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UNDERSTANDING THE BIBLE
THROUGH UNDERSTANDING THE CUSTOMS AND CULTURE OF BIBLE TIMES Class #4 DAILY LIFE IN BIBLE TIMES By Don LaRose Copyright (C) 2011 All Rights Reserved We will consider daily life in Bible times by looking at daily activities, clothing worn by men, women and children and the title and role of parents. DAILY ACTIVITIES In Bible times it was the habit of people to rise early. For one thing, the climate makes that necessary. In summer, the heat is oppressive. Hard labor and travel are ususally done early in the morning. Consider some Biblical examples: * "Abraham rose up early in the morning" (Genesis 22:3). * "Moses rose up early in the morning" (Exodus 34:4). * "Job rose up early in the morning" (Job 1:5). * "And all the people came early in the morning to Him in the Temple, for to hear Him"(Luke 21:38). * "And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, He went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed" (Mark 1:35). In Bible times, the very first sounds in the morning, in any village were the sounds of the grinding of grain. Today, especially in the villages and rural areas, the grinding is still performed, but with the use of hand mills, which do not make the noise manual griding did in Bible times. Grinding had to be done twice a day - morning and evening. Grinding could take up as much as half of the day for some members of the family. There is an interesting observation made by Jeremiah with regard to the sound of grinding in the villages. Jeremiah is predicting judgment from God because Israel had departed from His ways. He prophecies for God, "I will take from them the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, and the sound of the millstones" (Jeremiah 25:10). The sound of the millstones was the sound of life and activity. The lack of that sound meant desolation. You would never find men grinding at the millstones. It would be beneath their dignity. In Lamentations, the Prophet Jeremiah says that when Israel is carried away captive, to add insult to injury, the enemy would take "the young men to grind" (Lamentations 5:13). In Judges 16, when Samson was finally captured, and his eyes were put out, they put him in prison, and the Bible says, "he did grind in the prison house" (Judges 16:21). Mealtime was also different in Bible times. They had just two meals a day - breakfast and dinner. In addition, they occurred at different times than do our meals. Breakfast could occur anytime from early in the day up to noon. Dinner would be late in the day. Breakfast would normally come after several hours of work, and sometimes followed by a Siesta. We'll talk more about that later. A portion of the day for women would be spent weaving cloth for tents and making clothing. There was also the matter of washing the family's clothing. Some in the Holy Land and in Bedouin families throughout the Middle East still use the same method of clothes washing. First the clothes were dipped in water. Then they would be laid out on flat stones. Using a one to one and a half foot long club, the clothes would be beaten. They would then be rinsed in clean water from goat skin jars. See if Psalm 51:2 doesn't take on a new meaning in light of this descripton of washday in David's time. He writes, literally begging God, "Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity." David was not talking about a simple washing or rinsing in water. He is talking about kneading and beating the sin out of him. He is asking God to submit him to any painful discipline that might be necessary. He is saying, "Dash me against the stones - do anything, if only these foul stains can be beaten out of the texture of my soul." When was the last time I have felt this way about those things in my life which were less than God expects? The girls in the family took care of the goats. Boys took care of the flocks of sheep, some of which could be rather large. The men took care of the camels and other large animals the family might own. The girls usually could not take their goats to the watering locations at the same time as the men and boys. And many times, if the water location was a well, they would cap it so the girls could not get water. There are several instances of this in the Scriptures. Moses helped Jethro's daughters water their flocks. He was sitting at the well in Midian, when the seven daughters of Jethro came to water their flocks. Some male shepherds came and drove them away. But Moses stood up for the women and helped them water their animals. He eventually married one of the seven. You can read about that in Exodus chapter 2. There are several other examples of this in the Old Testament. Earlier we mentioned the midday Siesta. The Siesta was a Middle East thing long before Latin Americans ever thought of it. Shops would close (some still do today), and people took a break from the heat of the day. Check out these Old Testament passages: * Abraham "sat in the tent door in the heat of the day" (Genesis 18:1). * Ishbosheth, King Saul's son, "Lay on a bed at noon" (II Samuel 4:5). * When Saul entered the cave where David and his men were hiding, he no doubt did so in order to have his middle-of-the-day nap. It was noon, and it says, "Saul went in to cover his feet" (I Samuel 24:3). * Then there is the fascinating story of an Israelite Judge named Ehud. He delivered Israel from Moab by bringing the tribute money to King Eglon, then asking for a private conference. During the conference he stabbed the king, locked the doors to the throne room and left. When the King's servants returned, they thought the King was taking his Siesta so they did not disturb him until Ehud had long made his escape (Judges 3). Another job relegated solely to women was carrying water for the family. In Genesis 24, it is said, it was "the time of evening, even the time that women go out to draw water" (Genesis 24:11). There is another difference. Israelite women carried their water on their heads. Others in the Middle East carried it on their shoulders. When Abraham's servant went for a bride for Isaac, he found Rebecca carrying her water jug on her shoulder (Genesis 24:15). It is assumed that once she came to the Land of Israel, she changed along with the other women and carried the water on her head. You may remember in the Scriptures that as Passover was approaching, Jesus sent two of His disciples into Jerusalem to find an upper room where He and His disciples could celebrate the event. He said, "Go ye into the city, and there shall meet you a man bearing a pitcher of water: follow him" (Mark 14:13). Does that request not seem odd to you? Would there not be many people carrying water back and forth throughout the city? Yes, there would be many. However, there would be but one man. Carrying water for the family was a woman's job, and you would seldom ever see a man carrying water. It would have been very demeaning for a man to have to carry water. In the West, we do not generally use God's name in our normal, everyday conversation (except some who use God's name as a curse word). But in the Middle East, God's name is used frequently in normal coversation. An astonished person might cry out, "Mash Allah" (What has God wrought)! When the Prophet Balaam was taken up into the mountain by King Balaak and asked to prophesy against Israel in the valley below, he looked down upon the encampment and cried out, "What hath God wrought!" If asked if he is going to do something, the Middle Easterner would say, "If God wills." We used to hear that phrase often in this country in years gone by. It is seldom heard today, not even in most of our churches. Before leaving this particular subject, there is one more thing we want to consider and that is the figurative and exaggerated language common to Middle Eastern speech. The language is frequently acted out as an object lesson for emphasis. You find it in the Bible too. For instance, Paul, before going to Jerusalem was given a warning in Acts 21. A prophet named Agabus met him. He took Paul's belt (we will talk about the kind of belt Paul was wearing just a bit later), and bound his own hands and feet with it. Then he said, "So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this belt, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles" (Acts21:10-11). John the Baptist said to the religious leaders of the day who came to hear him preach, "O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance" (Matthew 3:7-9). He actually called the religious leaders a bunch of snakes. In the West we might state it this way, "Your pretension to virtue and good birth far exceeds your actual practice." Don't we have a way with words? Then there is the using of exaggeration for emphasis, or to press the issue of one's sincerity. Can you think of instances in the Bible where someone said, "What I say to you is the truth, and if it is not, I will cut off my right arm?" No one expected them to cut off their right arm. It was put in there for emphasis to show the sincerity of the one who was making the statement. Or can you remember a promise in the Bible that went this way: "I promise you this, and if I fail in fulflling my promise, I will pluck out my right eye?" No one would expected them to pluck out their eye. It is exaggeration for emphasis. If you listen to the news and hear leaders from the Middle East, you will hear this same kind of exaggeration for emphasis that you find in the Bible. Little has changed. Let' sum this up. The daily schedule of Bible times goes like this: * Rise early * Work hard * Eat twice daily * Take a Siesta * Think about (meditate) and talk about God in normal, daily conversations From the time of Abraham through the time of the early Church, this pretty much summed up what life was all about. CLOTHING IN BIBLE TIMES Clothing changed little from the time of Abraham to the time of the Lord Jesus Christ. However, a