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, son of Mary, and brother of James, and Joses, and Jude, and Simon and are not his sisters here with us? And they were scandalized 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 Zillah, she also will bear Tubal Cain, sharpening every cutting instrument of brass and iron: and Tubal Cain's sister was Naamah.
Make to thee a box of pitch wood; nests shalt thou make in the ark, and cover it from within and from without with pitch.
And they shall say a man to his neighbor, Come, we will make bricks, and we will burn to a burning, and brick shall be to them for stone, and potter's clay shall be to them for potter's clay.
And it shall be when the camels finished drinking, and the man will take a gold ring of half a shekel, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels of gold.
And the servant will bring forth silver vessels, and gold vessels, and garments, and he will give to Rebekah; and giving precious things to her brother and to her mother.
And they will give to Jacob all the strange gods which are in their hand and the earrings which are in their ears, and Jacob will hide them under the turpentine tree which is in Shechem.
And he will say, What the pledge which I shall give to thee? And she will say, Thy seal, and thy cord, and thy rod which is in thy hand: and he will give to her, and will go in to her, and she will conceive by him.
And make it an oil a holy anointing, a perfumed unguent the work of the perfumer: it shall be an oil a holy anointing.
And make it a perfume, an ointment, a work of the perfumer, salted, pure, holy.
And all the assembly of the sons of Israel will go forth from before Moses.
My laws shall ye watch: thou shalt not let thy cattle gender with two diverse kinds: thy field thou shalt not sow with two diverse kinds; and a garment of two diverse kinds (of linen and woolen) shall not come upon thee.
All the days of the vow of his consecration a razor shall not pass over upon his head: till the filling up of the days which he shall consecrate to Jehovah, he shall be holy, increasing the locks of the hair of his head.
And the priest took the boiled shoulder of the ram, and one unleavened cake from the basket, and one thin unleavened cake, and gave upon the hands of him consecrated, after his shaving his consecration.
Thou shalt not put on any thing adulterated, wool and linen together.
And she will let them down by a cord through the window; for her house was upon the wall side and she will dwell upon the wall. And she will say to them, Go to the mountain, lest they pursuing shall meet with you; and hide yourselves there three days till they pursuing turn back: and afterward ye shall go to your way. read more. And the men will say to her, We are free from this thine oath which thou caused us to swear. Behold, we come into the land, thou shalt bind the line of this scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by it: and thy father and thy mother and thy brethren, and all thy father's house thou shalt gather to thee to the house.
And she will fasten with a peg, and she will say to him, Philisteim upon thee, Samson. And he will awake from his sleep, and he will tear away the peg of the braid and the warp.
And an artificer will not be found in all the land of Israel: (for the rovers said, Lest the Hebrews shall make a sword or spear:)
And the arrow of his spear as the beam of weavers, and the flame of his spear, six hundred shekels of iron. And he lifting up a shield went before him.
And Hiram, king of Tyre, will send messengers to David, and wood of cedars and artificers of wood, and artificers of stone of the wall: and they will build a house for David.
And the people which were in it he brought forth, and he will put at the saw and at the threshing-sledge of iron, and at axes of iron, and caused them to pass over through the brick-kiln: and thus he will do to all the cities of the sons of Ammon. And David will turn back, and all the people, to Jerusalem.
And Solomon's builders and Hiram's builders, and those setting, will cut: and they will prepare the woods and stones to build the house.
And Solomon made a ship in Ezion-Geber, which is with Eloth, upon the lip of the sea of sedge in the land of Edom. And Hiram will send in the ships his servants, men of ships, knowing the sea with Solomon's servants.
Jehoshaphat built ships of Thar-shish to go to Ophrah for gold: and it went not, for the ships were broken in Ezion-Geber.
Upon his hand held fast Uzziel son of Harhaiah of the goldsmiths. And upon his hand held fast Hananiah son of the perfumers; and they will leave Jerusalem even to the broad wall.
My days were swift above a weaver's shuttle, and will finish with no more of hope.
She sought wool and flax, and she will work in delight with her hands. She was as the ships of the merchant; from far off she will bring her bread.
A good name is above good oil, and the day of death above the day of birth.
Flies of death will cause the oil of the perfume to stink, it will ferment: the preciousness of wisdom above the honor of the least folly.
And the artificer will strengthen the founder, he making smooth with the hammer, he beating the anvil, saying, It is good for the welding; he will strengthen it with nails; it shall not totter.
