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Salutations Among Travelers

ORIENTAL SALUTATIONS AMONG TRAVELERS When travelers in the Orient meet each other on the way, they love to engage in salutations that to the Westerner seem complicated, tedious, and time-consuming. Wordy questions will be asked each other seeking such information as this: From where have you come? Where are you going? What is your name? How many c...

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Sea Travel in Israel's History

But what about the Hebrews? Were they seamen? The patriarch Jacob made this prediction concerning the tribe of Zebulun: "He shall be for an haven of ships" (Genesis 49:13). But the Israel seacoast was not occupied at all times by the Hebrew people. Other nations became navigators, and for the most part the Jews probably contented themselves with o...

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Fear of Storms

TRAVELING BY SEA IN ANCIENT TIMES The attitude of the ancients toward the sea. Ancient people had a great fear of the ocean and truly there was a reason for this dread, since the mariners had no chart of the seas or compass to guide them. Travel by ship was usually inconvenient, and windstorms often necessitated great delay in arrival at the desir...

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Ship Oars and Sails

How ships were propelled. Two methods were used. Ships of war, although furnished with sails were propelled mainly by means of oars. Merchant vessels depended for the most part on sails, but many of the navigators resorted to oars when it became necessary. Thus the men who piloted Jonah's ship, which was a merchant ship, "rowed hard to bring it to ...

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No Sea in the New Earth

The Apostle John's inspired description of Heaven was originally given to men who greatly feared the grave dangers and horrors of sea-experiences, and to them he wrote concerning the new earth: "And there was no more sea" (Revelation 21:1). Travel by sea in early days was undertaken only when absolutely necessary. [Manners And Customs of Bible Land...

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Paul Traveling by Ship

The ship in which Paul was to sail for Rome got into difficulties because those in charge risked getting the ship to another harbor before winter set in. "And because the haven was not commodious to winter in, the more part advised to depart thence also, if by any means they might attain to Phenice, and there to winter" (Acts 27:12). The Psalmist h...

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Jonah's Ship

The Phoenician ship in which Jonah sailed. The first chapter of the book of Jonah gives interesting information about ancient ships. This ship was traveling from Joppa to Tarshish as a merchant ship, for when the storm came, the men "cast forth the wares that were in the ship" (verse 5). Exclusively passenger ships were little known in those days, ...

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Paul's Journey to Rome Details

Luke's account of Paul's voyage to Rome. Luke's report of Paul's sea journey in Acts 27 and 28 is the most accurate account of a sea voyage that has come to us from olden times. We gain more knowledge of these ships from this story than from any other source.15 In the second half of the nineteenth century, Mr. James Smith made a detailed study of ...

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Inns in New Testament Times

New Testament Inns. The inns of New Testament times were not like Western hotels. It was because hospitality was considered to be a religious duty that therefore the modern type of hotel was unknown in olden days, and also does not exist today in many sections of Bible lands. If parties of travelers are not too many in number, they will be entertai...

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Ancient Travel in Bible Times

Traveling on Land and Sea CHARACTER AND CONDITIONS OF ORIENTAL TRAVELING THE EXPENSE, DISCOMFORT, AND DANGER OF TRAVEL. In the Orient, where modern Western customs have not displaced old-time methods, to travel is a great expense, it means much discomfort, and it involves great danger. Therefore it is done only when absolutely necessary. When a t...

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