Reference: Handicraft
Fausets
(See CIVILIZATION; BRASS.) Jewish workmen, as distinguished from the pagan workmen in ancient times, were not slaves, nor were their trades hereditary. After the captivity it was deemed at once honourable and necessary for a father to teach his son a trade. (Mishna, Pirke, ab. 2:2). Hence, Joseph the carpenter taught the holy Jesus his trade; and many of His own country marveled that works so mighty should be wrought by one like themselves, an artisan: "is not this the carpenter?" (Mr 6:3).
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Is not, this, the carpenter? the son of Mary, the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us? - and they were finding cause of stumbling in him.
Smith
Handicraft.
A trade was taught to ail the Jewish boys as a necessary part of their education. Even the greatest rabbis maintained themselves by trades (Delitzsch). Says Rabbi Jehuda, "He who does not teach his son a trade is much the same as if he taught him to be a thief". In the present article brief notice only can be given of such handicraft trades as are mentioned in Scripture.
1. Smiths or metal-workers. --The preparation of iron for use either in war, in agriculture or for domestic purposes was doubtless one of the earliest applications of labor; and together with iron, working in brass, or rather copper alloyed with tin (bronze), is mentioned as practiced in antediluvian times.
After the establishment of the Jews in Canaan, the occupation of a smith became recognized as a distinct employment-
The smith's work and its results are often mentioned in Scripture.
2Sa 12:31; 1Ki 6:7; 2Ch 26:14; Isa 44:12; 54:16
The worker in gold and silver must have found employment among both the Hebrews and the neighboring nations in very early times.
Various processes of the goldsmith's work are illustrated by Egyptian monuments. After the conquest frequent notices are found of both moulded and wrought metal, including soldering.
2. Carpenters are often mentioned in Scripture.
In the palace built by David for himself the workmen employed were chiefly foreigners.
That the Jewish carpenters must have been able to carve with some skill is evident from
In the New Testament the occupation of a carpenter is mentioned in connection with Joseph the husband of the Virgin Mary, and ascribed to our Lord himself.
The trade included our cabinet work as well as carpentering.
3. The masons employed by David and Solomon, at least the chief of them, were Phoenicians.
The large stones used in Solomon's temple are said by Josephus to have been fitted together exactly without either mortar or clamps, but the foundation stones to have been fastened with lead. For ordinary building mortar was used; sometimes, perhaps, bitumen, as was the case at Babylon.
The wall "daubed with untempered mortar" of
was perhaps a sort of cob-wall of mud or clay without lime, which would give way under heavy rain. The use of whitewash on tombs is remarked by our Lord.
4. Ship-building must have been exercised to some extent for the fishing-vessels on the Lake of Gennesaret.
Solomon built ships for his foreign trade.
1Ki 9:26-27; 22:48; 2Ch 20:36-37
5. Apothecaries or perfumers appear to have formed a guild or association.
Ex 30:25,35; 2Ch 16:14; Ne 3:8; Ec 7:1; 10:1
Ecclus 38:8.
6. Weavers. --The arts of spinning and weaving both wool and linen were carried on in early times, as they usually are still among the Bedouins, by women.
Ex 35:20,26; Le 19:19; De 22:11; 2Ki 23:7; Eze 16:16; Pr 31:13-14
The loom with its beam,
pin,
and shuttles
was perhaps introduced later, but as early as David's time.
7. Dyeing and dressing cloth were practiced in Palestine, as were also tanning and dressing leather.
Jos 2:15-18; 2Ki 1:8; Mt 3:4; Ac 9:43
8. Barbers.
9. Tentmakers are noticed in
10. Potters are frequently alluded to.
11. Bakers are noticed in Scripture,
and the well-known valley Tyropoeon probably derived its name from the occupation of the cheese-makers, its inhabitants.
12. Butchers, not Jewish, are spoken of
Shoemakers, tailors, glaziers and glass vessels painters and gold workers are mentioned in the Mishna. Chel. viii. 9; xxix. 3,4; xxx. 1.
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And, as for Zillah, she also, bare Tubal-Cain, a sharpener of every cutting instrument of bronze and iron, - and, the sister of Tubal-Cain, was Naamah.
Make for thee an ark of timbers of gopher, Grooms, shalt thou make with the ark, - and - thou shalt cover it within and without with pitch.
Then said they, each man to his friend, Come on! let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly, - So the bricks, served them for stone, and bitumen, served them for mortar,
And it came to pass when the camels had done drinking, that the man took a ring of gold, half a shekel its weight, - and two bracelets for her hands, ten of gold their weight;
Then the servant brought forth jewels of silver and jewels of gold and raiment, and gave unto Rebekah, - and precious things, gave he to her brother and to her mother.
So they gave unto Jacob all the gods of the alien which were in their hand, and the earrings which were in their ears, - and Jacob hid them under the oak, which was by Shechem.
