Market
Summary
Markets in biblical times were places of trade, commerce, and public assembly, typically located at city gates or along main thoroughfares.
☩Old Testament Markets
In ancient Israel, markets were commonly held at or near city gates, either within or outside the walls. Commodities were sold in the open air or under tents, with wholesale markets for country produce and cattle operating briefly in the early morning hours. Within towns, manufactured goods and various fruits were retailed in bazaars. By Jeremiah's time, traders of the same craft were grouped together in designated streets, as evidenced by the mention of 'the bakers' street.' This organization is also seen in Nehemiah, where 'the goldsmiths and the merchants' worked together on the wall repairs, and in the reference to the 'valley of Charashim' (craftsmen).
☩New Testament Agora
The Greek word agora denotes any place of public resort where people gathered. In Greco-Roman cities, the market-place was a broad paved way with colonnades on each side, serving multiple functions: commercial exchange, social meeting, and public proceedings. The agora of Ephesus led from the canal quay to the amphitheater, while the 'street called Straight' in Damascus exemplified this layout. Day laborers gathered at dawn in the market-place waiting to be hired. Greetings were exchanged with careful attention to social distinctions, which Jesus criticized the Pharisees for coveting. The Pharisees washed their hands upon returning from market, as contact with strangers or foreign goods might have caused ceremonial defilement.
☩Eastern Bazaars
Eastern bazaars were enclosed structures shut at night, containing rows of traders' shops organized by commodity. In large cities like Cairo, separate markets existed for butchers, fruit-dealers, copper-ware sellers, and jewelers, with each street devoted to a particular trade. The Greek term agoraioi, meaning 'market-frequenters,' came to denote idlers and newsmongers who loitered in public places—what Acts calls 'fellows of the baser sort.' These bazaars were constant resorts for the idle and curious, making them natural gathering places for both commerce and commotion.
Related Verses12 mentions
See Also
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Market," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. V (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Hastings (ed.), "Market, Market-Place," in Dictionary of Christ and the Gospels, vol. II (T. & T. Clark, 1906–1908).
- 3.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Market," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).