1The heavens, the earth, and all their vast array were finished. 2On the seventh day God finished his work which he had done; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had done. 3God blessed the seventh day, and made it holy, because he rested in it from all his work of creation which he had done.
4This is the history of the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that Yahweh God made the earth and the heavens. 5No plant of the field was yet in the earth, and no herb of the field had yet sprung up; for Yahweh God had not caused it to rain on the earth. There was not a man to till the ground, 6but a mist went up from the earth, and watered the whole surface of the ground. 7Yahweh God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. 8Yahweh God planted a garden eastward, in Eden, and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9Out of the ground Yahweh God made every tree to grow that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food, including the tree of life in the middle of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 10A river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from there it was parted, and became the source of four rivers. 11The name of the first is Pishon: it flows through the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; 12and the gold of that land is good. Bdellium and onyx stone are also there. 13The name of the second river is Gihon. It is the same river that flows through the whole land of Cush. 14The name of the third river is Hiddekel. This is the one which flows in front of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates. 15Yahweh God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate and keep it. 16Yahweh God commanded the man, saying, “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; 17but you shall not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; for in the day that you eat of it, you will surely die.”
18Yahweh God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make him a helper comparable to him.” 19Out of the ground Yahweh God formed every animal of the field, and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. Whatever the man called every living creature became its name. 20The man gave names to all livestock, and to the birds of the sky, and to every animal of the field; but for man there was not found a helper comparable to him. 21Yahweh God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. As the man slept, he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. 22Yahweh God made a woman from the rib which he had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. 23The man said, “This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh. She will be called ‘woman,’ because she was taken out of Man.” 24Therefore a man will leave his father and his mother, and will join with his wife, and they will be one flesh. 25The man and his wife were both naked, and they were not ashamed.
Ezek 27:29 "Ships" - Article on Seafaring in the ancient world
The history of shipping and maritime activity in the biblical world roughly divides into several eras: pre-flood, post-flood until approximately 3000 B.C., 3000 B.C. until approximately 1500 B.C., and approximately 1500 B.C. until the first century A.D.
Before the flood, the descendants of Adam and Eve likely utilized the four rivers (Gen 1:7; 2:10-14) flowing out of Eden (Gen 2:8) via anything that could float (cf. Tubal-cain, who originated early technological advances [Gen 4:22]). Although likely a floating repository, or barge, by far the largest ship (Gen 6:14-16) in the entire Bible (that could not be matched until modern times in tonnage) is Noah's ark (cf. Gen 6:19-21). Some estimate the tonnage of Noah's ark and the Queen Mary may have been comparable (cf. Gen 6:15; 7:23b).
In the post-flood ancient near east, river ways would have been utilized to explore and expand (cf. Gen 11:2), especially after the division of the nations after the Tower (or ziggurat) of Babel (Gen 10:32). The earliest evidence of shipping along the 750 miles of the Nile, dating from approximately 3000 B.C. forward, demonstrates reed-made, flat-bottomed, square-ended vessels, the likes of which may have transported the massive stones for pyramid construction. Vessels of reeds (cf. Job 9:26) developed into rounded-bottomed designs with pointed and raised bows and sterns. The Nile area was abundant with reeds for ship-building, and the Nile's current would allow travel north with relative ease, with prevailing southerly winds allowing travel by sail to the south. Larger vessels could be fitted with rowers, who could have driven north or south by oars.
The earliest evidence of Mesopotamian-based shipping includes a clay model of a bowl-like design, with a simple bow and stern, dating to approximately 3400 B.C. From 3000 B.C. onward, overseas trade with East Africa and even India transpired through the Persian Gulf regularly, on vessels ranging in various capacities, even up to 28 tons.
From approximately 1500 B.C. onward, Phoenician (2 Chr 9:21), Cypriot (called "Kittim" in Num 24:24), Cretan (called "Caphtor," and the origin of the "Philistines," then Achaean, or southern Greek, ship building expanded and developed, for maritime (cf. Jonah 1:3) and military purposes (cf. Dan 11:40). Ships in this era increased in size, with sail and oar propulsion, with Corinth building the first "triremes," ships with three decks of oarsmen, in approximately 700 B.C.
Solomon (1 Kgs 9:26) and Jehoshaphat (1 Kgs 22:48) built, with Phoenician (1 Kgs 5:12) help (1 Kgs 9:27; 10:11,22), actual trading fleets, Jehoshaphat's fleet being destroyed (2 Chr 20:36,37).
Acts 27 paints the fullest, most detailed depiction of shipping in the
biblical world of the first century, demonstrating a vessel capable of transporting 276 persons (27:31) with cargo (27:18,38), with multiple tackling (27:19), anchors (27:40), rudders (27:40), and sails (27:40).