Work and trades

How the people of the Bible earned their living — in the pastures and fields, on the lake, in the workshop and at the writing desk — and what the texts show of their tools and daily work.

ShepherdHebrew ro’eh · Greek poimēn · keeper of sheep and goats
FarmerHebrew ikkar · Greek geōrgos · plowing, sowing, threshing and harvest
FishermanHebrew dayyag · Greek halieus · nets, hooks and boats on the Sea of Galilee
PotterHebrew yotser · Greek kerameus · clay shaped on a wheel and fired
Carpenter and builderHebrew charash · Greek tektōn · a craftsman in wood, sometimes also in stone
ScribeHebrew sofer · Greek grammateus · secretary, record keeper, later teacher of the Law
Tax collectorGreek telōnēs (“publican” in the KJV) · collected tolls and taxes for Rome and Herod
TentmakerGreek skēnopoios · named once in the Bible (Acts 18:3) · Paul’s own trade