Merchandise, in its various branches, was carried on in the
east at the earliest period of which we have any account; and it was not
long before the traffic between nations, both by sea and land, was very
considerable. Accordingly, frequent mention is made of public roads,
fords, bridges, and beasts of burden; also of ships for the
transportation of property, of weights, measures, and coin, both in the
oldest books of the Bible, and in the most ancient profane histories.
The Phenicians anciently held the first rank as a commercial nation.
They were in the habit of purchasing goods of various kinds throughout
all the east. They then carried them in ships down the Mediterranean, as
far as the shores of Africa and Europe, brought back in return
merchandise and silver, and disposed of these again in the more eastern
countries. The first metropolis of the Phenicians was Sidon: afterward
Tyre became the principal city. Tyre was built two hundred and forty
years before the temple of Solomon, or twelve hundred and fifty-one
before Christ. The Phenicians had ports of their own in almost every
country; the most distinguished of which were Carthage and Tarshish, or
Tartessus, in Spain. The ships from the latter place undertook very
distant voyages: hence, any vessels that performed distant voyages were
called “ships of Tarshish,” אנות תרשיש. Something is said of the
commerce of the Phenicians in the twenty-seventh and twenty-eighth
chapters of Ezekiel, and the twenty-third chapter of Isaiah. The
inhabitants of Arabia Felix carried on a commerce with India. They
carried some of the articles which they brought from India through the
straits of Babelmandel into Abyssinia and Egypt; some they transported
to Babylon through the Persian Gulf and the Euphrates; and some by the
way of the Red Sea to the port of Eziongeber. They thus became rich;
though it is possible their wealth may have been too much magnified by
the ancients. The eminence of the Egyptians, as a commercial nation,
commences with the reign of Necho. Their commerce, nevertheless, was not
great, till Alexander had destroyed Tyre and built Alexandria.
2. The Phenicians sometimes received the goods of India by way of the
Persian Gulf, where they had colonies in the islands of Dedan, Arad, and
Tyre. Sometimes they received them from the Arabians, who either brought
them by land through Arabia, or up the Red Sea to Eziongeber. In the
latter case, having landed them at the port mentioned, they transported
them through the country by the way of Gaza to Phenicia. The Phenicians
increased the amount of their foreign goods by the addition of those
which they themselves fabricated; and were thus enabled to supply all
parts of the Mediterranean. The Egyptians at first received their goods
from the Phenicians, Arabians, Africans, and Abyssinians; in all of
which countries there are still the remains of large trading towns; but
in a subsequent age, they imported goods from India in their own
vessels; and eventually carried on an export trade with various ports on
the Mediterranean. Oriental commerce, however, was chiefly carried on by
land: accordingly, vessels are hardly mentioned in the Bible, except in
Psalm cvii, 23–30, and in passages where the discourse turns upon the
Phenicians, or upon the naval affairs of Solomon and Jehoshaphat. The
two principal routes from Palestine into Egypt were, the one along the
shores of the Mediterranean from Gaza to Pelusium, and the other from
Gaza by the way of Mount Sinai and the Elanitic branch of the Red Sea.
3. The merchants transported their goods upon camels; animals which are
patient of thirst, and are easily supported in the deserts. For the
common purpose of security against depredations, the oriental merchants
travelled in company, as is common in the east at the present day. A
large travelling company of this kind is called a _caravan_ or _carvan_,
a smaller one was called _kafile_ or _kafle_, Job vi, 18–20; Gen.
xxxvii, 25; Isa. xxi, 13; Jer. ix, 2; Judges v, 6; Luke ii, 44. The
furniture carried by the individuals of a caravan consisted of a
mattress, a coverlet, a carpet for sitting upon, a round piece of
leather, which answered the purpose of a table, a few pots and kettles
of copper covered with tin; also a tin-plated cup, which was suspended
before the breast under the outer garment, and was used for drinking, 1
Sam. xxvi, 11, 12, 16: leathern bags for holding water, tents, lights,
and provisions in quality and abundance as each one could afford. Every
caravan had a leader to conduct it through the desert, who was
acquainted with the direction of its route, and with the cisterns and
fountains. These he was able to ascertain, sometimes from heaps of
stones, sometimes by the character of the soil, and, when other helps
failed him, by the stars, Num. x, 29–32; Jer. xxxi, 21; Isa. xxi, 14.
When all things are in readiness, the individuals who compose the
caravan assemble at a distance from the city. The commander of the
caravan, who is a different person from the conductor or leader, and is
chosen from the wealthiest of its members, appoints the day of their
departure. A similar arrangement was adopted among the Jews, whenever
they travelled in large numbers to the city of Jerusalem. The caravans
start very early, sometimes before day. They endeavour to find a
stopping place or station to remain at during the night, which shall
afford them a supply of water, Job vi, 15–20. They arrive at their
stopping place before the close of the day; and, while it is yet light,
prepare every thing that is necessary for the recommencement of their
journey. In order to prevent any one from wandering away from the
caravan, and getting lost during the night, lamps or torches are
elevated upon poles and carried before it. The pillar of fire answered
this purpose for the Israelites, when wandering in the wilderness.
