Topical Bible: Fish: Ponds for in Egypt

◄ Fish: Ponds for in Egypt ►

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In the biblical context, fish and fish ponds hold significant importance, particularly in the land of Egypt. The Nile River, a central feature of Egyptian geography, was a source of sustenance and life, providing water, fertile soil, and an abundance of fish. The Egyptians, known for their advanced agricultural and aquacultural practices, developed fish ponds as a means to cultivate and harvest fish, which were a staple in their diet and economy.

The Bible references the abundance of fish in Egypt, highlighting the prosperity and richness of the land. In the book of Numbers, the Israelites, during their exodus from Egypt, lament the loss of the diverse and plentiful food they enjoyed in Egypt, including fish. Numbers 11:5 states, "We remember the fish we ate freely in Egypt, along with the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic."

Fish ponds in Egypt were likely an extension of the natural bounty provided by the Nile. These ponds would have been strategically constructed to manage and maximize the yield of fish, ensuring a steady supply for consumption and trade. The practice of fish farming in Egypt is supported by archaeological evidence, which reveals the existence of fish ponds and the depiction of fishing scenes in ancient Egyptian art.

The significance of fish in Egypt is further underscored by the plagues that God sent upon the land as a judgment against Pharaoh and the Egyptians. In Exodus 7:18 , the first plague turned the waters of the Nile into blood, resulting in the death of the fish: "The fish in the Nile will die, the river will stink, and the Egyptians will be unable to drink its water." This plague not only demonstrated God's power but also disrupted the natural and economic order of Egypt, affecting their food supply and daily life.

Fish and fish ponds in Egypt serve as a reminder of the region's natural wealth and the intricate relationship between the environment and the sustenance of its people. The biblical narrative uses these elements to illustrate themes of provision, judgment, and the longing for the comforts of the past, as experienced by the Israelites during their journey to the Promised Land.

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Isaiah 19:10
And they shall be broken in the purposes thereof, all that make sluices and ponds for fish.
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Library

How Herod Upon his Making Aristobulus High Priest Took Care that ...
... be thence to the sea-side and there was a ship ready to carry them into Egypt. ... sudden,
and in a vein of madness; and as they stood by the fish-ponds, of which ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 3 how herod upon.htm

The Arabic Gospel of the Infancy of the Saviour (Nt Apocrypha)
... And at the end of the three years He came back out of Egypt, and returned. ... was with
the boys at a stream of water, and they had again made little fish-ponds. ...
/.../the arabic gospel of the infancy of the saviour/the arabic gospel of the.htm

The Nile and Egypt
... he thinks that iron was not known in Egypt till a ... Of the ponds left in the open country
by the river at ... on the soil an immense quantity of fish, the possession ...
/.../chapter i the nile and egypt.htm

The Political Constitution of Egypt
... In order to understand the manner in which the government of Egypt was conducted,
we ... which are filled with jars of wine, linen- chests, dried fish, and other ...
/.../chapter ithe political constitution of.htm

the Legendary History of Egypt
... by the cynocephali are here represented as fish; but the ... by torrents of boiling water,
intersected by ponds and marshes ... It was not in Egypt alone that the fact ...
/.../chapter iii -the legendary history of.htm

The Gods of Egypt
... others as animals"bulls or lions, rams or monkeys, serpents, fish, ibises, hawks ...
real, and their like might be encountered in the neighbourhood of Egypt.[***. ...
/.../chapter ii the gods of egypt.htm

Christ's Estimate of his People
... way; not one of them would have been passed in coming out of Egypt into Jerusalem ...
to praise her he would not have compared her eyes to the fish-ponds of Heshbon ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 5 1859/christs estimate of his people.htm

Appendices
... Rapih (the modern boundary between Egypt and Turkey) is widely extended.
What is its wall like? ... I catch not the fish of their ponds. ...
/.../sayce/early israel and the surrounding nations/appendices.htm

The Eighteenth Theban Dynasty --(Continued)
... On the other hand, whole convoys of spoil were despatched to Egypt after every ... from
Nii, and brown bears from the Lebanon,** smoked and salted fish, live birds ...
/.../chapter ithe eighteenth theban dynastycontinued.htm

The Water of Life;
... We are but as ponds, pools, and cisterns, that can hold ... They are fish, not frogs,
that can live in the river ... When Israel went out of Egypt, and thirsted by the ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/the water of life.htm