Cart
“Something that rolls”
Summary
A two-wheeled vehicle drawn by oxen, used for transporting goods, produce, and sacred objects in ancient Israel.
☩Construction and Use
The Hebrew word agalah (from agal, 'to roll') denotes a vehicle moving on wheels drawn by cattle, distinct from the chariot drawn by horses. Carts were either open or covered, and were used for conveying persons, burdens, or produce. The only cart used in Western Asia has two wheels of solid wood—a design that has persisted from ancient times to the present day among some Middle Eastern peoples. Ancient bas-reliefs at Nineveh depict carts with eight-spoked wheels drawn by oxen, carrying captives, timber, and other articles.
☩The Ark on a Cart
The Philistines transported the captured Ark of the Covenant back to Israel on a new cart drawn by two milk cows—an expedient that worked miraculously. When David later attempted to bring the Ark to Jerusalem using a similar cart, the oxen stumbled and Uzzah touched the Ark to steady it, resulting in his death for this irreverence. This incident taught that God's sacred objects must be transported according to his prescribed methods (by the Levites carrying it on poles), not by human convenience. David later correctly had the Levites carry the Ark.
Related Verses11 mentions
See Also
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Cart," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. II (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Cart," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. I (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.George Morrish, "Cart," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).