Tyndale Open Bible Dictionary

MEDITERRANEAN SEA

Body of water often called the Great Sea, bordering Palestine on the west (Nm 34:7; Jos 9:1; Ez 47:10, 15). The sea is approximately 2,196 miles (3,533.4 kilometers) long, from Gibraltar to Lebanon, varies in width from 600 miles to 1,000 miles (965.4 to 1,609 kilometers), and has a maximum depth of 2.7 miles (4.3 kilometers). Its various subdivisions consist of the Adriatic, Aegean, Ionian, Ligurian, and Tyrrhenian seas.

From the Bay of Iskenderun on the north to el-Arish on the south, a distance of about 450 miles (724.1 kilometers), the eastern coastline is rather straight, with a few deep bays or headlands. Along the Syrian coast as far south as Beirut, the coastline contains rocky formations rising sharply from the water. At Acco the coast recedes and the land slopes gently upward toward the plain of Esdraelon. South of this, the sharp ridge of Mt Carmel projects into the water. From the southern slope of Carmel, the vale of Sharon spreads southward to merge with the plains of Philistia. From there the coast is an almost unbroken curve to the Nile Delta.

Several good harbor areas indented the Syrophoenician coast in antiquity, and the sea played an important role in the development of that region. Byblos was a sea power prior to 1000 BC, and Tyre and Sidon were known for their maritime prowess after 1000 BC. Following their conquest of Palestine under Pompey (63 BC), the Romans made extensive use of the sea and referred to it as “Our Sea.”

Although located on the Mediterranean Sea, and having neighbors who were seafaring people, the Israelites never developed any extensive commercial or military use of it. Various reasons have been given for this. First, Israel was a pastoral and agricultural people whose roots were in the soil rather than the sea and who, therefore, looked inland for their development. Second, the primary efforts of Israel in Palestine were directed toward conquest and retention of the lands taken, and this left little time to develop maritime interests. Third, the sea was controlled by Phoenicia, and to a lesser degree by Philistia. From the time of the exodus, the Phoenicians had established themselves at points along the coast and formed an essentially maritime confederation extending from the Orontes on the north to Joppa on the south. South of this point, the Philistines controlled the coastline during much of Israel’s history. At one time Solomon had a fleet of ships at Ezion-geber on the Red Sea (1 Kgs 9:26-27), and Jehoshaphat also had a fleet in that vicinity (22:48). Finally, there were no natural harbors along the Israelite-occupied coastline. A few harbors existed, such as Ashkelon, Dor, Joppa, and Acco, but the only port to which Israel had access apparently was Joppa during the monarchy. When Solomon was building the temple, lumber from Lebanon was shipped to Joppa and transported to Jerusalem from there.

The NT records one visit by Jesus to the coastal area, when he went to “the district of Tyre and Sidon” (Mt 15:21) and healed the demon-possessed daughter of the Syrophoenician woman. The apostle Paul in his missionary journeys had many contacts with the Mediterranean Sea from Caesarea on the Palestinian coast to Puteoli on the coast of Italy. Under Roman rule, the Mediterranean was widely traveled by merchants, government officials, soldiers, and teachers. Paul and other early Christians took advantage of the Roman roads of land and sea to spread the gospel throughout the world surrounding the Mediterranean.