The meaning of Gulf in the Bible
(From International Standard Bible Encyclopedia)
(chasma, "a chasm," "vent," "a gaping opening"—a great interval; from chaino, "to gape" or "yawn"): Occurs only in Luke 16:26, "Between us and you there is a great gulf fixed" (compare "afar off" in Luke 16:23). This is very different from, though it probably reflects, the rabbinical conception of the separation between the two compartments of Hades (Sheol) by "a hand's breadth," "a wall," or even, later, "a chasm," as the parable can be given here only a figurative significance, and is of purely ethical import. The fundamental difference between the Rich Man and Lazarus lies not in their conditions but in their characters. For "besides all this" (Luke 16:26) the Revised Version, margin gives "in all these things," thus implying that the moral distinctions which exist in this life (Luke 16:25) become more pronounced ("fixed") in the next world, and the "gulf" is impassable in the sense that a change of condition will not necessarily produce a change of soul.
See also ABRAHAM'S BOSOM; HADES.
M. O. Evans
DISCLAIMER: Church of the Great God (CGG) provides these resources to aid the individual in studying the Bible. However, it is up to the individual to "prove all things, and hold fast to that which is good" (I Thessalonians 5:21). The content of these resources does not necessarily reflect the views of CGG. They are provided for information purposes only.
