In biblical times, the concept of "imported" goods and materials is evident throughout the Scriptures, reflecting the trade practices and economic interactions of ancient Israel and its neighboring nations. The importation of goods played a significant role in the cultural and economic life of the Israelites, as they engaged in trade with surrounding regions to acquire resources not readily available in their own land.

Trade and Commerce in Ancient Israel

The Bible provides numerous examples of imported goods, highlighting the interconnectedness of ancient economies. Solomon's reign is particularly noted for its extensive trade networks. In 1 Kings 10:22 , it is recorded, "For the king had the ships of Tarshish at sea with the fleet of Hiram. Once every three years, the ships of Tarshish would arrive bearing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks." This passage illustrates the importation of luxury items and exotic animals, signifying wealth and international relations.

Materials for Construction and Worship

Imported materials were crucial for significant construction projects, including the building of the Temple in Jerusalem. In 1 Kings 5:6 , Solomon requests from Hiram, king of Tyre, "So give orders that cedars of Lebanon be cut for me. My servants will work with yours, and I will pay you for your servants whatever wages you set, for you know that none among us can cut timber like the Sidonians." The cedars of Lebanon, renowned for their quality, were imported for the construction of the Temple, demonstrating the importance of foreign resources in fulfilling divine purposes.

Cultural and Religious Influences

The importation of goods also brought cultural and religious influences, sometimes leading to idolatry and syncretism. The Israelites were warned against adopting the practices of surrounding nations. In Deuteronomy 7:25-26 , God commands, "You must burn up the images of their gods. Do not covet the silver or gold that is on them, and do not take it for yourselves, or you will be ensnared by it, for it is detestable to the LORD your God. And you must not bring any detestable thing into your house, or you will be set apart for destruction like it. You must utterly detest and abhor it, for it is set apart for destruction."

Economic Implications

The importation of goods had significant economic implications for Israel. The trade of goods such as spices, textiles, and metals contributed to the wealth and prosperity of the nation. Ezekiel 27 provides a detailed account of the trade practices of Tyre, a major trading hub, and its interactions with Israel. Verses 12-13 state, "Tarshish was your merchant because of your great wealth of goods; they exchanged silver, iron, tin, and lead for your merchandise. Javan, Tubal, and Meshech were your merchants; they exchanged slaves and bronze articles for your wares."

Moral and Ethical Considerations

The importation of goods also raised moral and ethical considerations, particularly concerning the treatment of people involved in trade. The prophets often spoke against the exploitation and injustice associated with trade practices. Amos 8:4-6 warns, "Hear this, you who trample the needy, who do away with the poor of the land, asking, 'When will the New Moon be over, that we may sell grain? And the Sabbath, that we may market wheat?'—skimping the measure, boosting the price, and cheating with dishonest scales, buying the poor with silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, selling even the chaff with the wheat."

In summary, the concept of "imported" in the Bible encompasses a wide range of goods and materials that were integral to the economic, cultural, and religious life of ancient Israel. The Scriptures provide insight into the benefits and challenges associated with trade and the importation of goods, reflecting the broader themes of wealth, influence, and ethical conduct.(imp. & p. p.) of Import.3920. pareisaktos -- brought in secretly
... Cognate: 3920 (an adjective, derived from 3919 , "enter by stealth") -- what is
"smuggled in" by -- literally, "introduced (imported) from " (Souter). ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3920.htm - 6k8500. tukkiyyim -- peacocks
... peacock. Or tuwkkiy {took-kee'}; probably of foreign derivation; some imported creature,
probably a peacock -- peacock. 8499, 8500. tukkiyyim. 8501 . ...
/hebrew/8500.htm - 6k

5927. alah -- to go up, ascend, climb
... 1), give off (1), go (140), goes (6), going (8), gone (18), gone away (2), got back
(1), grew (3), grow (2), grow back (1), grows (1), imported* (2), incite (1 ...
/hebrew/5927.htm - 8k

3318. yatsa -- to go or come out
... 1), goes (10), goes forth (9), going (20), going forth (8), gone (23), gone forth
(10), grow (1), grows (1), hardly* (1), has (3), imported* (2), indeed go (1 ...
/hebrew/3318.htm - 8k

935. bo -- to come in, come, go in, go
... 1), get (2), give (1), go (147), go through (1), go* (2), goes (17), going (8),
gone (7), granted (1), had (2), harbor (1), harvest (1), imported (1), indeed ...
/hebrew/935.htm - 8k

