Jeremiah 51:21 - "... with you I break in pieces the chariot and the charioteer."

1 Kings 9:22 - "But of the people of Israel Solomon made no slaves; they were the soldiers, they were his officials, his commanders, his captains, his chariot commanders and his horsemen."

A chariot was a two-wheeled vehicle used mainly in war, although at first this was true of the other nations rather than Israel. Actually, because of its terrain, chariots were largely unsuited for use in Palestine, and for that reason, the Hebrews were slow to adopt them. As a consequence, the Canaanites, who used chariots studded with iron, or covered with plates of iron, kept the Hebrews from conquering the plains. They were still very rare at the time of David, but Solomon soon changed that. He imported horses from Cilicia and chariots from Egypt and soon had a large force built up. This was a necessary move, because the Egyptians, the Hittites, Assyro-Babylonians, and many others in addition to the Canaanites used war chariots to a large degree.

The chariot was made of wood with spoked or solid wheels. Some had closed-in sides, while others had lattice work. In battle, the chariot was guided by the driver at whose side stood one or two fighting men, and perhaps one or two other men served as shieldbearers. Thus a war chariot carried from two to five charioteers.

The driver of the chariot stood erect and carried a whip. He wore a helmet and leggings, and the color of his tunic indicated which side he was on. The reins were tied around his body, and he carried a dagger to cut himself loose in an emergency.

In parade chariots, the principal personage was usually accompanied by a servant with a fan or sunshade. This was a sign of rank, as it still is in many Oriental countries.

In a racing chariot, the, driver needed to watch ahead in order to guide his horses and watch behind to avoid being fouled by overzealous competitors. There was a great deal of glory attached to being a racing driver, just as today the Indy 500 driver is a glamorous figure, or the winner of Grand Prix. Star charioteers became very wealthy. Whenever I think of these racing charioteers, I immediately think of the race in Ben Hur. Remember the sharp scythes that Massala had attached to his wheels? This was a particularly nasty trick dreamed up by the Persians for battle use, and appropriated by the Romans for their blood-thirsty spectacles.

I have mentioned the race driver as being akin to the charioteer, and I think there is another occupation that we might add - that of the soldier attached to tank duty. In many ways, their positions and duties coincide with those of the charioteer in war time. And perhaps, to many of us, some of the same glamor has rubbed off on the tank corps.