Topical Encyclopedia
In biblical times, the term "barrel" is not explicitly mentioned in most English translations of the Bible, including the Berean Standard Bible . However, the concept of a barrel or similar container can be inferred from various passages that describe vessels used for storage and transport of goods such as oil, flour, and wine.
Old Testament ContextIn the ancient Near East, containers such as jars, pots, and barrels were essential for daily life, particularly for storing food and liquids. The Hebrew word often associated with such containers is "kad," which is typically translated as "jar" or "pitcher." For example, in
1 Kings 17:12-16, the widow of Zarephath is described as having a "jar of flour" and a "jug of oil" that miraculously do not run out during a famine. The BSB translates this passage as follows:
> "But she replied, 'As surely as the LORD your God lives, I have no bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and prepare a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die.' Elijah said to her, 'Do not be afraid. Go and do as you have said. But first make me a small cake of bread from what you have and bring it out to me. Afterward, make some for yourself and your son. For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: "The jar of flour will not be exhausted and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the LORD sends rain on the face of the earth."'"
This passage highlights the use of containers for essential provisions and the divine provision associated with them.
New Testament ContextIn the New Testament, while the term "barrel" is not used, the concept of storage vessels continues to be significant. In
John 2:6-7, during the wedding at Cana, Jesus instructs the servants to fill six stone water jars, each holding twenty to thirty gallons, with water, which He then turns into wine. The BSB states:
> "Now six stone water jars had been set there for the Jewish rites of purification. Each could hold from twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus told the servants, 'Fill the jars with water.' So they filled them to the brim."
These large stone jars functioned similarly to barrels, serving as storage for liquid and playing a crucial role in the narrative of Jesus' first miracle.
Symbolic and Theological SignificanceThe use of barrels or similar containers in the Bible often symbolizes God's provision and abundance. The miraculous replenishment of the widow's flour and oil, as well as the transformation of water into wine, underscores the theme of divine intervention and blessing. These narratives remind believers of God's ability to provide for their needs, even in times of scarcity.
Cultural and Historical InsightsIn biblical times, containers like barrels were typically made from clay, stone, or wood, depending on their intended use. They were essential for preserving food and drink, especially in a climate where spoilage was a constant concern. The craftsmanship involved in making these containers was highly valued, and they were often used in trade and commerce.
Overall, while the specific term "barrel" may not appear in the biblical text, the concept is woven throughout the Scriptures, illustrating the practical and spiritual significance of storage vessels in the lives of God's people.
Easton's Bible Dictionary
A vessel used for keeping flour (
1 Kings 17:12, 14, 16). The same word (cad) so rendered is also translated "pitcher," a vessel for carrying water (
Genesis 24:14;
Judges 7:16).
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
n.) A round vessel or cask, of greater length than breadth, and bulging in the middle, made of staves bound with hoops, and having flat ends or heads.
2. (n.) The quantity which constitutes a full barrel. This varies for different articles and also in different places for the same article, being regulated by custom or by law. A barrel of wine is 31/ gallons; a barrel of flour is 196 pounds.
3. (n.) A solid drum, or a hollow cylinder or case; as, the barrel of a windlass; the barrel of a watch, within which the spring is coiled.
4. (n.) A metallic tube, as of a gun, from which a projectile is discharged.
5. (n.) A jar.
6. (n.) The hollow basal part of a feather.
7. (v. t.) To put or to pack in a barrel or barrels.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
BARRELbar'-el: The word "barrel" in the King James Version (see1 Kings 17:12, 14, 16;1 Kings 18:33: "The barrel of meal," "fill four barrels with water," etc.) stands for the large earthenware jar (so the American Standard Revised Version) used in the East for carrying water from the spring or well, and for storing grain, etc., according to a custom that still persists. It is elsewhere (EV) more fitly rendered "pitcher."
SeeHOUSE;PITCHER, etc.
