A loom is a device used for weaving threads into cloth, an essential tool in ancient textile production. While the Bible does not provide detailed descriptions of looms, the process of weaving and the products of looms are mentioned, reflecting the importance of textile work in biblical times.

Biblical References:

1. Proverbs 31:13-24 · The virtuous woman described in Proverbs 31 is noted for her industriousness in textile production. "She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands" (Proverbs 31:13). This passage highlights the role of women in weaving and textile creation, suggesting the use of a loom in her diligent work.

2. Isaiah 38:12 · The prophet Isaiah uses the imagery of a loom to describe the fragility and brevity of life: "My dwelling is pulled up and removed from me like a shepherd’s tent; I have rolled up my life like a weaver; He cuts me off from the loom; from day to night You make an end of me" (Isaiah 38:12). Here, the loom symbolizes the divine control over the span of human life, with God as the weaver.

3. Job 7:6 · Job laments the swiftness of his days, comparing them to the rapid movement of a weaver's shuttle: "My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle, and they come to an end without hope" (Job 7:6). This metaphor underscores the fleeting nature of life and the relentless passage of time.

Cultural and Historical Context:

In ancient Israel, weaving was a common domestic activity, primarily performed by women. The loom was a central tool in households, used to produce garments, blankets, and other textiles necessary for daily life. The process of weaving involved interlacing warp and weft threads to create fabric, a skill that required patience and dexterity.

The Bible's references to weaving and looms reflect the broader ancient Near Eastern context, where textile production was a significant economic activity. Looms in biblical times were likely simple, upright structures, as more complex horizontal looms developed later in history.

Symbolism and Theological Insights:

The loom serves as a powerful metaphor in Scripture, illustrating themes of creation, providence, and the transience of life. The act of weaving is akin to God's creative work, where each thread represents the intricate details of His divine plan. The cutting of the thread from the loom, as seen in Isaiah, symbolizes the end of life, reminding believers of their dependence on God's sovereign will.

In the biblical narrative, the loom and the art of weaving also highlight the value of diligence and skill in fulfilling one's God-given roles. The virtuous woman of Proverbs 31 exemplifies this through her industriousness and resourcefulness, serving as a model of faithful stewardship and domestic responsibility.1. (n.) See the bird.

2. (n.) A frame or machine of wood or other material, in which a weaver forms cloth out of thread; a machine for interweaving yarn or threads into a fabric, as in knitting or lace making.

3. (n.) That part of an oar which is near the grip or handle and inboard from the rowlock.

4. (v. i.) To appear above the surface either of sea or land, or to appear enlarged, or distorted and indistinct, as a distant object, a ship at sea, or a mountain, esp. from atmospheric influences; as, the ship looms large; the land looms high.

5. (v. i.) To rise and to be eminent; to be elevated or ennobled, in a moral sense.

6. (n.) The state of looming; esp., an unnatural and indistinct appearance of elevation or enlargement of anything, as of land or of a ship, seen by one at sea.

LOOM

loom.

See WEAVING.

708. ereg -- a loom
... 707, 708. ereg. 709 . a loom. Transliteration: ereg Phonetic Spelling:
(eh'-reg) Short Definition: loom. Word Origin from arag Definition ...
/hebrew/708.htm - 6k

4545. masseketh -- fabric on a loom
... 4544, 4545. masseketh. 4546 . fabric on a loom. Transliteration: masseketh
Phonetic Spelling: (mas-seh'-keth) Short Definition: web. ...
/hebrew/4545.htm - 6k

7966. shillum -- requital
... 7965, 7966. shillum or shillum. 7967 . requital. Transliteration: shillum or
shillum Phonetic Spelling: (shil-loom') Short Definition: bribe. ...
/hebrew/7966.htm - 6k

7967. Shallum -- the name of a number of Isr.
... Shallum or Shallum. 7968 . the name of a number of Isr. Transliteration: Shallum
or Shallum Phonetic Spelling: (shal-loom') Short Definition: Shallum. ...
/hebrew/7967.htm - 6k

4500. manor -- a (weaver's) beam
... beam. From niyr; a yoke (properly, for plowing), ie The frame of a loom -- beam.
see HEBREW niyr. 4499, 4500. manor. 4501 . Strong's Numbers.
/hebrew/4500.htm - 6k

5934. alumim -- youth, youthful vigor
... 5933, 5934. alumim. 5935 . youth, youthful vigor. Transliteration: alumim
Phonetic Spelling: (aw-loom') Short Definition: youth. ...
/hebrew/5934.htm - 6k

485. alummah -- a sheaf
... sheaf. Or (masculine) ealum {aw-loom'}; passive participle of 'alam; something bound;
a sheaf -- sheaf. see HEBREW 'alam. 484, 485. alummah. 486 . ...
/hebrew/485.htm - 6k

2042. harar -- hill, mountain
... Word Origin the same as har, qv. hill, mountain From an unused root meaning to loom
up; a mountain -- hill, mount(-ain). 2041, 2042. harar. 2043 . ...
/hebrew/2042.htm - 5k

