Bible Dictionaries
Village

Holman Bible Dictionary

The Old Testament distinguishes between the city and the village. The city was usually walled and much larger. The village was characterized by no wall and usually homes consisting of one room (Leviticus 25:29 ,Leviticus 25:29,25:31 ). The village had little or no organized government. Archaeology shows Israelite villages built around the circumference, house walls joining to form the only defense system, and open community space left in the middle. Many villages had twenty to thirty houses. The cattle were kept in the inner open space, where grain was stored. The main job in the villages was farming. Small craft manufacturing was practiced. Usually a common threshing floor was available. Shepherds often gathered around villages. The pastureland was seen as the possession of the village (see 1 Chronicles 6:54-60 ). See Agriculture; Cities and Urban Life; House .