SHORE חﯴף, H2572, beach; שָׂפָה, H8557, lip; קָצָה֮, H7896, end; Gr. χεῖλός, lip; αἰγιαλός, G129, beach). The sea shore plays little part in the Bible narrative, except in the context of the familiar simile—“like the sand on the sea shore for multitude.” The Israelites were not a seafaring nation, nor was their grip upon the Mediterranean coastlands ever for long secure (see Sea; Great Sea). Consequently, the sea remained a hostile and foreign element to them. The frequent NT references to shores relate to the Sea of Galilee. With these the Galileans were, of course, entirely familiar, since so much of their livelihood originated at the lake shore. In the almost continuous circle of shoreline towns which surrounded the lake in Biblical times, not only lake fishing but all kinds of cross-lake transport (such as wheat from the rich arable lands E of the lake) formed the basis of employment. Consequently, Jesus might be said to have chosen the focal point of the region’s life and activity for His pulpit when He went down to the lake shore to fulfill His ministry.