'Ships' in the Bible

“Zebulun shall dwell at the seashore;And he shall be a haven (landing place) for ships,And his flank shall be toward Sidon.

“But ships shall come from the coast of Kittim,And shall afflict Asshur (Assyria) and Eber;So they (the victors) also will come to destruction.”

The Lord will bring you back to Egypt in ships, by the way about which I said to you, ‘You will never see it again!’ And there you will offer yourselves for sale to your enemies as male and female slaves, but there will be no one to buy you.

“Gilead remained beyond the Jordan;And why did Dan live as an alien on ships?Asher sat [still] on the seacoast,And remained by its landings.[These did not come to battle for God’s people.]

King Solomon built a fleet of ships in Ezion-geber, which is near Eloth on the shore of the Red Sea (Sea of Reeds), in the land of Edom.

For the king had at sea the [large cargo] ships of Tarshish with the ships of Hiram. Once every three years the ships of Tarshish came bringing gold, silver, ivory, monkeys, and peacocks.

Jehoshaphat had [large cargo] ships of Tarshish constructed to go to Ophir for gold, but they did not go, because the ships were wrecked at Ezion-geber.

Then Ahaziah the son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “Let my servants go with your servants in the ships,” But Jehoshaphat was unwilling and refused.

And Huram (Hiram) sent him, by his servants, ships and servants familiar with the sea; and they went with Solomon’s servants to Ophir, and took from there four hundred and fifty talents of gold, and brought them to King Solomon.

For the king’s ships went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram; once every three years the ships of Tarshish came bringing gold and silver, ivory and apes and peacocks.

He joined him in building ships to go to Tarshish [for trade], and they built them in Ezion-geber.

Then Eliezer the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, “Because you have allied yourself with Ahaziah, the Lord has broken down what you have built.” So the ships were wrecked and were unable to go to Tarshish.

With the east windYou shattered the ships of Tarshish.

There the ships [of the sea] sail,And Leviathan [the sea monster], which You have formed to play there.

Those who go down to the sea in ships,Who do business on great waters;

She is like the merchant ships [abounding with treasure];She brings her [household’s] food from far away.

Against all the ships of TarshishAnd against all the beautiful craft.

The [mournful, inspired] oracle (a burden to be carried) concerning Tyre:Wail, O ships of Tarshish,For Tyre is destroyed, without house, without harbor;It is reported to them from the land of Cyprus (Kittim).

Wail, O ships of Tarshish,For your stronghold [of Tyre] is destroyed.

This is what the Lord your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel says,“For your sake I have sent [one] to Babylon,And I will bring down all of them as fugitives,Even the Chaldeans [who reign in Babylon], into the ships over which they rejoiced.

“The islands and coastlands will confidently wait for Me;And the ships of Tarshish will come first,To bring your sons from far away,Their silver and gold with them,For the name of the Lord your God,For the Holy One of Israel because He has glorified you.

“The elders of Gebal and its skilled and wise men were with you, repairing your leaks;All the ships of the sea with their mariners were with you to deal in your merchandise.

The ships of Tarshish were the caravans for your merchandise,And you [Tyre] were replenished and very glorious [heavily laden with an imposing fleet]In the heart of the seas.

“All who handle the oar,The mariners and all the pilots of the seaWill come down from their ships;They will stand on the shore,

On that day [swift] messengers will go from Me in ships to frighten the careless and unsuspecting Ethiopians, and there will be anguish and trembling in them as in the day of [judgment for] Egypt; for behold, it is coming!”

For ships of Cyprus [in Roman hands] will come against him; therefore he will be discouraged and turn back [to Israel] and carry out his rage against the holy covenant and take action; so he will return and show favoritism toward those [Jews] who abandon (break) the holy covenant [with God].

“At the end time the king of the South will push and attack him (the Antichrist), and the king of the North will storm against him with chariots and horsemen and with many ships; and he will enter countries, overwhelm them and pass through.

So that we are no longer children [spiritually immature], tossed back and forth [like ships on a stormy sea] and carried about by every wind of [shifting] doctrine, by the cunning and trickery of [unscrupulous] men, by the deceitful scheming of people ready to do anything [for personal profit].

And look at the ships. Even though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are still directed by a very small rudder wherever the impulse of the helmsman determines.

and a third of the living creatures that were in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

And they threw dust on their heads and were crying out, weeping and mourning, saying, ‘Woe, woe, for the great city, where all who had ships at sea grew rich from her great wealth, because in one hour she has been laid waste!’