Bartering in the Bible

Biblical Recap

FACTS offers analysis and literature on a diversity of topics, but our specialty is financial literacy based on biblical principles.  More specifically, we have opened up dialogue previously on biblical principles of economics, and in this article and many others to come in the near future we will continue in this same spirit.  Originally, we talked about the source of biblical principles of economics, which is Jesus Christ, who is the Son of God!  Then we spoke about the first society mankind has ever known, the Garden of Eden.  In this article we add another economic layer of abstraction by discussing a time before money (ie. before paper and coin).  Before hard currency was used, ancient peoples bartered for their necessities – food and clothing.

Father of the Jews

One of the most economically fascinating cultures today, and historically speaking, is the history of Jews who informally invented the bartering system.  It all started in the book of Genesis with the Father of the Jews, known as Abraham.  He was considered the Father of the Jews because he was chosen by God, again the source of all biblical principles of economic inspiration!  Genesis chapter 24 relates how Abraham had a son Isaac, and Abraham was looking for a wife for Isaac.  Abraham sent his servant to find a wife for Isaac.  The servant went to obtain water for his camels and met a young girl named Rebekah who was carrying the water.  The servant bartered a gold nose ring and two gold bracelets weighing ten shekels, which is essentially a very small fraction of a pound.  In this story, we see how gold was valued and exchanged for a service.  Rebekah valued the jewelry, and the servant valued the water.  It was a subjectively equal exchange for what both parties were willing to trade for their need at the moment. 

Rebekah also extended an invitation to spend the night at their house.  The servant paid for the hotel room with the gold jewelry.  Note:  gold jewelry was a precursor to coins.  Historically, gold was used exclusively to adorn people, temples, and anything else that one greatly valued.  Later gold and silver would be fashioned into coins to be used as currency.  The servant then explained, “My master Abraham has been blessed and is wealthy.  He has sheep and cattle, silver and gold, servants, camel and donkey.”  All these forms of wealth could be bartered for services and materials.

Bartering For a Birthright

After Isaac and Rebekah fell in love and began to build their family, they had two sons - Esau and Jacob.  One day Jacob was cooking some stew and Esau came in after hunting and was famished.  Jacob asked Esau to sell his birthright as the firstborn.  Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew.  Esau traded his birthright for food.  In this story, we see how Esau was in need of a necessity and bartered his status away.  A birthright was a big deal, but again due to the immediate need of both parties, they subjectively exchanged what they valued for something else that they desired. 

One of the issues with bartering is that there is no true equalizer when you have two or more totally different products or services that have nothing in the middle to value their worth.  I mean, who knows what a birthright is really worth?  Today, we have something similar to a birthright, which is in the form of a Will.  A Will is literally a piece of paper that spells out the policies and governance of how a decedent’s, someone who eventually dies, assets will be distributed to those individuals and organizations she named in this all important document.  An estate is eventually measured in dollars, including collectable items and antiques, if applicable.  However, the biggest difference between a birthright and a Will is that a birthright is defined at birth and made known to all interested parties (ie. children).  But, a Will is really executed at death, sealing the fate of the interested parties.

Thanks-living Thanks to Bartering!

In Genesis chapter 26, Isaac planted crops after the great famine and became wealthy.  His wealth was not measured by paper money or stocks but by crops, animals, and his servants.  Isaac dug wells for the life-giving water in a hot and dry climate where the water was scarce.  He quarreled with the herdsmen over the wells, but finally found a well that no one else claimed, which he named Rehoboth.  Today, in the Middle East, oil from this land is a great resource!  As they say, history repeats itself; in ancient times up until today people still fight over the fruits and resources of the land!  If a person sees other people as Others then they may try to fight with them for the rights to the produce of the land.  By owning the land, a person owns the means of production.  Getting back to our story in the desert, the Hebrews had to get the water from the wells.

Abimelech came to Isaac and offered to make a treaty with Isaac as a sworn agreement.  Isaac then made a feast for them, and they ate and drank.  On special occasions, people may have feasts as a reward for the fruits of their labor.  People bartered food and then celebrated together!  In America after the fall harvest, Americans celebrated Thanksgiving together.

Bartering Leads to Someone Getting Blessed

In Genesis chapter 27, Jacob wanted to bless his son Esau before he died, so he asked him for some wild game.  Here again the necessity of food is discussed.  The wild game would have been a special treat.  Rebekah and Jacob tricked Isaac by choosing two goats to be cooked.  Jacob disguised himself as Esau, who was hairy, and gave the food to his father Isaac whose eyes were too weak to recognize his son.  Isaac then blessed Jacob.  He showed the love from father to son, and he also enjoyed the meal that Jacob made.  Once again, food exchanged for status. 

Jacob would go on to be successful, having wealth, wives, and children who would become the twelve tribes of Israel the nation.  In ancient times when people bartered, they were more in touch with the value of their necessities.  Reading the Bible helps us to understand the give and take of bartering and financial principles.  As we have seen, bartering in an ideal world is great!  But, many times people would really have no way of valuing the items that were being exchanged.  In our next article, we will discuss why precious metals and paper money were used as a medium to quantifiably measure what was being traded.  Bartering was and is still not a perfect tool within the economic structure of society, but it got man one step closer to fairly creating a market of exchange.  Know the FACTS!