In biblical times, the use of bricks in construction was a common practice, particularly in regions where stone was less abundant. The Bible provides several references to the use of bricks, especially in the context of building houses and other structures.

Historical Context

Bricks were typically made from clay, which was abundant in the Mesopotamian region. The process involved mixing clay with water, forming it into molds, and then drying the bricks in the sun or baking them in kilns for added strength. This method of construction was prevalent in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, where the Israelites spent significant periods.

Biblical References

One of the earliest mentions of brick-making is found in the account of the Tower of Babel. Genesis 11:3 states, "They said to one another, 'Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.' They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar." This passage highlights the technological advancement and the human ambition to build a city and a tower reaching the heavens.

In Exodus, the Israelites' bondage in Egypt involved brick-making. Exodus 1:14 describes their harsh labor: "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 themIsaiah 9:10
The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones: the sycomores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars.
Nave's Topical Index

The Two Houses
... II. Let me say a word, in the next place, about the two houses. ... that the house is
built up by slow degrees, brick upon brick, course by course, day by day, and ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture a/the two houses.htm

In Judaea
... Sotah viii.3, we read that the permission to return from war did not apply to those
who had built brick houses in Sharon, it being explained that the clay was ...
/.../edersheim/sketches of jewish social life/chapter 5 in judaea.htm

Sharon. Caphar Lodim. The Village of those of Lydda.
... fame, with which they mixed two parts water: and remarkable is that they say concerning
the houses of Sharon. R. Lazar saith, "He that builds a brick house in ...
/.../lightfoot/from the talmud and hebraica/chapter 17 sharon caphar lodim.htm

"Something"
... The eldest brother, the brickmaker, found that every brick he turned out whole yielded ...
town; he built, house after house, a whole street of houses; there they ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/wells/bible stories and religious classics/something.htm

Chaldaean Civilization
... This projection is flanked right and left by rectangular grooves, similar to those
which ornament the facades of the fortresses and brick houses of the Ancient ...
/.../chapter iiichaldaean civilization.htm

Jewish Homes
... up and down one of the streets of a town in Galilee or Judaea, the houses would
be ... though not exactly that of a patrician, for it is built of brick, or perhaps ...
/.../edersheim/sketches of jewish social life/chapter 6 jewish homes.htm

Port of Spain
... a glimpse, too, of large"even too large"Government buildings, brick-built, pretentious ...
These older-fashioned houses, built, I presume, on the Spanish model ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/at last/chapter iv port of spain.htm

The Return to Capernaum - Concerning the Forgiveness of Sins - the ...
... in the covered gallery that ran round the courtyard of such houses, and opened ... had
hard beaten earth or rubble underneath it, was paved with brick, stone, or ...
/.../edersheim/the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter xvi the return to.htm

Of Hypatia the Female Philosopher.
... diss. 4, Viteb. 1748. [946] ostrakois, lit. oystershells,' but the word was
also applied to brick tiles used on the roofs of houses. ...
/.../the ecclesiastical history of scholasticus/chapter xv of hypatia the female.htm

Chapter Iii Precious Answers to Prayer
... into the hands of God, who is very merciful and of tender compassion, and I decided
on having the brick-chamber opened ... Sickness at times visited the houses. ...
/.../muller/answers to prayer/chapter iii precious answers to.htm

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