Trade in the Bible Encyclopedia - ISBE
trad:
I. GENERAL
1. Terms
2. Position of Israel
3. Trade Products of Israel
4. Palestinian Traders
II. HISTORY
1. To David
2. Solomon
3. Maritime Trade
4. To the Exile
5. The Exile and After
LITERATURE
I. General.
1. Terms:
For a full list of the commercial terms used in the Old
Testament, reference must be made to EB, IV, cols. 5193-99.
Only the more important can be given here.
For "merchant" the Hebrew uses almost always one of the two
participial forms cocher, or rokhel, both of which mean
simply "one who travels." There is no difference in their
meaning, but when the two are used together (Ezek 27:13 ff)
the Revised Version (British and American) distinguishes by
using "trafficker" for rokhel. The verb cachar, from which
cocher is derived, is translated "to trade" in Gen 34:10,21
and "to traffic" in Gen 49:34, with numerous noun formations
from the same stem. The verb rakhal from which rokhel is
derived does not occur, but the noun formation rekhullah in
Ezek 26:12 (the Revised Version (British and American)
"merchandise"); 28:5,16,18 (the Revised Version (British and
American) "traffic") may be noted. In Ezek 27:24 the Revised
Version (British and American) has "merchandise" for
markoleth, but the word means "place of merchandise,"
"market." The participle tarim, from tur, "seek out," in
combination with 'aneshe, "men," in 1 Ki 10:15, is
translated "merchant men" by the King James Version,
"chapmen" by the English Revised Version and "traders" by
the American Standard Revised Version; in 2 Ch 9:14, the
King James Version and the English Revised Version have
"chapmen" and the American Standard Revised Version
"traders." The text of these verses is suspected. In Ezek 27
(only) "merchandise" represents ma`arabh, from `arabh, "to
exchange," translated "to deal," margin "exchange," in 27:9
the American Standard Revised Version, with "dealers,"
margin "exchangers," in 27:27 (the King James Version and
the English Revised Version have "occupy," "occupiers").
kena`an, and kena`ani "Canaanite," are sometimes used in the
sense of "merchant," but it is often difficult to determine
whether the literal or the transferred force is intended.
Hence, all the confusion in English Versions of the Bible;
in the Revised Version (British and American) note
"merchant," Job 41:6; "merchant," margin "Canaanite," Prov
31:24; "trafficker," Isa 23:8; "trafficker," margin
"Canaanite," Hos 12:7; "Canaan," margin "merchant people,"
Isa 23:11; Zeph 1:11, and compare "land of traffic," margin
"land of Canaan," Ezek 17:4.
See CHAPMAN; OCCUPY.
In Apocrypha and New Testament "merchant" is for emporos
(Sirach 26:29, etc.; Mt 13:45; Rev 18:3,11,15,23). So
"merchandise" is emporion, in Jn 2:16 and emporia, in Mt
22:5, while emporeuomai, is translated "make...
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