1803a. dallah -- hair, thrum
... hair, thrum. Transliteration: dallah Short Definition: locks. Word Origin from dalal
Definition hair, thrum NASB Word Usage flowing locks (1), loom (1). ...
/hebrew/1803a.htm - 5k

God's Wooing.
... His weaving. He sits at life's loom ever watching and weaving. Were ... the
Master. Life's in the loom, Room for it"room! "Children ...
//christianbookshelf.org/gordon/quiet talks about jesus/gods wooing.htm

What Say You, O Races and Nations, Given up to Such Beliefs? when ...
... Pray, when you read such tales, do you not seem to yourselves to hear either girls
at the loom wiling away their tedious working hours, or old women seeking ...
/.../arnobius/the seven books of arnobius against the heathen/14 what say you o.htm

The Anvil of Experience.
... your life. The swift drive of the double-pointed shuttle, the hard push
of the loom back and forth goes through you. Experience ...
/.../gordon/quiet talks about jesus/the anvil of experience.htm

A Look Ahead
... At the Loom. ... These three groups of experiences are like so many hanks of threads
in the loom, in which the pattern of life is being woven. ...
/.../gordon/quiet talks on following the christ/1 a look ahead.htm

The Story of Samson, the Strong Man
... "You notice that my long hair is in seven locks. Weave it together in the
loom, just as if it were the threads in a piece of cloth.". ...
/.../marshall/the wonder book of bible stories/the story of samson the.htm

Survival of the Fittest
... What is each man but one little thread in the loom of God? The great wheels
revolve, the shuttle flies, not for the thread but for ...
/.../berkhof/new evangelism and other papers/survival of the fittest.htm

Andromeda
... sea, past Crete, on the Syrian shore to the southward, Dwells in the well-tilled
lowland a dark-haired AEthiop people, Skilful with needle and loom, and the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/andromeda and other poems/andromeda.htm

Introduction. Modesty in Apparel Becoming to Women,
... sheep, and the Serians [88] spun trees, and the Tyrians dyed, and the Phrygians
embroidered with the needle, and the Babylonians with the loom, and pearls ...
/.../on the apparel of women/chapter i introduction modesty in apparel.htm

Coming to New York
... Business opportunities were not so varied in character then as they are now, and
mercantile pursuits seemed to loom up above every other; American ships were ...
/.../griswold/sixty years with plymouth church/coming to new york.htm

Beasts Similarly Subject to the Law of Mutation.
... But you have preferred to assign all the management of wool-work and structure of
the loom to Minerva; whereas a more diligent workshop was presided over by ...
/.../tertullian/on the pallium/chapter iii beasts similarly subject to.htm

Loom (3 Occurrences)
... one at sea. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. LOOM. loom. See WEAVING.
Multi-Version Concordance Loom (3 Occurrences). Judges 16:13 ...
/l/loom.htm - 8k

Weaving (4 Occurrences)
... No mention of the loom is found in Scripture, but we read of the "shuttle" (Job
7:6), "the pin" of the beam (Judges 16:14), "the web" (13, 14), and "the beam ...
/w/weaving.htm - 17k

Thrum (2 Occurrences)
... thrum: In Isaiah 38:12 the Revised Version (British and American) reads "He will
cut me off from the loom," margin "thrum." "Thrum" is a technical term of ...
/t/thrum.htm - 8k

Warp (9 Occurrences)
... warp on a warp beam. 15. (n.) The threads which are extended lengthwise
in the loom, and crossed by the woof. 16. (n.) A rope used ...
/w/warp.htm - 12k

Weavers (4 Occurrences)
... No mention of the loom is found in Scripture, but we read of the "shuttle" (Job
7:6), "the pin" of the beam (Judges 16:14), "the web" (13, 14), and "the beam ...
/w/weavers.htm - 9k

Pining (6 Occurrences)
... sickness in Isaiah 38:12 the King James Version is a mistranslation, the word so
rendered, dallah, meaning here the thrum by which the web is tied to the loom. ...
/p/pining.htm - 11k

Beam (17 Occurrences)
... 7. (n.) A cylinder of wood, making part of a loom, on which weavers wind the warp
before weaving; also, the cylinder on which the cloth is rolled, as it is ...
/b/beam.htm - 17k

Sickness (40 Occurrences)
... sickness in Isaiah 38:12 the King James Version is a mistranslation, the word so
rendered, dallah, meaning here the thrum by which the web is tied to the loom. ...
/s/sickness.htm - 29k

Dress (38 Occurrences)
... The reference to the art of sewing are few, inasmuch as the garments generally came
forth from the loom ready for being worn, and all that was required in the ...
/d/dress.htm - 53k

Oar (1 Occurrence)
... at the other. The part which rests in the rowlock is called the loom. 2.
(n) An oarsman; a rower; as, he is a good oar. 3. (n) An ...
/o/oar.htm - 7k

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