Sometimes the caravans lodge in cities; but when they do not, they pitch
their tents so as to form an encampment; and during the night keep watch
alternately for the sake of security. In the cities there are public
inns, called _Chan_ and _Carvanserai_, in which the caravans are lodged
without expense. They are large square buildings, in the centre of which
is an area, or open court. Carvanserais are denominated in the Greek of
the New Testament, ϖανδοχεῖον, κατάλυσις and κατάλυμα, Luke ii, 7; x,
34. The first mention of one in the Old Testament is in Jer. xli, 17,
גרות כמהם. It was situated near the city of Bethlehem.
4. Moses enacted no laws in favour of commerce, although there is no
question that he saw the situation of Palestine to be very favourable
for it. The reason of this was, that the Hebrews, who were designedly
set apart to preserve the true religion, could not mingle with foreign
idolatrous nations without injury. He therefore merely inculcated good
faith and honesty in buying and selling, Lev. xix, 36, 37; Deut. xxv,
13–16; and left all the other interests of commerce to a future age. By
the establishment, however, of the three great festivals, he gave
occasion for some mercantile intercourse. At these festivals all the
adult males of the nation were yearly assembled at one place. The
consequence was, that those who had any thing to sell brought it; while
those who wished to buy articles came with the expectation of having an
opportunity. As Moses, though he did not encourage, did not interdict
foreign commerce, Solomon, at a later period, not only carried on a
traffic in horses, as already stated, but sent ships from the port of
Eziongeber through the Red Sea to Ophir, probably the coast of Africa, 1
Kings ix, 26; 2 Chron. ix, 21. This traffic, although a source of
emolument, appears to have been neglected after the death of Solomon.
The attempt made by Jehoshaphat to restore it was frustrated, by his
ships being dashed upon the rocks and destroyed, 1 Kings xxii, 48, 49; 2
Chron. xx, 36. Joppa, though not a very convenient one, was properly the
port of Jerusalem; and some of the large vessels which went to Spain
sailed from it, Jonah i, 3. In the age of Ezekiel, the commerce of
Jerusalem was so great, that it gave an occasion of envy even to the
Tyrians themselves, Ezek. xxvi, 2. After the captivity, a great number
of Jews became merchants, and travelled for the purpose of traffic into
all countries. About the year 150 B. C. prince Simon rendered the port
at Joppa more convenient than it had hitherto been. In the time of
Pompey the Great, there were so many Jews abroad on the ocean, even in
the character of pirates, that King Antigonus was accused before him of
having sent them out on purpose. A new port was built by Herod at
Cesarea.
east at the earliest period of which we have any account; and it was not
long before the traffic between nations, both by sea and land, was very
considerable. Accordingly, frequent mention is made of public roads,
fords, bridges, and beasts of burden; also of ships for the
transportation of property, of weights, measures, and coin, both in the
oldest books of the Bible, and in the most ancient profane histories.
The Phenicians anciently held the first rank as a commercial nation.
They were in the habit of purchasing goods of various kinds throughout
all the east. They then carried them in ships down the Mediterranean, as
far as the shores of Africa and Europe, brought back in return
merchandise and silver, and disposed of these again in the more eastern
countries. The first metropolis of the Phenicians was Sidon: afterward
Tyre became the principal city. Tyre was built two hundred and forty
years before the temple of Solomon, or twelve hundred and fifty-one
before Christ. The Phenicians had ports of their own in almost every
country; the most distinguished of which were Carthage and Tarshish, or
Tartessus, in Spain. The ships from the latter place undertook very
distant voyages: hence, any vessels that performed distant voyages were
called “ships of Tarshish,” אנות תרשיש. Something is said of the
commerce of the Phenicians in the twenty-seventh and twenty-eighth
chapters of Ezekiel, and the twenty-third chapter of Isaiah. The
inhabitants of Arabia Felix carried on a commerce with India. They
carried some of the articles which they brought from India through the
straits of Babelmandel into Abyssinia and Egypt; some they transported
to Babylon through the Persian Gulf and the Euphrates; and some by the
way of the Red Sea to the port of Eziongeber. They thus became rich;
though it is possible their wealth may have been too much magnified by
the ancients. The eminence of the Egyptians, as a commercial nation,
commences with the reign of Necho. Their commerce, nevertheless, was not
great, till Alexander had destroyed Tyre and built Alexandria.
2. The Phenicians sometimes received the goods of India by way of the
Persian Gulf, where they had colonies in the islands of Dedan, Arad, and
Tyre. Sometimes they received them from the Arabians, who either brought
them by land through Arabia, or up the Red Sea to Eziongeber. In the
latter case, having landed them at the port mentioned, they transported
them through the country by the way of Gaza to Phenicia. The Phenicians
increased the amount of their foreign goods by the addition of those
which they themselves fabricated; and were thus enabled to supply all
parts of the Mediterranean. The Egyptians at first received their goods
from the Phenicians, Arabians, Africans, and Abyssinians; in all of
which countries there are still the remains of large trading towns; but
in a subsequent age, they imported goods from India in their own
vessels; and eventually carried on an export trade with various ports on
the Mediterranean. Oriental commerce, however, was chiefly carried on by
land: accordingly, vessels are hardly mentioned in the Bible, except in
Psalm cvii, 23–30, and in passages where the discourse turns upon the
Phenicians, or upon the naval affairs of Solomon and Jehoshaphat. The
two principal routes from Palestine into Egypt were, the one along the
shores of the Mediterranean from Gaza to Pelusium, and the other from
Gaza by the way of Mount Sinai and the Elanitic branch of the Red Sea.
