131. "And They Fetched the Carved Image"
"And They Fetched the Carved Image"
Carving was one of the crafts of those days. In the Bible carving included all ornamental cutting of ivory, wood, or other hard material. The carved relics of other days have been found in abundance in the ruins of ancient Nineveh and many other mounds. In one chamber in Nineveh were found two sitting figures, holding a scepter. The chairs on which the figures were seated and the robes on the figures were enamelled with blue let into ivory, and beside them were many figures all covered with gold leaf. They were elegant in design, and showed an intimate knowledge of the art of working in ivory.
There were winged sphinxes, lions, people, bulls, flowers, and all a most wonderful work of art.
Herodotus tells that in the temple of Belus at Babylon there were tables, thrones, couches of solid gold beautifully carved. Couches of ivory and silver, beds inlaid with gold, silver and ivory, have been found in those old tombs.
We think of the ivory throne of King Solomon, overlaid with gold, with its six steps and fourteen lions (1 Kings 10:18-20).