Definition and Role:
Mariners, also known as sailors or seafarers, are individuals who navigate and operate ships or boats. In biblical times, mariners played a crucial role in trade, transportation, and communication across the Mediterranean Sea and other bodies of water. Their skills were essential for the economic and cultural exchanges that took place between different regions.

Biblical References:

1. Jonah and the Mariners:
One of the most notable accounts involving mariners is found in the Book of Jonah. When Jonah attempts to flee from God's command to go to Nineveh, he boards a ship bound for Tarshish. A great storm arises, threatening the vessel and its crew. The mariners, fearing for their lives, cry out to their gods and throw cargo overboard to lighten the ship. Jonah 1:5 states, "The sailors were afraid, and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the ship’s cargo into the sea to lighten the load. But Jonah had gone down to the lowest part of the vessel, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep." Eventually, they cast lots to determine the cause of the storm, and the lot falls on Jonah. After Jonah confesses his disobedience to God, the mariners reluctantly throw him overboard, and the sea calms.

2. Ezekiel’s Lament over Tyre:
The prophet Ezekiel delivers a lamentation over the city of Tyre, a prominent maritime power known for its skilled mariners. Ezekiel 27:9 highlights the expertise of Tyre's sailors: "The elders of Gebal and their skilled workers were within you, repairing your leaks. All the ships of the sea and their sailors came alongside to barter for your goods." This passage underscores the importance of mariners in maintaining the prosperity and trade of ancient cities.

3. Paul’s Voyage to Rome:
In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul’s journey to Rome as a prisoner involves a perilous sea voyage. Acts 27 provides a detailed account of the challenges faced by Paul and the mariners aboard the ship. Despite their experience, the mariners encounter a violent storm, leading to shipwreck. Acts 27:27 describes the situation: "On the fourteenth night we were still being driven across the Adriatic Sea. About midnight the sailors sensed they were approaching land." The narrative illustrates the vulnerability of mariners to the forces of nature and the providence of God in delivering Paul and his companions.

Symbolism and Themes:

· Dependence on Divine Providence:
Mariners in the Bible often find themselves at the mercy of the sea's unpredictable nature, symbolizing humanity's dependence on God's providence. The calming of the storm in Jonah's account and Paul's safe arrival in Rome despite the shipwreck highlight God's sovereignty over creation.

· Human Ingenuity and Skill:
The accounts of mariners also reflect human ingenuity and skill in navigating the seas. The expertise of Tyre's mariners and the resourcefulness of the sailors in Acts demonstrate the God-given abilities that enable humans to explore and utilize the natural world.

· Judgment and Redemption:
The sea often serves as a setting for divine judgment and redemption. Jonah's experience with the mariners illustrates the theme of repentance and God's mercy, while Paul's journey underscores the theme of deliverance and the fulfillment of God's purposes.

Cultural and Historical Context:
In the ancient Near East, maritime trade was vital for economic prosperity. Cities like Tyre and Sidon thrived due to their strategic coastal locations and skilled mariners. Ships were primarily powered by sails and oars, and navigation relied on the stars and coastal landmarks. Mariners faced numerous dangers, including storms, piracy, and shipwrecks, making their profession both challenging and respected.

Conclusion:
The biblical portrayal of mariners provides insight into the challenges and responsibilities of those who navigate the seas. Through their accounts, the Bible communicates themes of divine sovereignty, human skill, and the interplay between judgment and redemption.

For Mariners.
... ORIGINAL HYMNS HYMN CCXLIV. For Mariners. 8.8.8.8.8.8 James Montgomery.
For Mariners. Now weigh the anchor, hoist the sail,. ...
/.../montgomery/sacred poems and hymns/hymn ccxliv for mariners.htm

Ezekiel's Discourse
... The ancients of Gebal and the wise men thereof were in thee thy calkers: all the
ships of the sea with their mariners were in thee to occupy thy merchandise. ...
/.../various/select masterpieces of biblical literature/vii ezekiels discourse.htm

"Nineveh, that Great City"
... Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth
the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. ...
/.../white/the story of prophets and kings/chapter 22 nineveh that great.htm

