Sunday 29 November 2009

Top ten biblical deaths


John Lyons asks for suggestions towards a 'top 10' of biblical deaths.

Here's my list (NB I have omitted the death of Jesus on the grounds of cliché).
  1. Death by hailstone: Joshua 10:11 As they fled before Israel, while they were going down the slope of Beth-horon, the LORD threw down huge stones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died; there were more who died because of the hailstones than the Israelites killed with the sword.
  2. Death on a campsite: Judges 4:21 Jael wife of Heber took a tent peg, and took a hammer in her hand, and went softly to him and drove the peg into his temple, until it went down into the ground -- he was lying fast asleep from weariness -- and he died.
  3. Death by sexism: Judges 9:53-54 But a certain woman threw an upper millstone on Abimelech's head, and crushed his skull. Immediately he called to the young man who carried his armor and said to him, "Draw your sword and kill me, so people will not say about me, 'A woman killed him.'" So the young man thrust him through, and he died.
  4. Death by man: Judges 20:5-6 The lords of Gibeah rose up against me, and surrounded the house at night. They intended to kill me, and they raped my concubine until she died. Then I took my concubine and cut her into pieces, and sent her throughout the whole extent of Israel's territory; for they have committed a vile outrage in Israel.
  5. Death by lack of perspective: 1 Samuel 4:17-18 The messenger replied, "Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has also been a great slaughter among the troops; your two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been captured." When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli1 fell over backward from his seat by the side of the gate; and his neck was broken and he died.
  6. Death by loyalty: 1 Samuel 31:5 When his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword and died with him.
  7. Death by stomach upset: 2 Chronicles 21:18-19 After all this the LORD struck him in his bowels with an incurable disease. In course of time, at the end of two years, his bowels came out because of the disease, and he died in great agony.
  8. Death by idolatry: Acts 12:23 And immediately, because he had not given the glory to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.
  9. Death by environmental devastations: Revelation 16:3 The second angel poured his bowl into the sea, and it became like the blood of a corpse, and every living thing in the sea died.
  10. Death of Death: Revelation 20:14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire;

1 comment:

Simon Woodman said...

I should also add:
Death by Preaching: Acts 20:9 A young man named Eutychus, who was sitting in the window, began to sink off into a deep sleep while Paul talked still longer. Overcome by sleep, he fell to the ground three floors below and was picked up dead.