'Back' in the Bible

say to a tree, “You are my father,”and to a stone, “You gave birth to me.”For they have turned their back to Meand not their face,yet in their time of disaster they beg,“Rise up and save us!”

Because of this, the earth will mourn;the skies above will grow dark.I have spoken; I have planned,and I will not relent or turn back from it.

But I am full of the Lord’s wrath;I am tired of holding it back.Pour it out on the children in the street,on the gang of young men as well.For both husband and wife will be captured,the old with the very old.

You have left Me.This is the Lord’s declaration.You have turned your back,so I have stretched out My hand against youand destroyed you.I am tired of showing compassion.

I will scatter them before the enemy like the east wind.I will show them My back and not My faceon the day of their calamity.

Jeremiah came back from Topheth, where the Lord had sent him to prophesy, stood in the courtyard of the Lord’s temple, and proclaimed to all the people,

Among the prophets of Jerusalem alsoI saw a horrible thing:They commit adultery and walk in lies.They strengthen the hands of evildoers,and none turns his back on evil.They are all like Sodom to Me;Jerusalem’s residents are like Gomorrah.

The Lord’s anger will not turn backuntil He has completely fulfilled the purposes of His heart.In time to come you will understand it clearly.

If they had really stood in My council,they would have enabled My people to hear My wordsand would have turned them back from their evil waysand their evil deeds.

“This is what the Lord says: Stand in the courtyard of the Lord’s temple and speak all the words I have commanded you to speak to all Judah’s cities that are coming to worship there. Do not hold back a word.

Then I spoke to the priests and all these people, saying, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Do not listen to the words of your prophets. They are prophesying to you, claiming, “Look, very soon now the articles of the Lord’s temple will be brought back from Babylon.” They are prophesying a lie to you.

The Lord’s burning anger will not turn backuntil He has completely fulfilled the purposes of His heart.In time to come you will understand it.

They will come weeping,but I will bring them back with consolation.I will lead them to wadis filled with waterby a smooth way where they will not stumble,for I am Israel’s Father,and Ephraim is My firstborn.

Afterward, however, they changed their minds and took back their male and female slaves they had freed and forced them to become slaves again.

But you have changed your minds and profaned My name. Each has taken back his male and female slaves who had been freed to go wherever they wanted, and you have again subjugated them to be your slaves.

I am about to give the command”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“and I will bring them back to this city. They will fight against it, capture it, and burn it down. I will make Judah’s cities a desolation, without inhabitant.”

So now please listen, my lord the king. May my petition come before you. Don’t send me back to the house of Jonathan the scribe, or I will die there.”

Johanan son of Kareah and all the commanders of the armies with him then took from Mizpah all the remnant of the people whom he had recovered from Ishmael son of Nethaniah after Ishmael had killed Gedaliah son of Ahikam—men, soldiers, women, children, and court officials whom he brought back from Gibeon.

Even her mercenaries among herare like stall-fed calves.They too will turn back;together they will flee;they will not take their stand,for the day of their calamity is coming on them,the time of their punishment.

At the sound of the stomping hooves of his stallions,the rumbling of his chariots,and the clatter of their wheels,fathers will not turn back for their sons,because they will be utterly helpless

Oh, sword of the Lord!How long will you be restless?Go back to your sheath;be still; be silent!

“How broken it is! They wail! How Moab has turned his back! He is ashamed. Moab will become a laughingstock and a shock to all those around him.”

Wail, Heshbon, for Ai is devastated;cry out, daughters of Rabbah!Clothe yourselves with sackcloth, and lament;run back and forth within your walls,because Milcom will go into exiletogether with his priests and officials.

Run! Turn back! Lie low,residents of Dedan,for I will bring Esau’s calamity on himat the time I punish him.