Bricks, as a building material, hold significant historical and symbolic importance in the biblical narrative. They are mentioned in various contexts throughout the Scriptures, often symbolizing human effort, labor, and the construction of cities and structures.

Historical Context and Usage

In the ancient Near East, bricks were a common building material due to the scarcity of stone in certain regions. Made from clay and straw, bricks were sun-dried or kiln-fired to increase their durability. The process of brick-making is first mentioned in the Bible in the context of the Tower of Babel: "And they said to one another, 'Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.' So they used brick instead of stone, and tar instead of mortar" (Genesis 11:3). This passage highlights the technological advancement and human ambition associated with brick-making, as the people sought to build a city and a tower reaching the heavens.

Symbolism and Themes

Bricks often symbolize human endeavor and the desire for self-sufficiency apart from God. The Tower of Babel narrative illustrates humanity's attempt to make a name for themselves and establish a unified society without divine guidance. This endeavor ultimately leads to God's intervention, resulting in the confusion of languages and the scattering of people across the earth (Genesis 11:4-9).

In the context of Israel's bondage in Egypt, bricks represent the harsh labor imposed upon the Israelites. Exodus 1:14 states, "They made their lives bitter with hard labor in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their hard labor, the Egyptians used themBricks

Were usually made of clay, dried and hardened in the sun, Genesis 11:3, though brick-kilns were sometimes used, 2 Samuel 12:31 Nahum 3:14. The tower of Babel was constructed of brick, cemented with bitumen. The bricks used were often a foot square; and great numbers of them are found, both in Babylon and Egypt, impressed with some royal or priestly stamp. The principal subject of interest connected with brick making is the fact that it was the labor in which the Hebrews in Egypt were most oppressed. On the monuments of Egypt, all the parts of this hard and ancient task-work are painted-the carrying, tempering, and molding of the clay, and the drying and pilling of the bricks-all done by foreigners under the orders of taskmasters. The straw was probably mixed with the clay to compact it. See Wilkinson's "Ancient Egyptians."

The making of, formed the chief labour of the Israelites in Egypt (Exodus 1:13, 14). Those found among the ruins of Babylon and Nineveh are about a foot square and four inches thick. They were usually dried in the sun, though also sometimes in kilns (2 Samuel 12:31; Jeremiah 43:9; Nahum 3:14). (see NEBUCHADNEZZAR.)

The bricks used in the tower of Babel were burnt bricks, cemented in the building by bitumen (Genesis 11:3).

3843. lebenah -- brick, tile
... 3842, 3843. lebenah. 3844 . brick, tile. Transliteration: lebenah Phonetic
Spelling: (leb-ay-naw') Short Definition: bricks. Word ...
/hebrew/3843.htm - 6k

3835. laban -- to be white
... A primitive root; to be (or become) white; also (as denominative from lbenah) to
make bricks -- make brick, be (made, make) white(-r). see HEBREW lbenah. ...
/hebrew/3835.htm - 5k

3835b. laban -- to make brick
... Word Origin denominative verb from lebenah Definition to make brick NASB Word Usage
make brick (1), make bricks (1), making brick (1). 3835a, 3835b. ...
/hebrew/3835b.htm - 5k

Pharaoh the Stubborn Ruler
... The same day Pharaoh gave this command to the taskmasters who were over the people:
"You shall no longer give the people straw for making bricks as before. ...
/.../sherman/the childrens bible/pharaoh the stubborn ruler.htm

The Temples and the Gods of Chaldaea
... use of brick as a building material"Their city walls: the temples and local gods;
reconstruction of their history by means of the stamped bricks of which ...
/.../chapter iithe temples and the.htm

The Child Moses.
... Then a new king came to the throne, who was afraid of their numbers, and made slaves
of them all, forcing them to make bricks and build for him great walls ...
/.../anonymous/children of the old testament/the child moses.htm

The Rod that Troubled Egypt.
... They made bricks of clay mixed with straw, that hardened in the sun, and were as
lasting as stone, but he forced them to find the straw wherever they could ...
/.../lathbury/childs story of the bible/chapter xi the rod that.htm

Discovery of the Relics of Forty Holy Martyrs.
... But open to view, an edifice was erected above the foundation, inclosed with
baked bricks, and a secret descent from it to the martyrs. ...
/.../the ecclesiastical history of sozomenus/chapter ii discovery of the relics.htm

"Something"
... I will make bricks; folk cannot do without them, so I shall at least do Something.".
"Something very little, though," replied the second brother. ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/wells/bible stories and religious classics/something.htm

Chapter xi
... 3, 4. And they said, one to another: Come, let us make bricks and let us burn them
well. And they used brick in place of stone and bitumen in place of mortar. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/leupold/exposition of genesis volume 1/chapter xi.htm

The Conquest of Babylon.
... The walls were made of bricks, and the bricks were formed of clay and earth,
which was dug from a trench made outside of the lines. ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/abbott/cyrus the great/chapter viii the conquest of.htm

Nineveh.
... It was enclosed by a huge wall, so wide that three chariots could drive side by
side on the top, and built of bricks made of the clay of the country, dried in ...
//christianbookshelf.org/yonge/the chosen people/lesson ix nineveh.htm

The Story of the Tower of Babel
... Then they said one to another, "Come, let us make bricks and thoroughly bake
them." So they had bricks for stone and asphalt for mortar. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/sherman/the childrens bible/the story of the tower.htm

Bricks (10 Occurrences)
... (see NEBUCHADNEZZAR.). The bricks used in the tower of Babel were burnt bricks,
cemented in the building by bitumen (Genesis 11:3). ...Bricks (10 Occurrences). ...
/b/bricks.htm - 10k

Brick (10 Occurrences)
... a clamp. 2. (n.) Bricks, collectively, as designating that kind of material;
as, a load of brick; a thousand of brick. 3. (n.) Any ...
/b/brick.htm - 15k

Bond (32 Occurrences)
... 8. (n.) The union or tie of the several stones or bricks forming a wall.
The bricks may be arranged for this purpose in several ...
/b/bond.htm - 19k

Assur (2 Occurrences)
... soldiers. The base of the outer wall was of stone; above it were mud bricks
strengthened at intervals with courses of burned bricks. ...
/a/assur.htm - 13k

Sherghat
... soldiers. The base of the outer wall was of stone; above it were mud bricks
strengthened at intervals with courses of burned bricks. ...
/s/sherghat.htm - 12k

Asshur (133 Occurrences)
... soldiers. The base of the outer wall was of stone; above it were mud bricks
strengthened at intervals with courses of burned bricks. ...
/a/asshur.htm - 46k

Quota (5 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Quota (5 Occurrences). Exodus 5:8 The number of
the bricks, which they made before, you require from them. ...
/q/quota.htm - 8k

Tale (7 Occurrences)
... requested permission to go three days' journey into the wilderness to sacrifice
to Yahweh, Pharaoh replied by demanding the full "tale" of bricks from the ...
/t/tale.htm - 12k

Brickwork (2 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (n.) Anything made of bricks. 2. (n.) The act
of building with or laying bricks. Multi-Version Concordance ...
/b/brickwork.htm - 7k

Babylonia (17 Occurrences)
... alluvial plain, had to be of brick, which was largely sun-dried, although in certain
prosperous eras there is much evidence of kiln-dried bricks having been ...
/b/babylonia.htm - 75k

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