739. Cisterns were often built in the courtyards for water, and fires were built for warmth, as described by Simon Peter's experience in the courtyard of the high priest's house where Jesus was being tried (John 18:18). The courtyard was a place to eat and also a place to bathe. When David looked down from his palace rooftop and saw the beautiful Bathsheba bathing (2 Sam. 11:2), she was in the courtyard of her house, a protected place not visible to ordinary observation.
740. The roof of an Arab's house was and is used today for a large variety of purposes, much like it was used in the days of the prophets and the apostles. It is used for storage (Josh. 2:6), as a place to sleep (1 Sam. 9:26), a spot for gathering in times of excitement to see down the streets (Isa. 22:1), a place of public proclamations (Matt. 10:27), a place of worship and prayer (Zeph. 1:5; Acts 10:9), and as a way of escape in time of danger (Matt. 24:17; Mark 13:15; Luke 17:31).
741. Candles weren't a part of Bible life. The King James Version of the Bible frequently uses the word candle because candles were so widely used at the time that version was written. However, a literal translation of the original words use lamp or light. Bible characters knew nothing about candles.
742. A lamp was considered to be the Palestinian peasant's one luxury that was a necessity. When the sun set, the door of his house was shut, and then the lamp was lit. To sleep without a light was considered by most villages to be a sign of extreme poverty. When a late traveler saw a light in a house, he knew there was life there. To wish a man's light be put out was to wish on him a terrible curse.
743. Fuel is so scarce in the Holy Lands that peasants often burn dried dung and sell sticks that they gatherered. Dried grass and withered flowers are also carefully gathered into bundles and used for making a fire. This was done in the days of old as well. As Jesus said, "The grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven" (Matt. 6:30 KJV; Luke 12:28). Another popular fuel is thorns or thorny shrubs. The widow of Zarephath gathered sticks to build a fire (1 Kings 17:10), but the fire built in the courtyard of the high priest where Simon Peter warmed himself was built with charcoal (John 18:18 KJV).