knowledge of clothing worn in Bible times is essential to understanding numbers of passages in the Scriptures. Also, terminoloy related to clothing is important. Let's begin with the inner garment, known as a "tunic" or a "shirt." Sometimes in our English Bibles this is translated "coat." That is an incorrect translation. This is what we today would consider an undergarment. It was worn next to the skin. It would be made of leather, cloth made from woven hair, wool, or, if one were rich it might be made of linen. In the several hundred years before the time of Christ, tunics might also be made of cotton. Can you imagine wearing leather or wool next to your skin? There were two styles of tunics. Tunics worn by the poorer classes did not have sleeves, and would reach to the knees, or sometimes to the ankles. Tunics worn by the more well-to-do had sleeves and reached to the ankles. Among the poorer people, sometimes a tunic would be the only garment they owned. People of more wealth would wear the tunic by itself inside their homes, or while working, but never outside in public. Outside of their home, they would always wear a coat, or mantle, over the tunic. People who wore only tunics, who could not afford a coat, were spoken of as being "naked." Let's look at several examples of this in the Scriptures. "...The Lord told Isaiah, the son of Amoz, to take off his clothing, including his shoes, and walk around naked and barefoot. And Isaiah did as he was told. Then the Lord said, My servant Isaiah, who has been walking naked and barefoot for the last three years, is a symbol of terrible troubles I will bring upon Egypt and Ethiopia" (Isaiah 20:2-4). Isaiah did not walk around "naked" as we define that word today. He walked about barefoot and with only a tunic on. The message was that when God was done with Egypt and Ethiopia, everyone would be as poor as the lower class, which could not afford a coat. There is a similar use of the word in the New Testament. Jesus had risen from the grave. His disciples had gone back to Galilee to fish. As the morning dawned, a man appeared on the shore. The disciples had fished all night with no results. This man on the shore told them to put the net on the other side of the boat. They did so and were swamped with fish. At this point, the Bible says, "Therefore, that disciple whom Jesus loved (John) saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fishers coat unto him, for he was naked, and did cast himself into the sea" (John 21:7). While in the boat working, he was not "naked" by our definition. This is proved in that he girt his fishers coat upon him (will take about the coat later). The coat would have been put on over the tunic. But with just the tunic on, he was considered "naked" by the Middle Eastern culture. Then there is the story of David and Bathsheba. We read so much into this story because of our Western Culture that is not in the Biblical account. David was on the roof of his palace. He looked down into the courtyard of the home next to his and saw a woman "of unusual beauty" (II Samuel 11:2 LB), taking her evening bath. Some translations indicate that she was doing her ceremonial religious washing, which would not have been a bath as we think of it. We assume that she was "naked" by our definition, because she was taking a bath; although the Bible does not say she was naked. However, we must understand that no one in Bible times ever totally undressed. Husbands and wives never saw each other without at least the tunic on. This is still true today among some Moslem sects. Remember Noah? After the flood, in Genesis chapter 9, Noah became drunk and was totally naked in his tent. His son Ham went into the tent and saw his father's nakedness - a horrible taboo in Middle Eastern Culture of the time (for which Noah later pronounced a curse on Ham's son Canaan). Ham came out and told his two brothers what he had seen. They, then, took a blanket, backed into Noah's tent and covered him. I've heard Bible teachers try to add that for a curse to have been pronounced there must have been some sexual engagement between Ham and his father. No! No! No! In Bible times no other person ever saw another naked (without at least the tunic), not husbands and wives, not fathers and sons, not brothers, not mothers and daughters, not sisters - No one! This is why the Romans (Western Culture) came up with the cruelest of all methods of capitol punishment aimed at an Eastern Culture. Not only was there the horrible, extended pain of crucifixion, which could last for up to two weeks. Even more horrible in the eyes of the Middle Easterner was the shame and humiliatin of being hung out for display to the world totally unclothed. When I think of my Savior hanging on the cross with not only the pain and suffering; with not only the weight and burden of every sin I (and everyone other person who has or will live on this earth) have committed; but also enduring the most shameful, humiliating, disgusting