Irrigation, the artificial application of water to land to assist in the production of crops, is a practice that finds its roots in ancient times, including the biblical era. While the Bible does not provide detailed descriptions of irrigation techniques, it does offer glimpses into the agricultural practices of the ancient Near East, where irrigation was essential for sustaining life and agriculture in arid regions.

Biblical Context

In the Bible, the land of Israel is often described as a land dependent on rain for its fertility. Deuteronomy 11:10-11 contrasts the land of Egypt, which relied on irrigation, with the Promised Land, which depended on rain from heaven: "For the land you are entering to possess is not like the land of Egypt, from which you have come, where you sowed your seed and irrigated by hand as in a vegetable garden. But the land you are crossing the Jordan to take possession of is a land of mountains and valleys that drinks rain from heaven."

This passage highlights the difference between the irrigation-dependent agriculture of Egypt and the rain-fed agriculture of Canaan. In Egypt, the Nile River was the lifeline, and its annual flooding was harnessed through irrigation channels to water the fields. This method of irrigation was labor-intensive, requiring manual effort to direct water to the crops.

Irrigation in Egypt

The Israelites' experience in Egypt would have familiarized them with sophisticated irrigation techniques. The Nile's inundation was controlled through a network of canals and basins, allowing for the cultivation of crops even in the dry season. This system is alluded to in the Bible, reflecting the advanced agricultural practices of the Egyptians.

Irrigation in Mesopotamia

While the Bible does not explicitly mention Mesopotamian irrigation, the region's historical context provides insight into the practices that would have been known to the biblical authors. Mesopotamia, situated between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, relied heavily on irrigation to transform its arid landscape into fertile farmland. The use of canals and dikes to manage water resources was a hallmark of Mesopotamian agriculture.

Symbolic and Spiritual Significance

Water, and by extension irrigation, holds significant symbolic and spiritual meaning in the Bible. Water is often associated with life, blessing, and divine provision. In Isaiah 58:11, the prophet uses the imagery of a well-watered garden to describe the blessings of the Lord: "The LORD will always guide you; He will satisfy you in a sun-scorched land and strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail."

This metaphor underscores the importance of water in sustaining life and reflects the spiritual nourishment that comes from a relationship with God. Just as irrigation brings life to parched land, so does God's presence bring vitality to the soul.

Conclusion

While the Bible does not provide technical details on irrigation methods, it acknowledges the practice as an integral part of ancient agriculture. The reliance on rain in the Promised Land contrasted with the irrigation systems of Egypt and Mesopotamia, highlighting the Israelites' dependence on God's provision. The symbolic use of water in Scripture further emphasizes its importance, both physically and spiritually, as a source of life and blessing.As streams were few in Palestine, water was generally stored up in winter in reservoirs, and distributed through gardens in numerous rills, which could easily be turned or diverted by the foot (Deuteronomy 11:10).

For purposes of irrigation, water was raised from streams or pools by water-wheels, or by a shaduf, commonly used on the banks of the Nile to the present day.

(n.) The act or process of irrigating, or the state of being irrigated; especially, the operation of causing water to flow over lands, for nourishing plants.IRRIGATION

ir-i-ga'-shun: No equivalent for this word is found in Biblical writings, although the use of irrigation for maintaining vegetable life is frequently implied (Ecclesiastes 2:5, 6 Isaiah 58:11). To one familiar with the methods of irrigation practiced in Palestine, Syria and Egypt, the passage, "where thou sowedst thy seed, and wateredst it with thy foot, as a garden of herbs" (Deuteronomy 11:10), is easily explained. The water is brought in channels to the gardens, where it is distributed in turn to the different square plots bounded by banks of earth, or along the rows of growing vegetables planted on the sides of the trenches. In stony soil the breach in the canal leading to a particular plot is opened and closed with a hoe. Any obstruction in the trench is similarly removed, while in the soft, loamy soil of the coastal plain or in the Nile valley these operations can be done with the foot; a practice still commonly seen.

The remains of the great irrigation works of the ancient Egyptians and Babylonians leave no doubt as to the extent to which they used water to redeem the deserts. In Palestine and Syria there was less need (Deuteronomy 10:7; Deuteronomy 11:11) for irrigation. Here there is an annual fall of from 30 to 40 inches, coming principally during the winter. This is sufficient for the main crops. The summer supply of vegetables, as well as the fruit and mulberry trees, requires irrigation. Hardly a drop of many mountain streams is allowed to reach the sea, but is used to water the gardens of the mountain terraces and plains. This supply is now being supplemented by the introduction of thousands of pumps and oil engines for raising the water of the wells sufficiently to run it through the irrigation canals. Where a spring is small, its supply is gathered into a birket, or cistern, and then drawn off through a large outlet into the trenches, sometimes several days being required to fill the cistern. In Ecclesiastes 2:6, Solomon is made to say, "I made me pools of water, to water therefrom the forest." This passage helps to explain the uses of the so-called Pools of Solomon, South of Jerusalem. In this same district are traces of the ancient terraces which were probably watered from these pools.

See AGRICULTURE; GARDEN.

