Life was not easy in Bible times and people worked very hard.  All their clothing had to be made by hand.  The men would shear the sheep and then the women would wash the wool and lay it to dry in the sun.  Next, with a spindle, they spun the the wool into threads and then wove this into cloth on a hand loom.

Food:

The main foods were bread, olives, fruit, vegetables, milk, cheese, and fish.   Bread was the basic food, and had to be made fresh every day.   The women ground the grain into flour and then mixed this with water and a amount of dough saved from a previous baking to make the bread rise.  The dough was shaped into round, flat cakes which could be folded over cheese, olives or figs before baking in an oven.

Farming:

Some men were shepherds like king David in his youth.  With their crooks and slingshots they would watch over the sheep and protected them from wolves and other animals, and that none got lost.  Many farmers grew olives, others who had vineyards of which were used for food, raisins, and wine, and those who grew wheat and barley grains needed for bread.

Craftsmen:

A number of men like the apostle Paul, were tent makers.  They would weave cloth for tents for shepherds and the Roman soldiers.  Other men were bricklayers, workers who hammered copper into trays, basins, dishes and other useful items.

Potters made clay pots, water jars and the storage jars used in every home.   The potter would put his wet clay on a wheel which he then turned with his feet, while his fingers shaped the clay.  The jars were then baked in a kiln or furnace and sold in the market place.

Carpentry was also an important craft.  Joseph was a carpenter and the young Jesus learned the trade from him.  Carpenters made plows for the farmers oxen, as well as chests, tables, cradles, doors and roof beams for people's homes.

Traders:

The traders who travelled with the caravans would sit and talk with the villagers while their camels rested from the journey.  Then they would unload their goods and sell them in the market place.  They showed people how to keep accounts on clay tablets and how to send letters.  They told of new ideas and customs in other lands and carried local ideas to other villages.

Other Work:

In those days, the scribes were important men who wrote on clay tablets and later on papyrus.  They were important as they wrote letters for businessmen, made copies of the law on scrolls, and explained to the people the meaning of all kinds of laws and rules.

Many men were fishermen, like Simon and Andrew, who were casting their nets for fish when Jesus called to them to follow Him and to be "fishers of men".  Fishermen of those times used baited hooks or a net with small weights around the edges to help it sink in the water.

At Home:

In the evenings when their work was done, each family and their friends would relax on the roof of their house.  In pleasant weather they would eat on the roof and watch the stars and enjoy the cool evening air after the heat of the day.  At night they would go into their houses, which usually had only one room, divided into two parts by a high platform.  The lower part of the room housed the family's animals, while the people slept above on the platform.  As the cooking fires in the centre of the room dies down to embers, each member of the family would snuggle up in his bedroll for a sound and night's sleep.

 
God bless!

 
Copyright © 2007 Sharon Children's Ministries