thing possible in the view of the culture; I am brought to tears (even as I write these words). How He loved me! How could the great Jehovah God allow Himself to be manhandled by wicked men in this manner? But then I realize that I was one of the wicked sinful people for whom He died. I cannot even begin to comprehend His love. However, even the small understanding that I do have of His love, it commands my love for Him. Praise God, I have a Savior who loved me enough to go to Calvary. But, back to the subject of undergarments - tunics. Many men would have two of these undergarments. John the Baptist said, "The man who has two shirts (tunics - undergarments) must share with him who has none" (Luke 3:11). When Jesus sent out the disciples on a preaching and healing mission, He told them not to take an extra undergarment with them (Matthew 10:10). The next item of clothing worn in Bible times was what is called in the King James Version, a "girdle." The "girdle," or "belt," as it is called in more modern versions, was worn around the mid-section over the tunic. It was worn to keep the tunic in place and keep it from interfering with walking or working. There were two kinds of "girdles" or "belts" mentioned in the Bible. The commoners wore a "girdle" made of leather. It was about six inches wide. It was worn just like a belt (which is what it was), and had clasps to hook it in front. This is the kind of "girdle" worn by Elijah in II Kings 1:8, and by John the Baptist in Matthew 3:4. It could have a pouch attached to carry food, and a place to attach a sword or club. The second kind of girdle was a linen or silk belt, which was sometimes embroidered. People of some wealth wore this kind of belt. It also would have a pouch for carrying food and a place to attach a sword or club. The "girdle" was considered to be apart of their clothing. There is an interesting story in Jeremiah 13 which is built upon the prophet's girdle or belt. It would make interesting reading. It also emphasizes the exaggeration in language we talked about earlier in this session, and the over emphasis used by people of the Middle East. The term "girdle" is used symbolically on a number of occasions in the Scriptures. In Luke chapter 12, Jesus said, "Let your loins be girted about..." He is saying, "Be as men in a long race. Fasten your robes with a girdle. Let nothing impede your steps." When the Bible uses the term "...to be girded," it is speaking of being ready for action. Isaiah the Prophet wrote that righteousness would be the Messiah's "girdle" when He rules the world. The Apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians that TRUTH is the Christian's "girdle" in our spiritual warfare. Let's move on to the outer garment. This is sometimes called a mantle. This would be made of woven goats hair, the same material used for their tents. It would serve as a shelter from the wind and rain. It became a blanket by night, sheltering from both the heat and the cold. What keeps cold out will also keep heat in. The Prophet Elijah smote the Jordan River with his mantle, and crossed over on dry ground. Then, when he was taken up to heaven, his mantle fell on Elisha. Think of the three men cast into the fiery furnace in the Book of Daniel. They are described as being in full garb: tunic, girdle and mantle. The Law spoke specifically about the mantle. "If thou at all take thy neighbor's raiment to pledge, thou shalt deliver it unto him by that the sun goeth down: for that is his covering only, it is his raiment for his skin: wherein shall he sleep? And it shall come to pass, when he crieth unto me, that I will hear; for I am gracious" (Exodus 22:26-27). It was not uncommon for someone to borrow something from another, and leave his mantle as a guarantee. God required of the lender that the mantle be returned before sundown. This is likely what happened when the students at the School of the Prophets were building a dormatory. One of the students was chopping a tree near the river, and the axe head fell off and flew into the river and sank. He cried out to the prophet that the axe was borrowed. The problem was that (even though it doesn't say so in the passage) he likely left his mantle as surety for the item borrowed. A theological student back in the times of the Kings of Israel would have been lucky to have a mantle. Without it, he would have no blanket at night and no protection from the weather anytime. Even in one's own house, the mantle was used as a blanket at night. And if they slept outdoors it was protection from the elements as it was waterproof. Jesus said, in Luke 6:29, that you should not keep back your undergarment from the one who robs you of your outer one. In Matthew, He said, "If any one wishes to go to law with you and deprive you or your undergarment, let him take your outer one also" (Matthew 5:40). No Jewish court would ever award an outer garment to satisfy a judgment, because of the prohibiton to doing so