3. The merchants transported their goods upon camels; animals which are
patient of thirst, and are easily supported in the deserts. For the
common purpose of security against depredations, the oriental merchants
travelled in company, as is common in the east at the present day. A
large travelling company of this kind is called a _caravan_ or _carvan_,
a smaller one was called _kafile_ or _kafle_, Job vi, 18–20; Gen.
xxxvii, 25; Isa. xxi, 13; Jer. ix, 2; Judges v, 6; Luke ii, 44. The
furniture carried by the individuals of a caravan consisted of a
mattress, a coverlet, a carpet for sitting upon, a round piece of
leather, which answered the purpose of a table, a few pots and kettles
of copper covered with tin; also a tin-plated cup, which was suspended
before the breast under the outer garment, and was used for drinking, 1
Sam. xxvi, 11, 12, 16: leathern bags for holding water, tents, lights,
and provisions in quality and abundance as each one could afford. Every
caravan had a leader to conduct it through the desert, who was
acquainted with the direction of its route, and with the cisterns and
fountains. These he was able to ascertain, sometimes from heaps of
stones, sometimes by the character of the soil, and, when other helps
failed him, by the stars, Num. x, 29–32; Jer. xxxi, 21; Isa. xxi, 14.
When all things are in readiness, the individuals who compose the
caravan assemble at a distance from the city. The commander of the
caravan, who is a different person from the conductor or leader, and is
chosen from the wealthiest of its members, appoints the day of their
departure. A similar arrangement was adopted among the Jews, whenever
they travelled in large numbers to the city of Jerusalem. The caravans
start very early, sometimes before day. They endeavour to find a
stopping place or station to remain at during the night, which shall
afford them a supply of water, Job vi, 15–20. They arrive at their
stopping place before the close of the day; and, while it is yet light,
prepare every thing that is necessary for the recommencement of their
journey. In order to prevent any one from wandering away from the
caravan, and getting lost during the night, lamps or torches are
elevated upon poles and carried before it. The pillar of fire answered
this purpose for the Israelites, when wandering in the wilderness.
Sometimes the caravans lodge in cities; but when they do not, they pitch
their tents so as to form an encampment; and during the night keep watch
alternately for the sake of security. In the cities there are public
inns, called _Chan_ and _Carvanserai_, in which the caravans are lodged
without expense. They are large square buildings, in the centre of which
is an area, or open court. Carvanserais are denominated in the Greek of
the New Testament, ϖανδοχεῖον, κατάλυσις and κατάλυμα, Luke ii, 7; x,
34. The first mention of one in the Old Testament is in Jer. xli, 17,
גרות כמהם. It was situated near the city of Bethlehem.
4. Moses enacted no laws in favour of commerce, although there is no
question that he saw the situation of Palestine to be very favourable
for it. The reason of this was, that the Hebrews, who were designedly
set apart to preserve the true religion, could not mingle with foreign
idolatrous nations without injury. He therefore merely inculcated good
faith and honesty in buying and selling, Lev. xix, 36, 37; Deut. xxv,
13–16; and left all the other interests of commerce to a future age. By
the establishment, however, of the three great festivals, he gave
occasion for some mercantile intercourse. At these festivals all the
adult males of the nation were yearly assembled at one place. The
consequence was, that those who had any thing to sell brought it; while
those who wished to buy articles came with the expectation of having an
opportunity. As Moses, though he did not encourage, did not interdict
foreign commerce, Solomon, at a later period, not only carried on a
traffic in horses, as already stated, but sent ships from the port of
Eziongeber through the Red Sea to Ophir, probably the coast of Africa, 1
Kings ix, 26; 2 Chron. ix, 21. This traffic, although a source of
emolument, appears to have been neglected after the death of Solomon.
The attempt made by Jehoshaphat to restore it was frustrated, by his
ships being dashed upon the rocks and destroyed, 1 Kings xxii, 48, 49; 2
Chron. xx, 36. Joppa, though not a very convenient one, was properly the
port of Jerusalem; and some of the large vessels which went to Spain
sailed from it, Jonah i, 3. In the age of Ezekiel, the commerce of
Jerusalem was so great, that it gave an occasion of envy even to the
Tyrians themselves, Ezek. xxvi, 2. After the captivity, a great number
of Jews became merchants, and travelled for the purpose of traffic into
all countries. About the year 150 B. C. prince Simon rendered the port
at Joppa more convenient than it had hitherto been. In the time of
Pompey the Great, there were so many Jews abroad on the ocean, even in
the character of pirates, that King Antigonus was accused before him of
having sent them out on purpose. A new port was built by Herod at
Cesarea.