Genesis 1:1-2 (WEB)
"1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was formless and empty. Darkness was on the surface of the deep and God’s Spirit was hovering over the surface of the waters."
As we know from our school days, that the human body is made up of approximately 60 percent water. Water is necessary for life on earth and from the scriptures in Genesis, God had a plan to create an environment for 'man' to survive. He created the water, the land, the plants, the animals and then 'man', who required all these things to live.
From early Greek writings, the expanse of the known seas in Biblical times included:
1 - The Adriatic Sea (Acts 27:27 WEB)
2 - The Dead Sea (Also, Salt Sea - Numbers 34:12 ESV)
3 - The Black Sea (No Biblical mention, but may be tied in some way to Revelation 20)
4 - The Caspian Sea (No Biblical mention, but close to Mount Ararat, the Ark location)
5 - The Mediterranean Sea [The Great Sea] (Joshua 15:47) (Numbers 13:29)
6 - The Persian Sea (Persian Gulf) (Esther 1:1-3 ESV)
7 - The Red Sea (1 Kings 9:26 ESV)
We will present some bible verses, a brief description of each sea and a modern image of each.
We will start with the Adriadic Sea.
Acts 27:27 (ESV)
"But when the fourteenth night had come, as we were driven back and forth in the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors surmised that they were drawing near to some land."
The Adriatic Sea is positioned between the Italian Peninsula and the Balkan Peninsula, serving as a northern addition to the Mediterranean Sea. The sea was an important route for Roman Empire trade and Roman military crusades. Today, many localities along the shores are tourist and vacation oriented.
The Seas of the Bible
The Dead Sea (Also known as The Salt Sea)
Numbers 34:12 (ESV)
"The border shall go down to the Jordan, and its limit shall be at the Salt Sea. This shall be your land as defined by its borders all around."
The Dead Sea lies between Israel and Jordan, the nearest City being Jericho.
Also known as the Dead Lake, and is a very popular destination for swimming. Warnings are handed out, though, not to let this extremely salted sea touch their face. It would be seriously dangerous if entering eyes, mouth, nose or ears.
The Dead Sea scrolls were discovered in caves nearby many years before the Gospel of Luke was written, yet sheds light in his writing. One example of this is a fragment of the Dead Sea Scrolls that was written 150 years before Luke wrote his Gospels, which is nearly identical to Luke 7:21-22.
Fragments of other parts of the scrolls have written copies of the Ten Commandments.
Revelation 20:1 (ESV)
"Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain."
While the Black Sea is not specifically mentioned in scripture by name, some scholars believe that the Black Sea 'MAY' be what was called "the Bottomless Pit or Abyss" in the Book of Revelation, written by John the Elder. This is only a theory. In Biblical Times, the Black Sea was a frequently used trade route between what is now known as Romania, Bulgaria, Russia, Georgia, Turkey, Greece and Armenia. Today, there are many tourist and sight seeing locations surrounding the coast line.
The Seas of the Bible
The Mediterranean Sea (Also called The Great Sea)
Joshua 15:47 (WEB)
"Ashdod, its towns and its villages; Gaza, its towns and its villages; to the brook of Egypt, and the great sea with its coastline."
The Mediterranean Sea was spoken of frequently in scripture. During Biblical times, the Mediterranean Sea was used as a trade route over a very wide area encompassing north Africa, The Holy Land, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, and many more locations farther west.
Today, the Mediterranean Coast Line is a destination for vacationers from all over the world.
Esther 1:1-3 (ESV) Now in the days of Ahasuerus, the Ahasuerus who reigned from India to Ethiopia over 127 provinces, 2 in those days when King Ahasuerus sat on his royal throne in Susa, the citadel, 3 in the third year of his reign he gave a feast for all his officials and servants. The army of Persia and Media and the nobles and governors of the provinces were before him,
The Persian Sea/Gulf is an extension of the Arabian Sea. The earliest evidence of trading on sea vessels was found in Kuwait dated to the sixth-millenium. Genha, a city on the west side of the Gulf, was known as an important link in the trading. King Ahasuerus had a fortress in Susa, just north of the northern coast of the Persian Gulf.
There are many species of sea life in the Gulf including dolphins, whales, Pearl oysters, grouper, snapper, parrotfish and sea turtles.
The Seas of the Bible
The Red Sea (also, Sea of Reeds)
1 Kings 9:26 (ESV)
King Solomon made a fleet of ships in Ezion Geber, which is beside Eloth, on the shore of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom.
Acts 7:36 (ESV)
This man led them out, performing wonders and signs in Egypt and at the Red Sea and in the wilderness for forty years.
In Ancient times, The red sea was used as a significant trade route and as early as 500 BC, King Darius the Great completed the earliest Suez Canal from the northern Red Sea leading to the Mediterranean Sea. This greatly expanded trade and transportation possibilities between Asia and the Middle East and Europe.
In current times, the Red Sea is a primary route for international shipping by way of the modern Suez Canal. The Red Sea is also a strategic military boundary.
