In his great series of Nature-pictures in Psalm 104, the Psalmist finds a place for the sea and ships (104:25;), and in Psalm 107 there is a picture of the storm overtaking them that go down to the sea in ships, and of the deliverance that comes to them when God "bringeth" them into their desired haven" (107:23;). For in the first place the name Eridanus is manifestly not a barbarian word at all, but a Greek name, invented by some poet or other; and secondly, though I have taken vast pains, I have never been able to get an assurance from an eye-witness that there is any sea on the further side of Europe. Kittim is referred to in the three greater Prophets (Isaiah 23:1, 12 Jeremiah 2:10 Ezekiel 27:6). Of the presumably larger vessel, also an Alexandrian corn ship bound for Rome, which had wintered in Melita, and which afterward took on board the shipwrecked party (Acts 28:11), "the sign" (parasemon) is given, and she is called "The Twin Brothers." commonassociation of the metal withthe western Mediterranean. "When Jonah, also, arose up to flee unto Tarshish, he sailed from Joppa on the coast of Syria, and the circumstances mentioned (in Jonah 1,) imply that his voyage was of some length, and coupled with the intention which led him to undertake it, makes it probable that the Tarshish he sought was the Cassiterides, or Tin Islands, the most distant and least known colony of Tyre. The builders of the second temple also got timber from Lebanon and conveyed it to Joppa. It is from Tyre and Egypt and even Assyria and Babylonia, rather than from their own waters, that the Hebrew prophets and psalmists drew their pictures of seafaring life.II. Tiras. The first century A.D. Jewish historian, Flavius Josephus, wrote that it was the same city as Tarsus, in modern day Turkey, which is the Apostle Paul's hometown. Isaiah 60:9 Surely the islands shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring your sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, for the name of Yahweh your God, and for the Holy One of Israel, because he has glorified you. The prophecies concerning Tarshish best fit Britain. Was there a joint nautical venture on the Mediterranean Sea by Tyrian Phoenicians and Early Israelites?'. Ezekiel's description (chapter 27, with Davidson's notes) brings together more of the features of the ship of antiquity than any other that has come down to us. Jonah 1:3 But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of Yahweh. Ezekiel 27:12 Tarshish was your merchant by reason of the multitude of all kinds of riches; with silver, iron, tin, and lead, they traded for your wares. In the time of our Lord's ministry in Galilee the shores of the Sea were densely peopled, and there must have been many boats engaged in the fishing industry. (established ). Tarshish traded silver, iron, tin, and lead in the Tyrian markets. Bibliography Information Orr, James, M.A., D.D. It seems as though today, Britain, as Tarshish, is now playing a subservient role behind the young lions of America in important . Beth-Togarmah is Turkey. Tarshish may have settled nearby in today's Lebanon. In the Book of Proverbs the ideal woman who brings her food from far is like "the merchant ships" (31:14). Nineveh was located at the intersection of important north-south and east-west trade routes, and its proximity to a tributary of the Tigris, the Khawar River, added to the value of the fertile agricultural and pastoral . Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me." But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. The obvious answer is Saudi Arabia, ancient Sheba and Dedan! The Rio Tinto mine just north of Huelva was first worked by the Phoenicians and still produces copper. At the end of July, Tarshish, who has been working alongside people with disabilities since before the ADA's passage, was among the more than 1,000 people who gathered at the Minnesota History. Tarshish is mentioned in a prophecy in the Book of Isaiah 60:1-12. . The main problem is that Tarshish has been used in a variety of ways in the Old Testament. Of internal navigation, beyond the fishing-boats on the Sea of Galilee which belong exclusively to the New Testament, the ferry boat on the Jordan (2 Samuel 19:18, `abharah) alone receives notice, and even that is not perfectly clear (the Revised Version margin "convoy," but a "ford" is doubtless meant). However, it seems that one of those metals was not plentiful in Spain and that metal was tin. One or two of the particulars of this description may be commented upon. If we can identify the source of these metals in the ancient world (6th century BC) then we can be certain about which country is Tarshish in the last days. Proud member Tartessus, an ancient city between two mouths of the Guadalquiver, in the south of Spain. One of these minerals was tin. The ships were broken, so that they were not able to go to Tarshish. The Greeks excelled with colonies in the Black Sea, Asia Minor and around the Mediterranean. (Spain -Thenandnow). A possible explanation is the influence of British mining concerns which owned the giant Rio Tinto Company with mines between Huelva and Tharsis in the 19th century. However, Solomon's Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians, making archaeological evidence difficult to uncover. The first century A.D. Jewish historian, Flavius Josephus, wrote that it was the same city as Tarsus, in modern day Turkey, which is the Apostle Pauls hometown. The