James A. Patch

4945b. mashqeh -- irrigation, drink
... 4945a, 4945b. mashqeh. 4946 . irrigation, drink. Transliteration: mashqeh
Short Definition: drinking. Word Origin from shaqah Definition ...
/hebrew/4945b.htm - 5k

6388. peleg -- a channel, canal
... river, stream. From palag; a rill (ie Small channel of water, as in irrigation) --
river, stream. see HEBREW palag. 6387, 6388. peleg. 6389 . Strong's Numbers
/hebrew/6388.htm - 6k

8585. t'alah -- a watercourse
... From alah; a channel (into which water is raised for irrigation); also a bandage
or plaster (as placed upon a wound) -- conduit, cured, healing, little river ...
/hebrew/8585.htm - 5k

7377. ri -- moisture
... Word Origin from ravah Definition moisture NASB Word Usage moisture (1). watering.
From ravah; irrigation, ie A shower -- watering. see HEBREW ravah. ...
/hebrew/7377.htm - 6k

Judging, Therefore, that it Stood Thus with this Matter...
... trees; and among them also large reservoirs for the reception of water were constructed,
and distributed so as to secure the plentiful irrigation of the trees. ...
/.../a metaphrase of the book of ecclesiastes/chapter ii judging therefore that.htm

On the Soul and Body and the Passion of the Lord.
... 1. The Word which is ungrudgingly sent down from heaven, is fitted for the irrigation
of our hearts, if we have been prepared for His power, not by speaking ...
/.../v on the soul and body.htm

The Flood-Tide of Power.
... The green beauty and rich fruitage of some parts of the Sacramento Valley, whose
soil is flooded by the artificial irrigation-rivers, are in sharp contrast ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/gordon/quiet talks on power/the flood-tide of power.htm

Jesus Restoreth Sight to Bartimaeus
... it. This fertility was owing entirely to skilful irrigation, traces of
no less than twelve aqueducts having been discovered. No ...
/.../the life of jesus christ for the young/jesus restoreth sight to bartimaeus.htm

At the Well
... There was no thirst in the Delta. Nowhere did the capillary, the irrigation canal,
fail to reach, even now in the season of desolation and loss. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/miller/the yoke/chapter xxxvii at the well.htm

Back to Memphis
... Three thousand years before, Menes had established a system of irrigation which
had added hundreds of square miles to the agricultural area of Egypt, and every ...
//christianbookshelf.org/miller/the yoke/chapter xxxiii back to memphis.htm

"The Pharaoh Drew Nigh"
... The messenger drank deep at an irrigation canal, for he turned away from water when
he followed the army, and leaving the level, dust-cushioned road behind ...
//christianbookshelf.org/miller/the yoke/chapter xliii the pharaoh drew.htm

Spoken in Antioch in the Old Church, as it was Called...
... a terebinth that hath lost its leaves, [1080] and as a garden that hath no water.'"
[1081] For in like manner as a garden when its irrigation fails, exhibits ...
/.../chrysostom/on the priesthood/homily ii spoken in antioch.htm

"Well Then, when I Entered Upon the Nearest Parts of the Desert...
... his ox, the monk performed, as well as his own special industry, produced such a
happy state of things to the holy man; for the frequent irrigation in which he ...
/.../severus/life and writings of sulpitius severus /chapter xiii well then when.htm

Oath Used by the Justinian Heretics; the Book of Baruch; the ...
... etc. [605] amaran. This word means a trench or channel in a field, for
the purpose either of irrigation or drainage. Schneidewin ...
/.../hippolytus/the refutation of all heresies/chapter xxii oath used by the.htm

Irrigation
... For purposes of irrigation, water was raised from streams or pools by water-wheels,
or by a shaduf, commonly used on the banks of the Nile to the present day. ...
/i/irrigation.htm - 9k

Euphrates (36 Occurrences)
... which it has eroded in the rocky surface, and which, being more or less covered
with alluvial soil, is pretty generally cultivated by artificial irrigation.. ...
/e/euphrates.htm - 26k

Reservoir (1 Occurrence)
... for the fewness of lakes, impels the inhabitants to make artificial pools or reservoirs
to collect the water of the rain or of springs for irrigation and also ...
/r/reservoir.htm - 12k

Pond (2 Occurrences)
... for the fewness of lakes, impels the inhabitants to make artificial pools or reservoirs
to collect the water of the rain or of springs for irrigation and also ...
/p/pond.htm - 12k

Esdraelon
... edge of the plain. Those at Megiddo drive mills and serve for irrigation,
besides forming extensive marshes. The springs near Zer ...
/e/esdraelon.htm - 15k

Plain (113 Occurrences)
... farther toward the shore of the lake is the village of Es-Safieh, inhabited by a
tribe of fellahin called the Ghawarneh, who by means of irrigation from the ...
/p/plain.htm - 71k

Agriculture
... The extensive and easily-arranged system of irrigation from the rills and streams
from the mountains made the soil in every part of Palestine richly productive ...
/a/agriculture.htm - 27k

Nile (37 Occurrences)
... phenomenon in Egypt. By means of it much of the irrigation of the land
during the dry season is carried on from wells. It has had ...
/n/nile.htm - 29k

Water (4571 Occurrences)
... to drink. In a few instances the cisterns or pools are sufficiently large
to supply water for limited irrigation. See CISTERN. (5 ...
/w/water.htm - 23k

Arabia (9 Occurrences)
... frequent floods in the former town, and are, owing to the arborial denudation of
the country, of little use for the purpose of agriculture or irrigation. ...
/a/arabia.htm - 43k

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Irrigation: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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