And he said - What is the pledge that I shall give thee? And She said - Thy signet-ring, and thy guard, and thy staff that is in thy hand. So he gave them to her and came in unto her and she conceived by him.
And thou shalt make it an oil for holy anointing, a compounded perfume the work of a perfumer, - an oil for holy anointing, shall it be.
And thou shalt make of it an incense, a perfume the work of a perfumer, - salted, pure, holy.
My statutes, shall ye observe, Thy beasts, shalt thou not cause to breed in two kinds, Thy field, shalt thou not sow with two sorts of seed, - And a garment woven of diverse threads, shalt thou not suffer to come upon thee.
All the days of his vow of separation, no razor, shall pass over his head, - until the days are fulfilled for which he shall separate himself to Yahweh hallowed, shall he be, letting the locks of the hair of his head grow long.
Then shall the priest take the shoulder far boiling from the ram, and one unleavened round cake from the basket, and one unleavened thin cake, - and place them on the hands, of the Separate One after he hath shaven off his hair of separation;
Thou shalt not put on linsey-woolsey, of wool and flax together.
And she let them down with a cord through the window, - for, her house, was within the wall of the rampart, and, within the rampart, she was dwelling. And she said unto them - To the mountain, get you, lest the pursuers, fall in, with you, - and hide yourselves there, three days until the pursuers return, and, afterwards, shall ye go your way. read more. And the men said unto her, - Free, will we be from this thine oath which thou hast made us swear: Lo! when we are coming into the land, this cord of crimson thread, must thou bind in the window by which thou didst let us down, and, thy father and thy mother and thy brethren and all the household of thy father, must thou gather together unto thee unto the house.
So she beat them up with the pin, and said unto him, The Philistines, are upon thee, Samson! And he awaked out of his sleep, and pulled out the pin of the loom, and the warp.
Now, a smith, could not be found, throughout all the land of Israel - for the Philistines had said, Lest the Hebrews make sword or spear.
and, the shaft of his spear, was like a weaver's beam, and, the flashing head of his spear, was six hundred shekels of iron, - and, his shield-bearer, was coming on before him.
Then Hiram, king of Tyre, sent messengers unto David, with cedar-wood, and carpenters, and masons, and they built a house for David.
the people also that were therein, brought he forth, and put them to the saw, and to threshing sledges of iron, and to axes of iron, and made them pass through the brickkiln, and thus used he to do unto all the cities of the sons of Ammon. And David and all the people returned unto Jerusalem.
And Solomon's builders and Hiram's builders with the Gebalites wrought them, - thus made they ready the timber and the stones, for building the house.
A fleet also, did King Solomon build in Ezion-geber, which is beside Eloth on the shore of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom. And Hiram sent in the fleet his servants, seamen, having knowledge of the sea, - with the servants of Solomon;
Jehoshaphat, made ships of Tarshish, to go to Ophir, for gold; but they went not, - for ships had been broken to pieces in Ezion-geber.
at his hand, repaired, Uzziel son of Harhaiah, goldsmiths, and, at his hand, repaired Hananiah son of the perfumers, - and they fortified Jerusalem, as far as the broad wall;
My days, are swifter than a weaver's shuttle, and they are spent, without hope.
She seeketh wool and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands: She is like the ships of the merchant, from afar, she bringeth in her food;
Better a name, than precious ointment, - and the day of death, than the day of one's birth.
Dead flies, cause to stink and ferment, the oil of the perfumer, - More costly than wisdom or honour, is a little folly.
So, the carver, hath encouraged, the goldsmith, he that maketh smooth with the hammer, him that smiteth the anvil, - Saying of the welding, It is, good, Then hath he fastened it with nails - it must not totter!
As for the smith, with his cutting-tool, - When he hath wrought in the live coals, And, with hammers, hath fashioned it, - And hath wrought it with his strong arm, Anon he is hungry, and hath no strength, He hath drunk no water and so hath become faint! As for the carpenter, - He hath stretched out a line hath drawn it with a pencil, Hath made it with carving tools, With compasses, hath rounded it, - And so hath made it after the figure of a great man, After the beauty of a son of earth, that it may remain in a house!
As for the carpenter, - He hath stretched out a line hath drawn it with a pencil, Hath made it with carving tools, With compasses, hath rounded it, - And so hath made it after the figure of a great man, After the beauty of a son of earth, that it may remain in a house!
