 1:17 And when I saw him, I did fall at his feet as dead, and he placed his right hand upon me, saying to me, 'Be not afraid; I am the First and the Last,
(YLT)

Revelation 3:9 I will cause some belonging to Satan's synagogue who say that they themselves are Jews, and are not, but are liars--I will make them come and fall at your feet and know for certain that I have loved you.
(WEY NIV)

Revelation 4:10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives forever and ever, and throw their crowns before the throne, saying,
(WEB KJV WEY ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Revelation 6:16 They told the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb,
(WEB KJV WEY ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Subtopics

Fall

Fall Away

Fall of Man: General Scriptures Concerning

The Fall of Man by the Disobedience of Adam

The Fall of Man: All Men Partake of the Effects of

The Fall of Man: Cannot be Remedied by Man

The Fall of Man: Dead in Sin

The Fall of Man: Man in Consequence of a Child of Wrath

The Fall of Man: Man in Consequence of Abominable

The Fall of Man: Man in Consequence of Blinded in Heart

The Fall of Man: Man in Consequence of Born in Sin