Catapult, ballista
Human-made Things in the Bible
The catapult was a device constructed of wood and ropes or leather cords and used in the siege of a city. It consisted of a base to which was attached a long wooden arm. At one end of the arm was an open bowl-like container that held the object to be projected, usually a heavy stone. The arm was forced down by mechanical means, bending the wood into a tense bow. When released, the arm snapped back into place, hurling the stone in the direction of the besieged city. The size of the stones varied widely according to the size of the catapult.
Pictures
In the Bible
The Hebrew and Greek words for it, and every verse where each is used
חִשָּׁבוֹן chishvon · 1 verse
λιθοβόλον lithobolon · 1 verse
πετροβόλος petrobolos · 1 verse
σκορπίδιον skorpidion · 1 verse
Also in Siege instruments
Sources
Plants and Trees in the Bible, Animals in the Bible and Human-made Things in the Bible © United Bible Societies, 2025 (adapted from Each According to its Kind: Plants and Trees in the Bible by Robert Koops, All Creatures Great and Small: Living Things in the Bible by Edward R. Hope, and The Works of Their Hands: Man-made Things in the Bible by Ray Pritz), CC BY-SA 4.0; adapted for eRhema