Bible Dictionary
Wagon
A wagon was a wheeled vehicle used chiefly for peaceful transport of people or goods, commonly drawn by oxen. A related term could also describe a war chariot in a prophetic passage.
Definition
A wagon is a wheeled vehicle used chiefly for peaceful transport of people or goods. The Oriental wagon consisted of planks fixed on solid wooden wheels and was commonly drawn by oxen or buffaloes. In one prophetic passage, a related term denotes a war chariot.
Biblical Usage
Wagons appear in accounts of transporting people and goods, including Jacob’s family and offerings. The ordinary biblical term denotes peaceful conveyance, while the word translated “wagon” in Ezekiel 23:24 refers to a war chariot.
Historical Background
Oriental wagons had two large solid wooden wheels and a simple plank body. Mattresses or clothing could be placed inside for passengers, and oxen or buffaloes drew them.
Scripture References
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Easton's Bible Dictionary
Heb. aghalah; so rendered in Gen. 45:19, 21, 27; 46:5; Num. 7:3, 7, 8, but elsewhere rendered “cart” (1 Sam. 6:7, etc.). This vehicle was used for peaceful purposes. In Ezek. 23:24, however, it is the rendering of a different Hebrew word, and denotes a war-chariot.
Smith's Bible Dictionary
The Oriental wagon, or arabah, is a vehicle composed of two or three planks fixed on two solid circular blocks of wood from two to five feet in diameter, which serve as wheels. For the conveyance of passengers, mattresses or clothes are laid in the bottom and the vehicle is drawn by buffaloes or oxen. [Cart and Chariot]