"Serious sport has nothing to do with fair play…it is war minus the shooting."
Physical Exercise in the Old Testament
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Physical Exercise in the Old Testament, Carl DeVries, BD Thesis, Wheaton College, June 1947.
The thesis is 80 pages (71 plus 9 bibliography). After an introduction there are chapters on
Athletics and the near Eastern mind
Wrestling
Running
Swimming
Ball-playing
The use of bow and sling
Weightlifting
followed by the conclusion
Ball-throwing is based on Isaiah 22:18 "He will roll you up tightly like a ball and throw you into a large country. There you will die and there your splendid chariots will remain - you disgrace to your master's house!"
The writer's opening position is: "An examination of the Old Testament assures us that there is in that collection of ancient Hebrew writings an employment of 'athletic' phrases which resemble the Pauline descriptions in some respects, although their usage is much more limited". Page 2 The final paragraph of the thesis is "The physical exercise of the Jews, though spontaneous and unorganized, contains hints of true athletics and is related to the religious emphasis of the Jewish nation. Many of the same athletic metaphors are carried over into the New Testament, where they continue to illustrate the principles of the spiritual life." Page 71
The writer argues that that strong muscles, fleetness of foot, coordination and agility were highly prised among the Israelites (Page 11). He also makes an interesting distinction between the strength of Samson which was a gift from God and that of David which seems to have been acquired through training. Page 10.
Noting that Jonathan (II Sam. 1:25), Asahel (II Sam. 2:18), and the Gadites who served David (I Chror.. 12:8) were singled out because of the swiftness with which they ran, he again concludes that "such speed can only have been produced through training and practice". Page 35
He suggests that the OT athletes exhibited 6 characteristics of true athletics,
(1) They are strenuous The wrestling of Jacob and the running of messengers are activities which demand a tremendous exertion of energy.
(2) They imply a period of training, although none is mentioned.
(3) They are competitive, as is seen from the wrestling and the race,
(4) They were a source of joy to the participants (Psalm 19:5).
(5) They were closely associated with practicality.
(6) The desirability of strength and of swiftness of foot shows some of the physical achievements which the Jews prized Page 69