The workman of iron with an axe also worked with coal, and he will cleave it with hammers, and will work with the arm of his strength: also he hungered and no strength: he drank not water and was wearied. The workman of woods stretched out the line; he will delineate it with an awl, he will do it with chisels, and he will delineate it with a compass, and he will make it according to the image of a man, according to the beauty of man; to dwell in the house
The workman of woods stretched out the line; he will delineate it with an awl, he will do it with chisels, and he will delineate it with a compass, and he will make it according to the image of a man, according to the beauty of man; to dwell in the house
Behold, I created the workman blowing the coals in the fire, and bringing forth a utensil for his work; and I created the destroyer to overthrow.
Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear my word. And I shall go down to the potter's house, and behold him doing a work upon the stone. read more. And the vessel which he made was destroyed as clay in the hand of the potter: and he turned back, and he will make another vessel as was right in the eyes of the potter to make. And the word of Jehovah will be to me, saying, As this potter shall I not be able to do to you, O house of Israel? says Jehovah. Behold, as the clay in the hand of the potter, thus are ye in my hand, O house of Israel. The moment I shall speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up and to tear down, and to destroy: And that nation which I spake against it turned back from its evil, and I lamented for the evil which I proposed to do to it. And the moment I shall speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant: And it did evil in mine eyes not to hear to my voice, and I lamented for the good which I said to do well to it And now, say now to the men of Judah, and concerning the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, Thus said Jehovah: Behold, I will form evil against you, and purpose a purpose against you; turn ye back now each from his evil way, and make your ways and your doings good. And they said, We shall despair; for after our purposes we will go, and we will do each the stubbornness of his evil heart For this, thus said Jehovah: Ask now among the nations, who heard like as these things: the virgin of Israel did very horrible things. Shall the field cut loose from the rock the snow of Lebanon? or shall the cold flowing waters of an inundation be dried up? Because my people forgat me they will burn incense in vain; by their ways they will cause the paths of old to fail, to go beaten paths, a way not cast up; To set their land for a desolation, eternal hissings; every one passing over it shall be astonished and shall shake with his head. As the east wind I will scatter them before the face of the enemy; I will cause them to see the neck and not the face, in the day of their destruction. And they will say, Come, and we will purpose purposes against Jeremiah; for law shall not perish from the priest, and counsel from the wise, and the word from the prophet Come, and we will strike him with the tongue, and we will not attend to any of his words. Attend to me, O Jehovah, and hear for the voice of mine adversary. Shall evil be requited for good? for they dug a pit for my soul. Remember my standing before thee to speak good for them, to turn back thy wrath from them. For this, give their sons to the famine, and pour them out upon the hands of the sword; and their wives shall be bereaved of offspring, and be widows; and their men shall be slain by death; their young men struck of the sword in battle. A cry shall be heard from their houses, for thou shalt bring upon them a trap suddenly, for they dug a pit to take me, and hid snares for my feet And thou, O Jehovah, knewest all their counsel against me to kill: thou wilt not expiate for their iniquity, and their sin from before thee thou wilt not wipe away, and they shall be weak before thee; do with them in the time of thine anger.
And king Zedekiah will command, and they will commit Jeremiah to the enclosure of the prison, and giving to him a round of bread for the day from the street of the baker's, till all the bread was consumed out of the city. And Jeremiah dwelt in the enclosure of the prison.
Because, and because they led my people astray, saying, Peace; and no peace; and he built a wall and they plastering it with plaster:
And thou wilt take from thy garments and make to thee heights being spotted, and thou wilt commit fornication upon them: thou earnest not in, and it shall not be.
The old men of Gebal and her wise were in thee making strong thy breach: all the ships of the sea and thy seamen were in thee to traffic from thy traffic.
All of them committing adultery, as an oven set on fire from baking; he will cease from raising from kneading the dough till its leavening.
And this John had his garment from camel's hair, and a leather girdle about his loins, and his food was locusts and wild honey.
And having entered into a ship, he passed over and came into his own city.
Is not this the son of the carpenter? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like whitewashed tombs, which without indeed appear beautiful, but within are full of the bones of the dead, and of all uncleanness.
Is not this the carpenter, son of Mary, and brother of James, and Joses, and Jude, and Simon and are not his sisters here with us? And they were scandalized in him.
Simon Peter says to them, I retire to fish. They say to him, We also go with thee. They came forth, and went up into the ship quickly; and in that night they caught nothing.
And the other disciples came in a little ship; (for they were not far from land, but as from two hundred cubits) dragging the net of fishes.
And because being of the same trade, he remained with them, and wrought: for they were by trade tentmakers.
Whom having collected together and the workmen of such things, he said, Men, ye know that out of this work is our good food.
Every thing being sold in the market, eat, ye, interrogating nothing through consciousness:
And the voice of harp players, and musicians, and flute players, and trumpeters, should be heard in thee no more; and every artist of every art be found no more in thee; and the voice of the millstone should be heard no more in thee;