1 Samuel 17:7 - "And the shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron; and his shield-bearer went before him."

Job 7:6 - "My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle, and come to their end without hope."

Weaving is the process of making a fabric by interlacing two or more sets of yarn at right angles to each other. The lengthwise set is called the warf; the crosswise is the weft. Before any weaving can be done, the warp yarns must be stretched on the loom, or weaving frame, so that they are even, parallel, and taut.

The most primitive loom was probably the branch of a tree, from which the warp threads were hung, with a stone tied on the end of each thread to hold it in place. Next came the loom consisting of two sticks between which the warp was stretched.

In biblical times, three kinds of looms were in use:

1. The Egyptian vertical loom consisted of a warp beam at the top and a cloth beam at the bottom. Two weavers stood at each side of the loom and passed the shuttle back and forth, alternating sheds beating the weft down. Gravity helped pack the wefts tightly.

2. The Greek vertical loom consisted of a cloth beam at the top and loom weights on the bottom of the warps. The weaver stood in front of the loom and bent the weft upward.

3. The horizontal loom was the kind most often used by the Hebrews. This consisted of two beams held secure by four pegs driven into the ground. The weaver sat in front of the loom. This particular type of loom is narrower than the other two. It was also easily moved, and thus in favor with nomads.

Weaving was commonly practiced by both men and women, although probably more often by women, at least, in making materials for use in the home. However, men were responsible for the making of fabrics for the Tabernacle and for priests’ apparel.

Sheep’s wool, goat’s hair, camel’s hair, flax, hemp, and ramie were among the materials used for weaving, and the standard width for both woolen and linen materials was four cubits or about six feet.

We use the term, "the distaff side," when referring to women, and this comes from a reference to weaving in the Book of Proverbs: "She puts her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle" (Proverbs 31:19). The distaff was the stick which held the combed wool. It was held in the left hand so that the right hand was free to manipulate the thread and spindle. The women were so adept at this that they could spin the yarn as they walked, talked, and, sometimes, even when they ate!

Today our materials are made commercially on huge looms, but the principle of the weaving is the same. It has come down almost intact from the past. And without the weaver we would all be very cold people when winter came around!