4161. motsa -- a place or act of going forth, issue, export ...
... of going forth, issue, export, source, spring NASB Word Usage east (1), exits (3),
fountains (1), going (2), going forth (1), import (1), imported (1), issuing ...
/hebrew/4161.htm - 6k

Holiness
... but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing
of the Holy Ghost." Bible holiness is truly an imported article directly ...
//christianbookshelf.org/byers/sanctification/chapter ix holiness.htm

Letter Lxxiv. To Martinianus.
... They have not imported the second from some other part of the world, but have acted
somewhat in the same way in which some owner of horse or ox might act, who ...
/.../basil/basil letters and select works/letter lxxiv to martinianus.htm

The American Church on the Eve of the Great Awakening --A General ...
... and violence with which the claims of the Episcopal Church were commended by royal
governors and their attaches and by some of the imported missionaries, there ...
/.../bacon/a history of american christianity/chapter x the american church.htm

Chatter xviii. The Great Immigration.
... The steadily rising character of the imported population in its successive
generations has aided them. If in the first generations ...
/.../a history of american christianity/chatter xviii the great immigration.htm

A Brief Examination of the Construction of Our Bodies from a ...
... for its own subsistence, nature therefore, in addition to those three powers by
which we said that the whole body is regulated, brings in imported matter from ...
/.../gregory/gregory of nyssa dogmatic treatises etc/xxx a brief examination of.htm

Sixth Tractate. The Impassivity of the Unembodied.
... faculty will be merely some ill condition of the body, and its virtue, bodily soundness;
thus there would again be no question of anything imported into the ...
/.../plotinus/the six enneads/sixth tractate the impassivity of.htm

Rationalism and Its Effects
... The works of these men were imported from the Netherlands into France in spite of
all restrictions that could be imposed by the police authorities, and their ...
/.../chapter viii rationalism and its.htm

The Morning-Meal in the Pharisee's House - Meals and Feasts among ...
... Indeed, it would scarcely be possible to enumerate the various articles which seem
to have been imported from different, and even distant, countries. ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter xii the morning-meal in.htm

He Then once More Excellently, Appropriately, and Clearly Examines ...
... For seeing that it is clear to all that God Who is over all has in Himself nothing
as a thing created or imported, not power nor wisdom, nor light, nor word ...
/.../gregory/gregory of nyssa dogmatic treatises etc/section 2 he then once.htm

Babylonia and Assyria
... Building stone from Magan had already been imported to Babylonia by Ur-Nina, a king
of Lagas, and grandfather of E-ana-gin, but it must have been brought in ...
/.../early israel and the surrounding nations/chapter vi babylonia and assyria.htm

Imported (9 Occurrences)
...Imported (9 Occurrences). 1 Kings 9:28 And they came to Ophir, and imported from
thence gold, four hundred and twenty talents, and brought it to king Solomon. ...
/i/imported.htm - 9k

Adra
... is prince." By Palestinian usage it would be "Adar is king," "Anu is king"): (1)
The names given by the Israelite narrator to the god or gods imported into the ...
/a/adra.htm - 9k

Native (35 Occurrences)
... in the region in which one lives; as, a native inhabitant, race; grown or originating
in the region where used or sold; not foreign or imported; as, native ...
/n/native.htm - 19k

Cassia (3 Occurrences)
... 27:19). It is the inner bark of a tree resembling the cinnamon (qv), the Cinnamomum
cassia of botanists, and was probably imported from India. (2.) Hebrew pl. ...
/c/cassia.htm - 9k

Chicken
... The Chinese records prove that they first secured imported fowl from the West in
1400 BC Their use for food dated from 1200 to 800 BC, in the Book of Manu, but ...
/c/chicken.htm - 10k

Botany
... sunlight and the absence of water for five or six months at a time, lead to the
destruction of vast quantities of seeds and young plants imported by various ...
/b/botany.htm - 38k

Important (39 Occurrences)

/i/important.htm - 18k

Jazer (13 Occurrences)
... SEA OF JAZER. (yam ya`zer): This is a scribal error (Jeremiah 48:32), yam ("sea")
being accidentally imported from the preceding clause. See JAZER; SEA. ...
/j/jazer.htm - 13k

Leprosy (51 Occurrences)
... Hippocrates calls it "the Phoenician disease," and Galen names it "elephantiasis."
In Europe it was little known until imported by the returning soldiers of ...
/l/leprosy.htm - 37k

Lime (4 Occurrences)
... At the present day, mineral coal imported from Europe is sometimes employed, and
requires much less time than the shrubs which are ordinarily used. ...
/l/lime.htm - 11k

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