Prayer and Science
... ago. Not merely to pray to God and to the saints, after the ancient fashion,
to deliver all poor mariners from dangers of the seas. ...
/.../kingsley/discipline and other sermons/sermon iii prayer and science.htm

On Assembling in the Church.
... the Church as one that is the commander of a great ship, appoint the assemblies
to be made with all possible skill, charging the deacons as mariners to prepare ...
/.../various/constitutions of the holy apostles/sec vii on assembling in the.htm

Cli. Letter or Address of Theodoret to the Monks of the ...
... the holy ship, the furious blasts, the beating of the waves, the deep darkness of
the night, and, besides all this, the strife of the mariners, the struggle ...
/.../theodoret/the ecclesiastical history of theodoret/cli letter or address of.htm

How the Soldiers, Both in Judea and Egypt, Proclaimed Vespasian ...
... Elephantine, the forenamed cataracts hindering ships from going any farther, The
haven also of Alexandria is not entered by the mariners without difficulty ...
/.../chapter 10 how the soldiers.htm

Of Internal Acts
... When the vessel is in port the mariners are obliged to exert all their strength
that they may clear her thence and put to sea; but at length they turn her with ...
/.../guyon/a short and easy method of prayer/chapter xxii of internal acts.htm

Croesus.
... The mariners answered to the question which the king put to them, that they
had seen Arion in Tarentum, and that they had left him there. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/abbott/cyrus the great/chapter iv croesus.htm

Book vi
... and defended; Its ministry; its government and success; national societies " why
censured; temperance; Oneida and other missions; Mariners' Church in Boston ...
/.../bangs/a history of the methodist episcopal church volume iv/book vi.htm

Mariners (7 Occurrences)
...Mariners (7 Occurrences). ... Ezekiel 27:8 The inhabitants of Zidon and Arvad were thy
mariners: thy wise men, O Tyrus, that were in thee, were thy pilots. ...
/m/mariners.htm - 8k

Sailors (9 Occurrences)
... Ezekiel 27:9 The old men of Gebal and the wise men of it were in you your repairers
of ship seams: all the ships of the sea with their mariners were in you to ...
/s/sailors.htm - 9k

Wares (23 Occurrences)
... Ezekiel 27:9 The old men of Gebal and the wise men of it were in you your repairers
of ship seams: all the ships of the sea with their mariners were in you to ...
/w/wares.htm - 15k

Leaks (3 Occurrences)
... Ezekiel 27:9 The elders of Gebal and the wise men thereof were in thee repairing
thy leaks; all the ships of the sea with their mariners were in thee, to ...
/l/leaks.htm - 7k

Repairers (3 Occurrences)
... Ezekiel 27:9 The old men of Gebal and the wise men of it were in you your repairers
of ship seams: all the ships of the sea with their mariners were in you to ...
/r/repairers.htm - 7k

Pilots (4 Occurrences)
... Ezekiel 27:27 Your riches, and your wares, your merchandise, your mariners, and
your pilots, your repairers of ship seams, and the dealers in your merchandise ...
/p/pilots.htm - 7k

Barter (5 Occurrences)
... Ezekiel 27:9 The elders of Gebal and the wise men thereof were in thee repairing
thy leaks; all the ships of the sea with their mariners were in thee, to ...
/b/barter.htm - 8k

Calkers (2 Occurrences)
... Ezekiel 27:9 The ancients of Gebal and the wise men thereof were in thee thy calkers:
all the ships of the sea with their mariners were in thee to occupy thy ...
/c/calkers.htm - 7k

Seams (2 Occurrences)
... Ezekiel 27:9 The old men of Gebal and the wise men of it were in you your repairers
of ship seams: all the ships of the sea with their mariners were in you to ...
/s/seams.htm - 7k

Boats (11 Occurrences)
... oniyoth (1 Kings 9:27); nautai (Acts 27:27, 30 the King James Version, "sailors"
the Revised Version (British and American)); "mariners," mallachim (Jonah 1:15 ...
/b/boats.htm - 40k

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