Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

HERDING

With agriculture, a major component of Israelite economy. Herding was prevalent during the patriarchal and settlement periods, and continued to be practiced during the Monarchy. While generally associated with nomads, it would be wrong to assume that herding took place only in open spaces such as the Judean desert and the Negeb. Much zooarchaeological evidence shows that herding was practiced also in urban and semi-urban centers.

Three production systems are found in biblical times as well as present-day Near Eastern herding societies: sedentary, transhumant, and nomadic, determined in each locale by availability of pasturage, seasonality of vegetation, and topographical and climatic conditions.

In the sedentary system, herds are kept at or close to the permanent settlement at all times. Grazing takes place during the day in the common or private grounds which include cultivated fields. At night the animals are kept inside the settlement. Shepherds accompany the herds at all times. Flocks vary in size from village flocks (200-300) to private (50-300). Smaller private flocks do exist.

Herding under the sedentary production system was practiced by the native Canaanite population before the Israelite settlement (cf. Josh. 6:21). When Gideon, who lived in the village of Ophrah, hosted the divine messenger and offered him food, a young kid was readily available for slaughter (Judg. 6:19; cf. 13:15). Maintaining herds inside the settlements continued even in the time of Hezekiah (2 Chr. 31:6).

The transhumant system demands that shepherds move their flocks to other regions depending on climatic conditions which determine temperature, humidity, and grazing conditions. When conditions improve at home, the herds return to graze or be fed there. Herds can be private or communal. In the latter case, the owners’ contributions to the expenses depend on how many animals they have in the flock. Transhumant flocks are usually larger than sedentary ones (200-500). This may have been the most common system of herding in ancient Israel.

While his ancestors were nomadic herders, Jacob became acquainted with transhumance in Padan-aram in northern Mesopotamia. Laban, his uncle, lived close enough to the well for Rachel to run to her father with the news of Jacob’s arrival. But when necessary, Laban kept his herds as far as three days’ journey away from home (Gen. 30:36). Upon returning to Canaan, Jacob settled in Hebron, making it his home base; as apparent from the Joseph story (Gen. 37:12-14), Shechem became a point in the seasonal circuit, apparently making his sons well known to the local inhabitants who helped Joseph find his brothers (vv. 15-17).

Nomadic herds and their keepers follow the seasonal vegetation growth and migrate from region to region as dictated by grazing conditions. They do not have a home base or any form of permanent shelter. During the nomadic cycle they cover distances longer than in any other production system. For logistical reasons, the social unit of herders, the tribe or family, may have more than one flock with which they move from place to place while living in tents. Herds can be very large (150–200 thousand) and are made of one species or are mixed (sheep and goats). Wandering is a well-organized undertaking based on experience gained through years of practice. The circuit includes visits to holy sites, cemeteries, and celebrations of certain feasts.

The pastoral nature of the patriarchs is reflected in the names Rebekah (riḇqâ, “a row of tied animals”) and Rachel (rāḥēl, “ewe”). Abraham is a good example of nomadic herder. Upon his arrival in Canaan, he traveled throughout the hill country (Gen. 12:6, 8), and even after pitching his tent between Bethel and Ai, continued to wander southward (v. 9). Upon returning from Egypt, where he stayed because of a drought in Canaan, he continued to wander until he came to Hebron and pitched his tent at the oaks of Mamre (Gen. 13:17-18). Abraham discovered that his flocks were too numerous to share grazing lands with those of his nephew Lot, so the latter chose the area around Sodom for his wanderings (Gen. 13:12). Abraham continued to live in a tent (Gen. 18), and to wander as far as the Negeb and Gerar (ch. 20). His son Isaac was also a nomadic herder.

The nomadic system was practiced even to the end of the Monarchy. The Rechabites are a good example of a nomadic group, being told by their ancestor Jonadab: “You shall never . . . build a house, or sow seed; nor shall you plant a vineyard, or even own one; but you shall live in tents all your days” (Jer. 35:6-7). Although herding is not specifically mentioned as their means of livelihood, it can be safely presumed.

Under all herding production systems the shepherds’ responsibility for the animals includes two main activities: sheltering and feeding. Nomads house their herds near the tents in enclosures made of thorny plants piled up to form circular walls, and in natural caves. This method is used also in the transhumant system during wandering. When the herds are kept at a permanent location to which they return at the end of each day, they are housed in stone-walled pens attached to buildings or compounds and on the ground floor of houses in the city. Remains of stone-walled pens have been excavated at several sites in the hill country and Negeb.

Protecting the herds when grazing is highly important. According to 1 Sam. 17:34 David rescued his father’s herd from attacks by lions and bears. The prophet Amos, who was a herder, was well familiar with such situations and used them as a metaphor for the fall of Samaria and the northern kingdom (Amos 3:12). Accordingly, dogs were used both for guarding the herd against predators and for keeping it together (Job 30:1).

Feeding the herd includes grazing on green plants during winter and on stubble and withered grass in spring/summer, and adding supplements of hay and grain to withered grass in summer and fall. To guard against overgrazing, herders must limit the size of the herd to the carrying capacity of the land (cf. Gen. 13:5-7).

Water sources are another determinant in caring for the animals. The herd is watered daily during the year and, under best conditions, twice a day in the summer heat, usually at the beginning and end of the day. If there is no water source along the daily route, the herd is watered at home before going out and upon its return. Water is drawn from a source such as a well or cistern, and poured into troughs (Gen. 30:30, 41), often made of carved stone (cf. 29:2-10). The question of water rights dominates many biblical stories depicting herding (e.g., Gen. 21:22-34; 26:15-33).

Oded Borowski

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

HERDING

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)