Pitch
Summary
Pitch (also called bitumen or asphalt) was a dark, tar-like substance used in the ancient world as a waterproof sealant, notably for Noah's ark and the basket in which Moses was placed.
☩Nature and Sources
Pitch is mineral asphalt or bitumen—an opaque, inflammable substance that bubbles up from subterranean sources in liquid form and hardens by exposure to air, but readily melts when heated. In its melted state it is very adhesive. The Dead Sea region was an important source, which is why the sea was anciently called the 'Asphalt Sea.' Three Hebrew words describe this substance: zepheth (from 'to flow,' referring to its liquid state), kopher (from 'to cover,' referring to its use as a coating), and chemar (translated 'slime,' referring to its solid state and reddish color).
☩Biblical Uses
Noah was commanded to coat the ark inside and out with pitch to make it watertight (Genesis 6:14). Moses' mother waterproofed the papyrus basket in which she hid her infant son using 'bitumen and pitch' (Exodus 2:3). In Mesopotamia, pitch served as mortar in brick construction—the builders of Babel used 'slime' (bitumen) for mortar (Genesis 11:3). Isaiah uses pitch metaphorically in describing Edom's judgment: its streams would be turned to pitch and its soil to brimstone (Isaiah 34:9).
See Also
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Pitch," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. VIII (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Pitch," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. IV (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).