Tanner

Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words

1: βυρσεύς (Strong'S #1038 — Noun Masculine — burseus — boorce-yooce' )

"a tanner" (from bursa, "a hide"), occurs in  Acts 9:43;  10:6,32 .

Webster's Dictionary

(1): ( n.) One whose occupation is to tan hides, or convert them into leather by the use of tan.

(2): ( n.) A sixpence.

King James Dictionary

TAN'NER, n. One whose occupation is to tan hides, or convert them into leather by the use of tan.

Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible

Tanner . See Arts and Crafts, 5 .

Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament

See Simon (the Tanner).

Morrish Bible Dictionary

See LEATHER.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

tan´ẽr ( βυρσεύς , burseús , from βύρσα , búrsa "a hide"): The only references to a tanner are in   Acts 9:43;  Acts 10:6 ,  Acts 10:32 . The Jews looked upon tanning as an undesirable occupation and well they might, for at best it was accompanied with unpleasant odors and unattractive sights, if not even ceremonially unclean. We can imagine that Simon the tanner found among the disciples of Jesus a fellowship which had been denied him before. Peter made the way still easier for Simon by choosing his house as his abode while staying in Joppa. Simon's house was by the seashore, as is true of the tanneries along the Syrian coast today, so that the foul-smelling liquors from the vats can be drawn off with the least nuisance, and so that the salt water may be easily accessible for washing the skins during the tanning process. These tanneries are very unpretentious affairs, usually consisting of one or two small rooms and a courtyard. Within are the vats made either of stone masonry, plastered within and without, or cut out of the solid rock. The sheep or goat skins are smeared on the flesh side with a paste of slaked lime and then folded up and allowed to stand until the hair loosens. The hair and fleshy matter are removed, the skins are plumped in lime, bated in a concoction first of dog dung and afterward in one of fermenting bran, in much the same way as in a modern tannery. The bated skins are tanned in sumach (Arabic summāḳ ), which is the common tanning material in Syria and Palestine. After drying, the leather is blackened on one side by rubbing on a solution made by boiling vinegar with old nails or pieces of copper, and the skin is finally given a dressing of olive oil. In the more modern tanneries degras is being imported for the currying processes. For dyeing the rams' skins red (Ex 25 ff) they rub on a solution of ḳermes (similar to cochineal; see Dyeing ), dry, oil, and polish with a smooth stone.

Pine bark is sometimes used for tanning in Lebanon. According to Wilkinson ( Ancient Egypt , II, 186), the Arabs use the juice of a desert plant for dehairing and tanning skins. The skins for pouches are either tawed, i.e. tanned with a mineral salt like alum, or treated like parchment (see Parchment ). About Hebron oak branches, chopped into small chips, are used for tanning the leather bottles or water skins. In this case the hair is not removed. The tanning is accomplished, after removing the fleshy matter, by filling the skin with oak chips and water, tying up all openings in the skins, and allowing them to lie in the open on their "backs," with "legs" upright, for weeks. The field near Hebron where they arrange the bulging skins in orderly rows during the tanning process presents a weird sight. These are the bottles referred to in the King James Version (the Revised Version (British and American) "skins") ( Joshua 9:4 ,  Joshua 9:13;  Hosea 7:5;  Matthew 9:17;  Mark 2:22;  Luke 5:37 ).

Leather was probably used more extensively than any records show. We know that the Egyptians used leather for ornamental work. They understood the art of making stamped leather. The sculptures give us an idea of the methods used for making the leather into sandals, trimmings for chariots, coverings of chairs, decorations for harps, sarcophagi, etc. There are two Biblical references to leather, where leather girdles are mentioned ( 2 Kings 1:8;  Matthew 3:4 ). See also Crafts , II, 17.

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

(βυρσεύς, Hebraized in the Talmud as בורסי, also בורסקי ), the occupation of Simon of Joppa ( Acts 9:43;  Acts 10:6;  Acts 10:32). This trade, on account of the bad smell connected with it (comp. Schol. on Aristoph. Eq. 44; Petron. Sat. 11), was despised among the Jews (Kethuboth, 7:10; Megillah, 3, 2; see Schö ttgen, Hor. Heb. i, 447; Wettstein, N.T. 2, 516). Those who followed it were called by the Greeks βυρσοδρέψαι, in Latin Coriarii, Subo7Tarii (Guter, Inscript. p. 1548, No. 8). They usually had their work-place outside the cities (Artemid. 1, 51; Mishna, Baba Batihra, 2, 9), or on streams or the sea ( Acts 10:6). See Walch, Dissert. In Act. Apost. 2, 101 sq. — Winer. (See Mechanic). The ancient Egyptians used the bark of various trees for tanning (Wilkinson, 2. 106). (See Leather). The tanneries of Joppa are now on the shore south of the cit(Thomson, Land And Book, 2, 281). Several circumstances, however, confirm the tradition of the present "house of Simon" there (Stanley, Palest. p. 269). (See Simon).