cargo (phortion, Acts 27:10, the King James Version and the Revised Version (British and American) "lading") in this case was wheat (Acts 27:38), but another word is used, gomos, by Luke of a ship's load of varied wares (Acts 21:3; compare Revelation 18:11).Of those engaged in handling the ship we find (Acts 27:11) the master (kubernetes), the owner (naukleros, although this expression seems not quite consistent with the ownership of a grain ship of the imperial service, and Ramsay's distinction between the words, making the former "sailing-master" and the latter "captain," may be better), the sailors (Acts 27:30, who treacherously sought to lower the ship's boat on the pretense of laying out anchors from the "foreship" or prow, and to get away from the doomed vessel).Of operations belonging to the navigation of the vessel in the storm there were(1) the taking on board of the ship's boat and securing it with ropes (Acts 27:16, in which operation Luke seems to have taken part; compare Acts 27:32),(2) the undergirding of the ship (Acts 27:17, using helps, that is taking measures of relief and adopting the expedient, only resorted to in extremities, of passing cables under the keel of the ship to keep the hull together and to preserve the timbers from starting),(3) the lowering of the gear (Acts 27:17, reducing sail, taking down the mainsail and the main yard),(4) throwing freight overboard and later casting out the tackling of the ship (Acts 27:19),(5) taking soundings (Acts 27:28),(6) letting go four anchors from the stern (Acts 27:29, stern-anchoring being very unusual, but a necessity in the circumstances),(7) further lightening the ship by throwing the wheat into the sea (Acts 27:38),(8) cutting the anchor cables, unlashing the rudders, hoisting up the foresail to the wind, and holding straight for the beach (Acts 27:40).Of the parts of the ship's equipment there are mentioned "the sounding lead" (bolis, though it is the verb which is here used), "the anchors" (agkurai, of which every ship carried several, and which at successive periods have been made of stone, iron, lead and perhaps other metals, each having two flukes and being held by a cable or a chain), "the rudders" (pedalia, of which every ship had two for steering, which in this case had been lifted out of the water and secured by "bands" to the side of the ship and unlashed when the critical moment came), "the foresail" artemon, not the mainsail, but the small sail at the bow of the vessel which at the right moment was hoisted to the wind to run her ashore), and "the boat" (skaphe, which had been in tow in the wake of the vessel, according to custom still prevalent in those seas-coasting-vessels being sometimes becalmed, when the crew get into the small boat and take the ship in tow, using the oars to get her round a promontory or into a position more favorable for the wind). What is Tarshish called today? 1. Tarshish in the latter days must have young lions of nations that are her offspring. The masts and yards were made of fir, or of pine, and the sails of linen, but the fiber of papyrus was employed as well as flax in the manufacture of sail-cloth. The USA and NATO use bases in Saudi Arabia to monitor the entire Persian Gulf area. The evidence would indicate that Tarshish in ancient times was Great Britain for the following reasons: [su_box title=Conclusion style=bubbles box_color=#e09900 title_color=#000000]We therefore conclude that Britain, as the Tin Isles of ancient times is Tarshish, and that the merchants of Tarshish and the young lions thereof are the offshoots of Britain that will have a major role during the Tribulation period. In the absence of positive proof, we may acquiesce in the statement of Strabo, that the river Baetis (now the Guadalquivir) was formerly called Tartessus, that the city Tartessus was situated between the two arms by which the river flowed into the sea, and that the adjoining country was called Tartessis. Tarshish and the problem of Phoenician colonization in the western Mediterranean. No other nation in history has created an empire of colonies like the British Empire. In the Acts of the Apostles3. Augustus Henry Keane (18331912) believed that Tarshish was Sofala, and that the Biblical land of Havilah was centered on the nearby Great Zimbabwe. Experts have positioned it as far away as India in the east and the far coast of Spain in the west. In the boat on which Jesus and the disciples were crossing the Lake after the feeding of the 5,000, Jesus was in the stern "asleep on the cushion" (Mark 4:38, the King James Version "a pillow"; Greek proskephalaion, "headrest"). 2. . Nineveh, the oldest and most-populous city of the ancient Assyrian empire, situated on the east bank of the Tigris River and encircled by the modern city of Mosul, Iraq. Among the Hebrews:(1) In Early Times.In the early books of the Old Testament there are references connecting certain of the tribes, and these northern tribes, with the activities of the sea. Implied is that Tarshish may be in the same geographic region as Sheba and Dedan. When God commanded Jonah to go preach to Nineveh (500 miles NE of Israel), he headed to Tarshish, which was as far in the other direction as he could go (see Jonah 1:1-3). It is also true thatthe mountains of Wales, just north of Cornwall have been a source of all the mineralslisted in Ezekiel 27:12. B.C. This is shown by the nature of the imports with which the fleet returned, which are specified