Lo! I, have created the smith, who bloweth up a fire of coals, And who bringeth forth an instrument for his work, - And, I, have created the waster to destroy:
Arise and go down to the house of the potter, - and, there, will I cause thee to hear my words. So I went down, to the house of the potter, - and there he was! making a piece of work on the wheels, read more. Then was marred, the vessel that he was making, while yet it was clay in the hand of the potter, - so he turned and made of it another vessel, as seemed right in the eyes of the potter to make it. Then came the word of Yahweh unto me, saying: Like this potter, can I not deal with you O house of Israel? Demandeth Yahweh: Lo! as clay in the hand of the potter, So, are, ye, in my hand O house of Israel. The moment I speak, concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom, - to pull up and to break down, and to destroy; and that nation return from its wickedness against whom I have spoken, then will I repent concerning the calamity which I had devised to bring upon it. And, the moment I speak, concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom, - to build and to plant; and it commit wickedness in mine eyes, in not hearkening unto my voice, then will I repent concerning the good wherewith I had said I would do it good. Now, therefore, I pray thee, speak unto the men of Judah and concerning the inhabitants of Jerusalem saying, Thus, saith Yahweh, - Lo! I am fashioning against you calamity, and devising against you, a device, - Return I pray you every man from his wicked way, And amend your ways and your doings. And, since they will say, Hopeless! For after our own devices, will we walk, And, very one, the stubbornness of his own wicked heart, will we do! Therefore, Thus saith Yahweh, Ask I pray you among the nations, - Who hath heard such things as these? A very horrible thing, hath, the virgin, Israel done! Shall the snow of Lebanon, fall from the rock of the field? Or shall waters from afar, deep, overflowing, be dried up? Yet my people have forgotten me, Unto vanity, have they been burning incense; And it hath caused them to stumble In their ways The roads of age-past times, To walk in by-paths - A way not cast up. To make their land a desolation The hissings of age-abiding times, - Every one that passeth by her, shall be astonished and wag his head. Like an east wind, will I scatter them before the enemy, - The back and not the face, will I let them see in the day of their distress. Then said they, - Come ye and let us devise against Jeremiah devices, For the law shall not perish from the priest, Nor, counsel, from the wise, Nor, the word from the prophet: Come and let as smite him with the tongue, And let us not give ear to any of his words! Give thou ear O Yahweh unto me, - And hearken unto the voice of mine accusers. Shall, evil, be recompensed for good? For they have digged a pit for my life, - Remember how I stood before thee To speak in their behalf what was good! To turn back thine indignation from them. Therefore, give thou up their sons to the famine And deliver them into the hands of the sword, And let their, wives, become, childless and widows, And let, their men, be slain by death, Their young men be smitten by the sword in battle. Let there be heard a cry out of their houses, When thou shalt bring in upon them a troop, suddenly, - Because they digged a pit to capture me, And snares, did they hide for my feet. But, thou, O Yahweh, knowest all their counsels against me to pat me to death, Put thou no propitiatory-covering over their iniquity, And their sin from before thee, do not thou blot out, - But let them be overthrown before thee, In the time of thine anger, deal thou effectively with them.
Then King Zedekiah gave command and they committed Jeremiah into the guard-court, and said that there should be given him a cake of bread daily, out of the bakers street, until all the bread out of the city should be spent, So Jeremiah remained in the guard-court.
Because, yea, even because, they have led astray my people saying. Prosperity! when there was no prosperity, - and one man, was building a partition wall, when there they were! eating it with whitewash
Yea thou didst take of thy raiment and madest thee high places of hangings, And didst commit unchastity thereon,- Which ought not to have befallen And not to have come to pass.
the elders of Byblus and the skilled men thereof, were within thee, Thy calkers, - All the ships of the sea and their mariners, were within thee, To carry on thy traffic,
They all, are adulterers, like an oven too hot for the baker, - who leaveth off stoking, after kneading the dough, till the whole be leavened.
But John, himself, had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins, - while, his food, was locusts and wild honey.
Is not, this one, the carpenter's, son? Is not, his mother, called Mary, and are not his brethren - James and Joseph, and Simon, and Judas?
Alas for you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; because ye make yourselves like sepulchres whitewashed, which, outside, indeed, appear, beautiful, but, within, are full, of dead men's bones and all uncleanness, -
Is not, this, the carpenter? the son of Mary, the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us? - and they were finding cause of stumbling in him.
Simon Peter saith unto them - I go a fishing! They say unto him - We also, go with thee! They went out, and got up into the boat, and during that night, they caught nothing.
but, the other disciples, came, by the little boat, - for they were not farther from the land than about two hundred cubits off, - dragging the net of fishes.
And it came to pass that, for a considerable number of days, he abode in Joppa, with one Simon, a tanner.
and, because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought, for they were tent-makers by their trade.
gathering whom together, and them who in such things wrought, he said - Men! ye well know that, by this business, we have our prosperity;
Whatsoever, in the market, is sold, eat, - asking no question, for conscience sake;
And sound of harp-singers, and musicians, and flute-players, and trumpeters, - in nowise be heard in thee any more; and any artisan of any art, - in nowise be found in thee any more; and sound of millstone, - in nowise be found in thee any more;