My daughter is going to be a reader at church tomorrow, which prompted a brief discussion about the camels in Isaiah 60:1-6. On the fly, we came up with the following cultural conversion factors for ground transportation in the biblical world:

• Camels: an 18-wheeler or your company’s delivery van (a merchant’s conveyance for moving goods across long distances)
• Donkeys: the family car (basic transportation for those who can afford it)
• Horses: either a limousine (transportation for the very rich) or a tank (military applications).