as "gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks ." Ezekiel 27:12. The expression shows that it was in painting or relief; a figurehead, with the Twin Brothers represented, would be given by episemon. Isaiah 23:14 Howl, you ships of Tarshish, for your stronghold is laid waste! The Spanish-speaking South American nations are also weak and still developing. Therefore I hurried to flee to Tarshish, for I knew that you are a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness, and you relent of doing harm. " Now Caesarea has disappeared; and Joppa has only an open roadstead where vessels lie without shelter, and receive and discharge cargo and passengers by means of boats plying between them and the shore. The Spanish Empire was a dominant world influence in between the late 15th century until the early 19th century. About this period we hear of ships in naval warfare. }. It is also interesting to note that one of Javan's sons Tarshish has become what is today modern day Spain. Robbers by land on three sides, pirates by sea on the fourth, in a confederacy . James, showing the power of little things, adduces the ships, large though they be, and driven by fierce winds, turned about by a very small "rudder" (pedalion), as "the impulse of the steersman willeth" (James 3:4). It appears that this name also is used without reference to any locality. The ships of Tarshish did sing of thee in thy market: and thou wastreplenished, and made very glorious in the midst of the seas (Ezekiel 27:25). There are more than twenty references in the Old Testament to Tarshish (pronounced as: Tar-ish), but where in the world was the land of Tarshish? (The word may mean a "refinery . Among Neighboring Nations:(1) Egypt.The Egyptians, like other nations of antiquity, had a great horror of the open sea, although they were expert enough in managing their craft upon the Nile. Thus, Jonah flees to Tarshish from the presence of Yhwh (Jonah i. 1 Kings 22:48 Jehoshaphat made ships of Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold: but they didn't go; for the ships were broken at Ezion Geber. (2003). of post 1875. Muhly, J. D. (1998). The reason for this was not simply the tempestuous character of the weather, but the obscuration of the heavens which prevented observations being taken for the steering of the ship (Acts 27:20).3. "Copper, tin, silver, and iron: The search for metallic ores as an incentive for foreign expansion". We have already noted the historical record which assumes that Tartessus was in Spain and that Tarshish was Tartessus however, it also acknowledged that tin was sourced from Cornwall as follows: Tin came primarily from Cornwall in the British Isles, and was brought back by the Phoenicians; it was combined with copper, abundant in south west Spain, to produce bronze. (2010). [23] This is the theory espoused by Father Mapple in Chapter 9 of Moby Dick.[24]. The ships of Tarshish will suffer during the judgments of the Day of the Lord (Isaiah 2:16; Psalm 48:7). The harbour was on the north side of the Cornwall Peninsula and has now silted up. Tarshish. Tarsus, city, south-central Turkey. It is reputed to be the oldest mine in the world.). Tyre (in modern-day Lebanon) is one of the oldest cities in the world, dating back over 4,000 years, during which it has been inhabited almost continuously. Tarshish must have been established prior to the 10th century BC. On shipping and navigation in classical antiquity Smith of Jordanhill, Voyage and Shipwreck of Paul, is still the standard authority.T. For, it was the ships of Great Britain who brought the first of the Jewish refuges from a war torn Europe, to their promised land in Palestine. It may be that the ships of Tarshish brought minerals from Spain but it is unlikely that they brought tin from Spain since its source wasCornwallon the south west of Britain. [20], The context in Isaiah23:6 and 66:19 seems to indicate that it is an island, and from Israel it could be reached by ship, as attempted by Jonah (Jonah1:3) and performed by Solomon's fleet (2Chronicles9:21). Archealogicaldiggings have failed to produce anyevidence of it in Spain. It was Simon Maccabeus, however, who built its harbor, and the harbor at Joppa was "the first and only harbor of the Jews" (G. A. Smith, HGHL, 136). Tarshish was a son of Javan, who settled the area of Southern Greece. Ezekiel 38:13 imparts several important clues to the reader. Works on the monuments like Layard, Nineveh, II, 379;; Maspero, Ancient Egypt and Assyria; Ball, Light from the East, and Reissner, Cairo Museum Catalogue, "Models of Ships and Boats," 1913, contain descriptions and figured representations which are instructive. Caesarea in New Testament times was a place of shipping and possessed a harbor which Josephus declared to be greater than the Piraeus, but it was Herodian and more Greek and Roman than Jewish. It was one of the most important, and at times the dominant, city of Phoenicia, whose citizens claimed it had been founded by the great god Melqart. This seemingly rules out Spain as Tarshish and the Latin American countries as the young lions. The Spanish Empire was a dominant world influence between the late 15th century and the early 19th century. One of the connections with Biblical prophecy is found in Isaiah 60. It was believed to be at the ends of the Earth, as far away as one could possibly go in the known world at that time. 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