Ship, shipping means in the bible: Prov. 23:34. Although some areas of the coast of Palestine were inhabited at times by Israelites, Gen. 49.13; Judg. 5:17 Shipping on a large scale was almost entirely in the control of the Phoenicians. Solomon needed the assistance of Tyrians to build his navy near Elath at the northern extremity of Red Sea for trade with south Arabia. 9:26-28. Later, attempts were made 1 Kgs to revive this highly profitable traffic. 22:48; 2 Kgs. 14:22 until the Syrians took complete control of Elath during King Ahaz’s reign 2 Kgs. 16:6. The Hebrews called large vessels “ships Tarshish”, Isa. 2:26, ships similar to those of the Phoenicians used for long journeys. Tarshish Tartessus is located in southwest Spain and represents the extremity of Israelite geography Jonah 1:13. The Assyrian images of 800 B.C. provide a clue as to the appearance of Phoenician vessels in their earliest days. A war galley with lower and upper tiers for oarsmen. It has mast, yard and fore stays. Also, it comes with a double steering paddle. Some ships were equipped with three levels of rowers. Romans learned shipbuilding techniques from the Phoenicians. They built larger ships, many of which were propelled completely by sails in New Testament times. Acts 27.
(in Bible Dictionary)
