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Two different words for ‘basket’ are used in connexion with St. Paul’s escape from Damascus, one, óöõñßò or óðõñßò (Act_9:25), being the same as is found in the miracle of feeding the 4000 (Mat_15:37, Mar_8:8), the other, óáñãÜíç , being peculiar to the Apostle’s own version of the incident (2Co_11:33). The former kind of basket plays an important part in relation to the miracles of feeding, and the argument for its larger size as compared with êüöéíïò is supported by a reference to its use in facilitating St. Paul’s escape (but see Dict. of Christ and the Gospels , article ‘Basket’). The latter calls for detailed treatment here. It has been thought of: (1) as flexible, coming near the idea of reticule or net; (2) as rigid: either braid-work (used especially of fish-baskets [Encyclopaedia Biblica ]), or wicker-work. This last seems to be nearest the truth. In Jewish usage the root ñøð ( ñøø ) attaches to weaving in the rigid form (e.g. basket-making) as opposed to the flexible (e.g. spinning). One species of work-stool is called ñøðéï . The basket-making industry was located in the neighbourhood of the Sea of Galilee, with headquarters at Scythopolis, and a ready outlet for the manufactured article was found in Damascus (see S. Krauss, Talmud. Archäologie, ii. [Leipzig, 1911] 269f., where many kinds are specified).
In the absence of knowledge as to the nature and size of the window ( èõñßò ), and other details of St. Paul’s escape, we cannot hope to attain to a precise result regarding the structure of the óáñãÜíç . It need not be said that present-day tradition’s in Damascus are of little value. Only the lower half of the wall dates possibly from NT times (see Encyclopaedia Biblica , article ‘Damascus’). For the device of letting a person down through a window, see Jos_2:15 and 1Sa_19:12; cf. also Josephus, Bellum Judaicum (Josephus) i. xvi. 4.
W. Cruickshank.