Bowtreader | Behind the Name

Bowtreader (bō / tred / r) 

It’s more than just a cool name

“‘To tread a bow’ (drak qeet) is often thought to mean bending or drawing it, but some believe that it refers to stringing a bow. The former interpretation is generally supported by the ancient versions, and also by medieval Jewish scholars; and Rashi says that, when a bow was "strong", the archer needed to use his foot to bend it. Some Greek writers tell of peoples who had exceptionally long bows and needed to use their feet to bend them.”

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Over the years we’ve heard our fair share of pronunciations for our name. “BowTREEder,” and “BowTRADER,” are among them… if anything, learn this through this article: WE DO NOT TRADE BOWS. While there has been the occasional swap between pals at our Statesboro location, it’s rare that we take in old bows in exchange for new ones.

The phonetic spelling is above for anyone who still needs clarification.

It is BowTREDer.

At Bowtreader, we like to work muscle groups you’ve never worked before and awaken a new part of your mind to something almost unheard of: an archery shop that teaches you how to use your bow, without the requirement of extensive existing knowledge. We want to educate you and keep you in the sport so that you have as much fun as possible while genuinely understanding the piece of equipment you are using.

Our name is founded principally in two things: the equipment we work on and the Lord who gave us the strength to do it.

The term “treading the bow,” is the original phrase from which our name is derived, occurring as far back as the Old Testament narrative. Details are lost in the translation to English but archery is something historians and theologians have delved into because of the frequent use of the term “tread.” 

It could have meant a few different things.

1. Relics of Egyptian bows lend that it would take incredible strength to string the bow, requiring the archer to step on it to get the string into place. Hence they would literally TREAD on the bow.

2. Israelite bows of the same time are used under this verb. In this case it appears that treading the bow is a reference to actually pulling the bow back, another feat that would require great strength as the bows were extremely long.

3. Preparing a bow to be shot (making, maintaining, stringing, etc.) could also be referred to as treading.

4. Treading could denote to anything to do with a bow. Theoretically, it would work synonymously in a sentence. (Imagine replacing “are you bowing up on me?” with, “are you treading me??”)

 Each of these definitions describe the work we do at Bowtreader. We do a lot of stringing, a lot of preparing, fixing, building, and a LOT of pulling back to shoot! Our practice is an age-old one and we honor that through our name.

The way we look at it, the Lord is just as faithful now as He was in ancient times of formidable Israelite battle. We rely on Him for our strength and through the times of difficulty and success we have seen Him grow our business in the most important aspect: the people.

His faithfulness isn’t based on financial success for us or statistics or sales. Ultimately, that is what makes Bowtreader different. His faithfulness is shown through people, and whether we are going through a rough time or when we all stand on a mountain after a climb, we can be sure that He will provide good colleagues to stick with us.

Archery has changed a lot since ancient times but we will keep the name as a symbol of our commitment to providing thorough service for our archery community. Our God is the only one who holds the status of never changing — we trust His constant love, mercy, omniscience, understanding, compassion, power, and altogether goodness to see us through!

Bible Verses Containing References to Bows and “Treading” 

 “God is a righteous judge,
And a God who has indignation every day.
If a man does not repent, He will sharpen His sword;
He has bent His bow and made it ready.”

- Ps. 7:11-12

“But his bow remained firm,
And his arms were agile,
From the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob
(From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel),”

- Genesis 49:24

 “He bent His bow
And set me as a target for the arrow.”

- Lamentations 3:12

“‘My glory is ever new with me,
And my bow is renewed in my hand.’”

- Job 29:20

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