Ancient Hebrew Culture The Nomadic Tent

Much of the Hebrew vocabulary is centered around the nomadic lifestyle of the ancient Hebrews. The Hebrew words behind the English translation have their origins in the imagery of the nomads home, the tent.
Grace....Chanan....The camp, a place of grace and beauty
Praise....Halal....A distant light, the distant fire of the tent calling one home
Poor....Dal....A door which hangs down, a poor or week one who hangs his head down
Several of the Hebrew letters, as shown below, are derived directly from parts of the tent.
......Tent floorplan.
......Tent door.
......Tent pegs.
......Tent wall.
The Bible often uses the imagery of the tent, as we will see. A basic understanding of the tents structure and function is imperative in understanding Hebrew words in their proper cultural context.
The tent was divided into two parts. The main section, behind the tent door, is the men's section. The other section is the womens section, with a wall dividing the two parts. The only person allowed into the womens section, is the father of the tent. Notice the similarity to the PictographicHebrew letter beyt - .
The tent is constructed of black goat hair. "Dark am I....dark like the tents of Kedar, like the tent curtains of Solomon." (SS 1.5). The hair is spun into strands which are then weaved togther forming panels approximately 2 feet wide and the length of the tent. Over time, the panels begin to bleach from exposure to the sun and are periodically replaced.
The size of the tent will depend on the size and wealth of the family. The wealthier families will have seperate tents for the wife, such as Abraham had for Sarah. As the family grows, additional panels are added to increase the size of the tent. "Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes" (Isaiah 54:2).
The goat hair tent is unique in that it is perfectly suited for the desert regions of the Near East.
Heat
Tent provided shade from the sun. During the strong heat of the day, the father would often sit at his door watching his family, livestock and the road for travelers (Genesis 18.1,2) The walls of the tent could be lifted to allow the breeze to pass through the tent.
Cold
The black tent absorbs heat keeping the tent warm. A fire is also built just inside the door for warmth.
Rain
Like any other cloth, there is space between the hair fabric. Light coming through the black roof appear as stars in the night sky. "He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in" (Isaiah 40.2). When the hair fibers get wet from the rains, The fibers expands, forming a watertight roof.
Wind
Strong ropes, secured by pegs driven into the ground, supported the poles which held up the tent. "I will drive him like a peg into a firm place; he will be a seat of honor for the house of his father" (Isaiah 22.23). The word "firm" in the previous passage is the Hebrew word "aman" and is often translated as "believe". The walls of the tent are laid sometimes laid on the top of the ropes allowing the wind to pass over the tent.
The Nomadic family consisted of the beyt (house, family), mishpechah (clan) and matteh (tribe). The family, children, parents and grandparents, all resided in one tent. The clan consisted of the extended family, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc, all residing in one camp and may contain as many as 50 to 100 tents layed out in a circular pattern. When the clan becomes to large for one area to support, the tribe splits into two clans (see Genesis 13). All the clans (all being descended from one ancestor) may cover hundreds of square miles making up the tribe. As an example; The house of Moses, of the clan of Levi, of the Tribe of Israel.
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