Meaning of CHARIOT

This Spanish word can designate two very different vehicles:

(a) Two-wheeled vehicle of various forms, drawn by horses (2 Sam. 8:4), used for war purposes (Ex. 14:9; 1 Sam. 15:1; 1 Kings 1:5); by dignitaries (Gen. 41:43; 2 Sam. 15:1; 1 Kings 1:5); for private purposes (Gen. 46:29; 2 Kings 5:9; Acts 8:28).

The floor of the car, which was open at the back, rested directly on the axle of the wheels, without springs.

The wheels were not crudely made; They were frequently metal, and had rims, spokes and a hub. Chariots were not suitable for the rugged terrain of Palestine, where they were little used, but the Canaanites of the plain used them extensively (Josh. 17:16; Judges 4:3), as did the Egyptians (Isa. 31:1 ); in Ethiopia (2 Chron. 16:8), in Syria (2 Kings 5:9), the Hittites (2 Kings 7:6), and the Assyrians (Nah. 2:4, 5; 3:2).

War chariots generally had a driver (2 Chron. 18:33) and sometimes a shield bearer in addition to the combatant. A third occupant, possibly the groom, was in the Hebrew chariot (2 Kings 9:25).

This chariot was sometimes made of iron or iron-plated (Josh. 17:16, 18; Judges 1:19; 4:3). The Persians shod projections of the axles and sometimes the floor.

Under the Seleucids terrible chariots of this type fell upon Palestine (2 Mac. 13:2). It is possible that Rev. 18:13 refers to 4-wheeled vehicles.

(b) The vehicle used in peacetime was different from the war chariot. It was of wood (1 Sam. 6:14), covered or uncovered; in Nm. 7:3 the Hebrew term designates a 4-wheeled cart drawn by oxen (Num. 7:7; 2 Sam. 6:6), or by cows (1 Sam. 6:7); However, it appears that horses were sometimes used to pull threshing carts (Is. 28:28) instead of threshing with sticks (Is. 28:27); This cart was sometimes used to transport merchandise (2 Sam. 6:3), to transport grain (Am. 2:13) and to transport people (cp Gen. 45:19).

In Egypt the chariot had two solid wheels like those still used in western Asia Minor. Asian chariots appear in Assyrian bas-reliefs; They have 2 wheels of 4, 6, 8 spokes each, and are pulled by oxen, mules, or by two men.