in the Law of Moses. The mantle had one other major use. It was used as a measuring unit. It was used to measure grain and fruit. Jesus uses this procedure to teach about His children being blessed when they live by a godly philosophy. "Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom" (Luke 6:38). Here is a description of measuring grain, transported into the spiritual realm. Hold your mantle up, and the blessing will be poured in up to your bosom. In Ruth chapter 3, Ruth measures out six measures of barley in her mantle. The final piece of clothing is the headdress. Young people were proud of their hair and would wear it long and curled. An example is David's son Absolom. Priests would cut their hair, but only a little. Baldness was very scarce among Middle Eastern peoples during Bible tmes. As a matter of fact, anyone who was bald would be under suspicion of having leprosy. In II Kings 2:23 there is an incident recorded in which some young men were yelling insults at the Prophet Elisha. They yelled, "Go up thou bald head!" That was considered an extreme curse. God sent a bear that killed the men. Next, we will take note of the differences between men's and women's clothing in Bible times. The Law of Moses, you may remember, forbade men to wear women's clothing or women to wear men's clothing. Even today, Bedouin Arabs go to great lengths not to imitate the other's clothing. At first glace the difference between men's and women's clothing in Bible days is very little Each wears the same four garments. Each wore tunics, girdles, mantles and headdresses. The difference is not in kind, but in detail. The colors are different, the designs on the cloth are different, and the lengths may be different. Women also wore veils. Genesis 24 speaks of Rebeckah arriving as Isaac's bride. It says she covered her face with her veil. You will remember that Jacob worked seven years for Rachel, but then was married to Leah, because her face was covered with a veil. Veils are still worn today by Moslem women in that part of the world. Accessories also were different. A man always carried a cane or staff. He wore a signet ring on his right hand or on a chain around his neck. The ring was the family seal. Women braided their hair (both Peter and Paul condemned the braiding of hair in their epistles). They also wore earrings. In Genesis 35 we have the record of earrings being worn by the women in Jacob's family. In Exodus 32, it was the women's golden earrings that were gathered and melted into the golden calf that they worshiped. Rebeckah was given bracelets by Abraham's servant in Genesis 24. Necklaces and pendants are mentioned in Isaiah 3. And Isaiah also makes mention of nose rings. There were two additional items, which distinguished men's apparel. First was a little metal box strapped to the arm or forehead of Jewish men. It contained portions of the Passover Scriptures, particularly Exodus 13:9 and 16. Orthodox Jews still do this today. The other item was blue fringes in the corners of the mantle. God required this in Numbers 15:37 and 38, and in Deuternomy 22:12, as a way of being reminded of Him in every activity of life. The Pharisees especially made a big thing of this. Jesus referred to it several times indicating that the Pharisees had little appreciation for their real value. The question which comes up regularly is, "What did Jesus look like?" I ran across this in my file. It was on an overhead slide and unfortunately I have no idea where I got it. It says, speaking of how Jesus must have dressed, "Upon His head He must always have worn a turban, the national headgear, used alike by rich and poor... The turban He wore was probably white. It was fastened under the chin by a cord, and at the side fell down to the shoulders and over the tunic. Under His turban He wore His hair rather long, and His beard uncut. His tunic, His underneath vesture, was of one piece without seam, it was therefore of some value, and had probably been given Him by one of those women who 'ministered to Him of their substance.' Over this He wore the talith, loose and flowing. This mantle was not white, for we are told it became white during His transfiguration. It was not red, for that was only the military color; it is possible it was blue, for blue was then very common; or it may have been smply white with brown stripes. In any case, Jesus had at the four corners of this mantle, the ciccith (fringe)... He wore sandals on His feet, as we learn from John the Baptist; and when He was travelng, going from place to place, He doubtless wore a girdle around the loins, and carried a stick in His hand." PARENTAL POSITION IN THE FAMILY In order to understand the position of the "father" in the family, we must understand the meaning of the word father in the culture of the Middle East. To the Middle Easterner, every group must have a father. Every group of travelers, every tribe, every comunity must have a father. Furthermore, every family must