Strong's Hebrew
3537. kad -- a jar...barrel, pitcher. From an unused root meaning to deepen; properly, a pail; but generally
of earthenware; a jar for domestic purposes --
barrel, pitcher.
...Library
The InexhaustibleBarrel
... The InexhaustibleBarrel. A Sermon (No.290).... So long as we have a fullbarrel
of our own merits, God will have nothing to do with us....
The Voice of Stern Rebuke
... In response to Elijah's request for food and drink, the widow said, "As the Lord
thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in abarrel, and a...
Elijah and the Widow's Son.
... "As thy God liveth," she said earnestly, "I have not one cake left, but only
a handful of meal in abarrel, and a little oil in a cruse....
A Prophet's Strange Providers
... And she said, As the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal
in abarrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two...
Elijah the Great Heart of Israel.
... She told him that she had but a handful of meal in abarrel, and a little oil in
a cruse, and she was going to bake it for herself and son, that they might eat...
Christ Teaching Liberality
... All she had in the world was a handful of meal in abarrel, and a little oil in
a cruse, and that she was gathering a few sticks, that she might go and bake...
And as She Stood Looking Towards London, Diamond Saw that She was...
... Perhaps there's an open arch.". They went towards it and found one, and, better
still, there was an emptybarrel lying under the arch. "Hallo!...
The Story of one Furlough (1908-1910)
... to the door. On one occasion abarrel of large, hard "Greenings" came just
as we had finished the lastbarrel. The children complained...
Life at Herrnhut.
... No tight-rope dancer poised on giddy height. Nobarrel-dancer rolled his
emptybarrel. No tout for lotteries swindled the simple....
When a Man Sows, He Expects to Reap.
... The clerk was ordered to go with the buyer to the upper loft and show him the stock.
An openbarrel was shown apparently of the same quality of the sample....
Thesaurus
Barrel (3 Occurrences)... 2. (n.) The quantity which constitutes a full
barrel. This
... law. A
barrel of wine is 31/ gallons; a
barrel of flour is 196 pounds.
...Cruse (11 Occurrences)
... 1 Kings 17:12 And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an
handful of meal in abarrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am...
Fleet (7 Occurrences)
... light substance. 3. (n. & a.) To slip on the whelps or thebarrel of a
capstan or windlass; -- said of a cable or hawser. 4. (vt...
Bore (221 Occurrences)
... 3. (vt) To form or enlarge by means of a boring instrument or apparatus; as,
to bore a steam cylinder or a gunbarrel; to bore a hole....
Vessel (118 Occurrences)
... 1. (n.) A hollow or concave utensil for holding anything; a hollow receptacle of
any kind, as a hogshead, abarrel, a firkin, a bottle, a kettle, a cup, a bowl...
Jar (45 Occurrences)
... loose when jammed. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. JAR. jar. SeeBARREL.
Multi-Version Concordance Jar (45 Occurrences). Matthew 26:7...
Lantern
... steam, etc. ; -- called also lantern brass. 7. (n.) A perforatedbarrel to
form a core upon. 8. (n.) See Aristotle's lantern. 9. (vt...
Lump (7 Occurrences)
... of iron ore. 2. (n.) A mass or aggregation of things. 3. (n.) A projection
beneath the breech end of a gunbarrel. 4. (vi) To throw...
Weight (143 Occurrences)
... The Hebrew and Phoenician weights, when made of stone, werebarrel-shaped or
spindle-shaped, but in bronze they were often cubical or octagonal or with...
Whelp (4 Occurrences)
... 3. (n.) One of the longitudinal ribs or ridges on thebarrel of a capstan or a windless;
-- usually in the plural; as, the whelps of a windlass....
Resources
What are the modern equivalents of biblical weights and measures? | GotQuestions.orgWho was Elijah in the Bible? | GotQuestions.orgBarrel: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
Bible Dictionary •
Bible Encyclopedia •
Topical Bible •
Bible Thesuarus