have a father. And we do not mean a father and mother with however many children they may have. We mean that the eldest, who is "the father," heads up numbers of generations of a family, complete with sons and daughters and their families and their families. His words, and his decisions are final. There is no argument. Everyone must follow blindly, or they will be guilty of incest. Also, in Bible times, a man would be called the father of what he invented. Jubal, in Genesis 4, was "the father of all such as handle the harp and pipe." Jabal, in Genesis 4, was "the father of all who dwell in tents and have cattle." Because Joseph was the preserver and protector of the Egyptian Pharaoh, he was called "the father of Pharaoh." No group or band of people could be without "a father." The supremacy of "the father" in the patriarchal system was never challenged. The father was supreme in his command. His wife was subservient to him, as were his children, his children's children and their spouses, all of the servants who lived in his community and everyone in all of the households. This was the same system under which Abraham lived. Notice that Abraham handed succession to his son Isaac. Usually it went to the oldest son. However, the Patriarch was free to name someone else. Isaac passed it on to Jacob rather than Esau who was the eldest. Chldren always held "the father" in reverence. Children were always dutiful. In the morning the children would greet the father by kissing his hand. Then they would stand before him in humility, waiting for orders, or permission to depart. The Law demanded obedience. A disobedient child could be put of death (Deuteronomy 21:18-21). In Ephesians 6:1, and again in Colossians 3:20, the Apostle Paul says children must obey their parents. And by the way, that did not end when they became adults. It lasted as long as their parents lived. But let's turn our attention to the position of the mother in the family. The wife was under her husband. Middle Eastern women were never treated as equals. That is still the case in the Middle East today with the exception of Jews and non-Moslems in Israel. Women don't eat with the men or boys. They only get what is left over after the men and boys have eaten. When they walk, the women always follow the men. They are confined, watched and veiled. Think of Jacob's wives and children as they were returning to the Promised Land. They traveled in a group by themselves (Genesis 32). Think of the Prodigal Son's mother. She is never mentioned in the story, and certainly was not at the feast prepared for her son. The wife was not a slave (each family group had slaves who belonged to them). The wife exerted tremendous influence over her husband. Sarah was treated like a queen in some respects. She ruled over the entire household. She had control over her maid (slave) Hagar in Genesis 16. In Proverbs 31 there is a wonderful tribute to a Hebrew wife. And the mother was held in very high regard even after her children were grown. It is also quite evident when reading the Old Testament that Jewish women lived in far superior conditions, and much better treatment than women in the surrounding tribal groups. Again, I found the following in a file folder, with no indication as to where it originated. But it says, "The position of women among them (the Hebrews) was far higher than with the Arabs, and the character of Hebrew women must have been, on the whole, such as to command and sustain this higher position. The Arabs can show no list of pious and illustrious ladies like those who adorn the history of the Hebrews. No Bedouin mother ever taught, or could teach, such a 'prophecy' as King Lemuel (Solomon) learned from his; nor could the picture of 'a virtuous woman,' given in the last chapter of Proverbs, have been copied by an Arab. The concepton by him of such a character was a moral impossibility." ____________________________________ New Study Manual Now Available... Understanding the Bible By Understanding THE CULTURE & CUSTOMS OF BIBLE TIMES * Over 200 pages * 27 chapters * Illustrative drawings * Photos from the Holy Land * And much more Great for Bible Study groups, Sunday School classes, etc. Each chapter ends with "Review Questions," "Things to Remember" and "What Does This Mean to Me?" Send $12.95 plus $4.00 shipping and handling to: Don LaRose P. O. Box 95 Centerton, AR 72719 Order 7 or more books (one, or mixed titles from any page on this website) and take a 10% discount. One $4.00 S & H covers all books ordered at the same time. It is our purpose to get these books into the hands of as many people as well benefit from them. If you re unable to afford the cost of these books, please let us know. We trust the Lord to make up the cost of your books through gifts from God's children. ____________________________________ Return to Home Page Click here to proceed to Class #5 ____________________________________ |
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